Vegan & Gluten-Free Banana Bread Granola

Hi everyone, it’s Bailey here again from Basics With Bails! Today I stepped way out of my comfort zone, and created a short recipe video for you guys on Instagram TV! When I was trying to decide what to make, I knew I wanted to keep it simple, with minimal ingredients. At first, I thought about jumping on the quarantine banana bread baking bandwagon! But after a bit of thought, I decided to take it up a notch and create a gluten-free, vegan, banana bread GRANOLA recipe!

I honestly think I see a new banana bread recipe daily on social media, do you guys agree? But it does make sense! Bananas are a “low-risk purchase” as you can eat them fresh, and if they get overripe you can toss them in the freezer until you have enough to make banana bread (or granola). Unlike many other foods when bananas go limp and mushy, they can be repurposed. Enter BANANA BREAD GOODNESS!

Ingredients you will need:

• Gluten-free oats
• Walnuts or pecans 
• Flaxseeds
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Coconut oil or vegan butter
• Maple syrup or honey if not vegan
• Vanilla
• Banana (very ripe)

Helpful tips to make sure your granola gets crunchy:

1. Store your granola in the fridge! 

I always keep mine in a mason jar or in a glass container to keep it fresh and crunchy!

2. Really press down on your granola before putting it into the oven.

This helps the granola stick all together so you get big chunks (and who doesn’t love big chunks of granola???) 

3. Once you take your granola out of the oven, let it sit for about an hour.

This really lets it dry out and again, gives it that CRISP! Once it’s fully cooled and has crisped up you can put it in the fridge!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use gluten-free oats?

No, you don’t! If you are not gluten intolerant or celiac, you can use regular oats instead and it will turn out just the same!

Do I have to use coconut oil in this recipe?

No, you can use vegan butter instead. Or ghee, if you’re not vegan. If you watched the IGTV on Instagram, I actually used Nutiva coconut oil (butter flavour) in this recipe. Butter gives it a very rich taste, which mimics banana bread flavour perfectly! However, regular coconut oil or vegan butter would also work perfectly!

Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?

Yes, absolutely! I chose maple syrup in this recipe to keep it plant-based, however, you can definitely sub honey! When using honey, I always try and buy certified organic & non-GMO. My favourite is Peace River Honey!

Vegan & Gluten-Free Banana Bread Granola

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Recipe by From the Kitchen of Jillian Harris

Ingredients

• 2 cups 2 gluten-free oats

• 1/2 cup 1/2 of chopped walnuts or pecans

• 1/2 cup 1/2 of flaxseed

• 1 tsp 1 of cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 of nutmeg

• 1/3 cup 1/3 of melted coconut oil or vegan butter

• 1/3 cup 1/3 of maple syrup (can sub for honey if not vegan)

• 1 tsp 1 of vanilla

• 1 mashed medium banana (very ripe)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium size bowl, mix together oats, nuts, flaxseed, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
• Add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and mashed banana to the same bowl and combine well.
• Spread out on a lined baking sheet and press down on granola. Bake for 45-50 minutes, flipping once or twice. 
• Let cool for one hour. This is a very important step, as this is when the granola will get it’s crunchy texture.
• Optional once cooled: add in sliced banana, or dark chocolate chips, OR BOTH!
• If you need a little more guidance, go check out the IGTV recipe video on Instagram!

If you LOVE this recipe here are some other ones you can test out!

Gluten-Free & Vegan Salted Dark chocolate granola

Deceptively Delicious Carrot Cake Smoothie

Okanagan Cherry Vanilla Overnight Oats 

I can’t wait to see your remakes! Share your Banana Bread Granola with me and Jillian by tagging @basicswithbails and @jillian.harris on Instagram!

Enjoy!

Bailey