Vanilla Banana Nut Protein Granola

This may just be the best granola recipe I’ve made to date: chewy, crunchy and crumbly granola packed with vanilla flavour, crunchy protein crispies and naturally sweetened with banana. This vegan and gluten-free granola is a banana-nut sensation loaded with flavour and texture.

One lazy Sunday afternoon, I wanted to do some baking but didn’t quite have the energy for anything too involved. Another reason I turned to granola is to keep up with my family’s insatiable need for granola. Since mum has discovered smoothie bowls recently this year, she is developing quite a taste for different brands, ingredients, textures and flavours and so I finally came through and decided to bake her a brand-new bespoke recipe. This Vanilla Banana Nut Protein Granola is the result – it’s crunchy, full of clusters and packed with nuts and seeds – just how she likes it.

I’ve also recently discovered buckwheat flakes as an alternative to rolled oats, so it made a welcome change in this granola recipe. The flakes are slightly smaller, more robust and sturdier with a nuttier flavour than oats which works so well here. If you don’t have buckwheat flakes, simply replace them with rolled oats instead. Another new ingredient in this recipe are the soya protein crispies which are amazing. They are similar to smaller rice crispies with a lovely crunch – just watch out for ones with loads of added sugars. You can instead use rice crispies or something similar if you’d prefer.

Another note on this Vanilla Banana Nut Protein Granola is that it is free of added sugars, the only sweetness comes from a mashed banana, which adds to the chewy clusters with a slightly caramel flavour. Add a scoop of vanilla protein for a lovely vanilla flavour and more crumbly texture (you can skip this if you aren’t a fan of protein powders).

This Vanilla Banana Nut Protein Granola comes together in about 25 minutes and only requires one bowl, 9 basic ingredients and minimal effort. It is packed with vanilla banana nut flavours, crunchy, crispy and chewy textures and is the perfect vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free breakfast, snack or dessert sprinkle. Serve this granola with milk, fruit and thick yoghurt, sprinkled on top of porridge bowls, over nut butter and fruit for a snack or with some ice cream as a tasty summer dessert.

If you are looking for more granola recipes, how about my Everything Granola, Christmas Granola and Pistachio, Pumpkin Seed and Goldenberry Granola.

Vanilla Banana Nut Protein Granola

• Servings: 1 jar
• Time: 25 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Chewy, crunchy and crumbly granola packed with vanilla flavour, crunchy protein crispies and naturally sweetened with banana. This vegan and gluten-free granola is a banana nut sensation loaded with flavour and texture.

Ingredients

• 60g coconut oil, melted
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 150g buckwheat flakes
• 50g soya protein crispies
• 50g pumpkin seeds
• 100g cashew nuts
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• Pinch salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 170Fan/190*C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Melt the coconut oil and stir in the mashed banana.

3. Stir together the buckwheat flakes, soya protein crispies, pumpkin seeds, cashew nuts, cinnamon, vanilla protein powder and a pinch of salt. Pour the coconut oil mix over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

4. Transfer the granola mix to the lined sheet and bake for 10 minutes, stir through and bake for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool fully before storing in an airtight container for 2 weeks.

I hope you will love this recipe for Vanilla Banana Nut Protein Granola so please let me know what you think below and tag me in your granola creations. I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With vanilla banana nut granola love x