Protein Granola (Gluten Free + Vegan)
This crunchy Protein Granola gets a major dose of protein & fiber from a secret ingredient – lentils! This gluten-free & vegan granola is a delicious and filling breakfast or snack.
This recipe was created as part of the #LetsLentil campaign, sponsored by Canadian Lentils. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Bakerita!
It’s been a while since I posted a granola recipe around here. A couple months, at least, which is a while for me – I pretty much live off granola for breakfast, and my hearty archive of granola recipes definitely reflects that food habit.
The past few months the granola habit has gone to wayside as my usual breakfast has been replaced with piles of fresh fruit, but lately, the jonesing for granola came back. Instead of using a previous favorite recipe, I wanted to create something a little different: protein granola!
This granola is similar to some of my other favorite granola recipes, starring rolled oats, flaked coconut, and pecans, but it has a couple extra ingredients that totally amp up the nutrition and especially the protein. Almonds are the nut of choice here, seeing as they totally kick butt in the protein department, and chia seeds also help amp up the protein count.
But the real powerhouse ingredient in this granola?! Lentils. It seems so random, right? Putting lentils in granola? But you guuuys, I’m obsessed, and I think lentils are now going to become a regular occurrence in my homemade granolas.
You’re going to want to cook the lentils (which is super easy) before they’re added to the granola, and when they get coated with the wet ingredients and baked with the rest of the granola, they turn into these sweet, puffy, crispy little bites.
You can honestly barely tell they’re there, but I looked for a little clump of them to see how they transformed, and it’s pretty magical how these little pulses turned into one of the best granola additions.
I used red lentils in this recipe (mostly because they’re more mild in flavor than green lentils) and I can’t get over what nutritional powerhouses they are – they’re packed with fiber, protein, and minerals, and they’re low in fat. Nothing to complain about there.
If you like to eat your granola the same way I do, paired with Greek yogurt and fruit, you’ll get even more protein from the Greek yogurt – I was full for hours after my little parfait. Or, just keep a baggie of protein granola in the car for whenever you need a filling snack – this definitely does the trick. Enjoy!
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PrintProtein Granola (Gluten Free + Vegan)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
- Category: Breakfast
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- ½ cup pecans (coarsely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups cooked red lentils (from ¾ cup dry red lentils*)
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ¼ cup coconut oil (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
- In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, coconut, pecans, almonds, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cooked red lentils, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and coconut oil and stir until the dry ingredients are all moistened. Spread the granola in an even layer on a large parchment-lined baking sheet and press down gently with the back of a spatula to form a thin even layer.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through and stirring it gently to ensure the granola bakes evenly. When it is browned and feels dry to the touch, remove from the oven. If want big chunks of granola, let the granola cool completely before disturbing so it clusters together.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Notes
Before using, cook the lentils until al dente according to package directions and then drain.
Nutrition
- Calories: 298
- Sugar: 7
- Fat: 16
- Carbohydrates: 31
- Protein: 9
You make the best granola, Rachel! I love how protein-packed this version is. Sounds perfect for breakfast, piled high with some fresh fruit and yogurt. Love this!
Granola is one of my favorites for breakfast. I love it on top of yogurt with fresh fruit….just like your pics :)
Whoa! Love the lentils in here- that’s wild and awesome.
Thanks Medha! I was skeptical at how it’d turn out, but it was such a good surprise how delicious it was.
Who would have thought that lentils would be great in granola! I’m all about plant based protein so I need to give this a go!
You’ll be shocked at how amazing the lentils are in there, Bethany! Thanks so much :)
Oh my goodness, Rachel! I’m totally obsessed with granola, too, but I’ve never considered adding chia seeds – or LENTILS?!? My mind is literally blown away! Can’t wait to give this gorgeous recipe a try :)
Megan, I’m totally just as mind blown that it turned out as deliciously as it did! I hope you do give it a go. Your tummy will be happy :)
Adding this to my list of favorites Rachel! Looks delicious!
You’ve got a few pecans in the pictures, but none in the recipe? Clue me in on that or what it just random? I prefer pecans to almonds so I’m curious if they are the same nutritionally.
Hi Amanda, pecans are indeed in the recipe, listed right under the almonds on the ingredients list! They aren’t as high in protein as almonds, but you can definitely substitute more pecans for almonds if you prefer them.
I love granola with yogurt and fresh fruit for breakfast. The creaminess of the yogurt just seems to compliment the crunchy granola so well. The lentils are a great addition. I’m curious to try this out.
Hope you love it, Anna!
I just made this yesterday and it’s so good! I used green lentils because that’s what I had, and you really can’t taste them at all. Thanks for the great idea!
So glad that you like the granola, Heather! Isn’t it incredible how you don’t notice them at all?! Thanks for the feedback!
Hi! Will it last up to ten days? I am a bit afraid because of lentils.
Hi Lisa – mine definitely lasted me longer than ten days, no issues. The lentils will dry out when they bake. If you’re worried, you can keep it in the fridge or freezer to help it last longer.
So colourful and so delicious! It makes me wanna try it out right after seeing it. I love this and maybe could eat daily. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thanks Harvey!
Oh my goodness this is so delicious. I’ve been vegan for a decade, but my husband just made the final leap. He was bemoaning not having an easy high protein morning meal so I googled high protein breakfast and came up with Rachel’s recipe. Never thought of putting lentils in granola. It was so easy to make with ingredients I already had in the cupboard. What a total winner of a recipe. I never thought of adding lentils to granola but it totally works and packs in the protein. Eat a small bowl of this with some Ripple milk or non-dairy yogurt, and you’re good to go for hours. Even just eaten dry it is yummy and satisfying. My hat is off to you Rachel!
So glad you’re loving it!! Thanks so much for the feedback, Laura.
This recipe is da bomb! It’s so fast, easy and wholesome. In the time it takes my oven to preheat, I cook the lentils and assemble all the ingredients. I make this recipe at least twice a week because we inhale the stuff so fast (and there’s only the two of us now).
Just a few tweaks I’ve made:
1)I swap out the chia seeds for flax meal, only because we have so much of the stuff and I’m not crazy about how chia seeds get stuck between my teeth.
2) add 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
3) add 1/4 cup almond butter (mixing it with the oil, vanilla and maple syrup in a blender first)
4) and use a lot more cinnamon (about 2-3 tablespoons) and triple the vanilla
So thrilled you’re loving it, Laura! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and changes.