This Vegan Oil-free Chocolate Granola is so rich and flavorful and healthier than store-bought. It is nut-free and made with just 7 ingredients!
VEGAN CHOCOLATE GRANOLA
So, so, so chocolatey. That is what I kept saying while eating this. This oil-free vegan chocolate granola has such an incredible, true deep chocolate flavor. That’s all you will think about while eating this. The blackstrap molasses may seem like an odd addition, but I like to add it to my chocolate recipes sometimes because further enriches the chocolate flavor. I love having granola on hand. It’s the perfect snack to keep you from starving when you are out from the house and don’t want to have to stop to eat junk. I also love homemade granola for eating cereal with homemade almond milk. So much healthier than cereal from the store! It’s everything granola should be…crunchy, full of flavor, perfect amount of sweetness, and of course, chocolate. This amazing chocolate granola is ready in 30 minutes!
I have a good collection of oil-free granola recipes on the blog. So much cheaper and tastier than the store-bought varieties anyways, which always contain oil as well.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
(Only 7 main ingredients needed. Full details and measurements on the recipe card below.)
- Old-fashioned rolled oats: Use certified gluten-free if necessary.
- Unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- Sunflower kernels or any other nuts or seeds of choice
- Pure maple syrup
- Sunbutter (for nut-free) or almond butter if you don’t need it nut-free
- Blackstrap molasses: Helps the rich chocolate flavor and make the granola clump nicely.
- Non-dairy semi-sweet chocolate chips: I used Enjoy Life brand.
HOW TO MAKE OIL FREE CHOCOLATE GRANOLA
Step 1: Preheat an oven to 325°F and line a pan with parchment paper.
Step 2: In a large bowl, mix the oats, cocoa powder, sunflower kernels, salt and chocolate chips. If your sunbutter is from the fridge and is cold or really stiff, briefly warm it up so it’s smooth and runny. Stir it with the syrup and molasses. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until it all comes together and is very sticky.
Step 3: Spread the granola out evenly flat onto the pan about 1/2 inch thick, so it bakes evenly.
Step 4: Bake on the bottom LOW rack for 15 minutes, remove and stir the granola around from underneath so it will cook evenly. Place back in the oven on the low rack and bake another 8 minutes. Watch closely so the edges don’t burn.
Step 5: Let cool 10 minutes while it crisps up. Enjoy on it’s own or in parfaits or on ice cream or as breakfast cereal!
VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIPS
These days, many chocolate chip brands sell dairy-free options. Many, however, contain milk, so make sure to read the label first. Enjoy Life brand is labeled vegan but there are brands at Trader Joes, Sprouts and many grocery stores that simply use cocoa, cocoa butter, vanilla and sugar, just read the label!
STORAGE
This granola will stay fresh for 2 weeks, although, let’s be honest it will not last that long! I love to pack individual amounts in bags or containers for on the go for trips or running errands.
Other recipes that include chocolate and molasses?
Vegan Dark Chocolate Almond Ice Cream
Dark Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Load up your bowl with this delicious oil-free chocolate granola, pour some almond milk over it, top it with fruit and you got a seriously delicious and healthy breakfast. Go make this. Now.
MORE OIL FREE VEGAN GRANOLA RECIPES
- Healthy Oil-free Granola that is super buttery!
- Oil-free 5 Ingredient Cinnamon Granola
- Apple Pie Granola
- Peanut Butter Granola
- Chocolate Cinnamon Granola
Vegan Chocolate Granola (Oil-free)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200g) old fashioned gluten-free oats
- 1/4 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (44g) unsalted sunflower kernels
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup (50g) mini dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup (64g) creamy sunbutter or almond butter if not nut-free
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) maple syrup
- 1/2 tablespoon blackstrap molasses (optional, makes the granola more darker tasting)
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the oats, cocoa powder, sunflower kernels (or nuts/seeds of choice), salt and chocolate chips. Add the sunbutter or almond butter, syrup and optional molasses. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until it all comes together and is very sticky.
- Spread the granola out evenly flat onto the pan about 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake on the bottom LOW rack 15 minutes, remove and stir the granola around from underneath so it will cook evenly. Place back in the oven on the low rack and bake another 8 minutes. Watch closely so the edges don't burn.
- Let cool 10 minutes while it crisps up. Enjoy on it's own or in parfaits or on ice cream or as breakfast cereal! Store in a sealed container at room temperature, it will stay wonderfully crunchy.
Notes
- STORAGE: This granola will stay fresh for 2 weeks, although, let's be honest it will not last that long! I love to pack individual amounts in bags or containers for on the go for trips or running errands.
- NUTS OR SEEDS: Feel free to use any nuts or seeds, depending on your preference or allergy. I like to use slivered almonds a lot, since my daughter loves them.
Nutrition
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granola is my all time weakness. I could literally just graze on it all day. I love this super chocolately version. All the best flavors in one simple recipe. Awesome!!
I remember the days when I would eat BOAT LOADS of granola…. Man, if this recipe was on my radar, I would have been an EVEN HAPPIER GIRL!!
Thank you so much Gigi!! I know you are stevia girl so hold tight, I have one coming!!
Wow that looks awesome! Granola with lots of chunks–and chocolate–is my favorite, so I’m sure I would love this 🙂
Thank you so much June! It’s my favorite too!
I’m finally getting caught up and had to check out this recipe…well, because molasses AND chocolate!! One of my absolute favorite combos!! I don’t have sunbutter on hand, so I’ll have to use either almond or peanut butter. I think we’re expecting a cooler day tomorrow, so we might get to break the oven ban for a day!!! If so, I’m definitely making this. Looks delicious!!
Woke up this morning to our house being only 60 degrees, so I took advantage, lifted the oven ban and made a batch of this granola! Holy yum!!! I can’t stop eating it! So rich and chocolatey…I hope I’m able to save some for Josh when he gets home. Such a great snack and a perfect way to satisfy the sweet tooth. Another great granola recipe, Brandi!
Yayyyy! I’m so happy you got a cooler day Mandy and even happier you made this and loved it so much!! Haha! I know what you mean….super hard not to eat it all in one sitting! I’m thrilled you loved it friend…it’s super chocolatey and that’s why I love, true chocolate flavor! 🙂 Thank you for making it!!
Haha! Awww thanks Mandy! I actually prefer it with almond butter myself, so I don’t blame you!!
OOOOH BRANDI!!! You always manage to make me hungry with your recipes, even at 9pm!!! I could literally eat a batch of this right now – you know how much I love chocolate, especially double chocolate!! Mmmm. Love the addition of the sun/almond butter too.
Aww thanks so much Harriet! You are so sweet! The double chocolate really makes them some serious chocolate granola! I know you and I both love our chocolate, haha!
What, no potato? Seriously Brandi? You’ve let us down.
On a serious note, this looks AMAZING – AND somehow not really high-sugar either, which a lot of even relatively healthy granola recipes are. Which is fine of course, if you have the ability to eat homemade granola in moderation hah. I tend to avoid making it just because I eat practically the whole pan in one sitting!
Hahaha! I know! I should rename my blog to The Vegan Potato! I know what you mean…most are filled with a lot of brown sugar and oil…no thanks! And I agree….it’s so addicting, I can’t stop eating it! Thank you Shonalika!
Chocolate and molasses are like peanut butter and jelly to me! I love love them together. In fact I really just love using molasses in so many things because it has this uncanny ability to just make things taste better! LOL This looks SO good!
I agree! It’s an amazing flavor enhancer to so many recipes without even knowing molasses is in there!
Thank you, Brandi, for publishing this recipe. I just tried it tonight. This granola is so good. It’s hard to stop eating it! I’m going to take it on my cycling rides. 🙂
Awesome Brenda! I’m so glad to hear you love it! I love to bring it when shopping and doing errands….so I don’t hit those hunger pains. Thank you for leaving feedback!
Wow love the use of the molasses, what an unexpected ingredient! I always make my granola at home, and can’t wait to recreate the flavors here! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much Sam, I appreciate that!!
This looks so decadent and delicious, Brandi! I love the addition of blackstrap molasses to the recipe – I bet that adds a whole new dimension of flavor 🙂
Thank you so much Sarah! It definitely makes the chocolate taste incredibly richer and more chocolatey. SO GOOD.
Molasses and chocolate are SO great together! They just make each other richer! I am imagining the awesome parfait that could be with everything in these photos <3
Thank you so much Natalie!!
The best chocolate granola I’ve ever had! I didn’t have much oatmeal so I did 1 c. Oats 1/2 c puff wheat cereal & 1/2 c. Peanuts. For the sunflower seeds I subbed a mix of hazelnuts and almonds, and for the nut butter I did almond butter and my pumpkin spice protein peanut butter…yum! This tastes as good as candy and is so crunchy and clumpy. Anyone in doubt, MAKE IT!
Awesome Anna! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback!! So glad this is the best granola you’ve ever had! I love the addition of the peanuts, yummy! I’ve never tried whole peanuts in granola before and need to try that. I agree, I often make this granola (or other granolas on my blog) with almonds, sunflower kernels and chopped pecans….really any nuts work so well. I also make it with peanut butter or almond butter as well and it’s delicious! My favorite is with the almond butter. Since you did a combo of both peanut butter and almond butter, you totally should try my “Butter-licious granola” recipe on my blog….it has both and also a couple of other ingredients and it tastes just like a peanut butter cookie!! It’s amazing.
It’s such an amazing rich chocolatey flavor base that interchanging any nuts really does work so easily! Thanks so much for the awesome feedback!
Here is the link: https://thevegan8.com/2013/02/20/butter-licious-granola/
I think I have everything I need to make this! I’ll give it a shot this weekend. My hubby loves cold cereal and granola, and buys the store-bought stuff. I’m not much a cereal/granola girl (although I could make an exception for chocolate!), so I’m not faithful about making him a homemade alternative. But this looks like something we could both enjoy, so maybe I should just make a double batch. 😉
Have you tried this recipe with natural, refrigerated peanut butter? That’s all I have at the moment. Also, have you tried agave instead of maple syrup? I think I’m low on maple syrup as well. (Sounds like I need to go grocery shopping!)
Hi Nichole! You can definitely use peanut butter if you want instead, I would definitely heat it up prior to adding, so it is very smooth and easy to mix in the ingredients. That should work fine. I haven’t tried agave, but it should still work just the same as the syrup. Let me know when you try it!
What’s your opinion on using PB2 instead of sun butter?
Hi Davida! PB2 actually won’t work because it’s a powder and sunbutter is ground up smooth nut butter which is needed to wet the oats and help it to bake and form clumps. You can also use almond butter if you aren’t allergic to nuts or even regular peanut butter if you want, but it definitely needs some form of a “butter”.
omg this is perfect to top with some nana ice cream!! can’t wait to try 😀
https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/
Thank you so much Anna! Yes, I can vouch, it’s delicious on ice cream!
I am DYING over this granola! Seriously, chocolate + molasses are TWO of my favorite flavorite combos. They accentuate each other so perfect! And I LOVE that this granola has no oil in it (like all your recipes!!). This looks SO perfect for snacking! 🙂
Thank you so much Ceara! I love the combo too!
I am drooling over my screen! It looks fantastic! I am definitely going to give it a try, Brandi!
Kisses from Greece, dear!
http://theveggiesisters.gr/
Thank you so much Lenia! Let me know when you try it!
Well, I told you that I would try it and I did! The result? Pure deliciousness! I posted the recipe on our blog with links and tribute to yours of course, I will be posting it on instagram and facebook later. Now that I am pregnant I do not want to eat processed cereal since they are full of sugar and this recipe is surely a keeper. My little fetus and I thank so much, dear Brandi!
Kisses from Greece!
I am so happy to hear you loved this granola so much!! I love your beautiful photo you shared of it on Instagram as well, I really appreciate it! Thank you so much for making it and the feedback! xx
I intended on making this tomorrow but I seriously cant stop thinking about it! Itll be in my oven within 15 minutes & into my almond milk in the morning 🙂 🙂
Oh awesome Anna! Let me know how it turned out! 🙂
Looks like I’ve missed some awesome recipes while I’ve been traveling! I also love to have granola on hand for snacking, but I’m not good about keeping it stocked.
Thanks Annie! Hope you had fun on your travels!!
Oh my gosh! I would love this for breakfast, this looks and sounds incredibly delicious! I bet the chocolatey flavors goes perfect with a little bit of coconut yoghurt and of course a handful berries. Your pictures are beautiful and colorful, I just like the way you played with colors and contrasts here. I could eat this every morning because it’s so versatile and one can combine it with a lot of different fruits like citrus or stone fruits.
You are so sweet Florian! I love how you appreciate my photos so much and take time to notice the details, that means so much! So glad you love this recipe and it pretty much goes well with fruit, as cereal, as a snack and even on ice cream, haha!
I ALWAYS have a big jar of homemade granola at the ready! I Love coming up with new combos, it’s so much fun….and so good 😉 This granola looks fab!
Thank you so much Rebecca! It’s addicting, that’s the only problem! My daughter absolutely loves this granola…she is so cute about it.
We must be on the same wavelength, because I just posted a no-bake cherry chocolate granola a few days ago. 🙂 This looks perfect, Brandi. I love the addition of molasses, it totally makes the chocolate taste even better. Great recipe!
Haha! How funny! This one is actually a recipe I shared on Instagram 4 weeks back. I actually posted it on there but so many of my followers are not on Instagram, so I had to share it on here too and finally got around to it after taking new pics, lol! Chocolate and molasses are such a wonderful combo!
How is this a nut free recipe if it co twins almond butter? Aren’t almonds nuts?
I am so sorry Ginger, that is a typo, I fixed it to sunbutter! I have previously made this with almond butter and that works well too but it also works with sunbutter. I’m just so used to typing almond butter in my recipes, that I didn’t realize. Sorry, I have fixed it now!
I have to make this! There’s a chocolate granola I splurge on at Wegmans sometimes but I’d much rather make my own. Granola rocks, especially with a warmed milk in the morning and the chocolate mixes with the milk? Yum.
I may try this with carob powder instead and carob chips. Will let you know of course
I have tried a few storeboughts but they just never, ever taste half as good as homemade and they always contain oil, which just tastes too greasy to me. You can have homemade granola in half an hour, so why not do it?! Thanks Angela! FYI, carob chips do weird things when heating…they tend to burn, it’s happened to me before, so keep an eye on them or just add them at the end. They don’t melt the same way as regular chocolate chips.
Absolutely dont melt well but I like that flavor and their nutrition. I’ll probably stir them in after the rest has baked up and is still warm maybe.
Homemade is always best.
Sounds awesome Angela!