Set yourself up for success with a delicious, nutritious homemade breakfast or snack! This healthy pumpkin flaxseed granola recipe is made with oats, nuts, and a variety of seeds to fill you up. To make it even better, it’s flavored with real pumpkin, honey, and maple syrup so you can enjoy your favorite fall flavors any day. {Gluten-free, dairy-free & vegetarian}
Table of Contents
Homemade Pumpkin and Flax Seed Granola
This homemade pumpkin flax seed granola recipe is so much easier to make than you’d expect and it contains healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to support your health. The whole family will love it!
Plus, one batch will last for weeks in an airtight container, so you can make one batch and enjoy it again and again!
Why We Love This Pumpkin Flax Granola Recipe
- So simple to make: The best thing about this pumpkin seed and flax granola is how simple it is to prepare. Simply combine your dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, then pour everything onto a baking sheet and bake until nice and dry. Once you make homemade granola once, you won’t want to bother with store-bought granola again!
- Healthy: Unlike the sugary granola and breakfast cereals at the grocery store, this pumpkin seed granola is made with simple ingredients that have a variety of health benefits! Since it is made with real pumpkin, nuts, seeds, and oats, it’s a great source of healthy fats, dietary fiber, and more. You can also control the amount of sugar going into it!
- Cozy, warm spices: There’s something so warm and satisfying about fall flavors! Thanks to the real pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, maple, and nuts, this healthy pumpkin spice granola tastes like a hug in a bowl.
Ingredient Notes
Dry ingredients:
- Old fashioned rolled oats: The base of this pumpkin granola is traditional old-fashioned oats. They are high in fiber, which helps keep you full longer.
- Pumpkin seeds: Green pumpkin seeds add a nice texture, flavor, and additional nutrients to support your overall health.
- Pecans: These are reminiscent of pecan pie and other fall flavors. They also have such a nice, crisp texture! Walnuts are a great alternative.
- Ground flaxseed: These ground seeds are much easier to eat and digest than whole flax seeds. You can either buy them preground from the store or use a spice or coffee grinder to do it yourself.
- Cinnamon: This classic warm spice adds a delicious aroma and can even help support healthy blood sugar levels (source).
- Pumpkin pie spice: This blend of warm spices goes perfectly with the pumpkin and maple in this homemade pumpkin granola.
- Salt: Salt draws out sweetness and flavor, so it’s the key to making sure your healthy breakfast is still delicious.
Wet ingredients:
- Pumpkin puree: Most granola is made by adding lots of oil and syrup. One way to reduce the oil is to use pumpkin puree. It will also add extra nutrients, vitamins, fiber, and a great fall flavor!
- Melted coconut oil: To get a nice crispy granola, you need to add oil. Coconut oil is a perfect choice because it is high in healthy fats and toasts up really well.
- Honey & maple syrup: These sweeteners give this healthy pumpkin recipe plenty of sweetness without tasting too much like one or the other.
How to Make the Best Pumpkin Flaxseed Granola – Step-by-Step
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the oats, pumpkin seeds, pecans, ground flax, spices, and salt.
- Set a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Warm the pumpkin, coconut oil, honey, pure maple syrup, and vanilla. Whisk until the ingredients all melt together.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine until thoroughly mixed.
- Pour the granola mixture onto 2 baking trays lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Stir the mixture every 8-10 minutes to avoid burning. To keep your granola clumpy, don’t stir; just rotate the pans.
- When the granola has a golden brown color and smells really fragrant, bring it out of the oven and allow it to cool completely at room temperature.
- Place the granola in an airtight container, like a jar, and serve!
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Recipe Tips:
- Stir or turn the pans. This will keep the granola from burning or staying undercooked due to an uneven oven.
- Don’t burn the granola. The ingredients on the edges of the pan are likely to catch towards the end of the cooking time. Watch carefully to avoid burned nuts and seeds.
- Be patient. It’s tempting to bring the granola out of the oven too early, but it won’t get the same crisp texture you’re looking for. Give it time and let it cool completely after baking to allow the clusters to firm up.
- Stir in additional toppings. Let the granola cool completely before adding your favorite topping, like chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, etc.
- Modify for children. This recipe isn’t suitable for small children due to the nuts and seeds. If you want to serve this to children under 5, remove the pecans and pumpkin seeds.
Recipe FAQs
Technically, yes, you can. However, the whole seeds can be hard to digest, which means it is hard to access their nutritional benefits. They are easier to eat, digest, and absorb when ground.
There are several tricks to get really nice, clumpy granola. One trick is to avoid stirring it as much as possible. This will break up the pieces, giving you smaller pieces of granola. Instead of stirring, just turn the pans in the oven. This will make sure they are baked evenly without breaking up those delicious little clumps!
This recipe is specifically formulated to be high in fiber and low in sugar, making it a great food to eat daily. However, it’s good to vary the foods you eat to offer your body a variety of nutrients.
Try rotating it out with oatmeal, mini egg bites, frittatas, or other protein-rich breakfast options. Serve it with fresh fruits and make sure to eat a balanced diet of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to support your overall health.
There are plenty of ways to enjoy your new favorite granola! It is great as a healthy snack or served as a breakfast cereal alternative with milk or yogurt.
It can also be used as a crunchy topping for crisps, baked fruits, puddings, yogurt bowls, and more. You can even make it the base of a homemade trail mix! Have fun with it!
Storage Guidelines
Store the leftover granola in a glass jar or container at room temperature for several weeks. If it begins to soften up, toast it again in the oven.
Nutrition Facts for Homemade Pumpkin Flax Granola
Per 1/4 cup serving of this pumpkin flax seed granola recipe, you’ll be consuming:
- 152 calories
- 18g carbohydrates
- 3g protein
- 8g fat
- 3g fiber
- 7g sugar
Serving Suggestions
This crunchy granola can be served in a variety of ways! Try one of these methods next time to change things up:
- Serve with Greek yogurt and fresh fruit
- Serve over homemade pumpkin pudding with a drizzle of honey
- Blend it into a pumpkin pie smoothie
- Sprinkle some over oven-baked apples
- Serve on peanut butter toast
- Sprinkle it on a banana peanut butter wrap
- Add it to your homemade smoothie bowls
- Enjoy it as a healthy sneak exactly as it is
- Add in dried fruit for a DIY trail mix
Recipe Variations
- Add more seeds: There are lots of ways to adjust this recipe to make it your own! Add sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, chia seeds, sesame seeds, or more raw nuts.
- Use certified gluten-free oats: For a gluten-free granola, just be sure to use appropriate whole grain oats. Otherwise, this recipe is naturally gluten-free!
- Adjust the syrup: I love the sweet combination of maple and honey, but you could also use all honey, all maple, brown sugar, agave syrup, etc. If using brown sugar, be sure to melt it down before adding it to the oat mixture.
More Similar Recipes
- Easy Granola Recipe
- Healthy Granola Bar Recipe
- Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Peanut Butter Protein Bars
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Homemade Pumpkin Flax Seed Granola Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 3/4 cup pumpkin seeds shelled
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
- 1/3 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup coconut oil slightly melted
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Mix the oats, pumpkin seeds, pecans, flaxseed, spices, and salt together in a large bowl.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the pumpkin puree, coconut oil, honey, maple syrup, and vanilla and whisk.
- Add to the dry ingredients and quickly mix with a wooden spoon.
- Spread the mixture evenly across two baking sheets (or bake in two batches). Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating the pans every 10 minutes. If you prefer chunkier granola, don’t stir as it breaks up the clusters. Instead, just rotate the pans.
- Once the granola is golden brown and fragrant, remove from oven and allow it to cool completely. It will crisp up as it cools.
- Transfer to an airtight container. It should keep for a couple weeks. Enjoy with milk, yogurt, or on top of oats!
Notes
-
- Stir or turn the pans. This will keep the granola from burning or staying undercooked due to an uneven oven.
-
- Don’t burn the granola. The ingredients on the edges of the pan are likely to catch towards the end of the cooking time. Watch carefully to avoid burned nuts and seeds.
-
- Be patient. It’s tempting to bring the granola out of the oven too early, but it won’t get the same crisp texture you’re looking for. Give it time and let it cool completely after baking to allow the clusters to firm up.
-
- Stir in additional toppings. Let the granola cool completely before adding your favorite topping, like chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, etc.
-
- Modify for children. This recipe isn’t suitable for small children due to the nuts and seeds. If you want to serve this to children under 5, remove the pecans and pumpkin seeds before serving.
Nutrition
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