Holy crap. I can’t believe I waited so long to make my own granola. I may never buy granola again. I freaking LOVE this recipe!!! Not only because it tastes amazing, but also because it’s VERY EASY and QUICK to make. It’s vegan and it’s also allergy-friendly (free of gluten, soy, dairy, nuts and eggs). I’m not the only one who loves it – Hubs does, too!
I found this recipe on fitsugar.com. So glad I came across it because this will be a new staple at our house.
YIELDS 4 CUPS
***
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
¼ cup flax seed meal or chia seed meal
½ tsp. salt
½ cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup natural sunflower seed butter, such as SunButter* (or other nut butter)
1 tsp. vanilla
OPTIONAL: ½ cup raisins or other dried fruit
*NOTES:
You’ll likely have to go to a health food store to find the sunflower seed butter (unless you live near a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s). Our local health food store has an organic brand called Once Again Sunflower Seed Butter, which is pricey, but VERY good.
STEP 1
Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with non-stick spray or oil.
STEP 2
In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients (oats, flax/chia meal, salt, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds) and mix well.
STEP 3
Add maple syrup and SunButter to a microwave-safe bowl (I used a glass Pyrex measuring cup with a pour spout). No need to mix before you put it in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds. Add vanilla to mixture and whisk until thoroughly combined.
STEP 4
Pour the maple/SunButter mixture over the oats and stir to combine.
STEP 5
Spread the granola onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden in color, stirring halfway through cooking time. If adding dried fruit, be sure to add it after the granola has cooled.
My favorite milk to have with granola is original, unsweetened coconut milk.
If you’ve never made homemade granola, this is a great recipe to start with. Customize it anyway you like; other add-in options include nuts (sliced almonds, chopped pecans, etc), various dried fruits, vegan chocolate chips, various spices (cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, etc).
Enjoy!
Welcome to 86 Lemons. My name is Livvy. Thanks for stopping by! I test a wide variety of seemingly fun DIY projects, vegan recipes and consumer products (like the latest mascara, for example). Then I report to you with the inside scoop. You'll get the real story on which ones are worth your attention and which ones are "lemons" to be avoided. Read more on my 
I agree, this was very easy for a newbie to both homemade granola, and baking. I used almond butter, which didn’t quite melt down smoothly. Added a couple tablespoons of oil, which smoothed it right out. Taste is delicious and makes me ready for fall…even here in Southern California. Thanks for a delicious and easy recipe. Your photos are most helpful.
I had a batch of sunflower seed butter that didn’t turn out so great; consistency was a bit off putting, but I was loathe to just dump it. Tried it in this granola recipe and the results were fantastic! Even my son who’s not typically a granola fan gobbled it up! Thanks for sharing:)
Really appreciate your site. It’s making my family’s vegan diet a lot easier to plan with you testing recipes so they don’t have to be test subjects.
Thanks for commenting, Tomi! Glad you liked the granola, I’m due for another batch myself.
I made this last week and forgot to post my RAVE about it on here. I’ve made a few different types of homemade granola and this is by far my favorite!! I love sunflower seed butter and can’t believe I’d never used it in granola … I mean, I put it on everything else!! This is amazing … thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for posting feedback, Lindsey! So glad you enjoyed it :)
Pingback: Wednesday-Vegan Food Swap October November 25, 2012
[...] for the awesome package. The homemade granola is delicious too! The recipe for the granola is at 86Lemons. You have to try this granola. Thanks for Cat too, whom coordinates the Vegan Food Swap every [...]
I just made sunflower seed butter this weekend, looks like I’m making granola this week!
LOVE the looks of this recipe, but i’m wondering about the coconut flakes/shreds…if we can’t do coconut, should we sub in more nuts or seeds? Or just omit? Would love to hear your thoughts on this so i can dive into this recipe!
Brittany
If you can have almonds, then sliced almonds would be a good sub. If not, then it is fine to just omit the coconut.
Pingback: Maple Sunbutter Granola | Herbivore Triathlete February 4, 2013
[...] for this particular granola. I am a big fan of Livvy from 86Lemons and I found her recipe for Maple Sunbutter Granola shortly after I made my sunflower seed butter. Seemed like fate to [...]
Yum! Of course I appreciate this recipe since I blog for the SunButter brand, but as a fellow homemade granola baker, I am eager to try this variation. (I also love sneaking in good stuff like flax seed for the kiddos at our house!) If it helps anyone, there’s a spot on the Sunbutter.com website where you can find where to buy a jar near you (search by city or zip code). It also links to online vendors. You can also check out the varieties (my current fave for homemade granola is the organic, which is only sunflower seeds, no added sweeteners or anything!) Take care!