Healthy pumpkin granola with millet, golden raisins, and pumpkin seeds. Sweetened with maple syrup and a touch of raw sugar, this easy vegan granola recipe has a delicious crunch the whole family will love.
What's your granola game like?
Do you eat for breakfast or prefer it as a snack? Eat it by the handful straight from the jar? Sprinkle it over yoghurt, or drown it with milk? All of the above?
Cool, me too.
This Healthy Pumpkin Granola is one of my favourites for a fall-themed granola recipe. It's jammed with good-for-you ingredients, comes together in one-ish bowl(s) and will have your house smelling fan-freaking-tastic while it bakes.
What's in this recipe?
This Healthy Pumpkin Granola has just 9 ingredients:
- Rolled oats --> Kind of the star of the show.
- Millet --> One of my favourite seeds.
- Pumpkin seeds --> Full of zinc and iron!
- Pumpkin pureé --> I use my Homemade Pumpkin Purée, but canned is fine too.
- Maple syrup --> Classic fall flavours.
- Olive oil --> Or a neutral flavoured oil if you prefer.
- Demerara sugar --> For a bit of crunch!
- Spices --> Cinnamon, ginger, and the like.
- Golden raisins --> Regular raisins are fine as well.
If you haven't tried millet in your granola before, I think you're in for a treat; it's got a great nutty flavour and a delightful crunch. The pumpkin seeds were an obvious choice for me, but you could totally mix up the nuts and seeds.
How to I make this recipe?
Folks, it's so, so easy.
Step 1: Dump all of the dry ingredients into a bowl. Don't add the golden raisins, we're going to throw those in at the end.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients right on top - just dump and stir. I took the extra step of mixing the wet ingredients in a separate bowl in order to emulsify the oil a bit, but really, that's optional.
Step 3: Spread the wet granola mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for about 15 minutes. Pull the tray out of the oven, stir well, and return to the oven to bake some more. We're looking for golden, crunchy granola.
Step 4: Let your granola cool on the counter top - it'll continue to crisp up as it cools. Add the golden raisins, transfer to an air-tight container, and you are in granola-munching business.
Pro tips / recipe notes:
- Can I use canned pumpkin purée? Yup, totally. I've made this with both canned and homemade pumpkin purée, and they both work just fine.
- Can I leave the sugar out and use only maple syrup? You can, but the granola will have a bit less crunch.
- How do I know when the granola is done baking? It should be golden and just turning a deeper brown around the edges. It will continue to crisp as it cools, so if it's not as crispy as you think it should be when you pull it out in the oven, know it will crisp up a bit more.
- Is this granola recipe gluten-free? If you use gluten-free oats it is.
- Is this granola recipe vegan? Yup. Totes.
What makes this granola so good?
Millet isn't just for the birds! This super seed is loaded with heart-healthy magnesium and dietary fiber. Millet contains a variety of phytonutrients, including lignans which are thought to be preventative towards breast cancer and heart disease. Millet is also a good source of copper, manganese, and phosphorous.
Oats are rich in indigestible carbohydrates called beta-glutens which help to lower blood cholesterol levels. Oats are also host to a number of phenolic compounds which have antioxidant properties. Due to the high levels of those beta-glucans, oats are also helpful in stabilizing blood sugar.
In fact, eating oats in the morning may help keep your blood sugar stable throughout the entire day. Oats are also a good source of dietary fiber and protein. Look for gluten-free oats if you're celiac or have another gluten sensitivity.
Granola, previously:
Maple Apple Walnut Granola
Coconutty Banana Walnut Granola
Coco Cocoa Granola
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Cinnamon Roasted Apples
Healthy Pumpkin Granola
Ingredients
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup millet
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- ¾ cup pumpkin purée
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons Demerara sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 1 cup golden raisins
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F / 160°C. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine 4 cups rolled oats, 1 cup millet, 1 cup pumpkin seeds, and 3 tablespoons sugar.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together ¾ cup pumpkin purée, ½ cup maple syrup, ½ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cloves, and ½ teaspoon sea salt.
- Pour the wet mix over the oats and stir to combine well.
- Distribute the granola mixture over the two baking sheets into two even layers.
- Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, gently stir the granola careful to not break up any clumps too much, and place back into the oven, rotating the trays.
- Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the granola is starting to brown around the edges. You'll need to watch it quite carefully towards the end to ensure it doesn't burn.
- Remove the granola from the oven and combine on one tray. Add 1 cup golden raisins, and stir to combine evenly.
- Allow to cool completely - the granola will get crispier as it cools - before transferring into a jar.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published October 4, 2017. Last edited, updated, and republished October 2, 2021.
Cammy says
So good on plain yoghurt
Dennis says
This granola was a real treat. I was raised on rolled oats with maple syrup and love cinnamon, raisons and pumpkin. Thanks for this recipe Katie.
Tessa says
This is my first homemade Granola. No guesswork regarding ingredients. Very easy to put together and very tasty.
Kathy says
Nothing like homemade granola! I usually make a batch of coconut and sunflower seed granola to have on hand when the granola craving strikes and it’s nice to have a few different flavor options on rotation. Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Janette says
So at the age of 50 I made granola for the first time in my life. My friends always told me it was really easy but I just never tried. And then your simple recipe poped up on my newsletter and I thought I would give it a go. Super easy and delicious. So thank you nutrition lady!
PS I confess I had to adapt a little after buying a baking sheet especially and then discovering it was too big for the oven! Roasting dish worked ok - not ideal but ok!
Katie Trant says
Ahhhh, I also bought baking sheets and schlepped them all the way to Sweden only to discover that the ovens here are much smaller and nothing fit! But glad you managed to make this granola anyways, in spite of using a roasting dish. And congrats on your first batch of granola. Better late than never!
Sustainable Cooks - Sarah says
Love the photo of Niko helping out!
I'm not normally a pumpkin fan but really enjoyed this. Of course, I doubled the cinnamon because I view cinnamon as a condiment.
Sandra Lea says
I made this granola last night and it smelled heavenly and the flavor is wonderful. The only problem is it really didn't crisp up or clump together. It is on the soft side even though I baked it until it started to lightly brown. It won't go to waste though.
Katie Trant says
Ah, bummer. It's so hard to know exactly what went wrong without having been there. If it didn't crip up it likely needed to be baked longer, but at a lower temperature. Ovens vary so much 350° in my oven and 350° in your oven could be entirely different things. Another thing you can do in the future is let it cool completely in the oven - stick a wooden spoon in the door so it's open just a crack, and let the granola cool down in the oven. That usually makes a nice crisp granola! I'm glad you thought it tasted good, though!