There’s nothing quite like the delicious crunch of granola, topped with creamy yoghurt and a sprinkling of berries. It’s a beautifully simple and nourishing breakfast – well, it should be anyway.

We did a scan of some of the granola and muesli brands on the market. Frankly, the ingredients lists on most of them were far from simple and nourishing. Arguably, some of the worst offenders were the gluten-free products. This is purely because of the ridiculously long and confusing lists of ingredients. One “healthy” gluten-free granola contained thirty ingredients, five of which were sugar, golden syrup, apple juice concentrate, brown rice syrup and glucose. When it comes down to it – these five ingredients are all really just sugar, dressed up with different names.

FYI: these five types of sugar were in addition to a bunch of extra natural sugars, in the form of dried fruit.

Granola inherently is going to need a little sweetness – along with making it taste nice, it’s part of what gives granola that delicious crunch. But, surely five types of sugar and thirty ingredients is a tad excessive. Instead, it’s quite easy to craft your own granola and just sweeten the mix with a bit of honey or maple. Sure, they’re still natural sugars – but you’ll only need a small amount. Adding a dash of cinnamon will add some extra natural sweetness.

The other thing to note when buying store bought granolas is that most of them are cooked with vegetable or sunflower oils. These heavily processed oils can promote inflammation. We prefer to use coconut oil, it’s less refined and can add a nice subtle flavour, too. Most of these store-bought granolas aren’t going to make a huge difference to your health if you eat them now and again. However, if mueslis and granolas are a regular brekkie choice, then it might be worth making your own or being vigilant about the store-bought ones.

This gluten-free granola recipe is inspired by our own THR1VE granola, which is made from a wholesome mix of nuts and seeds and sweetened with honey and cinnamon.

Gluten-free granola

Ingredients

• ½ cup raw walnuts
• ½ cup raw almonds
• ½ cup raw cashews
• ¼ cup pepitas
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ⅛ cup flaxseeds
• ⅛ cup sesame seeds
• ¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 tbs coconut oil
• ⅓ cup honey
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• Good pinch of sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 140℃. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Roughly chop the nuts. In a large bowl, mix together the nuts, seeds and coconut flakes.
3. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the coconut oil and honey. Then stir in the cinnamon and salt.
4. Carefully pour the mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix well to coat all the ingredients.
5. Spread the mixture onto a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. If you prefer clusters of granola, leave to cool before breaking up into chunks. Otherwise, gently stir to break it up, then leave to cool.

Notes: Serve with yoghurt, fruit or some almond milk. It also makes a great snack. Store in an airtight container.