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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Thanks so much for this very forgiving recipe; I used up all my oats so I used about 2 1/2 cups so had to add a little more of everything. I guestimated my peanut butter. Yes, used PB instead of almond, agave syrup instead of maple and date syrup instead of molesses. I also had just about 1/4 of Lakanto chocolate chips and to account for the extra everything, I added some of my Lily’s butterscotch chips. I also used my toaster oven. First at 305 degrees for 13 minutes, stirred and then back in the oven for 7 more minutes. It was soft for my taste after cooling down so I baked for another 5 minutes. It was still too soft so I baked again at 315 degrees for 6 minutes. I’m happy now. Thanks again! I’m happy to have an oil-free go-to!
SO happy to hear it worked out for you Michelle!
Very interesting blog. I would definitely recommend this to my family and friends. I have been using Chocolate Granola from True Elements – a clean label food brand as a breakfast option and they are really tasty and healthy. Thank you.
Holy moly… this stuff is dangerous! I did sub half of the maple syrup with date syrup and opted to dehydrate the granola rather than bake it in the oven. It’s delicious!!
Perfection. I used raw hemp seed butter cuz it’s my fave. Simply delicious. Store bought where.??????
Thank you fo satisfying this WFPB pregnant lady’s cereal and granola craving!
Yay! Oh I love hemp butter-great idea! Thank you for the wonderful feedback!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! My 4 and 5 year olds love it. I sometimes double the recipe or make it every two days. My husband and I try to eat from it before our kids get to it. Good bye store bought granola/cereal and hello healthy homemade breakfast 🙂
THIS IS THE BEST !
Thanks for sharing will be made a million times more
Woohoo, glad to hear it Mandy!
THIS IS THE BEST GRANOLA! Bought or made! I am on my 2nd batch in 3 days! Seriously so addicting and will be my go to!!
Woohoo, that is so wonderful to hear Jen! It’s my favorite as well!
I have your oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in the oven and was hoping to whip this together while they’re baking. The problem is… I only have molasses, not blackstrap molasses. Will that work or will it throw off the taste?!
Thanks!
Amy
Hi Amy, regular molasses will totally work!
Awesome!!! I put a hold on making it today. I’ll plan to make it later this week! Thanks so much for your quick response! You’re awesome! And so are your recipes!!!
Hi Geoffrey! You don’t taste the molasses, it’s just more for that crunch and cluster effect, but I imagine coconut sugar would work well too like you mentioned. Sounds yummy!
Made this granola today and all I can say is WOW. It is so chocolatey and so good. I can’t stop munching on it. 😊
I bet this would taste AMAZING as cereal in almond milk!! 🙂
YES YES YES! It does! Try it 🙂
Brandi! You did it again! Another delicious recipe to add to my collection! This is the first time making chocolate granola, and to be honest I was skeptic about baking the chcolate chips… But holy wow! My boyfriend says it tastes like crunchy brownies. 🙂 i made them the exact same way, except i added 1 tsp of vanilla extract when i took my butter/sweetener off the burner. Yum!!! Thanks!
Thank you so much Ashley for such amazing feedback!! I really appreciate it, thank you so much for letting me know!
Wow! That looks so delicious! I was thinking yesterday that I need to make a granola so I’m going to try this!
omgeee!!!! this looks amazing! chocolate granola I mean YUM! you totally can’t go wraong with a snacking food that is CHOCOLATE! I love this recipe pinning it 😉
Thank you so much Michele! It is really a delicious granola!
Oh wow, Brandi! I am drooling over these stunning images! What an incredible looking granola!