This gluten free cranberry granola is made with basic ingredients and it’s easily customizable. It’s a perfectly tasty breakfast, after school snack, or topping for ice cream. You’ll love this deliciously easy recipe.
Breakfast is such an important meal, but when your diet is limited, it can be tough to come up with ideas. When we had to eliminate dairy, eggs, and gluten, breakfast was one of the hardest meals for our family.
Granola is a great breakfast option, whether you enjoy a bowl with your favorite non-dairy milk, or serve it over yogurt. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to customize it so that it suits your dietary needs.
This cranberry vanilla granola is full of flavor and crunch due to the addition of dried cranberries, dairy free chocolate chips, and sunflower seeds. It starts out with a basic granola recipe similar to my buttery coconut granola.
I’ve added a few extra ingredients to make it even more delicious. You can add whatever you want – different seeds, cacao nibs, dried berries, freeze dried fruit, chia seeds – it’s up to you!
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Ingredient Notes
- Certified Gluten Free Oats – If you’re gluten free, you need to make sure you purchase oats that are labeled certified gluten free to avoid any cross contamination with wheat.
- Vegan Buttery Spread – I like the flavor of the buttery spread in this recipe, but you could also use coconut oil if you prefer.
- Maple Syrup – Maple syrup works really well for a sweetener in this recipe, but if you prefer honey, that is also a good choice.
- Dried Cranberries – If you’re looking for allergy friendly dried fruit, you should check out Gerbs Allergy Friendly Foods. They have many dried fruit options. You could also add raisins, dried blueberries, or dried cherries.
- Dairy Free Chocolate Chips – Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Chips or Mini Chips are delicious in this granola. You could also try dairy free white chocolate chips.
Tips for Success
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. This will keep the granola from sticking to the baking sheet.
- Stir the granola every 15 minutes or so while baking, so that it bakes evenly.
- Wait for the granola to cool completely before adding any chocolate chips, seeds, or dried fruit.
Gift in a Jar
This cranberry vanilla granola recipe is easy to make and looks so cute when packaged up in a jar with twine. This is a fun holiday gift that’s sure to be appreciated. If you have friends who are gluten free or vegan, this is a great way to show them you care! I put it in a quart sized jar and topped it with parchment paper and twine. It really couldn’t be easier.
Special Equipment
- wide mouth quart sized mason jar and lid
- parchment paper or waxed paper
- decorative twine or ribbon
- gift tags
More Food Gift Ideas
And if you need more gift ideas, be sure to check out my Gluten Free Gifts in Jars eBook!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
Gluten Free Cranberry Granola.
Buttery, sweet granola with dried cranberries, seeds, and chocolate chips is a delicious breakfast or snack. This simple recipe is great for everyday, and also perfect for gift giving.
Ingredients
- 3 cups certified gluten free oats
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 5 Tablespoons vegan buttery spread melted
- 5 Tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- â…“ cup sunflower seeds
- â…“ cup dairy free chocolate chips or cacao nibs if you prefer
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Put the melted vegan buttery spread in a large bowl and add the vanilla extract and honey or maple syrup. Stir to combine.
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Add the gluten free whole oats and stir well to coat.
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Spread the granola on the baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for about 45-55 minutes, until it is golden brown. Stir every 15 minutes or so.
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Remove the granola from the oven and let it cool.
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If you are going to give this as a gift, layer in a quart sized jar: granola, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and chocolate chips. (Alternately you can mix everything together and then put in the jar).
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Place the granola in the jar and put the lid on. Top with parchment paper and baker's twine, then tie a gift tag on and write a festive message to your recipient.
Recipe Notes
This granola should stay fresh in the jar for at least 7-10 days.
If you are not gifting this, you can store in an airtight container or resealable bag.
Katie
Tastes delicious!
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens
I’m having such a great time catching up on your blog this morning, and just couldn’t wait to jump over and see this recipe! It looks absolutely scrumptious, and I adore the pretty way you packaged it for gift-giving!
Kelly
Thank you so much, Shelley!
Whole and Heavenly Oven
How gorgeous is this granola?? I would definitely not mind receiving a few jars as a holiday gift!
whiskandshout
Delicious! Love the sunflower seeds :)
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Yum! Sounds delicious, Kelly!