Easy Blueberry Granola
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy
This Easy Homemade Blueberry Granola recipe combines the flavors of toasty oats, crunchy almonds, fresh lemon zest, and dried blueberries for a delicious, satisfying breakfast any time. (You’ll come for the simple ingredients list, but you’ll stay for the flavor!)
Anyone else still on a homemade granola kick or is it just me?
We’ve been cycling through batches of all our favorite granola recipes lately, from Cinnamon Raisin Granola to Cherry Almond Granola to Pumpkin Pecan Granola and more, but this easy Blueberry Granola recipe has been a big hit in the last few weeks at our house.
It’s going on everything! From my favorite protein yogurt bowls to chia pudding, this lemon blueberry granola adds a satisfying crunchy texture to all my morning favorites.
And, like my other granola recipes, this one starts with simple, delicious ingredients...
Simple Ingredients To Start
As always, you can find the full recipe, including full ingredient amounts, instructions, and more in the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Oats. Rolled oats work best for granola because of their size and thickness. Steel cut oats will NOT work, and quick oats won’t work as well as rolled oats.
- Almonds. I love the crunch of almonds next to the tender, sweet blueberries.
- Ground Flax Seed. I’m a big fan of golden flax for its milder flavor and color. Besides adding healthy Omega 3 fatty acids, and fiber, ground flax seeds ALSO help hold the lemon blueberry granola together without the need for egg whites.
- Salt. Yes, really! Salt helps balance the flavors and you’ll notice if you leave it out.
- Lemon Zest. Fresh lemon zest is my secret ingredient to the best blueberry granola! The citrus oils add brightness and complement the almond and blueberry flavors beautifully.
- Coconut Oil. Melted coconut oil helps toast the oats and nuts and bind the granola together. If you’re not a fan of coconut oil, you can substitute a neutral-flavored oil like avocado oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, or a light-tasting olive oil, though the flavor profile will be a bit different.
- Pure Maple Syrup. For sweetness. I love how it pairs with blueberries!
- Vanilla Extract & Almond Extract. This flavor duo plays up the notes in the almonds, blueberries, and lemon zest.
- Dried Blueberries. It wouldn’t be a blueberry granola recipe without blueberries! Dried blueberries aren’t as easy to find as cranberries or raisins, but Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and many online shops carry them. I usually have the best luck with dried wild blueberries from Trader Joe’s.
Key Ingredient: Gluten-Free Oats
Oats themselves don’t contain gluten, but they are often farmed and processed in ways that cause cross-contamination. If you are gluten intolerant of have Celiac disease, you must ONLY use certified gluten-free oats. We like the oats from Trader Joe’s, Bob’s Red Mill, Thrive Market, and One Degree.
How To Make Homemade Blueberry Granola, Step By Step
- Preheat & Prep. Start by preheating the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine gluten-free oats, almonds, ground flax, and salt. (Do NOT add dried blueberries yet!)
- Add Wet Ingredients. Add lemon zest and pour coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract over the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula to combine well until everything is evenly coated and blended.
- Pack Down On Baking Sheet. Transfer the granola mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and pack down tightly into an even layer with the back of a spatula. (You want the mixture as tightly packed as you can–this will make for bigger granola clusters later!)
- Bake Granola 40-45 minutes, but do NOT stir during the bake time. (Again, this helps with big clusters!)
- Cool Completely. When the granola is golden brown, remove the pan from the oven and let the granola cool COMPLETELY (about 1 hour) before touching it. Sprinkle with dried blueberries, then break granola into clusters when it’s cool.
Serving Suggestions
Now that you have all that gorgeous blueberry almond granola, let’s use it! Try it on top of yogurt (we love Greek yogurt for extra protein!), served as cereal with almond milk, sprinkled on acai bowls, smoothies, and more. You can even sprinkle it on ice cream or blueberry chia pudding!
No matter how I’m eating it, I love pairing gluten-free blueberry granola with fresh blueberries when I can to play up the flavors in the granola. The combination of soft, chewy dried blueberries paired with fresh juicy blueberries is just SO GOOD!
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Blueberry Granola:
Do I add the blueberries before or after the granola goes in the oven? AFTER. Dried fruit can get hard and too chewy when it’s baked for a long time, so it’s best to add dried blueberries to blueberry granola AFTER it comes out of the oven.
Variations To Try:
The best thing about of making a homemade granola recipe is that you can make it any way you like!
- Can I Make This Nut-Free Granola? Absolutely. Either swap in unsweetened coconut flakes (not a nut!) and seeds (like pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds) for the nuts, or omit them all together. Easy! You’ll also want to omit the almond extract if you have an almond allergy.
- Try Other Nuts! While I love blueberries + almonds together, you can also swap out the nuts to change things up. Try hazelnuts, pistachios, or pecans!
- Chocolate! Try adding dark chocolate chunks or chocolate chips to cooled granola for a treat!
- Add Some Cinnamon. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon with the dry ingredients for a little note of spice.
3 Tricks For Big Granola Clusters
I’ve always loved big, crunchy granola clusters, and if you’re like me, you might be wondering just how to make them yourself. I’ve got you covered:
- Pack It Down Before Baking. The tighter you can pack the gluten-free blueberry granola before you bake it, the larger the clusters will be later!
- Do Not Disturb. The less you stir or disturb homemade granola, the bigger your clusters will be. Leave it alone as it bakes, and as it cools for best results.
- Use A Binder. What makes granola stick together? A binder! Some recipes use an egg white to help create big clusters, but for a vegan version, I find that using ground flax or almond flour does the trick! (You’ll also get the healthy fats and fiber!)
⭐ Don’t forget to leave a star review and comment below when you make our Gluten-Free Blueberry Granola recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Print
Easy Blueberry Granola
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups granola 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Our gluten-free blueberry granola recipe combines simple flavors of oats, crunchy almonds, fresh lemon zest, pure maple syrup, and sweet blueberries into one delicious, satisfying breakfast!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 4 cups gluten-free rolled oats*
- 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
- 1/3 cup ground flax (I prefer golden flax)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup dried blueberries
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat & Prep. Start by preheating the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine Dry Ingredients. In a large bowl, combine gluten-free oats, almonds, ground flax, and salt. (Do NOT add dried blueberries yet!)
- Add Wet Ingredients. Add lemon zest and pour coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond extract over the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula to combine well until everything is evenly coated and blended.
- Pack Down On Baking Sheet. Transfer the granola mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and pack down tightly into an even layer with the back of a spatula. (You want the mixture as tightly packed as you can–this will make for bigger granola clusters later!)
- Bake Granola 40-45 minutes, but do NOT stir during the bake time. (Again, this helps with big clusters!)
- Cool Completely. When the granola is golden brown, remove the pan from the oven and let the granola cool COMPLETELY (about 1 hour) before touching it. Sprinkle with dried blueberries, then break granola into clusters when it’s cool.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy granola right away with milk, yogurt, smoothies, or chia bowls, or store leftover granola in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 weeks. (Or, freeze up to 2 months)
Notes
- Oats. You MUST use certified gluten-free rolled oats for this recipe to be gluten-free. We don’t recommend steel-cut oats or quick oats for this recipe.
- Oil. If you don’t tolerate/like/have coconut oil, you can use avocado oil or light-tasting olive oil, though the flavor profile will be a little different.
- Flax. We only recommend ground flax seed for this recipe. Whole flax seeds are harder to digest and won’t bind the granola the same way. You can substitute almond flour or chia seeds instead, if needed.
- Salt. If using fine table salt, start with HALF the amount.
- Variations. Try adding chocolate chunks or chocolate chips to cooled granola, or swap out the almonds for pistachios, hazelnuts, or pecans! Or, mix in 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon with the dry ingredients for a lovely note of spice.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
