If you accidentally spilled a fruit smoothie onto your oats and baked it, that’s sort of what this fruit smoothie-infused granola is! Instead of adding any kind of sugar or syrup to the recipe, you’ll get natural sweetness from a blended combination of banana and 100% fruit juice — a smoothie!

(Hint: See lots more of my tips in How to Make Healthy Granola in 5 Simple Steps, According to a Dietitian.)

The other ingredients

And there’s a little more to this recipe … to give it granola style. For flavoring, there’s cinnamon and vanilla. For nutty crunch you’ll bake in sunflower seeds. And for still nuttier crunch with a pop of color, you’ll stir in pistachios. Plus, there’s a touch of olive oil to boost richness and salt to enhance taste. All combined, you’ll bake up the batch into a crisp granola cereal with plenty of nuttiness and a light sweet-salty balance.

Do add-ins

This no-sugar-added granola cereal is not going to taste like a sugary “kid’s” cereal; that’s not what granola is about, after all. But if you do have a “sweet tooth,” you can certainly add bonus sweetness to this recipe by stirring in add-ins, like diced dried dates or other dried fruit, right after baking. Or do toasted coconut chips or cacao nibs for extra pizzazz.

To serve

And you can add yet more intrigue by how you serve it, like pairing the granola with plant-based yogurt, fresh berries or seasonal fruit of choice, and even a drizzling of a natural sweetener, like coconut nectar or (if you’re not vegan) honey.

Yep … since you start with an unsweetened granola, there’s room to go ahead and add a sweetener if you so choose. This way you can do it your way! (Pro-tip: I find sometimes people want to steer clear of added sugars, but they kind of need to ween themselves there.)

Of course, you’re also welcome to simply snack on your fruit smoothie-infused granola like a trail mix. Sneak in some dark chocolate chips from time to time. Have fun with it!

fruit smoothie-infused granola

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• Author: Jackie Newgent
• Yield: 3 cups 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

If you accidentally spilled a fruit smoothie onto your oats and baked it, that’s sort of what this fruit smoothie-infused granola is! Instead of adding any kind of sugar or syrup to the recipe, you’ll get natural sweetness from a blended combination of banana and 100% fruit juice — a smoothie!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) fruit juice of choice, such as 100% apple or pomegranate juice
• 1 medium fully-ripened banana, peeled (4.5 ounces slices; 3/4 cup)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 cups (200 grams) old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup (37 grams) raw sunflower seeds, hulled and unsalted
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• 1/2 cup (75 grams) no-shells lightly salted roasted pistachios

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. In a blender, puree the fruit juice, banana, oil, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour into a medium bowl. Add the oats, sunflower seeds, and salt and stir to evenly combine.
3. Spread out the granola mixture onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 18 minutes. Stir in the pistachios and bake until the granola is just crisp, about 15 minutes more.
4. Remove from the oven, place baking sheet on a cooling rack*, and let cool to fully crisp. Serve as desired, such as with plant-based yogurt, fresh berries, and an optional drizzling of coconut nectar.

Notes

*Optional add-ins immediately after baking: Dried tart cherries, diced dried figs or dates, cacao nibs, and/or toasted coconut chips.

• Category: Breakfast
• Cuisine: Breakfast

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/3 cup
• Calories: 180
• Sugar: 4g includes 0g added sugars
• Sodium: 180mg
• Fat: 9g
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 23g
• Fiber: 4g
• Protein: 5g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

For other breakfast-worthy recipes, try plant-based chickpea eggs (see recipe HERE), plant-based portabella bacon strips (see recipe HERE), and savory oatmeal with greens, pumpkin seed “tofu” & tart cherry reduction (see recipe HERE).