This Pumpkin Seed Granola is grain-free and super-easy to make. All you need is 30 minutes of time and a handful of healthy ingredients!
Why Make Grain-Free Granola?
This recipe is grain-free, so it’s properly combined when you serve it with almond milk and sliced banana on top. It will leave you feeling satisfied for hours!
Pumpkin seed granola is also gluten-free, oil-free, vegan, and paleo friendly, so you can enjoy it even if following one of these special diets. I love that it’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup, so it won’t spike your blood sugar as much as a version made with refined sugar might.
Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds
Why make a grain-free granola out of pumpkin seeds? These seeds are a great nut-free alternative and are loaded with nutrients.
Here’s why I love them:
- Pumpkin seeds are a good source of antioxidants, which may help to reduce inflammation in the body.
- Eating pumpkin seeds has been linked to a lower risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women.
- In studies, pumpkin seed extract has been shown to help improve urinary function.
- Pumpkin seeds are a great source of magnesium, which may help to control blood pressure and regulate blood sugar levels.
Keep in mind that when I say pumpkin seeds in this recipe, I’m referring to hulled pumpkin seeds, which are also called pepitas. You can usually find them in the grocery store near other nuts and seeds.
Granola Ingredients
I love this grain-free granola recipe because all you need is a handful of ingredients to make it, and it’s flexible enough that you can use what you have on hand.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Shredded coconut (make sure you buy one that is not sweetened)
- Pumpkin seeds (hulled ones; also called pepitas)
- Sunflower seeds (or you can use extra pumpkin seeds)
- Chia Seeds (I love how these help everything stick together)
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Maple syrup (this makes everything stick together and get crunchy)
I love that this recipe is oil-free and super-fast to prepare. Once everything is mixed together, you just have to flatten it out on a lined baking sheet and bake until lightly golden.
This granola will crisp up as it cools, and then you can break it into pieces. Store it in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve it.
I like to serve this pumpkin seed granola homemade almond milk or hemp milk (for extra protein!), along with a sliced banana to make sure I stay full for hours.
Pumpkin Seed Granola (Grain-Free!)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl, and stir well to combine.
- Add in the maple syrup, and stir again until all of the ingredients have been coated. This will help everything stick together, but the mixture won't look very wet.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet, and spread it out into a flat, even layer. Bake at 300ºF for 25 minutes, or until the granola looks lightly golden.
- Let the granola cool completely. It will firm up as it cools, and then you can break it into pieces and store it in an airtight container. This will last for up to a week when stored at room temperature, or you can store it for up to a month in the fridge. (You can probably freeze it for up to 3 months, too, if you want to make a larger batch.)
- Serve with almond milk and sliced bananas, or any other toppings you like!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is for 1/4 of this recipe and does not include fruit or milk. This information is automatically calculated ,and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know how you like it! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see that I’ve been eating this at least twice a week lately. I’d love to hear about any modifications or swaps you make to this recipe, too. We can all benefit from hearing about your experience!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite fast breakfast?
Love this! Can’t wait to try!
I looooove granola! Even though I’m a dedicated lover of oats, it’s nice to have some options. Pumpkin seeds agree with me so well! I think I’m lacking zinc or something. I’ve even heard of people eating solely pumpkin seeds for a period of time to kill parasites in their body. Powerful stuff!
Wow, that’s awesome! Yay for pumpkin seeds!
Where do you get your ingredients that are wheat & nut free. I found rolled oats, raw pumpkin seeds, & raw flax seeds that are, but can not find a source for the sunflower seeds & especially for sesame seeds so I can make sesame tahini. Thanks
Have you tried Nuts dot com? They sell a lot of gluten free items… I get most all of my GF organic stuff there.
So excited to try this! On my to-do list for the week and hoping my kids enjoy it too. Always looking for healthy snacks to make them.
i am definitely making this!! you have some of my favorite recipes for sure. love the pumpkin action 🙂
Thanks, Felicia! I plan on taking full advantage of pumpkin season. 🙂
I love granola! Unfortunately, they almost always have oats killing the combination, OR they are super expensive. I’ll definitely be making this soon 🙂
This looks awesome, I’m making tonight! Is it weird if I don’t cook it and eat it raw? I can’t turn on the oven, it’s too hot 🙂
I bet it would be delicious raw, too!
I tried this recipe-delish! Substituted honey and a banana in place of maple syrup 😛 thanks!
Made this last night and it was delicious! Didn’t realize how much it actually makes so I have a lot left over.
Glad you enjoyed it! I love having leftovers for easy meals!
I just tried this and it is AMAZING! Love it, love it, love it.
I just made this to eat before the Jewish fast-yom kippur- and eat it with extra soaked chia together. So yummy, and it will keep me full for a long time!
Ok just wanted to say I made this yesterday and enjoyed today with homemade almond milk–AMAZING! Hands down, best granola ever! And it’s full of nutrition! Thanks for sharing!
Yet another delicious and simple recipe from the detoxinista! I used to love granola but banished store-bought because of the oats and excessive sugar and this is the perfect solution! The coconut and chia get nice and crunchy just like nuts and oats with a subtle sweetness from the raisins that leaves you feeling full and satisfied. The batch I made on Sunday has already disappeared and another (triple) batch is roasting at this very moment!
This is genius! I love the combination of seeds and the addition of spices, which makes it that much better. I left everything whole instead of chopping it, substituted extra virgin olive oil for the coconut oil, upped the salt to 1/4 teaspoon, and left out the raisins. Since I didn’t have pumpkin pie spice, I used a combination of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and cardamom. I think next time I’ll use the coconut oil as suggested because I think its flavor is probably more complementary than the olive oil I substituted. But overall the flavor is great. I’ve made granola with oats and nuts that isn’t overly sweet at home before, but I still can have blood sugar issues when I eat it. I felt much better with this pumpkin seed granola. Thank you for posting this- enjoying your blog!
Delicious! I don’t like chia seeds in liquid because they’re too gelatinous, but toasted chia seeds are wonderful. I love making granola for my family, but since I’m grain-free right now, I got sad thinking I wouldn’t be able to eat any. Thank you!
This recipie is great I added some of my left over almond meal from making almond milk— took a little longer to cook but tastes great. Thank you
I made this today and it’s simply amazing! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!
I made this and it is excellent but I would like to know can I add Carob Chips (would they melt to fast in the dehydrator? How long does this granola last stored?
I made one substitution, safflower oil for the coconut oil. Best granola of my life, thank you!
Just thought I would tell you this recipe caught my eye, as my husband is allergic to nuts. You should know that the pumpkin pie spice mix includes nutmeg, which he says is also a nut, and is allergic to that also. Just a heads up!
Thanks for letting me know! I’ve never heard of that before!
This looks amazing. Is there any substitution for shredded coconut? I have an allergy to coconut. Thanks!
I think you could use anything you want! Slivered almonds or crumbled nuts or seeds would all probably work fine as a substitute.
What’s in a pumpkin pie spice mix?? We don’t have that in Australia I don’t think…
You can make a jar of “Pumpkin Spice” at home using the following ratios:
4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
4 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground allspice
What brand of pumpkin seeds do you use? The ones at my Whole Foods come from China. Trying to avoid foods from China 😉 Looking for a safe source.
hello?
I would love to make this using the seeds from the pumpkins currently roasting in my oven…could you tell me the process? How do I clean the goo from the seeds? Do I roast the seeds?
Thanks and love your site!
By the look of your pictures you use shelled pumpkin seeds. It’s there a trick to doing this yourself? I typically buy shelled unsalted seeds buy they are becoming so expensive it would be great to do it myself.
I wish I knew! I buy the shelled seeds, too. Perhaps someday I’ll attempt it myself. 🙂
I love that this recipe is Nut-free and Grain-Free. I have all the ingredients and will be making it tonight. Thanks!!
Hi Megan,
I love this recipe and make it all the time. You call it a treat and I call it breakfast. Thank you for all your wonderful posts.
Made this… Love it! Thank you for all of your awesome recipes. They have made eating healthy a lot easier than any other time I’ve ever tried to change my eating habits in the past,… It feels great to actually stick with it this time 🙂
I can’t get enough of this granola!!! I eat it almost everyday, and I must be deficient in something because I could eat a whole batch at one time! My 18 month old son has dairy/wheat/gluten/egg sensitivities and so this works perfectly!! THANK YOU!!!!
The best nut free granola recipe!! Better than nut granola! I’ve made it with cinnamon instead of pumpkin spice when I was out and it was delicious too.
This made for a great quick breakfast for my 3 yr old daughter and I. We added goat yogurt and almond milk to round it out a bit more 🙂 This will be going in my recipe box. thanks! Would like to add that it only took 15 minutes with our oven and it was slightly too roasted.
I use an egg white to make it all sticky and sweeten with stevia, and some other people use applesauce…that way you don’t have to add any sugar at all.
I really like this recipe. I made it using NuNaturals liquid stevia instead of the maple syrup and it was great. I’ve been reading up on soaking nuts and seeds and know that you do it for some of your recipes, so I was wondering if it’s advisable to soak the pumpkin and sunflower seeds for this. Or is it not necessary because you are roasting them at 300F?
This isn’t just a fall treat for me. I make it all the time. It is really good. Thank you for the recipe.
Just made a triple batch & tried my first bowl…very very delicious! My nutritionista has me on a Sugar Cure Diet(no sweeteners, no grains, no dairy) which I’ve been following for 2 weeks. I have missed my sweets sooo much. Now that I’m readjusted, this granola is satisfying my love of sweet and my love of granola. Thank you Detoxinista for yet another great recipe!
I don’t care for the flavor of chia seeds; could I substitute red quinoa for the Chia Seeds?
I haven’t tried it myself, but I don’t see why not. Let us know how it works for you!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have a kid who is allergic to nuts and sensitive to oats. I’ve been going crazy trying to find a granola substitute. I wonder if you could use this to make a nut free/oat free granola bar.
Wow, this is a great rendition of the classic granola made with oats. I will definitely try your version Megan.
Has anyone made this granola in the dehydrator???? If so how long shld I dehydrate it? Thanksss
You’re recipe about how to prepare a whole sugar pie pumpkin mentioned using the seeds in this recipe, but from the picture, it looks like you’re using hulled pumpkin seeds (green) rather than the ones that come directly from the pumpkin (white). Any idea if this would work with whole seeds?
I’ve come here with the exact same question…?
I’m gonna try it, but that recipe(roasting the pumkin) was how I ended up here.
Any updates from the author would be appreciated 🙂
Wow, I LOVE this recipe! I made it for the first time today and it turned out perfectly. I didn’t process the ingredients, only because I was feeling lazy about the cleanup. I’ll try it next time to see if the difference is worth the mess.
I always prefer making my own pumpkin spice blend instead of using the store-bought ones. I like a little extra clove flavor, so I like having control over that. I added some dried currants instead of raisins and served it over Greek yogurt with blueberries. I also used almond oil instead of coconut oil. Thanks for sharing this–I imagine I’ll make this a LOT!
If I don’t use syrup, should I use more oil so it’s not so dry?
Yum yum yum! Thank you so much! I thought it sounded good so made a double batch first go 🙂 Added slivered almonds with the seeds in the processor and flax seeds afterwards. Added chopped dried apricots and dried cranberries when it was cold. So delicious! Way better that other toasted muesli! Thank you!
It’s awesome that this recipe is nut-free. Going to get the ingredients I need and try it out in the next few days. Thanks for the post!
I always make a double batch of this because it’s so good. I sub dried cranberries instead of raisins for some added zing. I’ve made it as “thank you” gifts for neighbors (it looks so pretty in a jelly jar) and have had to share your recipe each time as they are all hooked too after tasting it. Great recipe!
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I was after a nut-free, grain-free cereal… and I love it! I replaced the maple syrup with honey and it tastes great! This recipe is a keeper… thanks!
Where is the best place to buy organic raw seeds online?
Hi,
Do you happen to know how I could make these into granola bars? Thanks
Hey
The calories are per portion or for the whole batch ??
Regards,
Pardita
How long does it store?can you freeze it?
It looks like you used green pepitas in your photos. Can you make this with the white pumpkin seeds from ripe pumpkins as well, like the ones from your roasted pumpkin recipe? If so, do you need to prep them in anyway, or is roasting inside the pumpkin enough to soften them a bit?
I would probably dry the white seeds in the oven first to dry them out, then use them in this recipe. I’d want them very crunchy!