This Chunky Chocolate Grain-Free Granola is an easy and delicious breakfast or it can be eaten by the handful as a fueling snack. You certainly won’t miss the grains in this gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and paleo granola.
Anyone else disappointed when they dig into a bag of granola and are left with a bunch of individual oats and nuts, and NO clusters to speak of? I know that when I reach my hand in, I want to come out with a big, ultra crunchy cluster of nuts and seeds and goodness.
I want to be able to take a bite out of that cluster and have it not completely fall apart. Those are the kind of granolas that make me excited for breakfast and make the perfect snack. And you guys – there’s a trick to getting those big clusters! Actually, a couple tricks. And I’m about to share them with you. Let’s go.
Step 1: use egg whites in the granola! You might not think to put egg whites in a granola, but when they’re whipped until foamy and added to granola, they reaaallly help you get those big clusters. To keep things simple and without any yolk waste, I used AllWhites® 100% liquid egg whites. They’re made of 100% egg whites (as the name suggests) with no weird stuff added. It’s loaded with protein (5g per serving!) with no fat and no cholesterol. Although not applicable for this particular recipe, AllWhites can even be used without cooking in salad dressings, smoothies, or desserts since they’re pasteurized! Despite being pasteurized, they got foamy just as they should and their binding properties helped this granola form BIG clusters.
Step 2: when it comes out of the oven, DON’T TOUCH IT UNTIL IT’S COOL. No stirring, no flipping, no messing with the granola. By disturbing it, you’re not letting the clusters form as the granola cools. You can be patient, I promise. Maybe cover with a tea towel so you’re not tempted to pick at it (🙋 I’m very guilty of this). Also of note, don’t stir while it’s in the oven either, you’ll just be breaking up the clusters.
Step 3: CHOCOLATE. I think most of us can agree that chocolate makes everything better, and by sprinkling some chocolate on top of the granola right when it comes out of the oven, it also does us the service of melting into the granola and helping even more, bigger clusters form. What a nice, helpful friend that chocolate is.
Once your granola is fully cooled, you can get in there and have a taste. Most likely, if you didn’t disturb it, it’ll be one giant slab of granola. You can break it up into clusters with your hands – I recommend making the clusters bigger than you think, because they’ll totally break up over time in whatever jar or bag it’s stored in.
Now, you’re ready to devour your giant, chunky chocolate grain-free granola clusters!!! You can have them for breakfast with some non-dairy milk poured over, as a snack when hunger pains hit, or even to satisfy your chocolate cravings.
This granola is totally grain-free, which means no oats! Instead, it’s made up of nuts, seeds, coconut, and cacao nibs. I promise, you won’t even notice the oats are missing because there’s so much other goodness in their place. I also added some collagen peptides which, in addition to the AllWhites egg whites, add a nice protein boost. The result is an ultra-filling granola.
If you’re a granola lover, I hope you’ll give this Chunky Chocolate Grain-Free Granola a try and a spot in your pantry! I really think you’ll love it 😉 get back, and enjoy!
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Chunky Chocolate Grain-Free Granola
This Chunky Chocolate Grain-Free Granola is an easy and delicious breakfast or it can be eaten by the handful as a fueling snack. You certainly won't miss the grains in this gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and paleo granola. Course Breakfast Cuisine American Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Total Time 50 minutes Servings 24 servings Author RachelIngredients
- 2 cups pecans finely chopped
- 1 cup walnuts finely chopped
- 1 cup sliced almonds chopped
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs
- 3 tablespoons AllWhites 100% liquid egg whites or 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons maca powder optional
- 1/4 cup collagen peptides optional
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 oz. dark chocolate roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the pecans, walnuts, sliced almonds, coconut, sunflower seeds, and cacao nibs.
- In a different mixing bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the egg white with the water until bubbly and slightly foamy.
- Add the coconut oil, cocoa powder, maca powder, collagen peptides, maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract, and salt to the egg white/water mixture and whisk together well until combined. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir everything until well coated.
- Spread the granola mixture evenly on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until dry to the touch and crispy, rotating the pan once after 20 minutes.
- Remove granola from the oven, sprinkle with chopped chocolate, and allow it to sit undisturbed until completely cool. Once cool, use a spatula to get under the granola and break up into large clusters.
- Store the granola in an air-sealed container for up to 1 month.
This post is sponsored by AllWhites. As always, all opinions are completely my own! Thank you so very much for supporting the brands that support Bakerita. #AllWhitesEggWhites
