Homemade Chunky Paleo Granola with Clusters (V, GF): a warm, cozy 5 min-prep recipe for grain-free homemade granola packed with crunchy nuts and satisfyingly sweet clusters. Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Grain-Free, Oil-Free.
“The only thing I’d suggest is making this with bigger clusters.” My sister Penny, giving me the crushing blow to my fragile bakers’ ego/the MOST valuable granola advice I’ve ever received. Meanwhile, she absolutely loved these no bake paleo chocolate almond butter bars. So at least those were safe!
Anywho, granola advice should totally be a thing. But then again, cookie advice might be better received. And eaten. Wait a minute, we’re supposed to be talking about this Homemade Chunky Paleo Granola with Clusters recipe!
Back on point, ages and ages ago, like three years ago—which is a lot in baker years because only 1,000 batches of everything have been made since then (precise measurement, of course)—my sis gave me this advice. This was before the blog existed, before I finally wrote my How to Start a Food Blog post (have you seen it? It was a special Saturday post!!), before I knew how to no bake like a boss and before I even knew what my favorite cookie scoop of all time was.
And Penny was so friggin’ right. Dang it! But don’t tell her I said that. She’s my big sis, so she doesn’t need more reasons to be right, as she’s seen me do the most foolish things on earth.
By the way, have you noticed how much Penny’s been popping up all over the blog? She specially requested this Homemade KIND Coconut Almond Bar recipe. So you can thank her for those!
She’s calls herself the #1 Fan of the Beaming Baker Fan Club (and she stays on top of my Instagram better than I do!). Of which there might be like 3 members: Erik, my mom, and her. My sisters Monica and Jenny are still on the fence about BB.
J/k!!
Anyway, as the self-proclaimed #1, she’s got to have the rights to influence, request and totally be showered with limitless shoutouts. Ah, family. 🙂 We follow weird rules, but as long as we get each other, that’s all that matters.
Side note, do you see how cluster-riffic the chunks are in the below photo?!?!? What’s up, now, sis?? 😉
Well, that bit of granola advice stayed in my head for years and years to come. I tried my hand at homemade granola recipes, with some tasty results. But never with THE Penny-worthy clusters involved. Yep, never. I’m woman enough to admit when I’m not right.
Bugger!
Then, last year, I set my sorry, worn-out granola thinking cap aside and started working on my paleo apple crisp recipe. Erik and I chopped, peeled and sugared all the apples in all the land. And once the filling was ready, there was the topping to worry about.
Ah… the topping. What a treat, what a nightmare! To test, that is. 😉 At first glance, the topping should’ve been easy peasy (yes, I do hear this in Sean Astin’s in Stranger Things voice… sans followup nightmarish incident). All I had to do was slap some oat-y granola on top. But alas, that was not the case.
It was not easy peasy. Harummph! (How the heck do you spell ‘harrumph’?!?)
No matter what I did, the topping just wasn’t right: it wasn’t crispy, cluster-filled, or even that tasty. Me, coconut oil, oat flour, cinnamon and oats just could not get our stuffing together that day.
So I went ahead and scrapped the ENTIRE topping recipe—everything I knew, everything I expected. And started with how I’d do it if I knew nothing about how it was traditionally made. The result: crispy, crunchy, no, really–crunchy as heck, sweet and just… PERFECT topping.
And as I tossed that topping in the bowl, then baked the crisp, I realized: this could be the elusive cluster-rific granola, nay PALEO granola we’ve all been waiting for. So guess what? I created this Homemade Chunky Paleo Granola with Clusters recipe! 🙂
You proud, sis? As proud as you were when I created these paleo chocolate almond butter fudge cups, these paleo cookie dough bites, or this maple pecan paleo granola? 🙂
I promise you, this is the most delicious, crunchy, clusters-like-you’ve-never-seen-before-in-a: vegan granola recipe, gluten free granola recipe, nay a paleo granola recipe you’ve-ever-had.
The crunch of the clusters, the satisfying visual of your baking sheet FILLED with yummy, chunky pieces, the requisite mouth-drool that begins when you’re hit with the scent of this homemade granola… happy sigh. That’s all I can say.
Oh, all right. That’s not all I can say. If you’re still not convinced about this Homemade Chunky Paleo Granola with Clusters recipe, allow me to tell you all about it. This homemade paleo granola recipe is:
- so easy to make, in fact, it might be described as easy peasy
- prepared in just 5 minutes
- wonderfully paleo
- bursting with big, crunchy clusters
- vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free
- jam-packed with seriously satisfying homemade granola clusters
- deliciously refined sugar-free
- just the healthy vegan granola recipe you’ve been looking for
- the perfect chunky granola recipe to add to your homemade snacks repertoire
- Penny-approved: which totally means all the things!
Are you ready to make the most fabulous homemade granola ever? And you know I never call anything fabulous—why, I can’t really say. To each her own! In case I don’t say it enough, I just want you to know that I’m very grateful that you’re here, baking and creating with me. It’s a true pleasure to experience these kitchen adventures with you. I simply can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe! In the meantime, tell me:
What’s your favorite flavor of granola?
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
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If you enjoyed this sweet and crunchy Homemade Chunky Paleo Granola with Clusters, then you’ll just love these delicious healthy recipes (as well as this 4 ingredient Healthy Homemade Gluten Free Vegan Granola Recipe:
☀︎ More Healthy Snack Recipes & Paleo Treats ☀︎
- Healthy Peanut Butter Granola (4 ingredient)
- Healthy Low Calorie Granola Recipe (Low-Carb, Oil-Free)
- Healthy No Sugar Added Paleo Energy Balls (3 ingredient, Fruit-Sweetened, Oil-Free)
- Oil-Free Peanut Butter Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Skillet-Roasted Maple Cinnamon Pecans
Homemade Chunky Paleo Granola with Clusters (Grain-Free, Vegan, Gluten Free)
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: about 16 ¼ cup-servings (approx. 4 cups) 1x
Description
Homemade Chunky Paleo Granola with Clusters (V, GF): a warm, cozy recipe for grain-free homemade granola packed with crunchy nuts and satisfyingly sweet clusters. Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free.
Ingredients
- ½ cup almonds, roughly chopped
- ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- ½ cup pecans, roughly chopped
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes or raw coconut chips
- ½ cup finely ground, blanched almond flour*
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or greased foil. Set aside for later.
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Using a rubber spatula, fold until clusters form and mixture is well mixed.
- Pour onto the prepared baking sheet. Using the rubber spatula, gently nudge granola into an even layer, making sure to keep clusters intact. Create empty pockets at regular intervals to let air through to crisp up the granola.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Using a heatproof spatula, gently flip granola, making sure to keep clusters intact. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until edges are a deep golden brown and granola is just slightly soft. Mine took a total of 20 minutes. Granola will crisp up while cooling.
- Place baking sheet on a cooling rack. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes, or until completely cooled. Enjoy! Storing instructions below.
Adapted from my Oil-Free Paleo Cinnamon Nut Granola and my Paleo Apple Pecan Coconut Crisp.
More Easy Paleo Snack recipes:
Equipment
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Blanched Almond Flour, Finely Sifted 1lb
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Dry Roasted Unsalted Almonds 2lbs
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Notes
- *You may substitute this with unblanched almond meal.
- Here’s the unsweetened coconut flakes that I use in this recipe.
- Storage notes: Store in an airtight container for 1-2 months at room temperature.
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: paleo granola, vegan granola, chunky granola
© beamingbaker.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. Please do not use my images or recipe without my permission. Please do not republish this recipe, instead, include a link to this post for the recipe.
SHOP THE RECIPE
Here are a few items I used in today’s recipe.
Cookie Sheet | Maple Syrup | Coconut Flakes | Glass Mixing Bowls | Silicone Spatulas | Blanched Almond Flour
This post may contain affiliate links, which allow me to make a small commission for my referral, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Beaming Baker.
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Made this for my son who is following a paleo diet but it is now a family favourite. Absolutely delicious and so moreish!!
Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
Hi Julie! Oh, I’m so thrilled to hear it! 🙂 Don’t you just love when a secretly paleo recipe is just as good as the “usual” stuff? 😉 Thank *you* for taking the time to let me know. Happy baking & eating!
BEST granola ever! Just made this this morning for the second time. Love it !
★★★★★
Woohoo!! I’m so glad you enjoyed my granola recipe, Vicky! 🙂 Happy eating!
Absolutely addictive! I am in love with this granola (and your healthy chunky granola too), I’m making another batch tomorrow. Thanks for sharing such awesome recipes..
★★★★★
That’s what I love to hear, Debbie! 🙂 Also over the moon that you’re Team Paleo Granola as well as Team Healthy Chunky! (Some folks prefer one over the other lol). Thank *you* for stopping by and baking with me. ..
I love this recipe. Thanks so much. I think having the almond meal coating it all is what really makes this shine. I have made it a few times now and have been able to adapt different nuts if i didn’t have all the right ingredients in the pantry.
It’s so wonderful to hear this, Leanne! The almond flour was a huge turning point in recipe testing for me—it acts like the glue without making the granola super dry (holds the moisture really well). So glad you’re enjoying it! Happy baking. 🙂
Absolutely wonderful. This is the first time I didn’t leave in the oven too long and next time I will leave more pecan halves (unchopped) .
Thanks so much for another fun snack that even my fussy (non-health foodie) hubby enjoys!
★★★★★
Aw, thanks so much, Cat! .. Oh, I totally agree with that—I love barely even chopping the nuts for big chunks! .. You’re so welcome. Can’t wait to see what you try next!
Hi there! Any idea on how to turn this into a crunchie cookie or bar?
Hi Jen, what perfect timing for your question! I actually just shared a recipe for Homemade Paleo Granola Bars Recipe . Hope you enjoy! 🙂
This granola is fantastic! I’ve been making my own for quite some time so I can control the ingredients and this one was the best yet. I had some in my yogurt and the crunch held up till the last bite. That’s impressive! Thanks for a great recipe! I will make it from now on!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Liz! I’m truly so happy to hear that you love my paleo granola recipe. 🙂 Crunch factor is important in this house, so I feel ya! 😉 Happy baking!
OMG—-this granola is all that and looks very delicious.
Do you have the nutritional values for the granola?
Thanks,
Viv
★★★★★
Hi Vivian! Not right now, unfortunately. I’m in the process of adding nutrition info across the site, so I’ll make a note to do this recipe. Hugs!
I just made this and OMG! Is it ever amazing? Super crunchy and the sweeteness is right on point! Thx for such a great recipe
★★★★★
Woohoo! So glad you enjoyed it Bruna! .
I wonder if these ingredients listed could somehow create a soft chewy cookie like texture granola. Any suggestions woul be greatly appreciated …
★★★★★
This looks amazing! Have you tried doing this with another flour or flour mix other than almond? I am allergic to almonds. I have coconut flour, tapioca starch and arrowroot starch where I am. Any idea would be appreciated. Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Mischa! The closest substitute would be cashew meal/cashew flour, if you can find it. Coconut flour is too dry and I’m not sure how tapioca and arrowroot would work. You could also try a gluten free all purpose flour, but reduce by a few tablespoons (as it’s drier than almond flour). Good luck! 🙂
You could also try sunflower seed flour. I found it on the big A.com
I’ve made these a few times now, my family and I love them. I have added chia, milled flax seed and hemp seed to them without adding any extra sweetener and still delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.
★★★★★
Woohoo! I’m always happy to hear about a recipe that pleases the whole family. . I know those can be few and far between. . Love the add-ins you used, thanks Melanie!
I never knew cookie dough could be this good!
★★★★★
Yep! That’s how we do cookie dough ’round these parts. 😉
THIS! I am not paleo so I did add 1/4 C GF oats. For ease, I had some Kirkland (Costco) mixed nuts in my pantry so chopped them only a little and threw in some raw pumpkin seeds. This is totally awesome and incredibly easy. I will make over and over.
WOOHOO!!! “THIS!” Might be one of the best, concise compliments I’ve ever gotten on a recipe. Hehe! 😉 Love the sound of pumpkin seeds in this. I’m so pleased that you loved it & so grateful you took the time to comment, Ceci. ❤️
So good!!! I’ve been making it almost once a week for the last two months! I’ve been swapping out and trying different things, but the core recipe is excellent!
★★★★★
Yeah!!! That makes me so happy to hear, Sharon! 🙂 I love that you’re able to make your own customizations! Happy baking. 🙂
This is hands down the best granola I’ve ever tasted! I’ll be making more this week, it’s delicious. .
★★★★★
Woohoo!!! It’s one of my faves too!! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed it, Kami. Happy baking! .☺️
This looks soooo good! However, I’m allergic to walnuts. Do you have any suggestions on what nut I can replace it with or is it ok to omit from recipe? Thanks
Hi Starr! Thank you! 🙂 You can definitely swap walnuts for another kind of nut. Enjoy!
Hi
Can you tell me what the
Carb, fat, and protein content is in 1 servings
★★★★★
Hi Leah, I’m currently in the process of adding nutrition info to the recipes on the site. Thanks for your patience! .
We made this recipe, but substituted pumpkin seeds for pecans. Per 1/4 serving our recipe had about
4.25 grams of protein
14.6 grams of fat
8.8 grams of carbs
175 calories
Thank you for sharing this recipe, it was delish!
★★★★★
Love the sub Sherri! So happy you all enjoyed it! 🙂
This is a great recipe. It smells and tastes delicious! My kids said that it is better than any store bought granola we have ever had. I agreed. Will be making this again for sure! Thanks for sharing!!
★★★★★
Thank you, Veronica! 🙂 I’m so pleased that you and your kiddos loved it. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. Hugs!
Made this recipe this morning and it’s a keeper. Love that it only has 1/4th cup of syrup and no oil. It came together perfectly. Also didn’t have walnuts so swapped for 1/2 cup of oats.
★★★★★
Yay!! It’s so wonderful to hear that you enjoyed my recipe. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to let me know. Happy Baking!
Can’t find the recipe
Hi there, the recipe is located at the bottom of the post. 🙂 It’s outlined with a thin gray border.
This granola is so amazing! Love the use of almond flour. I would have never thought of that! Great texture and flavor. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay!! I was a little too proud of myself when I developed this one! 😉 I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Nicole. Happy baking! 🙂
Can honey be used instead of maple syrup?
Hi Jessica, yes that should work! 🙂
As much as I love granola, I still haven’t got round to making it myself. But your recipe right here makes me want to change that straight away! Looks so crunchy and delicious! I can totally throw in some chocolate chunks, right? 😉 Hope you’re having an awesome week, Demeter!
★★★★★
Woah, no way! It’s so fun and satisfying. Hope you get to try!! And OH YES on those chocolate chunks!! Have a great week, Marsha. xo
This is the perfect addition to my daily yogurt!
Oh, totally!! This is SO good on yogurt!! 🙂
I wouldn’t be able to stop snacking on this.
★★★★★
No, you certainly wouldn’t! 😉
Such a great recipe. I love baking granola especially with my kids. The best snack too.
Thank you! It’s such a fun family project! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this! I am a huge snacker so this will not last long around me!
Ooh, this will totally hit the spot! Enjoy!
I just finished our batch of granola! Perfect timing so I can try these clusters!
Perfect timing, indeed! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts! 🙂
This is making me have the munchies! It looks amazing!
Haha. I know, right? Thanks! 🙂
Oh my word! These photos are making me hungry for BIG handfuls of this granola. Looks incredible!
★★★★★
Aw, thanks Marisa! 🙂 BIG handfuls sound like just the right thing! Enjoy!
Haha, I love it! I have two sisters that are both great cheerleaders and harsh critics. I love all the nuts in the recipe, they are my favorite part of granola.
★★★★★
Both equally helpful motivators! Haha. Hope you get to try and love it, Juli!
Love that this is chunky! I hate granola that basically looks like oats. 🙂
★★★★★
Right?? It’s totally been my problem for so long–that granola that looks just like loose oats. Haha.
Oh if you only knew how much I adore homemade granola! I always tell my other half that making granola at home is a fast track of becoming a domestic goddess, as it makes the whole house smell like a French bakery, doesn’t it?! I can’t wait to try your recipe, it’s right up my street. Thank you for sharing x
★★★★★
Omigosh, totally! The smell of this granola is just… the BEST!! I can’t wait to hear what you think, Tania! 🙂
I still haven’t tried making my own granola but this recipe looks awesome!
★★★★★
You have to try it! There’s just a true sense of satisfaction that comes from making your own granola. 🙂