Oil Free Granola (Nut Free)

Oil Free Granola is a delicious, crunchy granola recipe that’s made with SunButter instead of oil. As a bonus, it’s a 100% nut free snack and a low sugar granola recipe too!

Nut Free, Gluten Free, Egg Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by SunButter. Thank you for supporting the brands that make the Chelsey Amer Nutrition blog possible.

If you’re here, I assume it’s because you’re a huge granola fan… and so am I, so I’m glad we have that in common!

But if you’ve ever felt like you can’t make or buy granola for fear of eating the entire batch or bag… you’re not alone.

Granola and I used to have a love/hate relationship…

I am allergic to 99.9% of the granolas sold in stores (thank you tree nut and peanut allergies), so whenever I got my hands on a safe granola or spent the time making it at home, I went wayyyyyy overboard.

It’s a classic “you want what you can’t have” phenomenon. Restriction – even due to medical reasons, like food allergies – leads to overeating and feeling out of control when the food is in your presence.

So, what do you do instead?

The old me, like many of my clients, either…

1. Vow to keep granola out of the house and never make or buy granola so temptation wasn’t an issue…

or…

2. Got some granola and ate the entire bag or batch in a day.

Neither option was pretty.

As I now teach my clients, continuous exposure to the foods you feel out of control around is how you get over that “out of control” feeling.

It’s what I teach my Nutrition Training Program students and clients and it’s how I live my day-to-day life as proof that it works!

This Oil Free Granola is a great option to make and keep around for “exposure therapy,” if you will…

This granola is oil-free thanks to SunButter. The healthy fats in SunButter are so filling and tastier than just using oil alone.

Plus, SunButter offers more vitamins, minerals, and nutrients than regular oil (even the healthiest of oils!). SunButter contains vitamin E, magnesium, fiber, and healthy fats.

Now you may think… if I truly believe all foods fit, why am I purposefully making this recipe oil-free?

It’s not that oil is “bad” for you or that I’m eliminating an entire food group by cutting out the oil.

Instead, I’m simply letting another ingredient shine. And that other ingredient contains enough fat for this recipe so oil simply isn’t needed.

I titled this recipe “Oil Free Granola” though for SEO purposes. Not because I think you should eliminate oil from your diet. SEO or search engine optimization helps other people find my recipes through Google. Some people look for oil free recipes, like granola, for many reasons, so I’m hoping they can find this one that’s loaded with other types of healthy fats.

Oil Free Granola is…

• Easy to make
• Packed with big clusters
• Made with less than 10 ingredients
• Food allergy-friendly
• Low in added sugar
• Flavorful
• Crunchy
• AND MORE!

How to Make Oil Free Granola with Big Clusters

A few years ago, I figured out how to make granola with big clusters. Here’s the recipe.

My technique didn’t transfer right away when I was making this recipe, so I tested at least 3 or 4 different ingredient combinations and baking techniques until I discovered the perfect recipe.

To get big clusters, you need to bake this granola at a low temperature (325°F) and bake it as one big “cookie.”

After mixing all the ingredients together, transfer the oat mixture to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and press it all together. It’s like you’re baking one big cookie.

Then after 15 minutes, remove from the oven and carefully flip the granola. Of course, you won’t be able to flip the entire “granola cookie” in one piece – that’s ok! Then bake for another 10ish minutes, making sure it doesn’t burn.

Now here’s another key point – make sure you let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet. The granola will crisp up as it cools, so be patient!

Ingredients in Nut Free and Oil Free Granola

You need less than 10 ingredients to make this granola:

• Oats
• Seeds – pumpkin, sunflower, flax, and chia seeds
• Cinnamon
• SunButter
• Honey
• Chocolate chips

Rolled oats are the base of this recipe.

Be sure to use old fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats. Use gluten free oats, if needed.

Seeds of all kinds add protein, healthy fats, texture, and flavor.

I used pumpkin, sunflower, flax, and chia seeds to make this nut-free recipe. Seeds are more environmentally-friendly than nuts (they use much less water to grow), plus this is allergy-friendly. You can use any combination of seeds you’d like. Also, don’t forget about hemp seeds (we just ran out).

Cinnamon helps balance your blood sugar and add flavor, without added sugar.

It was important to me to keep this granola low sugar. Granola is typically a breakfast food and I’m a big believer that *most of the time* you don’t need to eat a lot of sugar at breakfast. Cinnamon adds a sweetness to recipes without sugar. Plus, cinnamon is known to help balance blood sugar levels.

No Added Sugar SunButter is used in this oil free granola instead of oil.

SunButter is rich in healthy fats from sunflower seeds, but also vitamin E, magnesium, and more. This nutrient-rich fat replaces oil and adds so much flavor.

Honey is the only sweetener used in this recipe.

This entire recipe has only ¼ cup honey. That’s very little for most granola recipes!

Oh, and chocolate chips! But you can swap in raisins or dried cranberries, if you wish!

I think chocolate chip granola is the best granola, so here we go, but you can swap out the additional sugar for raisins or dried cranberries with no added sugar.

Kitchen Tools You Need to Make Nut Free Granola without oil

• Large baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Large bowl
• Microwave safe bowl
• Silicone spatula
• Glass jars for storage

I can’t wait to hear what you think! Don’t forget to tag me on social media when you make it – @chelseyamernutrition!

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Other granola recipes & ways to enjoy granola:

• Nut Free Granola with Blueberries
• Smoothie bowl
• The Best Green Smoothie

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XO