Pumpkin Spice Granola

This healthy and tasty pumpkin granola is loaded with oats, quinoa, a variety of nuts and seeds and you guessed it – pumpkin pie spice, making it great for a fall snack.

So I wasn’t originally planning on sharing a post today, but circumstances gave me a reason to make this pumpkin spice granola. Like a ton of my recipes, this pumpkin granola was adapted from Half Baked Harvest’s cookbook. Sadly our good friends, Kate and Brian, are moving out to California. We wanted to make a snack for the road for them and that’s where this granola came into play.

This recipe is dedicated to all pumpkin lovers out there, which seems to be quite a few of you. It happens to be one of my go-to pumpkin inspired recipes as well as pumpkin oatmeal muffins, pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes and baked pumpkin donuts.

I’ve always been a fan of homemade granola. Not only is it cheaper than what you can buy at the store, but you control the ingredients that go in it, so you can actually make it healthy without costing an arm and a leg.

This pumpkin granola is loaded with nuts and has a hint of sweetness from the maple syrup and honey. And who can forget about the pumpkin pie spice, which gives it that pumpkin flavor you crave!

Ironically I made this pumpkin granola a year ago when my mom was in town but I neglected to take pictures. As I’m always in the lookout for anything new to post on the blog, I had to make sure I took pictures this time. If you’re like Lauren and just snack on granola all the time, this pumpkin granola might be gone in week’s time. And if you’re looking for another healthy fall snack, try these homemade apple chips.

What Ingredients are in this Pumpkin Granola Recipe?

• Old-fashioned oats
• Quinoa
• Mixed raw nuts – almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios
• Sweetened flaked coconut
• Pepitas
• Sesame seeds
• Maple syrup
• Coconut oil
• Vanilla extra
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Salt
• Dried cranberries

How to Make Pumpkin Granola

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss together the oats, cooked quinoa, nuts coconut, pepitas and sesame seeds to combine.
2. Heat maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice and salt in small saucepan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
3. Pour the liquid mixture over the oats and toss a few times to combine.
4. Spread the granola out in an even layer on baking sheet and press down with a spatula. Bake for 45-50 minutes, stirring 2-3 times, until the oats are starting to brown and smell toasted. Remove the granola from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Once slightly cooled, press the granola down to make a flat slab of granola and let cool for an hour.
5. Use wide bottom of glass to press down on the granola to make a flat slab. Let cool for 1 hour. Stir in dried cranberries and transfer to airtight container.

Can I Make My Own Pumpkin Pie Spice?

You can actually make your own. Just use 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground clove and a 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg.

Pumpkin Granola Substitutes/Add-Ins

• Use honey or agave instead of the maple syrup.
• Not a fan of dried cranberries? Add raisins, dried cherries or dried apples.
• Add chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips to pumpkin granola after it has cooled.

Tips for Tasty Pumpkin Granola

• Fat is important for granola. If you don’t use it, you will just have dry oats. This recipe uses coconut oil but feel free to use vegetable or canola oil.
• Do not substitute quick cooking oats for the old-fashioned oats which this recipe calls for. If you use quick cooking oats, the cook time will be different and the texture won’t be the same. Old-fashioned oats are the best for granola.
• Press down the pumpkin granola before you and after you bake it. This helps with the formation of clumps.
• Do not wait until the granola is really browned when pulling out of the oven. It should just be starting to brown when you pull it out. Always err on the underdone side as the granola will continue to cook and harden as it cools.
• Add dried fruit after the granola is done cooking and cooled. If adding during cooking process it will harden to where it won’t be edible.

Other Granola Recipes

• Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Granola
• Fruit and Nut Granola
• Chocolate Chip Granola

If you’ve tried this Pumpkin Spice Granola or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.