Pumpkin Spice Granola
With Fall in the air, I needed to make some Pumpkin Spiced dishes – using my Pumpkin Spice Mix! This granola recipe is super easy to make and delicious to eat. It’s healthy and versatile as you can serve it plain with milk, add some berries or sliced banana, make a parfait with layering yogurt and the granola, you can sprinkle it on your peanut butter or almond butter toast, or eat a spoonful plain for an energy pick-me up.
This granola is FULL of goodness and fabulous nutrition!
Pumpkin Puree – loaded with beta carotene that converts to Vit A when consumed, pumpkin contains, calcium, iron and fiber.
Pumpkin Spice Mix – or the individual spices that go into this recipe - Cinnamon (Ceylon Cinnamon is the one to use!), Ginger, nutmeg and cloves are each a powerful antioxidant. Cinnamon and ginger are also anti-inflammatory, ginger is beneficial for brain health and nutmeg and cloves are anti fungal.
Oats - a nutrient dense, gluten free whole grain, high in fiber and contains higher amounts of protein than other grains. A rich source of manganese and phosphorous and thiamin (VitB1).
Hemp Hearts - rich in essential fatty acids, are a high-quality protein source, contain Vit B, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc.
Pumpkin Seeds – a good source of fiber and protein, pumpkin seeds contain magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and provide both mono and unsaturated fats. They are also a natural source of the amino acid tryptophan, that, as is well know from turkey which contains tryptophan as well, makes you sleepy so it beneficial for a good night’s sleep.
Walnuts - a good food for brain health as they are a rich source of polyunsaturated fats and have a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids. They are an antioxidant for general health and wellness and are good source of protein.
Cranberries – cranberries before being dried are higher is sweet than other fruits. So dried cranberries with the concentrated sugar from the drying process are also high in sugar. They are a good source of VitC and also contain manganese and VitE. They are tart as well which stimulates digestive enzymes.
As always, when you make this recipe, I would love to see your creation so please post a photo of your Pumpkin Spice goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!
Prep Time: 5 minutes / Cook Time: 45 minutes / Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
5 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
1/3 Heaping Cup Pure Pumpkin Puree - canned
½ Cup Maple Syrup
4½ teaspoons Pumpkin Spice Mix (or 3 teaspoons cinnamon, 1½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon cocoa)
A Pinch of Sea Salt
3½ Cups Large Flake Oats
2 Tablespoons Hemp Hearts
1 Cup Pumpkin Seeds (pepitas)
1 Cup Roughly Chopped Walnuts – alternate: other nuts of your choice, pecans, almonds, cashews
3/4 Cup Dried Cranberries
How It’s Made
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicon sheet or parchment paper to cover.
In a medium saucepan, add the coconut oil and melt over low heat. Add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, spices and the pinch of salt. Stir well. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, add the oats, hemp hearts and chopped walnuts. Stir to combine evenly.
Add the spiced pumpkin mixture from the saucepan and stir well, making sure the dry ingredients are nicely and evenly coated.
Pour the granola onto the baking pan, spreading it out to the edges and having it as evenly on the pan as possible for even baking.
Bake for 20 minutes and then turn the mixture so it roasts evenly. Bake for another 20 minutes and turn again.
Distribute the pumpkin seeds and cranberries over the granola and bake another 10 minutes. The mixture should be toasted and will have become drier. If you feel it needs longer to bake to get to this nicely toasted and drier state, turn the granola and bake longer, in 5-minute increments. You don’t want it to burn. Remove from the oven.
Let cool completely and then transfer to an airtight storage container. I like large mason jars with secure lids to store my granola in (it also allows you to see how much of this delicious goodness you have left to know when to make more)!
Enjoy!
Note: This granola (or my other granola recipe) makes a lovely and very appreciated gift, presented in a mason jar with a ribbon around the top/neck of the jar and a tag to say what it is and maybe include the list of ingredients if there is room (or on the back of the tag).
