Skip store-bought and make our Nut Free Granola Recipe. Made with dried fruit and seeds and sweetened with maple syrup, this easy gluten-free granola uses a no-bake stovetop method and is incredible served over yogurt with fresh fruit, as a cereal replacement, or as a crunchy snack.
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Granola is a pantry essential in our house. We make it every week and even have a stovetop version in our cookbook, Eat With Us. It’s a quick, easy-to-make, easy-to-store breakfast recipe that’s delicious over yogurt with fresh fruit, as a cereal replacement with milk, or as a crunchy snack. Plus, it looks super wholesome stored on a shelf in a jar, don’t you think?
One of our go-to recipes is a no-bake granola made on the stovetop. It has plenty of seed varieties like chia, pumpkin, sesame and pumpkin seeds, coconut, cinnamon, and mixed dried fruit and uses pure maple syrup as a sweetener. It’s a naturally gluten-free and nut-free granola, making it a kid-friendly recipe too, perfect for school snacks.
The best part, aside from the textured bite, cinnamon flavor, and no-bake cooking method, is getting to break it up as it makes for incredible granola clusters, each packed with seeds and dried fruit. Crunchy, sweet, and salty, this nut-free granola is sure to become a healthy breakfast recipe on repeat in your house too.
If you’re looking for more quick and easy recipe ideas like our Nut Free Granola, try our Oat Flour Pancakes, Fried Egg Sandwich, or Ricotta on Toast.
Ingredient List
- Oats: The main ingredient and primary source of carbs in the granola. Old-fashioned rolled oats are best for granola, but quick oats will work as well. Use organic if it’s an option.
- Dried fruit: Adds sweetness and chewiness to the granola. Dried cranberries, blueberries, and tart cherries were used in this recipe, but any of your favorite dried fruits will work. Other options are apricots, raisins, goji berries, mangoes, and currents, to name a few.
- Coconut: For flavor and texture, use toasted coconut smiles, if available. Shredded coconut works too.
- Pumpkin seeds: Shelled and roasted if available, otherwise raw will work.
- Sunflower seeds: Raw sunflower seeds, organic if available.
- Sesame seeds: Toasted white sesame seeds are inexpensive and readily available.
- Hemp hearts: Shelled hemp seeds are an excellent source of fat, protein and omegas.
- Chia seeds: A little goes a long way to provide fiber, protein, and omegas.
- Cinnamon: The perfect breakfast spice that’s both sweet and spicy.
- Salt: Sea salt or kosher salt to enhance the flavor of the granola.
- Coconut oil: Helps the granola get crisp and adds more coconut flavor to the granola.
- Maple syrup: Our favorite source of sweetness, especially in granola. Use a lighter grade, such as amber, for a balanced maple flavor.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Recipe Steps: How to Make Nut-Free Granola
1. Toast the oats and seeds.
In a deep skillet or frying pan add the oats and sunflower seeds. Toast over medium-high heat, stirring often, until fragrant and just beginning to brown. Transfer them to a large bowl. (If using raw coconut, pumpkin seeds, or sesame seeds, these can be added too.)
2. Make the base.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl of toasted oats, except for the coconut oil and maple syrup. Toss the oats and seeds until evenly dispersed.
3. Boil the syrup.
Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the coconut oil and maple syrup. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes until golden brown, then remove from the heat and pour over the bowl of oats and seeds.
4. Mix and cool the granola.
Mix the hot syrup into the oats and seeds until everything is glossy and evenly coated in the syrup. Transfer to a large baking sheet and pack it down using a spatula. Set aside until cool.
5. Break it and enjoy it.
Use a metal spatula to scrape the granola from the baking sheet and break it up into small pieces.
Chef's Tip
Don't overcook: Ensure that you keep a close eye on the oats and seeds while toasting. They can go from perfectly toasted to completely burnt and bitter in a matter of seconds. We recommend turning the heat down once they begin to turn brown to prevent this from happening.
Let It Cool Completely: Allow the granola to cool completely before breaking it into clusters. This helps it set and gives you those satisfying chunks.
Oven-Baked Granola Method: Mix all the but the dried fruit in a large bowl. Transfer to a large baking sheet and press down with a spatula. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, mixing halfway through. Cool completely, break it up, and enjoy.
Recipe FAQs
To make granola clump together, use a combination of wet ingredients like honey, maple syrup, or a bit of oil. Press the granola down on the baking sheet before baking and avoid stirring it too much during baking to help it form clusters.
Homemade granola typically lasts about 2 weeks when stored at room temperature in an airtight container. For longer storage, you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
It's best to add fresh fruit to granola just before serving to avoid making the granola soggy. If you want fruit mixed in, use dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, or apricots.
Yes, you can use quick oats instead of rolled oats, but the texture will change. Quick oats result in a finer, less chewy granola, while rolled oats provide a heartier texture with more clusters.
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Recipe Card
Nut Free Granola Recipe (Stovetop Granola)
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup dried fruit we used cranberries, blueberries, and cherries
- ½ cup coconut flakes toasted coconut smiles if available
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds shelled and roasted
- ½ cup sunflower seeds raw
- ¼ cup sesame seeds toasted
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- In a large skillet add the oats and sunflower seeds. Toast over medium-high heat, stirring often, until fragrant and just beginning to brown. Transfer them to a large bowl. (If using raw coconut, pumpkin seeds, or sesame seeds, these can be added too.)
- Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl of toasted oats, except for the coconut oil and maple syrup. Toss the oats and seeds until evenly dispersed.
- Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the coconut oil and maple syrup. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and pour over the bowl of oats and seeds.
- Mix the hot syrup into the oats and seeds until everything is glossy and evenly coated in the syrup. Transfer to a large baking sheet and pack it down using a spatula. Set aside until cool to the touch, at least 15 minutes.
- Use a metal spatula to scrape the granola up from the baking sheet and break it up into small pieces.
Ava Thomas says
Thank you for making this without nuts! This recipe was so easy to make, I’ve only ever had baked oatmeal never on the stove, it was really quick to make and so delicious, I love the pumpkin seeds in them.
Philip Lago and Mystique Mattai says
I have a brother who is allergic to nuts so we often had to alter recipes to accommodate him. Glad you loved the recipe!
Ali says
It was easy to make granola like this. I like that it’s made on stove.
Philip Lago and Mystique Mattai says
Right?! Stovetop granola was a game changer for us!