Quinoa Granola

There's always a batch of granola in my house, as it's my morning ritual to have a bowl of yogurt with homemade granola and honey for my breakfast. This basic granola recipe I rely on still remains one of my favourites, but the most popular post on my blog here is actually this granola recipe made with steel-cut oats.

A co-worker was telling me about this amazing quinoa granola recipe she recently made and passed along the recipe to me. I made it that very weekend and was thrilled with the results. Much like my steel-cut oats granola, this quinoa version has lots of texture to it, and such great nutty, toasty flavours from the quinoa and sesame seeds. It's chock-full of goodness, from nuts, to seeds, to dried fruits.

Like any granola recipe, this is very versatile. Just swap in things that you like for things you don't to personalize the granola mix to your own tastes. I'm thinking of trying this recipe with some cocoa powder mixed in next time for a chocolaty version!


Quinoa Granola
Adapted from 365 Quinoa: The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming (Whitecap)
Makes about 5 cups

2 1/2 cups large-flake rolled oats
3/4 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, unsalted
1/4 cup sesame seeds *
1/3 cup quinoa (uncooked) **
1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup walnut pieces
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped

Preheat the oven to 225˚F.

Measure the oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, quinoa, coconut, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into a large bowl. Mix well.

Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract to the oat mixture and stir until evenly distributed. Spread the granola evenly on a large baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.

Remove and set aside to cool. Crumble the granola into a large bowl or container. Toss in the cranberries, raisins, and apricots. Store the granola in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.

* I used a half-half mix of white sesame and black sesame seeds. If you want an even nuttier flavour in your granola, lightly toast the seeds first.

** I used a half-half mix of white and red quinoa.