This oil-free, cluster-filled Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Granola is easy to make, requires just 8 ingredients and is sure to impress your friends and family!
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I've always had a love/hate relationship with granola.
I LOVE the taste and texture--give me all the crunchy, oat-y, sweet things!
However, usually when I have store-bought granola for breakfast I get a stomach ache or sugar crash afterwards. That's why I started making granola at home. I can control how it's sweetened, how much oil it contains and of course, the flavor!
I've got a number of delicious granola recipes on the blog, including this Chocolate Quinoa Cluster Granola, this Easy Tahini Granola recipe and The Best Homemade Granola Recipe that my sister-in-law shared with me.
But when it comes to my favorite flavor of granola, we all know I'm obsessed with nut butter and chocolate. So for this recipe I figured I would combine the two into one clustery granola package!
This healthy peanut butter granola only requires 8 ingredients, one bowl and less 30 minutes to make! Plus it's oil free and sweetened with maple syrup, so I feel good after eating it.
If you're not a fan of chocolate (but seriously, who isn't?!) then you can swap the chocolate chunks out for dried fruit such as raisins or chopped up dates. Get creative with your mix-ins!
We love serving this granola with fresh fruit (especially banana), chilly almond milk and homemade coconut yogurt.
Before we jump into this simple, easy recipe, let's clarify a few more things about granola!
What's the Difference Between Granola and Muesli?
Muesli and granola are similar in a lot of ways in that they both often contain a combination of oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruit.
However, muesli is often unbaked while granola is made from coating all the ingredients in oil and sweetener and baked until golden and crunchy. I always thought I liked granola better than muesli, but now I love both equally.
Why is Granola so Unhealthy?
This was actually a question that popped up on the internet as a commonly searched question.
Yes, granola can be unhealthy.
While granola sounds like it should always be healthy (you know the saying "crunchy granola"?), you should look at the ingredients to see what your store-bought granola is made out of. Sometimes packaged granola has more sugar and oil than you'd care for!
With that said, granola really can be a part of a healthy diet. Either make your own at home so you can control the ingredients or find a brand that aligns with your diet goals.
Is it Cheaper to Make Your Own Granola?
When it comes to whether homemade or store-bought granola is cheaper, it will always depend on what ingredients you're using and how much each ingredients costs.
If you can buy your oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruit in bulk, then homemade granola can easily be cheaper than store-bought.
Either way, I love to make my own granola because I can control the sugar and oil content. I often switch up which ingredients I use depending on what I have on hand. Since I've recently started making my own peanut butter, this peanut butter granola is very affordable!
What is the Healthiest Granola?
I don't think you can ever answer the question of which food is the healthiest. We all have different opinions on what is healthy and also have different health goals.
However, some of the more popular granola brands are listed below in case you are unable to make your own granola and want to know where to start in purchasing store-bought granola.
Healthy Granola Recipes
I have quite a few other granola and granola bar recipes on the blog, so if you're still looking for more options, be sure to check out the recipes listed below:
Chocolate Quinoa Cluster Granola
The Best Homemade Granola Recipe
Family Size Basic Vegan Granola Recipe
Chewy Almond Butter Date Granola Bars
Peanut Butter Coconut Granola Bars
Okay, let's jump into this amazing granola recipe! If you make it, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below and giving the recipe a star rating.
If you enjoy this granola recipe, be sure to share it with your friends and family!
📖 Recipe
Healthy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup raw buckwheat groats
- 1 cup raw mixed nuts chopped
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup natural peanut butter
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup dairy-free chocolate cut into chunks
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F and line a baking tray with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set it aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients, from the rolled oats to the sea salt.
- Add in the peanut butter and liquid sweetener and stir until all the dry ingredients have been coated in the sweet, peanut butter mixture.
- Pour the mixture onto your prepared baking dish and press it down firmly into an even, fairly thin layer.
- Bake the granola for 20 minutes on the lowest rack. Remove the granola and carefully flip it over in large sections. Place the granola back in the oven on the lowest rack and bake it for another 7 minutes.
- You can either add the chocolate chunks to the granola while it's still cooling so that the chocolate melts a little and coats the granola, or you can allow the granola to cool completely before adding in the chocolate. Serve the granola with non-dairy milk and fruit or use it as a topping for smoothie and yogurt bowls.
Katie Homme says
Is there anything else I could substitute in for the groats (other than more oats)? I do not have any on hand. Thanks!
Faith VanderMolen says
Yes more oats would work fine! I do that often actually:)
Amy Phillips says
Are you supposed to cook the groats first?
Faith VanderMolen says
Nope! Just use them raw. You can also use more oats instead of groats if you don't have any on hand!
Lyn says
Are buckwheat groats and oat groats the same? I have oat groats.
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Lyn! They are different. I haven't tried this recipe with oat groats so can't say how it would turn out. I'd recommend just using more rolled oats instead of the buckwheat groats!
Cee says
Hi can I ask when you say buckwheat groats does you mean the uncooked ones? 🙂 has
Faith VanderMolen says
Yes! But I often substitute the buckwheat groats for more oats when I don't have them on hand! I hope you can give this granola a try!
Marie says
Those clusters!!! Yum! 😀
Faith says
I know right?! Granola has to have clusters!!