Chunky Chocolate Grain-Free Granola
This Chunky Chocolate Grain-Free Granola is an easy and delicious breakfast or snack. You certainly won’t miss the grains in this gluten-free, protein-packed 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!
PrintChunky Chocolate Grain-Free Granola
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 24 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Description
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.
Ingredients
- 4 cups mixed nuts of your choice, I used 2 cups chopped pecans, 1 cup chopped walnuts, and 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened coconut flakes
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup cacao nibs
- 3 tablespoons AllWhites 100% liquid egg whites, or 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 ouces dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the nuts, 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, 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
OMG – this granola is insane. I LOVE that egg white addition – so brilliant!! Definitely need to make soon!
Hope you love it, Lucia! Thanks for the love :)
Oh my gosh, yeeeeeeees. Large clusters in granola is EVERYTHING! This seriously looks so addicting with all that chocolate-y goodness, Rachel! I’d eat all of this straight off the pan!
Agreeeed! Thanks for the love, Sarah!
This sounds so good !!! Just one question……can I make it without the cocoa powder ? I am sensitive to cocoa. Thanks.
Hi Patricia, definitely! Just leave out the cocoa and chocolate and you’ll be good. Enjoy!
Making this today!! How do you think it will freeze?
It should be fine frozen, I’ve been keeping mine in the fridge and it’s perfect :)
It freezes wonderfully! I prefer it straight out of the freezer, as it’s more crunchy :)
I love frozen granola too! So glad you’re loving it, Elena.
I love all the chocolate in this granola!!
Thanks so much Joanne!
Hi!
This looks awesome and I will make it.
Question:
What is the purpose of the maca powder and collagen peptides?
Thanks!
Hi Tena! Collagen is a good source of protein that’s amazing for your skin, hair, joints, repairing your gut lining, and a whole lot more. Maca is a superfood that’s great for energy and hormone balance. You can google either for a more in depth description of their benefits :)
Wow! Thank you! Are they necessary in this recipe?
Hi Tena, nope – you can leave them out with no effect on texture or taste :)
Thank you! :-)
I so want to make this as little gifts for family and friends over the holidays! Obsessed with your recipes.
A couple of questions:
-I have Ancient Nutrition brand Pure Bone Broth Collagen powder, does that count as the collagen peptide or is it different?
-I have raw cacao powder, is that much different than adding the cocoa powder?
Hi Kelly, so thrilled you like my recipes! Lucky recipients you have :) bone broth collagen is a type of collagen but it might impart some flavor which probably wouldn’t be best with the granola, so you could just leave it out (no need to sub anything). Cacao powder will be fine in place of the cocoa powder, too. Enjoy!
This granola is insanely delicious!!!! I can’t stop eating it! Your recipes are amazing!
Thank you so much Lou!!! So thrilled to hear you’re enjoying it. Thanks so much for the feedback.