Pumpkin Quinoa Granola

This quinoa granola is a great healthy alternative to your basic sugary cereals!  Super easy to make, super delicious, and super satisfying!

Quinoa Granola with plain yogurt and pumpkin puree

I've made this recipe several times and I've been too busy to post about it!  All the same, I was super excited the moment it first came out of the oven - a granola with no almonds, no coconut, and no oats!

 

I have a big bag of quinoa and I'm literally using it all for this recipe.  I love granola.  I haven't always been much of a cereal person, but after being deprived of it for so long, I crave that crunchy, milky, sweet old-fashioned sustenance!

Without oats, there aren't many options for granola on the market.  But without coconut or almonds?  There's nothing.  It takes unique substitutions like using quinoa instead of oats to discover all the possibilities for this versatile breakfast food.

This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, full of protein, and nutty-pumpkin-delicious-tasting.  Not to mention it gets so nice and crispy in the oven.  Enjoy it plain, with milk, with yogurt, or on top of your smoothies.

Classic pairing of cereal and milk

There's a lot of ingredients, but like I said, granola is versatile.  If you don't have pecans, try cashews!  If you don't have pumpkin, try sweet potato puree!  I get most of my nuts and seeds from the local co-op, but the quinoa I use is from Ancient Harvest.  It is already washed and rinsed, which makes it easier to use.  Washing the quinoa removes the bitter coating.  If you don't have pre-rinsed quinoa, simply rinse it and toast it on a sheet in the oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and continue drying the quinoa until it is completely dry and doesn't stick to your fingers anymore.  Also, I would not skimp on the chia seeds, because they help the granola stick together and get so satisfyingly clumpy.  I got these Simply Nature chia seeds from Aldi for a really good deal.

Pumpkin seeds can be pre-roasted or fresh.  Walnuts can be diced, chopped, or even whole.  Pecans can be halved, chopped, or diced.  I tend to use chopped nuts, because then I still get the nice texture of the nut but they're not too big that they can't still blend and clump with everything else.  Craisins are optional because you don't miss anything without them, but I think they add a nice texture and tartness.  I don't like unsweetened craisins, and it's difficult to find craisins without sugar added.  Usually I just go for the non-paleo kind when I do add them, which is about 50% of the time.  That's why, again, they're optional.

What else is great about this recipe?  Oh yeah; it's a one-bowl kind of deal.  I don't mind doing dishes, but it's satisfying to just mix up everything in one bowl instead of using four different dishes to mix, whisk, cut, etc.  Another reason why this is an easy granola recipe.

Before we move to the recipe, I want to explain a little bit about quinoa.  This granola is gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, vegan, and coconut-free, but it's not considered paleo.  Here's why: quinoa is technically a seed.  It is not a grain because grains come from the Poaceae family, where you have all your grasses bearing wheat, rice, barley, and corn, also called "cereal" grains.  Quinoa comes from a plant in the Amaranthaceae family.  But due to the nutritional values high in carbohydrates, protein, and fiber, plus the industrial method of preparation, it's classified as a "pseudo-grain" in the nutrition world. (Picard)  So, sadly, it doesn't enter the paleo world, but labels aside, quinoa is an excellent food that can be included in a healthy wholesome diet.  For more information regarding the classification of quinoa, check out this link or the citation down below.  (I'm a big Good Housekeeping fan!)

Pumpkin Quinoa Granola

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free, Coconut-free, Vegan

Yield: about 4 cups
Serving size: ½ cup
Ingredients

• ½ C walnuts (chopped or diced)
• ½ C pecans (halved or chopped)
• ½ C pepitas
• ¼ C pumpkin seeds
• 1 ¼ C quinoa (pre-rinsed and dried*)
• ¼ C chia seeds
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ C + 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
• 2 - 2 ½ tbsp maple syrup (depending on how much you like it sweet)
• ¼ C craisins (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line a medium baking sheet with aluminum foil
3. In one medium bowl, mix all dry ingredients except craisins (so that would be the walnuts, pecans, pepitas, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, chia seeds, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice)
4. Add the wet ingredients (olive oil, pumpkin puree, and maple syrup) to the dry ingredients and mix until evenly incorporated
5. Spread out the mixture onto the baking sheet (try to do it evenly, but it’s okay if there’s clumps!)
6. Cook for about 1 hour (start checking at 45 minutes); it should feel dry when it’s done
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle on craisins
8. Let cool completely before transferring to an air-tight container

Recipe notes:
*If your quinoa is not pre-rinsed, rinse it and dry it at 200 degrees in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn the heat off and keep drying the quinoa in the oven until it is completely dry



Citation: 

Picard, Caroline. “Is Quinoa a Grain? 100% Yes, According to Nutritionists.” Good Housekeeping, Good Housekeeping, 10 Dec. 2018, www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a25438225/is-quinoa-grain/.