Banana, Coconut & Honey Granola
This granola is the coconut lover's dream! It contains coconut oil, grated coconut and coconut chips along with crunchy banana chips. It's sweetened with honey instead of refined sugar and tastes so good!
Remember when I posted my first granola recipe a few weeks back? And how I asked everyone in my family for their favorite granola flavor combinations? So this is my 5 year old's favorite combination! He absolutely adores banana chips (while not caring much for the real fruit) and coconut is another flavor he really enjoys.
When I made this, my 5 year old was basically at my side on his stool telling me to add more of this and less of that and tasting it all the way. It was such fun! He's the best little helper and I always enjoy having him in the kitchen. And you know what? I might like „his“ granola even more than mine!
If you're wondering what the difference between muesli and granola is, it's very simple. Granola is baked while muesli is unbaked. The base ingredients are the same. They both contain grains, nuts, seeds and fruit. Sometimes also unexpected ingredients like popcorn or caramel bits! I'm not a fan though... Granola also has added fat and sweetener in order to create those yummy crunchy clusters when baked.
So basically, if you're like me, you want the yummy crunchy clusters but without the added refined sugar. The amount of sugar added to granola is often higher than you might think! I prefer using maple syrup or in this case honey. Yes, I know it's still sugar but it's also different to using refined white sugar. Refined sugar raises the blood sugar much more quickly than honey so it creates a sugar spike.
So other than banana chips, coconut and honey, what did my 5 year old chose to be in his granola? There's oats (his all time favorite) as well as mixed grain flakes, coconut oil, a bit of ground cinnamon and vanilla essence. Mixed grain flakes are quite common here. They generally contain the flakes of five different grains – in my case whole wheat, barley, oat, rhye and whole rice. I like using it for granola but if you don't like any of the ingredients (e.g. wheat), feel free to subsitute it with more oats or e.g. spelt flakes.
This granola comes together quickly. It's actually much faster and easier than you might think! You have to mix all the dry ingredients and then all the wet ingredients separately. Then you mix them both together and bake the mixture at a low temperature for 30 minutes. After letting it cool off, you add in your crushed banana chips and coconut chips. And then you can already enjoy it!
Will you make this for breakfast soon? Or how about my Spiced Apple & Cranberry Granola?
This granola is the coconut lover's dream! It contains coconut oil, grated coconut and coconut chips along with crunchy banana chips. It's sweetened with honey instead of refined sugar and tastes so good!
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 1.5 cup mixed grain flakes (see notes)
- 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cups grated coconut
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 cup crushed banana chips
- 1/2 cup crushed coconut chips
Pre-heat oven to 150°C (302°F). Cover a baking tray with parchment paper.
In a big bowl, mix together oats, mixed grain flakes (see notes), ground cinnamon, grated coconut and salt.
In a small pot, melt coconut oil. Add vanilla essence and honey. Mix well.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix all together very well. Pour the mixture onto the baking tray lined with parchment paper and spread apart.
Roast at 150°C (302°F) for 30 minutes. Stir after 15 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 100°C (212°F) and roast for another 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, chop or crush the dried banana chips and the coconut chips. When the granola is finished, take out of the oven and add the banana and coconut chips. Mix well and let it cool off completely. Store in a closed container. Enjoy!
Mixed grain flakes: here in Germany you can buy a mix made up of flakes of five different grains (whole wheat, barley, oat, rhye and whole rice) which is what I used here in this granola. If you can't get a similar mix or are allergic to any of the flakes listed, substitute with more steel-cut oats or e.g. spelt flakes.
