Chocolate Granola is a delicious alternative to store-bought chocolate cereals, and will make you feel like a kid again! It’s a lightly sweet and crunchy snack, and when you serve it with almond milk, it reminds me of the Cocoa Puffs I grew up eating, only with more nutrient-dense ingredients.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What goes into chocolate granola? All you need is a few basics.
- Old-fashioned rolled oats
- Shredded coconut
- Chopped almonds
- Cacao powder
- Natural sweeteners
- Coconut oil
I love adding in the combination of shredded coconut and chopped almonds for an “Almond Joy” experience, but granola recipes are flexible, so you can make swaps if you need to. Sometimes I even leave out the oats for a grain-free granola!
Need an oil-free recipe? Try my Healthy Granola recipe for guidance. You can add some cacao powder to that recipe for a chocolate version, but it’s not quite as delicious as this tested version down below.
How to Make It
How do you make chocolate granola? Start by preheating the oven to 325ºF. I like to use a lower temperature for this recipe, so the nuts won’t burn before everything is crispy.
Stir together the dry granola ingredients, then add in the maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla. Stir until everything looks well coated.
Press the granola mixture out onto a lined pan. I’m using a half-sheet pan, which fits this recipe pretty perfectly.
Bake for 15 minutes, then stir well so the granola will crisp evenly. (The edges tend to cook faster than the center, so try to break up the center area and bring some of that to the edges when you stir, so you don’t wind up with burnt or under-cooked pieces.)
Return to the oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until your kitchen smells like brownies. Remove the granola from the oven and let it cool completely. It might not look crispy right away, but it will firm up as it cools!
Break the granola into clumps, and store it in an airtight jar. For a double-chocolate granola, you can also stir in a few mini chocolate chips. It takes it to a “dessert” granola level, but it would be fantastic for a DIY gift jar!
Storage Tips
Assuming you baked the granola evenly (without any moist spots remaining) it will keep well in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to a week, or in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. You can also freeze granola for an even longer shelf life.
Do not leave the granola sitting out, uncovered, for more than 24 hours. In my experience, it will lose its crunch if you don’t keep it tightly covered in a jar.
How to Serve It
What do you eat with chocolate granola? Serve it with homemade hemp milk for extra protein in each bite, or try homemade oat milk! Top it with fresh fruit, like strawberries or raspberries, which pair extra-well with chocolate, if you ask me.
You can also enjoy this crunchy granola on its own as a snack, if you need something on the go. My son has asked me to include this in his school lunch box as a dry snack, so it’s definitely a hit either way.
I think the chocolate flavor is much more noticeable if you serve it with milk. I love how this granola turns your milk into “chocolate milk” as you get to the bottom of the bowl, too!
More Recipes Using Oats
- The Best Granola Bars
- Chocolate Overnight Oats
- Zucchini Oatmeal
- Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Oatmeal Smoothie
- Banana Overnight Oats
- Oat Flour Cookies
Chocolate Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats (302 grams; gluten-free, if needed)
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (52 grams)
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds (87 grams)
- 1/2 cup cacao powder (40 grams)
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (76 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (4 grams)
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil (100 grams)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (144 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a large baking sheet (I use a half sheet pan) with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, almonds, cacao powder, coconut sugar, and salt. Stir well.
- Add in the coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla, and stir again, until the mixture looks evenly coated. Transfer the granola to the prepared pan, and spread it out into a flat layer.
- Bake at 325ºF for 15 minutes, then give the granola a stir to help promote even cooking. The edges will tend to cook faster than the middle, so I like to break up the middle and stir well so that everything will dry out evenly. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until your house starts to smell like brownies.
- Remove the granola from the oven and stir one more time. Let it cool completely to let it crisp up. Once it's completely cool, you can store it in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature, or for a longer shelf life, I prefer to store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Serve with your favorite fruit and milk, or on its own as a crunchy snack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Chocolate Granola recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know what you think! And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too!
Love this idea! Gives me total cocoa puffs cereal vibes! Thank you for another healthier and more wholesome swap without having to give up delicious flavor. 👏🏻
What is the serving size?
The nutrition info is for roughly 1/12 of the recipe, which is approximately 1/2 cup, but that can be tricky to measure depending on how “clumpy” your granola is. I just eyeball it, and fill the rest of my bowl with fruit and hemp milk.
Very easy to make, great flavor, it felt like I was cheating and yet it was healthy! Next time I think I’ll add some sliced bananas in my bowl as I’m eating it. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe with the rest of us
Could you use Swerve instead of coconut sugar to reduce the sugar? If so would you recommend the Swerve brown sugar or granulated?
This is perfect! I followed the recipe to a T, and I was nervous that the granola wasn’t going to be crisp enough, but it did get crunchy once it was cool. It tastes so good!!
Yummy!! Only had 1/4 cup coconut oil left so also used 1/4 cup butter. Came out delicious! I can’t stop eating it! I’m definitely going to make this again.
That is triple the sugar I would eat. Do you think u could just use the maple syrup.
Yes, that’s in the notes! That’s how I originally tested it, but my kids didn’t approve. You might want to cut back on the cacao powder slightly in that case, too.
Amazing!! I’ve been making granola for my family for years but this is next level. My kids are thrilled! Thanks for another fabulous recipe!!
This is soooo good! I’ve been snacking on it all afternoon. Good thing it makes a lot so there will be some left for breakfast! Thank you for all your great recipes!
So yummy! I left my almonds whole & added in 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa. Tastes like dessert:)
My family is loving this recipe!
So yummy!!! Been buying store bought Chocolate granola cereal and this is so much better!!! Followed recipe exactly and came out perfect 😋
I see chocolate chips in the picture but not in the recipe. Did you add those after or before cooking as I see them on the baking sheet too? It looks great and I can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
I just sprinkled those on at the end for the photos, but it was almost “too much” when I ate this, so I decided not to include them in the recipe. But if you want to add them, I think the mini chocolate chips work best!
Delicious!! My favorite new snack is this granola over Greek yogurt!
You’ll never want another store bought granola! My family and I are loving this granola!
This simple recipe is so good. It makes plain yogurt sublime. A friend recommended that I make it for Christmas gifts, clearly hinting that she would welcome such a gift.
Delicious! Great recipe-thank you!
So yum! Hit with the kids too. Chocolate milk at the end a bonus!
This recipe is easy and satisfies your chocolate craving! Was also surprised how much it crisped up after cooling. Will definitely be making again, soon!
This granola is amazing! I used oats, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and hemp hearts. The pumpkin seeds get so crunchy. We love it as cereal, on ice cream, and just by the handful! I even subbed it in for oats in my protein ball recipe and it was such a good snack for when I’m craving chocolate. Next time I will reduce the sugar since my other recipe has honey already. I love all your recipes and this one is a keeper for sure!
Just made this chocolate granola recipe for the first time, and I am in love! So delicious. Reminds me of my old favorite pre-made organic GF granola from Aldi, but now homemade with better sugar choices and ingredients I can eat. I also added 2 T of hemp hearts to mine, because why not?!
This recipe was amazing! I loved it.
This is hands down the best chocolate granola I’ve ever had. It’s so rich it tastes like I’m eating a chocolate on chocolate cookie!