Cinnamon Quinoa Granola (refined sugar free)

By Amanda Paa – Updated April 12, 2020

Cinnamon Banana Quinoa Granola {gf, v}

First of all, thank you so much for all the warm wishes about my cookbook. I spent the better part of yesterday smiling from ear to ear. I can’t wait to inspire you with many different types of squash recipes and I’m so grateful for all of you who have volunteered to be testers!

Now on to this powered up, energy packed granola.

Break­fast, meet banana bread in a health­ier, whole grain gra­nola form. It’s packed with all the impor­tant things needed to get your day started like pro­tein, healthy fats, and antiox­i­dants. Even bet­ter – this Cinnamon Banana Quinoa Gra­nola is gluten free, dairy free, nut free, and refined sugar free so even those with food aller­gies can enjoy. I loved the idea of using just bananas and a smidge of maple syrup to sweeten it after being inspired by this recipe on the lovely Green Kitchen Stories blog. It opens up the door to a new way of using those over­ripe bananas! Sprin­kled on top of yogurt and fresh berries, or sim­ply soaked in vanilla soy milk as a hearty cereal, it’s become a sta­ple in my pantry.

Cin­na­mon Quinoa Granola

roughly adapted from Green Kitchen Stories

2 cups rolled oats, not instant
3/4 c dry quinoa
2 T chia seeds
3/4 c raw sun­flower seeds
1/4 c raw buck­wheat groats (or use addi­tional 1/4 c sun­flower seeds)
1 1/4 t cin­na­mon
pinch of salt
3 T pure maple syrup
3 T coconut oil, room temp (not melted, just scoopable)
2 medium sized, very ripe medium bananas, cut into small pieces

Pre­heat oven to 375 degrees. Com­bine all dry ingre­di­ents in a large bowl. In sep­a­rate bowl, mash together the bananas, maple syrup, and coconut oil. You should have some smaller pieces of banana left, but not many. Pour this mix­ture over the dry ingre­di­ents, stir in, and fin­ish by work­ing through with your hands so that all pieces are coated. Pour onto bak­ing sheet cov­ered in parch­ment paper and bake for 15 min­utes, stir, bake for another 15 min­utes, stir, and bake a final 15 min­utes. Remove from oven and let cool com­pletely. (This is what will make it clump together some­what.) Store in glass jar or plas­tic seal­able bag.

Refined Sugar Free Cinnamon Quinoa Granola (gluten-free)

Did you make this?

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August 5, 2013

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4 comments

  1. Sharifa

    Hi,can I omit the bananas totally and a bit more maple syrup or honey?

    • amandapaa

      I’m not sure, and haven’t tested it without the banana. I think that might make a difference in how the ingredients stick together.

  2. Cory Stanchfield

    Hi Amanda,

    It was nice to meet you at the Whole Foods “spa night” event. I hope you enjoyed the massage, and the other services and goodies. Your blog is great. I have been actively reducing the gluten in my diet for 10+ years. I don’t have severe reactions to gluten right now, but I do notice I enjoy better over all health when I keep gluten out of my diet, or at least to a minimum. I also have young family members with celiac disease, so I am always happy to find resources for them and the rest of the family.

    I particularly like your Quinoa Granola recipe from August. Along with being gluten free I am also trying to keep the refined sugar intake to a minimum, so the maple syrup and banana as sweet substitutions are wonderful. I love a good granola.

    Cor

    • amandapaa

      Cory, thank you for checking out my blog! I really enjoyed the evening at Whole Foods and sure felt better the next few days from the massage work. I do love this recipe because of the use of natural sweeteners as you mentioned, and a little bit of crunch from the quinoa. Have a great week!