Healthy Chocolate Granola

If you love chocolate then you’ll love this Healthy Chocolate Granola made with cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips. This granola is made with whole grains and is healthier than most granolas. Enjoy it on its own, as a topping on yogurt or even by the handful straight from the jar.

Chunky Chocolate Granola

Granola is one of my favourite things to eat in the morning with breakfast. I love sprinkling it on top of my smoothies, eating it in yogurt parfaits or even as a topping on chia pudding.

While some store-bought granolas taste good, many of them are loaded with sugars and some not-so-healthy ingredients. This homemade Healthy Chocolate Granola is a great healthier alternative to store-bought that is made with whole grains, chia seeds and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. It bakes up into chunky clusters of chocolatey goodness and tastes like you’re pretty much eating a delicious chocolate cookie.

This granola is also naturally vegan and can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free certified oats. You can also play around with the recipe and add in any additional mix-ins you like, to leave out any ingredients you might not like.

Ingredient notes

• Oats: I like to use rolled oats rather than quick oats for this recipe. Rolled oats will give your granola a nuttier taste and a little more texture and body. I find quick oats don’t give as good as a texture in this recipe.
• Hazelnuts: If you’re a fan of nutella, you will LOVE the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts in this granola. If you don’t have hazelnuts you can substitute with any other nuts like almonds or walnuts.
• Coconut flakes: large coconut flakes work best in this recipe to give some texture. If you’re not a fan of coconut, this coconut doesn’t really add much flavour to the granola, but it does add some richness to it.
• Chia seeds: This helps to add a little extra nutrition boost to the granola. Light or dark chia seeds both work.
• Salt: whenever you make something with chocolate, adding a pinch of salt will help to enhance the chocolate flavour in the recipe.
• Chocolate chips: 70% dark chocolate chips are best if you want to keep this granola extra healthy.
• Cocoa Powder: use a good quality cocoa powder for best results. This will seriously give the granola the best taste ever. I like to use this one. Cocoa powder is also backed with antioxidants and health benefits.
• Coconut oil: I use refined coconut oil which doesn’t taste or smell like coconut. If you don’t like coconut oil you can use any neutral tasting oil, or even butter (if you are not making the recipe vegan)
• Maple Syrup: this is what we use to sweeten the granola.
• Vanilla extract: vanilla will actally help enhance the chocolate flavour in the granola.

How to make this Healthy Chocolate Granola

All you’ll need to make this granola recipe is two mixing bowls, a spatula or spoon for mixing, and a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for baking.

Start by mixing the oats, chia seeds, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, salt and hazelnuts together in a large mixing bowl. Then in a separate mixing bowl, you’ll mix together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, cocoa powder and vanilla.

Next, pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients, and mix it together until everything is well combined. If you ever find the chocolate mixture isn’t coating the dry ingredients well, you can add a touch more maple syrup or coconut oil.

Spread the mixture evenly onto a baking sheet and press it down. This will help to form those chunky clusters. Then bake in the oven at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes, flipping the pan halfway through. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Then use your hands to break the granola into clusters.

Tip: add an extra sprinkle of sea salt on top of the granola once it cools if you love that sweet and salty chocolate combination.

Optional add-ins

Try adding in any of these additional ingredients to the recipe to mix it up!

• Cinnamon
• Nut butters
• Any nuts or seeds
• Dried fruits (*add these in after baking, not before)
• Rice crisps
• Buckwheat groats
• Cacao nibs

Recipe variatoins

Make it grain-free: If you want to make grain-free chocolate granola, substitute the oats with more nuts, seeds and coconut flakes.

Make it oil-free: you can substitute the coconut oil in this recipe for tahini or nut butter. You can also use apple sauce or mashed bananas if you want to make this granola low-fat. (Though I personally find granola with apple sauce instead of oil doesn’t have the same richness.)

Make it gluten-free: just make sure to use gluten-free certified rolled oats for the oats in this recipe!

How to serve this granola

Granola is so versatile and there are so many different ways you can serve it up. You can enjoy it on its own straight from the jar, serve it as a topping on smoothies or breakfast bowls, or enjoy it as a cereal in a bowl with some almond milk.

How to store

Store this granola in a sealed container or jar in the pantry for up to two months. The granola will last a long time as long as it’s sealed. If it isn’t sealed properly, the granola can go stale and won’t stay as crispy.

I like to store this granola in a large mason jar like this one. I find this the easiest way to store it in my pantry and easy to open and sprinkle on top of my breakfasts.

More granola recipes to try

• Maple Pecan Granola
• Pumpkin Spice Granola
• Banana Bread Granola
• Orange Cardamom Tahini Granola
• Apple Pie Granola
• Fig And Walnut Granola

If you tried this Healthy Chocolate Granola or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!

Healthy Chocolate Granola

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• Author: Jessica Hoffman
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 12 servings 1x
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Healthy Chocolate Granola is perfect when you need some chocolate in the morning! Enjoy it on its own or as a topping!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup 70% dark chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the oats, hazelnuts, coconut flakes, chia seeds and sea salt together in a large mixing bowl. 
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract and cocoa powder. 
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix to combine. 
5. Spread the mixture evenly onto the baking sheet, pressing down firmly. (This will help form those clusters.) 
6. Bake for 25-35 minutes flipping the pan halfway through. Let cool completely on the countertop then break apart with your fingers and adding the chocolate chips.
7. Store in a large jar or container. 

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Notes

Store in a sealed jar or container for up for two months. 

If you prefer a sweeter granola, you may want to add more maple syrup. I wanted to keep this recipe a bit lower in sugar and I find it to be the perfect sweetness as is. If you prefer your granola on the sweeter side, you can add 1/2 cup of maple syrup instead of 1/3 cup of maple syrup.

Press the granola into the pan before baking. This is the key to getting those crispy chunky clusters. You want to press all the granola together into the baking pan.

Keep an eye on it in the oven. If your oven runs hot, keep an eye on the granola as it can start to burn a bit around the edges.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/12th of recipe
• Calories: 200
• Sugar: 7.5g
• Fat: 11.6g
• Saturated Fat: 6.5g
• Carbohydrates: 21.8g
• Fiber: 4g
• Protein: 4g