Crunchy Cinnamon Granola with Egg Whites

Name: Crunchy Cinnamon Granola with Egg Whites
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 5 cups old fashioned oats; 3/4 cup chopped or sliced nuts- I use almonds, but feel free to use cashews, pecans, walnuts or other; 1/3 cup mixed seeds- I use a mix of chia, hemp and flax, but use whatever you have on hand; 2 teaspoons cinnamon; 1 teaspoon cardamom; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; 2 tablespoons avocado oil- I've also used olive and vegetable oil, and it doesn't really matter which one you use.; 4 large egg whites; 1/2 cup honey (if you want it less sweet, go down to 1/3 cup, but don't do less than that or the flavor is quite lacking); 2 teaspoons vanilla

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This crunchy cinnamon granola made with egg whites is my absolute favorite with its classic oats and honey flavor with vanilla and cardamom. It has seeds like flax and chia for a little extra protein and fiber. I usually eat it with plain greek yogurt, a chopped up honey crisp apple and a handful of blueberries.

crunchy cinnamon granola in a gray bowl.

This recipe was inspired by our Breakfast Power Cookies and Peanut Butter Energy Balls . All 3 make great breakfasts or snacks when you need some complex carbs, protein and fiber and AWESOME flavor.

Pair it with Nature's Cereal for a berry addition!

Ingredients

oats, honey, vanilla, oil, cinnamon, cardamom, chia seeds and salt.

old fashioned rolled oats- you can use quick oats, but it's better with old fashioned
slivered almonds- other nuts work great too
seeds- I use a mixture of flax, chia and hemp seeds. Feel free to use one or all or another type of seed like sunflower seeds.
cinnamon
cardamom
salt
nutmeg

egg whites- egg whites help form those perfect granola clusters
honey
avocado oil- olive, vegetable or canola oil can be used for this as well
vanilla

Instructions

oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and almonds in a bowl.

Place oats, almonds, seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and nutmeg into a bowl.

oats, almonds, chia seeds, cinnamon, cardamom and salt mixed together in a bowl.

Toss lightly with your hands. Don't worry about a good mix, the most important thing is just that the spices are spread out so they don't clump together when adding the wet ingredients.

Whisk egg whites. Make a shallow well in the oats and pour in the egg whites, honey, oil and vanilla.

Mix using a spatula until well blended. All the ingredients will start to stick together a bit. Pour onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread out evenly.

Bake at 275 for 25 minutes. Gently turn granola over with a spatula.

crunchy cinnamon granola made with egg whites on a baking sheet.

Return the granola to the oven an additional 20-25 minutes until golden.

Substitutions

quick oats-substitute quick oats for old fashioned- but be careful of baking time, shorten the baking time by 5 minutes and watch carefully for overbaking.
oil- the type of oil isn't as important here. You can use any oil: coconut oil, olive oil, vegetable oil or canola oil.
chopped or sliced nuts- any type of nut goes great. Pecans, walnuts, cashews, macademia nuts. The world is your oyster. Pick you favorite and go with it.
seeds- most small seeds should work great. We love this with sunflower seeds, they taste great! Or, go seedless! The recipe still works great without seeds.

Variations

Cranberry Pecan- for a delicious fun version use pecans and 1 cup of craisins.
Macadamia White Chocolate- Use macadamia nuts instead of almonds, then after they have baked, either spread white chocolate chips over the top while it's hot for a white chocolate glaze or wait until cooled and add 1 cup of white chocolate chips.
Walnut Apricot- add walnuts instead of almonds then add 1 cup of chopped dried apricots after baking, or just serve with yogurt and apricot jam!

Hint: Go for the double! Make a double batch (it stores well for 2 months) and have it a few days a week until you run out. For a double batch, stir at 35 minutes, then 15-20 minutes later stir again. If it looks done (nice and golden, even on the bottom) pull it out. If it's not quite golden, return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Side note for a double batch: There won't be as many clusters when making a double batch.

It will crisp up as it cools, but it should be slightly crisp and not very soft when it comes out of the oven.

Does granola have gluten?

If you use gluten free oats, granola does not have gluten.

Does granola go bad?

It does eventually go bad. Assuming the ingredients you are using are fresh, granola should last for about 2 months in an airtight container at room temperature. It can also be frozen to last longer.