Healthy Applesauce Granola – crunchy granola made with applesauce instead of oil. Oats, nuts, seeds, and raisins make the perfect easy breakfast.
We really, and I mean really, love granola around here.
But of course, it’s just not that great for you. All the oil that usually goes into a batch of granola makes it a pretty high calorie snack and let’s face it, no one can stop after just a handful of the tasty stuff.
This Applesauce Granola uses applesauce in place of the usual oil which makes it much lower in calorie and it still gets nice and crunchy!
I’ve made granola with applesauce instead of oil in the past but this is by far my favorite version. It’s loaded with nuts (I used walnuts and pecans) and sunflower seeds which makes it not only yummy but also filling. It’s sweet but not too sweet and you can adjust the dried fruit amount to make it even sweeter if it suits you.
Ingredients
- Old fashioned oats – make sure it’s old fashioned and not quick cooking or steel cut.
- Nuts – such as pecans, walnuts, or almonds
- Sunflower seeds
- Sesame seeds
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Honey
- Vegetable oil – you can use any flavorless oil.
- Raisins – you can use any dried fruit you like, such as dried cranberries or dried blueberries.
How To Make Applesauce Granola
- Prepare. Preheat oven to 300F.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, mix together oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a small saucepan, warm the applesauce with the honey and oil over low heat.
- Combine everything. Mix the applesauce mixture into the oat mixture and stir to coat everything. Spread the mixture onto a 9 x 13 baking pan.
- Bake. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is a deep brown.
- Add raisins and cool. Remove from oven and stir in raisins. Cool completely before enjoying.
If you store this Applesauce Granola at room temperature in an airtight container, it can keep for up to a month. Although I don’t think you will have any left after a month!
Yes, you can freeze homemade granola. Put it in a freezer ziploc bag and squeeze as much air out as possible before putting it in the freezer. Let it thaw on the counter overnight before serving.
More Homemade Granola Recipes
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Healthy Applesauce Granola
Healthy Applesauce Granola - crunchy granola made with applesauce instead of oil. Oats, nuts, seeds, and raisins make the perfect easy breakfast.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup nuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- In a large bowl, mix together oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, warm the applesauce with the honey and oil over low heat.
- Mix the applesauce mixture into the oat mixture and stir to coat everything. Spread the mixture onto a 9 x 13 baking pan.
- Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is a deep brown. Remove from oven and stir in raisins. Cool completely before enjoying.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 339Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 664mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 6gSugar: 14gProtein: 9g
Diane says
Thank you for posting this easy delicious recipe. We have nut allergies and picky eaters, so like everyone else, I made adjustments – ours is basically baked oats and sugar – but it was delicious and safe for my kids to eat – major plus! :)
Amy says
I found this recipe through pinterest and altered it a bit. I didn’t use almonds, sunflower seeds, or sesame seeds. Instead used unsweetened coconut, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds. So delicious! I entered it into a recipe calculator and it worked out to 104 cals and 4.2g of fat per 1/3 cup…for anyone interested :) thanks for the great recipe! (even though I changed it a bit!)
holly says
Yay! I am so happy I found this recipe! I have been wanting a healthier version of granola. I left out the nuts and added coconut for the kids and they LOVE it. Next time…almonds and coconut for me.
Tina says
I found your recipe via a trail from pintrest. This is my first time making granola and I love how easy and yummy it is. I am already making my second batch with a few changes, just to see how it will come out.
Thanks for the recipe!
nichole says
made this today….so good…always on the lookout for variations of granola & this is a keeper for sure!
Rebecca Kenwick says
I was worried about the sogginess as well. I used homemade applesauce so maybe that’s why. After the 50 min of cooking (it still felt very soft even though it was golden brown) so I just turned off the oven and left the pan in there to cool. It’s almost cooled now and feels nice and crunchy!! HTH anyone with the same issue. It’s delicious!!! So glad I found this recipe. I’m using it as an ingredient for granold bars but it’s so good I’ll have to make another batch to just eat!
Karen says
This is a great tip! Thanks!
I love this recipe! I use it with unsweetened cereal to make a healthier cereal for my kids. It’s a very versatile recipe!
Terrah says
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe! I used it today to make granola bars and have a bunch left over. Can’t wait to bake it into other things – cookies, muffins… or just eat handfuls! Very good!
Erin says
this looks wonderful. I just went to the orchard and am planning on making homemade apple sauce. Do you think that would work in this recipe, since homemade is usually chunkier than the store bought applesauce?
amanda says
Yeah, I think it would work. I think the homemade applesauce would add more apple flavor too! Good luck, let me know how it turns out! :)
Carissa says
You could put the homemade applesauce in the blender to get it really smooth. That’s what I do when I make babyfood.
Amanda W says
SO glad you posted this recipe. It’s my favorite and I’ve already made the granola about 4 times! :)
Maggie says
I was so pleased when I found this recipe on your blog for granola made with applesauce, instead tons of oil like all the other recipes I was finding. I’ve made it several times and it’s now my go-to granola recipe–I just had to come back and say thanks for sharing!
.-= Maggie´s last blog .. =-.
amanda says
That’s awesome, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! You reminded me that I need to make it again soon. Thanks for coming back to let me know! :)
jane paradiso says
what is the nutritional and caloric breakdown for the granola? thanks.
amanda says
I’m really not sure as I don’t count calories but you could enter the recipe into this calculator to find out: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp. Thanks!
Amy says
Just made this and it was fantastic! Thanks for the great recipe!
amanda says
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to comment! :D
Sophia says
Great granola recipe. I have a granola bar almost every day, but I know it would be better if I made my own. I’ve been looking around for yummy granola recipes, and I’m glad I came upon yours. This one seems tasty too! Guiltless Granola http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/guiltless_granola.htm
Rose says
I’ve made granola dozens of times, but never with applesauce. This looks wonderful!
.-= Rose´s last blog ..gluten-free brownies =-.
Joanne says
I made granola using applesauce before but I think I used too much because it never got a nice crispy finish. It was really good, but I did miss the crunch.
Great recipe.
.-= Joanne´s last blog ..Risotto with Fillet of Sole and Asparagus =-.
Maria says
Homemade granola is the best. I can’t wait to try this one!
Lauren says
Gorgeous – there really isn’t any comparison to homemade granola. I recently made applesauce-based coconut carrot cake granola, and the batch is almost gone. I’ll have to try this recipe next!
Connie McWethy, MIchigan says
That sounds amazing! Can you share that recipe?
Dawn Hutchins says
I love this idea! Granola is one of my favorite things but I almost never buy it because it’s so high in calories and fat.
.-= Dawn Hutchins´s last blog ..London Broil =-.
laura says
Looks great! Here’s my new favorite take on granola, with no oil either!
http://rathr.be/p
.-= laura´s last blog ..coconut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting =-.
Jennifer says
That looks really good!