Vegan Oil-Free Granola (Healthy and Easy!) - Key To My Lime (2024)

• October 4, 2019

This vegan oil-free granola is delicious! It’s healthy, easy, and full of crunchy granola clusters. This is a basic granola recipe that you can add all your favorite mix-ins to!

I will only eat breakfast on weekdays if it’s been prepped in advance. It’s not that I’m not into mornings, it’s just that I never find time in the mornings to make a breakfast from scratch. It needs to be ready to go, and it needs to be healthy. That’s why this easy vegan oil-free granola that’s naturally sweetened has become such a staple for Shane and me.

This recipe is healthy and simple. I love that I can use the same base recipe and still change up the flavorful add-ins every time. If you love granola, you may also love my grain free granola recipe.

If I’m really on top of my breakfast game, I’ll even make a healthy parfait in the mornings (like the one in the picture below). It’s made with this granola and layered with fruit and chia pudding.

How to make granola clusters:

Applesauce replaces the oil in this recipe, and helps hold the granola together. The maple syrup is critical for making the granola clusters because it’s sticky. If you replace it with granulated sugar, you’ll end up with something closer to toasted oat cereal.

There are two important steps for getting crunchy granola clusters.

1. Once you’ve spread the granola out on the silicone mat or parchment paper lined baking sheet, press down on the granola with the back of a spatula. This squeezes everything together and helps clusters form.
2. Don’t break the granola apart until it has completely cooled. If you try to break it apart too soon, the clusters will fall apart.

How to add different flavors to this granola:

Add in any spices, nuts, or seeds to your granola mixture before baking.

Once the granola has completely cooled, add in any dried fruits or chocolate.

Dried fruit will burn if you add it in before baking. If you want chocolate chips, you need to wait to add it in until the granola is completely cool. The chocolate can be stirred in while the already baked granola is still warm if you want granola that’s coated in melted chocolate. I love these vegan chocolate chips in this recipe!

How long will this oil-free granola recipe keep?

Store it in an airtight container at room temperature, and it should keep for 2-3 weeks. You can also store it in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 months.

Looking for more healthy vegan oat breakfasts? Try my pumpkin pie oatmeal recipe or my banana breakfast cookies recipe! They’re both reader favorites and are so delicious.

Are you making this recipe for someone that eats gluten free?

Oats are something that can frequently be cross contaminated with gluten. Usecertified gluten free oatsto keep this recipe safe for gluten free people.

What you’ll need:

There are three ingredients and two tools that you’ll need to make the best oil-free granola.

Ingredients:

The first ingredient is good quality oats. I use certified gluten free oats and love this brand.

The second ingredient is maple syrup. Seriously, maple syrup is absolutely critical to getting the classic granola crunchy clusters. I love this brand because the quality is incredible and it’s a great value!

The last ingredient is the secret to making granola without oil! This secret ingredient is healthy, delicious and affordable.

Tools:

The first tool is a good quality baking sheet.This is the sheet I recommend using because it’s an affordable and versatile baking sheet. It will work perfectly for everything from cookies to pizza.

The second tool is a silicone baking mat. Using a silicone baking mat yields much crunchier granola with plenty of granola clusters.

Please let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments and on Instagram! @keytomylime #keytomylime

Be sure to pin this recipe for later!

Looking for more oil-free vegan breakfast recipes? From My Bowl has tons of delicious recipes that are worth checking out.

Try making this easy vegan oil-free granola!