Start your day right with a serving of this chocolate hazelnut granola. Bursting with flavor and filling enough to see you through until lunchtime, this granola is also super easy to make, and it freezes well too, meaning you should absolutely make up a double batch and have some handy in the freezer for a busy week. Pair with a dollop of yogurt or with some milk and fruit on the side for a perfectly balanced meal.
Chocolate Hazelnut Granola
You are going to love this easy chocolate hazelnut granola recipe, it is:
- Easy to make: simply mix everything in a bowl and pop into the oven
- Protein rich: contains a nice little hit of protein, which you can amp up with the addition of a scoop of your favorite protein powder, and serve with yogurt.
- Gluten-free: this can easily be made gluten-free by simply making sure to use gluten-free oats
- Kid friendly: the protein hit comes from natural peanut butter, but you can always add protein powder if you want more
- Freezer-friendly: this can be stored in a Ziplock bag in the freezer for about 3 months. This makes it perfect for batch cooking and meal prepping.
- Versatile: you can add whatever nuts or style of chocolate chips you like
- Wholesome ingredients: this granola mixture is made with simple ingredients and no oils or preservatives you would find in the store-bought varieties
With only a handful of simple ingredients required, you will have some homemade chocolate granola on the table in no time.
How To Make Granola
Homemade granola is so easy to make and so much cheaper than buying the store-bought stuff (especially the good brands made with clean ingredients).
Start by preheating your oven and preparing your baking sheet.
Then simply mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, except for the chocolate chips, we will add them at the end to make everything a little less messy and to prevent burnt chocolate.
Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet in an even layer, using the bottom of a bowl to press down on the mixture. This will help to clump the ingredients together and give you some nice clusters.
Now pop it into the oven and bake until nice and crispy, giving everything a good mix about halfway through.
Remove from the oven, add the chocolate chips, mix, and then let the whole thing cool down before serving.
The granola will become more crunchy as it cools down.
Tips, Tricks and Ingredient Substitutions
Depending on the ingredients you have on hand, and your own personal preferences you may want to change some ingredients for others:
- Cocoa powder can be used instead of cacao, however, it will make the granola sweeter
- Maple syrup, barley malt syrup, or any other liquid sweetener of choice can be used instead of honey or agave syrup
- Quinoa flakes can be used instead of rolled outs, however, they do have a different taste and texture
- Walnuts, cashews, or any other nut of choice can replace the hazelnuts
- Chia seeds can be added for a nutritional boost, however you will need to add more liquid sweetener, or some coconut oil to make sure everything is coated
- Protein powder can be added in place of or as well as the cacao powder for a protein hit
- Pumpkin seeds can replace the hazelnuts to keep this granola recipe nut-free
- I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, however dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips will work just as well depending on your sweet tooth
- A sprinkle of sea salt works wonderfully if you don't have a massive sweet tooth and you are using dark chocolate
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve chocolate hazelnut granola with some plain yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh blueberries, but it also goes well with:
- with a splash of milk
- parfait style with yogurt and fruit (like in these Plum, Granola, and Yogurt Parfait Cups), use whatever fresh fruit you have on hand that you think will work well with the flavors
- sprinkled on top of ice cream for a chocolatey crunch
- added to a trail mix (like this Healthy Homemade Trail Mix)
- as a topping on smoothie bowls or pancakes
- in homemade energy bars or as a crumb on some homemade muffins
- or serve it on its own, by the handful, from the jar.
It's pretty versatile, so serve whichever way works best for you and yours.
I hope you love this chocolate-hazelnut combination as much as we do!
Happy Eating
xx
Recipe
Chocolate Granola Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 cups whole rolled oats
- ½ cup hazelnuts roughly chopped
- â…“ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup cacao powder
- 4 tablespoon agave or honey or maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the rolled oats, hazelnuts, peanut butter, cacao powder, and cardamom. Stir well. Then add the agave syrup and mix again until well combined.2 cups whole rolled oats, ½ cup hazelnuts, ⅓ cup peanut butter, ½ cup cacao powder, ¼ teaspoon cardamom, 4 tablespoon agave or honey
- Pour the mixture evenly onto the baking sheet. If you want your granola to be in clusters, press the mixture down with the bottom of a metal bowl.
- Bake for 15-25 minutes, stirring after about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add the chocolate chips. Mix well until the chocolate has melted.¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- Allow to cool completely before serving. The granola will become crunchier as it cools.
Notes
Nutrition
Sherry says
I love snacking on granola but I have never had chocolate granola. When I seen your granola recipe, I had to give it a try. It was super easy to make and tasted so much better than my plain granola.
Pam says
What delicious granola this makes! I love the chocolate taste with my yogurt - so delish!
Sage says
Decadently delicious without being that bad for you. I absolutely love these flavors together!