Lightly sweet-and-salty and FULL of crunchy clusters, you'll love this easy vegan peanut butter granola. Healthier than most, it's made without refined sugar or oil, and you only need 6 ingredients and 35 minutes to make a batch!
Why You'll Love It
Sometimes you crave the irresistible crunch of granola, but store-bought granola can be expensive and usually contains a lot of oil, sugar, and/or honey. Enter homemade oil-free vegan granola!
We're pretty picky about granola in our house, and this peanut butter granola is right up there at the top of our list along with Crunchy Almond Granola and Ginger-Turmeric Granola (both also oil-free).
Peanut butter combines with the warm, natural sweetness of brown rice syrup, a touch of maple syrup, and plenty of vanilla. It's so simple but so right.
This peanut butter granola isn't too sweet or heavy and is great as a snack or for breakfast!
Ingredient Notes
The only ingredient in this granola that might be a bit tricky to find is brown rice syrup. But if you really want extra crunchy and cluster-y granola, it's worth it to hunt down a bottle.
You can find brown rice syrup at Whole Foods, online (Amazon affiliate link), and often at smaller, local health food stores.
Brown rice syrup has such a lovely, lightly sweet, caramel-like flavor, and the sticky, gooey consistency makes it perfect for recipes like granola bars and for creating crunchy clusters!
Here are a few more ways to use brown rice syrup:
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Instructions
This is about as easy as granola gets. There's no need to warm the syrups on the stove, although you can if you want to. Here's how I usually do it:
- Preheat the oven to 310 degrees F, and line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. In a mixing bowl whisk together the wet ingredients. Warm in the microwave for about 20 seconds. This softens the brown rice syrup and makes it easier to stir. Add the rolled oats and peanuts and mix well.
- Spread on the prepared pan. It's okay for the granola to overlap quite a bit in some areas. This is what creates thick clusters. Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully stir and spread out again. Bake for another 8 to 12 minutes.
- Let the granola cool for 10 to 15 minutes before breaking into clusters.
Expert Tips
The granola will continue to crisp up as it cools, so don't be fooled into thinking it isn't done when you first remove it from the oven.
This recipe has the same amount of sweetener as my other granola recipes but slightly less dry ingredients. Because of this it's important to keep an eye on the underside of the granola in the last few minutes of baking. Granola can go from golden to burnt fairly quickly.
Nut-Free Option
Sunbutter and tahini make excellent nut-free granola if you prefer a peanut-free treat!
Storage
Store granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Granola also freezes very well.
RELATED: craving granola but don't have time to make a batch? Try this 5-Minute Microwave Granola.
More recipes with peanut butter:
Recipe
Vegan Peanut Butter Granola (Oil-Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown rice syrup - This is important for cluster-y granola. Can sub maple syrup, if desired, and omit the extra 3 tablespoon maple syrup below.
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- ⅓ cup natural peanut butter, salted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats - Certified gluten-free if needed.
- ½ cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 310 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
- In a mixing bowl combine the syrups, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt. Microwave in 10 to 15 second intervals just to slightly warm the syrup. This makes it easier to stir and combine with the other ingredients. Stir well.
- Add the oats and peanuts to the bowl. Stir until everything is well coated with the syrup mixture.
- Spread the granola onto the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven, gently stir (keeping large chunks of it intact), and spread out on the pan again. Bake for another 8 to 12 minutes, keeping an eye on the bottom of the granola in the last few minutes so that it doesn't burn.
- Let the granola cool on the pan for about 15 minutes, then break into clusters. Once completely cool, transfer to an airtight container.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Kristin Neubauer
Do you think honey will work in place of syrup? Both brown rice syrup and maple syrup trigger my migraines. But honey doesn't. Thanks!
Lori
Oh, sorry to hear that about maple and brown rice syrup. Yes, honey is pretty standard for granola, but I'm sure you'll need a little less since it's sweeter.