This Superfood Chocolate Sea Salt Granola is filled with lots of nutrients and antioxidants, and it tastes like a chocolate sea salt dessert! It is made extra crunchy with the addition of puffed rice cereal, and it’s gluten free and vegan!
There is something about homemade granola that is just TOO good. It’s dangerously good, actually. It’s hard not to take a handful (or three) every time you pass the pan of it. This variety is especially good because it’s super crunchy (you guys know how much I love that)! It’s super crunchy because of the puffed rice cereal that I added in addition to the oats! It’s so amazing and I’m never making granola without it ever again!
The puffed rice is such a game changer and it was inspired by a recent trip to L.A. I had a granola in an acai bowl that had puffed quinoa in it, and it was SO crunchy and amazing. In an effort to make the ingredients in this recipe a little more accessible, I went with the puffed rice cereal! The crunch factor it adds is INSANE. I love it so much more than regular “all oats” granola.
The other part of this that’s super crunchy is the addition of cacao nibs. If you’ve never had them, they are dried, roasted and crushed bits of the cacao bean. They’re basically the purest form of chocolate and they’re filled with lots of antioxidants, fiber, and nutrients. And they bring the richest, most delicious chocolatey taste to this granola!
I also used cacao powder here to add extra chocolate flavor, but you could definitely substitute regular unsweetened cocoa powder if that’s what you have on hand.
I’m all about the ease here. I also added cashews, because I love how creamy and buttery they are, as well as some chia seeds. And a hefty dose of sea salt. This granola tastes like chocolatey sea salt goodness and it’s filled with SO many nutrients! Don’t you love when that happens?!
I actually had this for dinner the other night because I couldn’t get enough of it. It’s SO good!
Superfood Chocolate Sea Salt Granola
This Superfood Chocolate Sea Salt Granola is filled with lots of nutrients and antioxidants, and it tastes like a chocolate sea salt dessert! It is made extra crunchy with the addition of puffed rice cereal, and it's gluten free and vegan!
Ingredients
- 3 cups oats (not instant)
- 2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal (I used a brown rice version)
- 1 cup raw cashews, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup cacao nibs
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons cacao powder*
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325℉. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the oats, puffed rice cereal, cashews, cacao nibs, chia seeds, sea salt, cinnamon, and cacao powder. Stir to combine. Add the maple syrup and melted coconut oil and stir until mixture is completely moistened. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread out in a single layer. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring a couple times throughout baking. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking up into pieces. Enjoy with yogurt, milk, or by itself!
Recipe Notes
*Can substitute natural unsweetened cocoa powder. *Granola will keep for up to 3 weeks in a sealed container at room temperature.
inspired by the granola I had here.
i freaking LOVE chocolate granola!!! this looks so good and love the puffed rice addition!
Thanks so much Georgie! I’m obsessed with the puffed rice in it!
This recipe is quite yummy. The only thing I would do differently next time is not add chia seeds. They did not stick to the granola as a whole – all the chia seeds wound up at the bottom of my container. In the end, used them for another recipe (overnight chia and oats) once i was finished this granola.
Thanks so much Trish! Happy you enjoyed it! Yes, some of the chia seeds get loose because there isn’t a lot of sugar in the recipe to make them stick to the oats. I’m glad you found another use for them!