By Theyo Team
Granola – the muesli with that certain something extra; For many, the best breakfast in the world. Whether sweet or spicy, puristic or with many ingredients – granola is on everyone’s lips. Our current favorite granola recipe is vegan, with lots of banana and no (industrial) sugar.
What is the difference between granola and muesli?
For many people, granola is just muesli. And in fact, both are based on a similar basis: grains, seeds, nuts, cocoa nibs (particularly important from our point of view ;-) ) and fruits. What’s special about granola? The ingredients are held together by the addition of sweet ingredients such as honey, agave syrup or syrup and - particularly important for the taste - roasted really well. This creates irresistible roasted aromas. While the ingredients for muesli are ready to eat straight away, for granola they are first baked.
Is granola healthy? Or: Which is healthier, muesli or granola?
"Granola is healthy!" – “Granola is unhealthy!” Yes, what now? The truth, as so often, lies somewhere in between. Here too, you have to look at the small print – in this case the ingredients. Depending on its composition, granola comes with lots of fiber, vitamins and minerals. The carbohydrates it contains keep you full for longer and are great against cravings. The problem with store-bought granola, however, is that it often contains (unnecessarily) a lot of processed sugar, which more or less cancels out the healthy effect.
There is no general answer to the question of whether muesli or granola is healthier. A “basic” muesli that only contains oat flakes, seeds, kernels, nuts, etc. is healthier than store-bought granola with a high sugar content. On the other hand, homemade granola (e.g. with banana) is healthier than store-bought chocolate muesli.
How do you use granola?
We love granola as a topping on almost anything that is sweet and creamy at the same time: be it on morning porridge, with yoghurt, fruit and honey or as a crunchy addition to delicious ice cream. At this point we recommend this recipe for summer lavender chocolate ice cream !
Granola without sugar
In order to avoid (industrial) sugar, we tried many recipes. We were particularly impressed by this granola recipe with banana. Our vegan granola is quick and rich in fiber, protein, healthy fats and omega-3 fatty acids. And the most important thing: Our sugar-free granola is simply delicious!
Granola with banana – here you go!
Ingredients for a large glass:
-
- 270 g oat flakes
- 90 g walnuts (if you are allergic to walnuts, you can replace them with other nuts)
- 50 g pecans
- 30g cocoa nibs (especially important ;-))
- 12 g coconut blossom sugar (this can be omitted if desired)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 7 g linseed or psyllium seeds
- 60 ml coconut oil
- 95 ml maple syrup or agave syrup (or honey if you don't want your granola to be vegan)
- 1 teaspoon (homemade) vanilla syrup
- 1 medium-sized ripe banana (mashed)
Homemade granola – this is how it works:
1. Preheat your oven to 175 degrees.
2. Mix oat flakes, cinnamon, sugar, salt, linseed or psyllium seeds and nuts in a large bowl.
3. Heat coconut oil, maple syrup (agave syrup or honey) and vanilla syrup in a saucepan over medium heat.
4. As soon as the ingredients have combined into a liquid mass, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the banana puree with a whisk. When everything is well mixed, you can pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Spread the (tasty) mix evenly on a large baking tray. Be careful not to overcrowd the baking tray. Do you only have small sheets? Then just use two or more, depending on how much granola you want to make.
6. Bake the granola for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Mix the granola and turn it occasionally so that it doesn't get too lumpy. The coconut oil makes the dough nice and crispy. But be careful not to burn the granola! Once it's nicely browned, take it out of the oven and toss it a bit to let the heat escape. Allow the granola to cool completely before pouring it into an airtight jar. It will keep for a few weeks this way...if you don't eat it beforehand.
Theyo tip: Depending on how lumpy you like your granola, you should mix and “stir” it more or less frequently. The more you mix in between, the fewer lumps remain.
Header photo by Derick McKinney on Unsplash
