Recipe: Vegan Goji Berry Granola

Granola is one of the easiest snacks you can make as you transition to a zero-waste lifestyle, simply because most of the ingredients can be found in the bulk-section of the grocery store, meaning no packaging!

All of the ingredients in this recipe were found my local store’s bulk-section, besides the maple syrup. Unfortunately, my store doesn’t carry wet ingredients in bulk, so I needed to purchase a new bottle of syrup. I chose the glass bottled syrup and plan to keep the jar to use to refill at a local farm or the next time I’m near a co-op or a bigger bulk store (which unfortunately are all about two hours from me) that carries a wider variety of both wet and dry ingredients. 

My hope is that one day everyone will all have access to a variety of resources in bulk! Until then, it’s all about doing the best we can with what we have.

The best part about granola is that, just like trail mix, you can customize it to your liking. Don’t have access to bulk goji berries? Try raisins. Want to swap out the pumpkin seeds for cashews? Go nuts! 😉 Play around with your ingredients based on what you love and what you have available to you.

Bonus! This granola recipe is oil-free. Instead of using oil as the binder, I combined the maple syrup and water to serve as the wet, binding ingredient. The dry ingredients include a mixture of nuts, seeds, grains, and fruits. 

I also love that granola can be a portable snack. I’ll usually keep a small jar with me on the go, because, well, let’s just say I’m known to get a little hangry. This helps to hold me over until I can get a solid meal and it also diminishes the temptation to pick up a plastic-packaged snack out of desperation.

Vegan Goji Berry Granola

Recipe inspired by Simple Vegan Blog.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup chopped almonds
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 cup chopped dates
• 1/2 cup Goji berries
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water
• 2/3 cup maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 320ºF
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl (rolled oats, chopped almonds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, chopped dates, Goji berries, sunflower seeds, and ground cinnamon).
3. Heat the wet ingredients together in a saucepan (water and maple syrup) for 1-2 minutes.
4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Once coated, spread the granola onto a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Can last up to 3 weeks!

I hope you enjoy this granola recipe! What’s your favorite go-to granola ingredients? Do you also have limited bulk items at your local stores? Let’s chat in the comments below!