Easy Gluten Free and Nut Free Granola (2024)

Easy and delicious gluten free and nut free granola recipe! A super simple and allergy friendly recipe, free from the top 14 allergens. You are gonna love this recipe!

This gluten free and nut free granola recipe makes the perfect crunchy and chewy granola to top your smoothie bowl, sprinkle over ice cream, or just eat by the handful. Making your own granola is really easy and is the perfect snack, especially for people with food allergies.

Free from: Wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, celery, corn, sesame, mustard, lupin, sulfites, nightshades, tomatoes, and more

What I love about this granola is that it is super simple in form yet complex in taste. It’s crispy and chewy in all the good ways, slightly sweet, and has a pinch of salt to balance and deepen the flavor profile. Not to mention it has all the yummy granola clusters that you’ll fight over who gets to eat them! Plus, this is super budget friendly (why is store-bought granola so expensive?!).

Once you try this homemade granola recipe, you won’t want to go back to store bought ever again!

In the mood for more granola? Check out my no bake gluten and nut free granola bars, pumpkin granola, or my chocolate granola bark (gluten and nut free, of course!).

Why You’ll Love this Granola Recipe

• Super simple but tastes amazing
• Crispy, chewy, slightly sweet
• Totally customizable for your allergy needs
• Top 14 allergy friendly
• Budget friendly

Ingredients

Here is a quick rundown of what you’ll need for this recipe. See the substitutions below for how to adapt this granola recipe for your unique food allergy needs!

• Oats: For the best granola, use rolled oats. Steel cut and instant oats (quick oats) both won’t work in this recipe. For a great top 14 free oat, I like Zego Oats. They are certified gluten free, organic, non-GMO, third party tested for impurities, and made in a dedicated top 9 free facility. How awesome is that! Other gluten-free oats I’ve used in the past are Trader Joe’s, but use the oats you are most comfortable with.
• Oil: Oil is what makes the granola crispy and delicious. Stick with a neutral flavored oil like canola or refined coconut oil, whichever works for you. I don’t recommend olive oil as it is too strong of a flavor. If you want, you can replace half the oil with unsweetened applesauce for a lower fat granola.
• Spices + Salt: Don’t skip the salt! Salt helps to enhance the flavors of sweet. I also love to add some spice to my granola. Simple Ceylon Cinnamon is my go-to spice, but you can also add ginger, pumpkin pie spice, or even chili powder for a spicy kick!
• Vanilla: Again, don’t skip this one! A good vanilla helps to bring out the natural sweetness.
• Brown sugar + Maple Syrup: This recipe uses a combination of two sweeteners to get the best of both worlds. The maple syrup helps the other ingredients stick to the oats, while the brown sugar has the molasses to deepen the flavors. To make this refined sugar free, you can add date sugar or coconut sugar.

Allergy Substitutions

If you are avoiding corn, make sure that your vanilla extract is corn free. I always recommend Singing Dog Vanilla because they are so focused on making vanillas that are allergy friendly.See more of my favorite corn free products on my shop page.

If you are using maple syrup, be careful about what company you purchase them from as some manufacturers use corn, butter, or other oils in the process of refining the maple syrup. I recommend Anderson Maple Syrup as they have an allergen process on their page that they are non-GMO, organic, top 9 allergy free, and Kosher.

If you can’t use maple syrup, you can still make this! Just use date syrup or brown rice syrup in an equal amount.

It’s best not to use honey in a granola recipe. Honey in its raw form is filled with delicate enzymes that get destroyed by the heat. You can always add honey to your granola after it is baked and cooled.

Granola Variations

There are so many ways to get fancy with this granola recipe and customize it! Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• Nuts and Seeds: If you aren’t allergic, you can add things like pumpkin seeds (pepitas), sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, almonds, pecans, walnuts, unsweetened coconut flakes, etc. Obviously only use what you can safely eat.
• Chocolate: Add some chocolate chips after the granola has been baked and cooled. Enjoy Life is my go-to for chocolate. You can also add cacao nibs for a raw chocolate crunch.
• Dried fruits: Blueberries, apricots, figs, cranberries, cherries, or raisins are all super options. Again, add them after baking in the oven and after the granola has cooled. Make sure that you find dried fruit that is sun-dried and unsulfured if possible.
• Flaxseeds and Chia Seeds: Add a few spoonfuls to the granola after baking and the granola is cooled. This adds a lot of healthy omegas and healthy fats to the granola. If you add flax seeds, make sure to store the granola in the fridge since flax can spoil at room temperature.

How to Make Granola

For the full recipe, complete with ingredient measurements, please see the recipe card below!

First, in a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients of oats, sugar, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Using a spatula, give this a good mix until each oat is covered in the ingredients.

Next, place the granola in an even layer onto a parchment or silicone baking mat on a standard baking tray. Give it a little press with the wood spoon or spatula.

Place the granola in the oven and let it bake for at least 15 minutes for soft and chewy granola or up to 30 minutes for more crunchy granola.

Remove the granola from the oven and let it rest. Don’t touch it, don’t flip it, and don’t sneak a bite! This is vital to making sure the granola will clump together.

Let it cool completely before removing from the tray.

Finally, after the granola is fully cooled, break it into clusters and store in your favorite airtight container. Now is also the time to add any of the extras like chocolate chips.

Enjoy!

How to Store

Countertop: Keep in an air-tight container on the countertop for up to 4 weeks in a cool, dark place.

Fridge: Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 4 weeks if you have added any ingredients like flaxseeds.

Freezer: Store any extra granola in a freezer safe container for up to 4 months in the freezer. Allow to come to room temperature for a few hours before serving after being frozen.

If you try these out, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, dietary friendly recipes you cansubscribe to my newsletter and follow along onInstagram, Twitter, andFacebook!