Almond Granola Cups

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February 1, 2019 By Brittany 30 Comments

These gluten-free, vegan mini Almond Granola Cups are the perfect bite-sized snack. Low-carb and with 2 grams of protein per cup, these are a healthy option for anytime of the day!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I receive a small commission from sales of certain items linked to, but the price is the same for you.

Note: This recipe was originally published in 2017. After getting feedback about this recipe, I have now updated to make it even better!

I was at Costco the other day, perusing the snack section when I came across a new product I hadn’t seen before. They were Nature Valley Granola Cups with Almond Butter. Feeling like I needed them in my life I decided to buy them. Fast forward to me taking them out of the box, unwrapping a package and eating them. I have to admit they are pretty good. My only complaint is they are pretty crunchy and hard to bite into. But that might be because I have braces and am more sensitive to hard, crunchy things for the time being.

Nevertheless, I thought to myself, “I could just make these myself!” So that’s exactly what I did. I made a copycat version of their little treat. And let me tell you, I hit the nail on the head with this one. And mine aren’t so hard to bite into. My teeth and orthodontist will be thanking me for that one.

The base of the recipe is made with almonds and oats. Pretty simple. I love simple. I love oats…and almonds. I love making things with whole foods. I love cooking and baking. I love making things healthier yet still tasting delicious. I love sharing my love of cooking and baking with all of you! I love my readers!

Sorry for that little tangent and slightly off topic paragraph.

Anywho – back on topic. I freaking love these little cups. They are low carb, gluten free, and if you use almond milk are vegan. And guess what – I even used some regular ole’ brown sugar in this recipe and there are still only 8 grams of carbs per cup. Healthy fats, 2 grams of protein, whole grains and a whole lotta goodness all in one little Almond Granola Cup. Seriously, all I want to do is make these all. day. long. Obsessed much? YES!

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If you haven’t make anything from my blog yet, you should definitely make these. Then go find a few other recipes to try. 😉 And don’t forget to come back and let me know what you think!

★★★★3.8 from 4 reviews

Author: Brittany Poulson
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
Yield: 24 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

Description

These gluten-free, vegan mini Almond Granola Cups are the perfect bite-sized snack. Low-carb and with 2 grams of protein per cup make these ideal for anytime of the day!

Scale

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 flax egg (or 1 egg if not vegan)
3 Tablespoons unsweetend almond milk (can use dairy milk if not making vegan)
1/4 cup almond butter, divided
chopped almonds, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a mini muffin tin by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
In a food processor, combine the rolled oats and almonds. Turn on the food processor and blend until the oats and almonds are finely ground. Add the brown sugar, salt and baking soda. Pulse until combined. Add the coconut oil and flax egg and pulse again until evenly combined throughout the mixture. Add milk 1 tablespoon and pulse until the dough starts to form a ball.
Taking approximately 1 tablespoon at a time, press the dough down into the mini muffin cups. Using your finger, press down the middle of each cup making a mini cup out of the dough.
Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. If needed to make a deeper well in the cookies, use the back end of a spoon or spatula to press down in the center. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes.
Once cooled, place 1/2 teaspoon almond butter into each cup. Sprinkle chopped almonds on top for garnish. Enjoy!
Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Notes

To make a flax egg, whisk 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons water with 1 Tablespoon ground flax seed. Let sit 5 minutes to form a gel-like consistency. Use as directed in recipe.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cup/cookie
Calories: 84
Sugar: 3 g
Sodium: 79 mg
Fat: 6 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 2 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: Almond Granola Cups

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Brittany

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Britany
January 27, 2017 at 10:11 am
Those look delicious! I’m always trying to find new healthy breakfast options for those busy weekdays- thanks for sharing!
Reply
- Brittany
  January 27, 2017 at 11:07 am
  Thanks! They are my new favorite!
  Reply
Sheri
August 9, 2017 at 7:06 am
I am going to try these today! I am addicted to the granola cups but knew I could find a way to make them myself. I am glad I found this post!
Reply
- Brittany
  August 9, 2017 at 8:36 am
  I hope you enjoy!
  Reply
Maigan
August 24, 2017 at 2:56 pm
Any idea to make these hold together better?
They are kinda falling apart. Guess I could try egg…but want the lighter texture.
Reply
- Brittany
  August 24, 2017 at 3:47 pm
  More liquid (try milk) might be an option. I make sure to press them pretty good into each cup. This helps keep them together. When they bake, it will set up more.
  Reply
- Brittany
  February 1, 2019 at 12:00 pm
  Hi Maigan, I updated the recipe to include a flax egg (or regular egg if not vegan) and they were soft and light. I hope you give them another try!
  Reply
whitney
February 17, 2018 at 6:31 am
What brand of almond butter did you use? I LOVE the stuff in Nature Valley Almond Butter cookies.
Reply
- Brittany
  February 17, 2018 at 3:27 pm
  I don’t know what Nature Valley uses, but some of the brands I like are Justin’s, MaraNatha or Trader Joe’s. I think Jif has an almond butter you could try out, too.
  Reply
Stephanie
April 24, 2018 at 3:31 pm
Any chance you can use peanut butter or does it taste better with almond butter?
See Also
Bang Bang Shrimp Recipe
Reply
Rebecca
May 7, 2018 at 4:24 pm
I purchased these recently and love them! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Reply
Leah Rosenberg
May 14, 2018 at 10:54 am
So excited to try this recipe as I love the Nature Valley version, but wanted a homemade option where I could control the sugar.
Do you think it would work to use honey instead of the sugar? I want to stick with natural sugars.
Reply
Nicole Seaman
July 25, 2018 at 11:28 pm
Tastes so yummy, but totallllllllly not holding together even with more milk. High altitude to blame?? The current batch might end up as part of a apple crumble topping (: The cookie part tastes like an almond version of the pecan sandy.
★★★
Reply
- Brittany
  February 1, 2019 at 11:58 am
  Hi Nicole, I have updated this recipe as noted in above comments. I hope you give these another try!
  Reply
Chrissy
October 19, 2018 at 3:18 pm
HA! I just tried the N.V. Almond Butter Granola Cups for the first time yesterday and thought they were awesome, but I could probably make them myself pretty easy… I even saved the wrapper so I could use the ingredients list as a starting point! THANK YOU for this recipe! I will be trying it SOON!
Reply
Sarah Helgeson
December 18, 2018 at 6:28 pm
If I don’t have almonds can I use more rolled oats? If so, how much more?
Reply
- Brittany
  December 21, 2018 at 9:14 am
  Hi Sarah – I’m not sure, as I haven’t made this before without the almonds. You could try subbing in between 1/2-2/3 cup oats and see how it turns out. Good luck – and let me know how it turns out!
  Reply
Linnie
January 31, 2019 at 5:00 pm
Sorry to report these did not hold together as others have reported. They taste aswesome when you scoop them out of the muffin pan though so it’s on the right track but missing something…
★★
Reply
- Brittany
  January 31, 2019 at 5:02 pm
  Thanks for letting me know! I may have to go back to the test kitchen with this recipe!
  Reply
- Brittany
  February 1, 2019 at 11:58 am
  Hi again, Linnie! I have updated the recipe to include a flax egg (or regular egg if you’re not making it vegan). My test batch held together really well and came out softer than the original recipe. I hope you try these again with the update!
  Reply
  - Kylie
    April 17, 2020 at 2:37 pm
    Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I loved the nature valley almond butter biscuits, which are similar to the granola cups except the biscuits have cinnamon in them and are shaped different, and I had been wanting to figure out how to make them myself. They taste just as good. I used vanilla unsweetened almond milk and added some cinnamon. Thank you so much!!
    ★★★★★
    Reply
    - Brittany
      April 17, 2020 at 2:46 pm
      Thanks for letting me know. I’m so glad you liked them! I love the addition of cinnamon!
      Reply
Lara
March 1, 2019 at 8:19 am
Can you freeze these?
★★★★★
Reply
- Brittany
  March 1, 2019 at 3:03 pm
  I have never frozen these, but you could try! You could try freezing them before adding the almond butter to the top, then add it on after they are taken out and thawed. Or you could freeze them in a single layer with the almond butter on top. If you try it, let me know how they do!
  Reply
  - Lara
    March 21, 2019 at 7:43 am
    I froze them without the almond butter and they were great! They tasted the same and had the same texture. So so good!
    Reply
    - Brittany
      March 21, 2019 at 9:49 am
      Oh, good to hear! Thanks for the report!
      Reply
Amy
March 2, 2020 at 12:43 pm
Any thoughts on how to make the double chocolate version of these? I am obsessed and cant find them anywhere anymore.
Reply
- Brittany
  March 2, 2020 at 1:35 pm
  I actually haven’t tried the double chocolate variety, however after looking them up I would think if you added some baking cocoa to the dough mix, it should work. Though I’d have to experiment with the right amount. Then, just dip the bottom of them in melted chocolate. Sounds delicious. I just might have to try to make some!
  Reply
  - Judith
    March 24, 2020 at 3:58 pm
    Sorry Brittany, but had to do substitutions for what I have here.Used ground walnuts, pack of oatmeal, some reg. Flour because dough was runny.Then some cinnamon.1 Tb. Protein almond milk.They’re good!.scooped out top to put Peanutbutter on top!
    Reply
    - Brittany
      March 24, 2020 at 5:06 pm
      Definitely feel free to use what you have. Glad it still turned out well!
      Reply