We are a snack family and carrot cake is one of our favorite desserts, so it just makes sense to combine the two into this delicious carrot cake granola. By using gluten free oats and coconut oil, this recipe is both vegan and gluten free!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It’s so easy to make. Perfect for baking with kids.
- You can customize it to include your favorite mix-ins.
- It’s gluten free and vegan.
Ingredient Notes
- Oats – You’ll want to use whole rolled oats for this recipe, not quick oats. Make sure to use certified gluten free oats if you need to make this recipe gluten free.
Light Brown Sugar & Maple Syrup – The sugars are what helps the granola clump together and be crispy, so don’t omit.
Coconut Oil – If you prefer not to use coconut oil, then substitute melted butter.
Spices – In place of the individual spices, you can use 1 teaspoon of apple pie or pumpkin pie spice.
Carrots – Make sure to grate your own carrots. The ones that come pre-grated from the store can often be dried out.
Mix-Ins – I’ve used a combination of shredded coconut, pecans and raisins. You can mix in whatever you’d like, just stick to a total of 2 cups of mix-ins.
How to Make Homemade Granola
First, combine the oats, brown sugar, salt, spices, flax meal and carrots in a large bowl. Stir them together.
In a second bowl or measuring cup, combine the melted coconut oil, vanilla and maple syrup. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry.
Stir everything well until all of the dry ingredients are coated with the wet.
Then pour the granola onto your prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
Finally, bake the granola for about 20 minutes. Then gently flip the granola as the outside edges will cook quicker than the center. Bake another 20 minutes then add the coconut and nuts, gently mixing them in. Bake with the nuts for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with raisins. Do not stir. Allow granola to cool completely before removing from baking sheet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oats are naturally gluten free, however they are often contaminated during the farming and harvesting process. There are some gluten free certified oats available, such as these from Bob’s Red Mill.
Some people who are intolerant to gluten also have a reaction to oats, even when they are gluten free.Â
Granola does contain some sugar, but overall homemade granola is probably healthier than store bought. With homemade granola you can control the ingredients used, especially the quality, and be sure there are no strange preservatives added. Because of the oats and flax meal, this recipe has a good amount of fiber as well as protein. In moderation, it can be a healthy snack.
There could be two reasons, first it may need to cook longer. You should be using a low oven temperature and a long cook time. You should notice the granola starting to brown around the edges and may even taste test some bits to see if they are crunchy.
Secondly, there may not be enough sugar added. The melting of the sugar and then cooling is what makes it extra crunchy. Once you have your granola out of the oven, be sure to let it cool completely without stirring.
If it’s stored in an airtight container, it should be good for at least a month. I usually store my granola in mason jars in the refrigerator. It’s not necessary to refrigerate, but I find it keeps a little longer this way.
If you love carrot cake, check out these great recipes!
Gluten Free Apple Carrot Muffins
Best Gluten Dairy Free Free Carrot Cake
Gluten Free Carrot Cake Coffee Cake
Gluten Free Carrot Cake Waffles
To pin this recipe for later, click the save button on any image in this post or the recipe card. Please tag me @wellfedbaker on Instagram if you make this recipe!Â
Easy Gluten Free Carrot Cake Granola
Ingredients
- 1 ½ C Gluten Free Oats
- 2 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 4 Tbsp Coconut Oil melted
- 6 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 Tbsp Flax Meal
- ½ tsp Vanilla
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ginger
- â…› tsp Nutmeg
- 1 C Carrots grated
- ½ C Sweetened Shredded Coconut
- 1 C Pecans chopped
- ½ C Golden Raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, salt, flax meal, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and carrots. Stir well. In a second bowl (or measuring cup) combine melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry. Stir well until all the ingredients are coated. Spread onto prepared baking sheet.
- Place into preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and gently flip. Bake another 20 minutes. Remove and add coconut and pecans, gently flip to incorporate. Bake another 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack. Add the raisins, but do not stir. Let sit until completely cool for nice granola chunks.