Oh look, another pumpkin recipe! Don’t worry, this won’t be the last. Anyhoot, granola is one of my favorite things to make because A. It’s delicious, B. It’s easy, and C. Buying granola at the store is expensive and full of odd ingredients and just generally not as fun. This is one of my favorite granola recipes yet!
This time, I decided to add quinoa and chia seeds … for my health. Then I added dried fruit and white chocolate chips … because I can. The result: delicious granola that I generously sprinkle on vanilla Greek yogurt for breakfast every morning until it runs out.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but every time I make granola I nearly burn it. So please note: Even if it’s still soft and doesn’t look like it wants to come out of the oven yet, it definitely does! It will get crunchy once it cools, I promise.
Although Trader Joe’s isn’t perfect for everyday grocery needs, it is perfect for granola making because they have cheap dried fruit blends and nut blends! Plus, I got pumpkin pie spice there for $1.99, which is the cheapest I’ve seen it!
Pumpkin Quinoa Granola
Adapted from Skinny Taste
What You Need:
- 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups oats
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup dried fruit (I used Trader Joe’s Golden Berry Blend)
- 1/3 cup real maple syrup (or honey)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp oil (coconut or canola)
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread oats, quinoa and chia seeds on parchment lined baking pan, toast in oven for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Once oats and quinoa are toasted, combine them with all other dry ingredients.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix with a spatula. Spread granola onto one or two baking sheets.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes.