Pumpkin Spice Granola (Vegan & Oil Free)

This Pumpkin Spice Granola is packed with fall spices and uses real pumpkin! It’s packed with clusters of crunchy deliciousness and uses pecan butter to enhance the rest of the ingredients. Makes for a perfect breakfast, snack or even dessert! (vegan and gluten, oil & refined sugar free)

Making a batch of granola is a part of my weekly meal prep routine. But now that the weather has completely changed to fall, I’ve just been craving all things pumpkin. So here’s my variation of pumpkin spice granola, using my favourite variety of pumpkin: kabocha!

It starts with just 10 ingredients, including real pumpkin and pecan butter. Of course, you can use any kind of nut butter but I figured that pecan butter reflected the taste of fall a little better and can I just say… pecan butter is absolutely delicious. I make my own by roasting a bag in the oven and blending it up in my vitamix.

Mix up all the liquid ingredients and spices. You’ll find it creates this silky smooth…. pumpkin infused caramel like mixture. Try not to lick the entire bowl before adding in the rest of the ingredients(!!). Then add in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until covered. That does onto a baking tray. I’ve been seeing a lot of cluster methods on my instagram feed lately, so decided to try it out! The main ones I’ve been seeing are: packing it down into the tray, using “stick together” ingredients like oat flour/smaller nuts & seeds and not touching it at all when in the oven. I found that you do need to move it slightly, just so some parts of the granola don’t burn but that can depend on the type of oven you have I guess. My oven tends to be hotter at the back right so I more so flip the granola than mix it. Into the oven for 25 minutes and you’ll find your entire house smelling like pumpkin spice, basically screaming fall.

GOSH JOLLY look at the clusters. I hope you can feel the crunchy-ness through the screen.

Eat this granola with yogurt, on top of oats, smoothie bowls, with milk or even on its own! It makes for the perfect crunchy snack.

I hope you try out this variation of Pumpkin Spice Granola & make it as much as I do because it’s:

• vegan friendly

• dairy, oil & gluten free

• way cheaper & healthier vs. store bought granola

• made with only 9 pantry ingredients

• clustery, crunchy and infused with tons of fall spices

• simple & easy to make

• & makes for the perfect fall breakfast or snack!

Okay, are you prepared for your kitchen to smell like serious fall deliciousness?

Tips and Tricks to making Pumpkin Spice Granola

• Mix the liquid along with the spices first to ensure the flavours evenly spread throughout when adding the rest of the dry ingredients

• For maximal large clusters: press your granola into the pan for form a single layer, and will bake into one pan sized bar & when mixing half way through, don’t over mix. Instead, try to flip the granola for even baking without breaking up the caramelization

• Let it cool on the baking tray once it’s out of the oven and this will yield tons of granola clusters that you can then break apart (or not) as big as you want them

• If you find you’re having trouble creating clusters, you can blend 1/2 c of the oats into oat flour and mix it in. This will create flakes and a paste that will cover the ingredients and can help with the caramelization process

• Need more granola recipes? Check out my chocolate espresso, matcha granola, 5 minute granola & Chili Lime Granola recipe!

If you recreate this Pumpkin Spice Granola please share it and let me know what you think by tagging me on Instagram @lisakitahara! We can roll around in the abundance of granola together 😉

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325F.

2. Into a large bowl add in your creamy pecan butter, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, salt and pumpkin pie spice and mix until combined.

3. Add in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until well coated and combined. Transfer over to a lined baking tray. If you want some serious cluster action, press down your granola and allow the mixture stick together. Place into the oven for 25 minutes, rotating and flipping (gently!!) half way.

4. Let it cool and then eat as is or transfer into airtight container to store.

Notes

• SERVINGS: Approximately 2.5 cups

• PREP TIME: 5 minutes

• COOK TIME: 25 minutes

• INGREDIENTS: 10

• DIFFICULTY: EASY

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/3 c creamy pecan butter

• 1/3 c pure maple syrup

• 1/4 c pumpkin puree

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 3 c gluten free rolled oats

• 3/4 c pecans

• 1/2 c sunflower (or pumpkin) seeds

• 1/4 c raisins

• 4 tbsp hemp seeds

  baked at 325 for 25 mins