This vegan crunchy chocolate & almond butter buckwheat granola is packed to its oat-y edges with goodness. Rolled oats, buckwheat groats, hemp seeds, pepitas, chia seeds, and cinnamon are coated in a decadent mixture of almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, cacao, and vanilla extract. The granola is then spread over a pan and baked to crispy perfection. It's equally delicious on its own or enjoyed with vegan milk or yogurt, and it magically tastes a whole lot like cocoa pebbles when it's paired with vanilla almond milk. Amazing? I certainly think so!
It's hard to believe that this is the last full day of our 10-day family vacation in Colorado; however, there have been enough memories made to cherish for years.
Some of my favorite moments from the trip include: long-car-ride singing + silliness with siblings, paddle boarding for the first time, jetting down an alpine slide, game nights, reminiscing, never ending mountain views, and heartfelt conversations. While these all seem like fairly normal moments, they run near and dear to my heart because they happened with family that I typically only see a handful of times each year. For that reason, I'm feeling extra grateful for this vacation because it not only offered revitalization, it also strengthened bonds between some of the most important people in my life.
Despite some mild end-of-vacation blues, I'm excited to get back in the kitchen and start testing some recipe ideas that have been bouncing around in my mind over the past week. I've had a few crazy, wake-me-up-at-night ideas but for the most part, I think they have some serious potential lingering in their daydream status.
While we're on the topic of daydreams, this granola is the stuff that daytime dreams are made of; it's crunchy, chocolaty, buttery, and sweet. It's also addictive. Like slap-my-hand-or-I'll-eat-the-whole-jar addictive. But that minor detail is of no worry to either you or me because daytime food dreams aren't made of celery and broccoli, they're made of addictive, chocolaty yumminess. So, here you have it...
Chocolaty.
Crunchy.
Almond buttery.
Crave-able.
Pop-in-yo-mouth goodness.
This granola is similar to the Blissful Blueberry + Buckwheat Granola recipe in terms of directions, so if you've had the chance to make that one before, you'll have no trouble conquering this one.
Rolled oats, buckwheat groats, hemp seeds, pepitas, chia seeds, and cinnamon are tossed together and coated in a decadent mixture of almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, cacao, and vanilla extract. The granola is then spread over a pan and baked to crispy perfection. It's equally delicious on its own or enjoyed with vegan milk or yogurt, and it magically tastes a whole lot like cocoa pebbles when it's paired with vanilla almond milk. Amazing? I certainly think so!
Crunchy Chocolate & Almond Butter Buckwheat Granola
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 cup raw buckwheat groats
- ¼ cup shelled hemp seeds
- ¼ cup pepitas
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup almond butter
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the rolled oats, buckwheat groats, hemp seeds, pepitas, chia seeds, and cinnamon to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, cacao, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk for 4-5 minutes or until all ingredients are melted together.
- Pour the almond butter mixture over the dry ingredients and toss to coat.
- Line a large baking pan with parchment paper and spread the granola mixture evenly over the pan.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, tossing halfway through, until light golden brown and wafting a toasted smell. Go on scent and color rather than feel, as the granola will continue to crisp as it rests and cools outside the oven.
- Let the granola cool completely.
- Store in airtight glass containers to maintain crispiness.
Notes
now THIS is my kind of recipe.. definitely will be recreating this in my kitchen. looks so delicious. love it!
Thanks, Thalia! I hope you love it!
I stumbled upon this recipe on FoodGawker. I just love chocolate and this looks amazingly delicious. Thank you so much for sharing!
You're so welcome! I'm so glad you found the recipe on FoodGawker, and I hope you enjoy it!
This looks fabulous! Definitely dangerous though...Going to check out your blueberry granola too :)
I made this using my dehydrator to keep it raw, and it was amazing! It has the perfect texture and flavor to go with milk, yogurt, nice cream, etc!!
So good!!☺️☺️👍👍 The second time I added almost a cup of brown rice crispys to lighten it up a bit, didn't cluster as much but was still excellent! Great recipe!
I just made this with 1/4 cup cocoa powder and am worndering if I should have used 2 T instead? It's super dry and not crisping in the oven...can you offer any advice here? 2 T vs. 1/4 cup is a big difference but I'm using cocoa powder (only ingredient is cocoa).
Thank you!
Hi, Jessica! Granola typically won't become crisp in the oven (unless it burns) but rather crisps as it cools once removed from the oven. Having said that, I think you're right: 2 T of cocoa powder would have sufficed, which is completely my fault. This is an older recipe and in referring back to my old system of recipe notes, the "or 1/4 cup cocoa powder" appears to have been a note to myself to test not an ingredient indication. But unfortunately, it wound up transferred as if it was. I'm so sorry for this goof on my end (correcting now). Cocoa powder isn't nearly as rich or chocolaty, so the amount used often does need to be increased, but you're right, this is a big jump. Any luck with how it turned out once removed from the oven? Again, I'm so sorry. Admittedly, the longer I do this (10 years now), the more meticulous I am about my recipes and this just isn't ok in my current book of recipe standards.