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You are here: Home / Snacks / Healthy Oil-Free Granola (So buttery!)

Healthy Oil-Free Granola (So buttery!)

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Only 7 ingredients for this delicious healthy oil-free granola that is vegan, gluten-free and so buttery, it’s hard to believe there is no oil and no butter! Much healthier and made with almond butter, peanut butter and almond flour for the most delicious and buttery granola you’ve ever had! This granola is vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free!

overhead view of glass bowl of vegan granola on top of tray of granola

HEALTHY OIL FREE GRANOLA

A healthy oil-free vegan granola recipe that tastes extremely buttery and rich, yet has no oil and no butter. This oil-free granola is gluten-free and made with whole foods! Super nutritious, healthy and plant-based. Did I mention it’s crazy easy and quick to make, too?

I’m no stranger to lots of how to make healthy granola recipes without oil. This 5 Ingredient Cinnamon Granola and this Chocolate Granola are my 2 favorites!

The combo of peanut butter, almond butter and almond flour create the richest flavor buttery mouthfeel. You will NOT miss the oil!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

(Only 7 main ingredients needed. Full details and measurements on the recipe card below.)

  • Blanched almond flour: Almond meal would also work.
  • Old-fashioned rolled oats: Use gluten-free if needed.
  • Roasted creamy almond butter: A drippy, smooth almond butter is needed here. My homemade almond butter is amazing, but Trader Joe’s also has a great one. You don’t want a stiff, thick nut butter.
  • Peanut butter
  • Pure maple syrup: Keeps this granola refined sugar-free, unlike store-bought versions that often have so much sugar added to them.
  • Pecans
  • Vanilla

HOW TO MAKE GRANOLA WITHOUT OIL

Step 1: To a large bowl, combine the oats, almond flour and chopped pecans.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and whisk well.

Step 3: Pour the wet over the dry and stir until it comes together into a thick, sticky consistency.

Step 4: Spread the mixture onto a pan lined with parchment paper into an even layer.

Step 5: Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes, stir around well and bake another 10 minutes until golden brown.

2 small glass bowls of granola on tray of granola

WHAT TO SERVE THIS GRANOLA WITH

I love to just pack this as an on-the-go snack when I run errands. But it is also delicious as cereal served with homemade almond milk. You could even top it on some vanilla ice cream.

If you are gluten intolerant, make sure to buy certified gluten-free oats. I buy Bob’s Red Mill.

MORE OIL FREE VEGAN GRANOLA RECIPES

  • 5 Ingredient Cinnamon Granola
  • Chocolate Cinnamon Granola
  • Apple Pie Granola
  • Oil-free Chocolate Molasses Granola
  • Buckwheat Granola
overhead view of glass bowl of vegan granola on top of tray of granola

Healthy Oil-free Granola (So buttery!)

Brandi Doming
Only 7 ingredients for this delicious healthy oil-free granola that is vegan, gluten-free and so buttery, it's hard to believe there is no oil and no butter! Much healthier and made with almond butter, peanut butter and almond flour for the most delicious and buttery granola you've ever had!
5 from 12 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine American, Gluten-free, Vegan
Yields 6 cups

Ingredients

  • 2  cups (200g) old fashioned oats (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free)
  • 1 cup (112g) blanched almond flour
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecan pieces
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (180g) pure maple syrup
  • 4 heaping tablespoons (64g) creamy drippy roasted almond butter
  • 2 tablespoons (32g) peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • I use this scale.

Instructions
 

  • Preheat an oven to 325°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place the middle oven rack to the lower rack position.
  • In a large bowl, combine the oats, almond flour and chopped pecans and stir well.
  • In a separate small bowl, combine the syrup, almond butter, peanut butter, vanilla and salt and whisk until smooth. Pour over the dry ingredients.
  • Stir until very thick and sticky and evenly coated. This will take a minute or two.
  • Add the mixture to the lined pan and spread out into an even layer with the back of the spoon, it should be about 3/4 inch high.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir the granola all around from the bottom, so it can cook evenly. Place back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes until very golden.
  • Let the granola cool 15 minutes or so. It will harden as it cools. Once completely cooled, break it into chunks. Store in a ziplock bag or plastic container in the fridge, to retain its crispness.

Notes

  • ROASTED ALMOND BUTTER: A drippy, smooth almond butter is needed here. My homemade almond butter is amazing, but Trader Joe's also has a great one. You don't want a stiff, thick nut butter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 cupCalories: 205kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 4.7gFat: 10.1gSaturated Fat: 0.9gSodium: 45mgPotassium: 151mgFiber: 3.6gSugar: 9.8gCalcium: 56mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @thevegan8brandi on Instagram and use tag #thevegan8!
Keyword healthy granola, healthy granola recipe, healthy vegan granola, oil-free granola, oil-free vegan granola

The Vegan 8 is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my full disclosure policy here.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Gluten Free, Granola, Snacks Tagged With: Almond butter, almond flour, Breakfast, Gluten free, Granola, Peanut butter, snack

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Comments

  1. apuginthekitchen

    February 20, 2013 at 6:46 pm

    Your granola looks incredible, I can never quite figure out how to get in clumps. Yours is exactly how my granola wants to be when it grows up. LOVE IT!!

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 20, 2013 at 7:10 pm

      Suzanne, you are so funny, lol!! Thank you! I found the trick was to spread the granola out but making sure it is still stuck together, letting it cook untouched without stirring it constantly during the cooking process. Letting it cook for a solid 15 minutes first, then just stirring it around once (it already starts to form clumps this way) and then another 15 minutes baked it into crispy clumps. It was SO delicious. On my chocolate cinnamon granola…I cook it the whole time without stirring it, and then break into chunks after it cools. But for the peanut butter, it had to be stirred once during because it is softer due to the peanut butter and needed to cook evenly. Hope all my rambling made sense, lol! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Brittany

    February 20, 2013 at 7:03 pm

    This sounds delicious!!!! So does the chocolate cinnamon granola!!

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 20, 2013 at 7:10 pm

      Thank you Brittany…they are both SO much better than store bought! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Choc Chip Uru

    February 20, 2013 at 7:23 pm

    Perfection is a mild word 🙂

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 21, 2013 at 10:48 pm

      Thanks you’re so sweet Uru! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Sarah

    February 20, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    Looks soooo good!

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 21, 2013 at 10:49 pm

      Thank you Sarah! It’s my favorite granola now!

      Reply
  5. Bunny, C.

    February 21, 2013 at 12:35 am

    Yummy yummy yummy! I am so pleased to have come across your blog 🙂 Let the baking begin!!

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 21, 2013 at 10:49 pm

      Thanks so much for coming by! I appreciate it!

      Reply
  6. Healthy Glow Nutrition

    February 21, 2013 at 4:15 am

    Fantastic recipe Brandi! Looks incredible and healthy! 🙂

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 21, 2013 at 10:50 pm

      Thank you Eva!! 🙂

      Reply
      • Healthy Glow Nutrition

        February 28, 2013 at 5:11 am

        You’re very welcome Brandi 🙂

        Reply
  7. gotasté

    February 21, 2013 at 6:06 am

    Brandi, These looks amazing. The crisp and chewiness already make my mouth water. I love granola but like you say it is quite pricey. Now I can make my own. Thanks for sharing yet another must try recipe.

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 21, 2013 at 10:51 pm

      Thanks Danny! You always make me smile with your kind words!!

      Reply
  8. Fine Dining at Home (@fdathome)

    February 21, 2013 at 8:20 am

    This looks excellent Brandi, I’m really getting into homemade granolas at the moment. Not only for breakfast but been making some savoury ones as texture contrasts to go with dinner.

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 21, 2013 at 10:53 pm

      Thank you so much for following my blog! Oooohh savory…what a great idea…now I’m inspired to do that 🙂

      Reply
  9. Ally

    February 21, 2013 at 10:29 am

    Brandi, this looks amazing! What a great recipe.

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 21, 2013 at 10:54 pm

      Thanks so much Ally!

      Reply
  10. laurasmess

    February 21, 2013 at 1:12 pm

    Brandi, this granola looks incredible. I think I’d be tempted just to eat it straight off the tray… or sprinkled on vanilla ice cream, yum. Thanks for sharing your recipe… maybe perfect granola clusters are achievable after all!

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 21, 2013 at 10:56 pm

      Thank you Laura! I definitely ate PLENTY off the tray! 🙂 So good! And sprinkled on ice cream sounds divine!! The clusters ARE achievable…it has to have the right amount of liquid but more importantly, not stirring too often during baking is what I found worked!

      Reply
  11. Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen

    February 21, 2013 at 3:58 pm

    I think I like the sound of yours better, er, butter:) Love this recipe and I’ll have to give this one a try since my last only made one batch and we’ll be out soon! xx

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 21, 2013 at 10:57 pm

      Thank you Barbara! That was cute 🙂 I hope you try it and I will be trying the one you posted as well!

      Reply
  12. ChgoJohn

    February 21, 2013 at 10:47 pm

    I’ve never been one much for granola, Brandi. The few that I’ve tried weren’t at all good — but that was years ago. Yours here is not anything at all like those I’ve tried and I bet it tastes so much better, too. Maybe it’s time I give granola another try? You certainly have made it tempting!

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 21, 2013 at 11:00 pm

      I can see why John…I have found most granolas from the store to be very bland. I can assure you mine are far from that! My biggest problem is controlling myself from eating the whole batch the same day…it’s very addicting!

      Reply
  13. petit4chocolatier

    February 22, 2013 at 2:05 am

    Brandi, this looks delicious! I eat a lot of granola and it is expensive; especially the Kashi cereals. Sometimes I place them in small closure bags for snacks at work. Your recipe is perfect. I love the peanut and almond butter 🙂

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 22, 2013 at 5:40 am

      Thank you Judy! I agree, it’s so expensive. Homemade truly tastes better too. This is my favorite so far!

      Reply
  14. healthygirlandthecity

    February 22, 2013 at 3:06 am

    pinned! thanks for sharing – can’t wait to try it out 🙂

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 22, 2013 at 5:41 am

      Wonderful! Please let me know how it turns out. Thank you!

      Reply
  15. Anonymous

    February 22, 2013 at 11:18 pm

    Now, this is what I call: a real granola recipe: Waw! It looks freaking tasty! Yum!

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 25, 2013 at 5:34 am

      Thank you so much! I appreciate that…please let me know if you try it! It definitely is my favorite granola EVER 🙂

      Reply
  16. The Little Spork

    February 23, 2013 at 9:25 pm

    I’m on a bit of a granola kick right now so I can’t wait to try out this recipe soon!!

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 25, 2013 at 5:35 am

      Wonderful! Please let me know when you do! It’s my favorite for sure 🙂

      Reply
  17. gottagetbaked

    February 24, 2013 at 1:24 am

    Whoa, Brandi, your granola looks fantastic! It’s such a gorgeous golden brown – I can imagine that satisfying crunch when you bite into it. Every single time i see a granola recipe, I think to myself: I need to try it. So I’ll say it again: I really need to try this!

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 25, 2013 at 5:37 am

      Thanks so much Nancy! It is crunchy, chewy and sweet…so reminds me of a crunchy peanut butter cookie. The way I baked it was crucial to obtaining the perfect crisp 🙂

      Reply
  18. Sophie33

    February 24, 2013 at 12:31 pm

    Waw! What a tasty looking granola!
    It looks freaking delicious too!

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      February 25, 2013 at 5:51 am

      Thank you Sophie, it sure is!

      Reply
  19. erika

    February 25, 2013 at 2:46 pm

    YUM this sounds totally fantastic! I love that you made it without any oil–I’ve been dying to try making peanut butter granola without oil! But this is definitely going on my list as well. So brilliant to use almond flour in addition to the oats!

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      March 1, 2013 at 1:12 pm

      Thank you so much Erika!! The almond flour gives it such a wonderful moist flavor and incredible chew! You would love it. It is so addicting and is my favorite granola ever!! Totally don’t need oil!!

      Reply
  20. Tonette Joyce

    February 27, 2013 at 9:48 pm

    Very nice! I haven’t made my own granola in years;I did it for my sons, but not the grandkids. You have inspired me!

    Reply
    • The Healthy Flavor

      March 1, 2013 at 1:13 pm

      Thank you so much Tonette! It is so delicious. I will never buy store bought…it isn’t even half as good and it’s way overpriced!

      Reply
  21. kimsantilli

    April 2, 2013 at 7:02 am

    Reblogged this on Teasured Recipies…….

    Reply
  22. Dawn

    June 25, 2014 at 3:24 am

    Can I sub coconut flour for the almond flour? I’ve never used either so I don’t know how they work in recipes.

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      June 25, 2014 at 7:17 am

      Hi Dawn! Actually, no coconut flour would not be a good sub for this recipe. Coconut flour is extremely absorbent, whereas almond flour gives tons of moisture. They are basically opposites, so the coconut flour would just be too dry. The almond flour gives texture, chewiness and moisture. But if you don’t want to use it, then I would just leave it out and add an extra 1/2 cup of oats and it should still work great. Let me know how it turns out! Thank you!

      Reply
  23. Marlene

    December 4, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    5 stars
    I was skeptical about using almond flour in granola, but this was great! It had good clumps, definitely decadent, and crisp without feeling jaw-fatigue like with some other granolas. Thanks!!

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      December 5, 2014 at 1:12 am

      Wonderful Marlene! Thank you so much for letting me know! Yes, the almond flour helps with flavor and good clumping 🙂

      Reply
  24. Laurel

    October 21, 2019 at 1:37 pm

    5 stars
    I made this last night – it’s delicious! One of the things I really appreciate about your recipes is that they’ve been reliably, consistently successful for me. Thank you!

    Reply
  25. Mea

    August 11, 2020 at 6:19 pm

    5 stars
    This is the best granola recipe ever, thank you so much Brandi! The crumb was so tender and buttery just like stated, and non-jaw breaking like the ready made granola and other recipes out there. I tweaked it a bit by reducing the maple syrup a tad and adding some coconut butter, and some pure vanilla bean powder instead of the extract. It was delicious and my family loved it!

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      August 11, 2020 at 11:56 pm

      That is so awesome to hear Mea!! Yes, the almond flour and nut butters make for the most incredible buttery flavor right?! Vanilla bean powder sounds amazing, I use that a lot in cakes or frosting, so that sounds great in the granola, too!

      Reply
  26. Maureen

    November 25, 2020 at 10:02 pm

    5 stars
    Love this recipe! The husband eats it in one day! I have to hide it lol

    Reply
  27. Julie

    April 19, 2021 at 10:19 pm

    5 stars
    This granola is truly amazing. So much better than store-bought and really easy to make. Would definitely recommend trying it!

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      April 20, 2021 at 5:51 am

      That is so wonderful to hear Julie, thank you so much!

      Reply
  28. Char

    April 20, 2021 at 10:54 pm

    5 stars
    This is the best tasting granola our family has ever had! We just added raisins to it, and it’s amazing. Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      April 22, 2021 at 4:24 pm

      Yay! That’s awesome!

      Reply
  29. Lynn

    April 25, 2021 at 12:29 pm

    5 stars
    The flavor and crunch are ON POINT!! This recipe is super simple and absolutely delicious. Thank you for making healthy alternative recipes that all can enjoy!

    Reply
  30. Lauren

    January 17, 2022 at 5:32 pm

    5 stars
    I make my own granola alot and liked the idea of no oil so thank you for this! I subbed 1/4 cup flax and 1/4 cup hemp hearts 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds for the almond flour. Used cashew butter instead of pb. I flip once half way through baking and pat granola down tightly before returning to oven, let cool 30 minutes before storing and it will be perfectly clumpy!

    Reply
  31. Taylor

    March 25, 2022 at 7:38 am

    5 stars
    What I love about granola is that it’s so customizable! This recipe is so good!! I love that the ingredients include nut butters instead of oil, because it’s so much healthier and you’re also getting protein with it. I used this recipe to make a vanilla strawberry granola! I just omitted the pecans, upped the vanilla extract and added freeze-dried strawberries in the end. It was sooooo good!

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      March 25, 2022 at 9:25 am

      That sounds SO incredible, Taylor, I’m so happy you loved this recipe!

      Reply
  32. Franny

    November 5, 2022 at 9:18 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe, Brandi! I love your Cinnamon Granola and couldn’t wait to try this one. My partner has a peanut allergy so I used 6 T. of almond butter. In addition to the pecans, I added 1/2 cup mixed slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Turned out fantastic! So easy and delicious. Thanks for a keeper recipe! 💖 Franny

    Reply
  33. Laura

    December 15, 2022 at 3:15 pm

    5 stars
    The best and easiest granola I’ve made! When taking it out of the oven, it was very soft so I didn’t think it would turn out. It hardens as it cools. DIVINE! Thanks for your whole plant, healthy recipes! You are my go-to, for sure.

    Reply

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I'm Brandi, creator of this vegan blog and cookbook author of The Vegan 8 Cookbook. The majority of my recipes focus on 8 ingredients or less, not counting salt, pepper or water. I love to create health-focused recipes, using whole foods to improve fitness and muscle-building, with the occasional comfort meal thrown in there! I'm an expert on oil-free cooking and baking! read more →

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The Vegan 8 is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my full disclosure policy here.

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