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.
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.
Applesauce Granola
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup nuts pecans, walnuts, almonds
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup raisins
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 300F.
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In a large bowl, mix together oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
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In a small saucepan, warm the applesauce with the honey and oil over low heat.
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Mix the applesauce mixture into the oat mixture and stir to coat everything. Spread the mixture onto a 9 x 13 baking pan.
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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.
That looks really good!
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 =-.
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 =-.
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!
That sounds amazing! Can you share that recipe?
Homemade granola is the best. I can’t wait to try this one!
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 =-.
I’ve made granola dozens of times, but never with applesauce. This looks wonderful!
.-= Rose´s last blog ..gluten-free brownies =-.
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
Just made this and it was fantastic! Thanks for the great recipe!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to comment! :D
what is the nutritional and caloric breakdown for the granola? thanks.
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!
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 .. =-.
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! :)
SO glad you posted this recipe. It’s my favorite and I’ve already made the granola about 4 times! :)
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?
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! :)
You could put the homemade applesauce in the blender to get it really smooth. That’s what I do when I make babyfood.
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!
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!
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!
made this today….so good…always on the lookout for variations of granola & this is a keeper for sure!
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!
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.
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!)
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! :)
Love the applesauce idea. However, since vegatable oil is a trans fat, I used coconut oil instead and also left out the brown sugar, adding a little sucanat in its’ place. I added chia seeds instead of sunflower & sesame seeds and I added some dried coconut, apricots, cherries and craisins instead of raisins.
Found this last week and have already made three batches. We made some up as a house warming gift for friends, and have been enjoying it with yogurt and fruit almost every day
Hello! I found this via someone who uses your granola to make homemade gronola bars. I can’t wait to try it! I also pinned it in my healthish foods pintrest page!
In the oven right now and it smells amazing! Note – if you’re not using all the mix-ins, bump up the oatmeal 1/2 a cup. I might use this in homemade Chewy bars :)
Looks great! How much would you say this makes?
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I just made some applesauce granola since there was an abundance of apples at home. I’d usually use bananas as a binder (and as a fat substitute). Good to know that applesauce works just as well!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I just made some applesauce granola since there was an abundance of apples at home. I’d usually use bananas as a binder (and as a fat substitute). Good to know that applesauce works just as well! Here’s my take on applesauce granola: http://www.yshue.com/?p=735
Do you know how many servings this recipe makes?
No, I’m really not sure. If you did 1/2 cup servings I bet you could get 6 – 8 servings out of it. Thanks for reading and commenting! :)
I would substitute the vegetable oil (really unhealthy for you) with coconut oil (super healthy!)
Love this recipe! It comes out nice and crunchy once it cools. I made it with homemade applesauce. We had waaay too much sauce to eat it plain all the time!