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This is the ultimate Kid Friendly Granola which is adored by children of any age and their grown ups too! The ingredients are carefully chosen so they are free from obvious choking hazards like large nuts or seeds and the texture is slightly softer than your average granola. It’s a refined sugar-free granola, gluten-free, packed with energy boosting protein and easy to make vegan so it can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Granola is the ultimate in lifesaver breakfasts. When you are trying to feed four hungry children in the morning during the rush of getting ready for school and nursery then reaching for the tub of granola is so easy. It’s comforting to know that it is also packed with protein, is sugar-free and super delicious to boot.
The internet is not short of amazing granola recipes. However I wanted to make a granola which I could feed to my 18 month old twins as well as my older children. That meant a granola with no choking hazards; no large chunks of nuts or seeds and a softer texture for their small palates. I also needed it to be refined-sugar free so we don’t have major sugar crashes mid-morning.
My children are obsessed with this Kid Friendly Granola and thankfully it’s one of the few things my picky 3 year old eats that isn’t ketchup!
I make a huge batch of this granola for kids every couple of weeks and has become invaluable when we have overslept or if we have to get out the house early. However, even though I developed it with the children in mind does not mean that I save it just for them. Oh no, Luke and I are straight up granola lovers too and this version is incredibly tasty.
Table of contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This granola is gluten-free if you use gluten-free oats.
- Refined sugar-free granola. Just sweetened with bananas, dates and a splash of honey.
- Easy to make dairy-free or vegan.
- It is also totally free from choking hazards so is suitable for all children of any age.
- Softer texture. Not as crisp as your usual granola, so suitable for little mouths.
- Protein packed. So important for breakfast time to give everyone energy for the day. Rich in seeds and nuts.
- Great for snacking on. Load up a small bag and slip into your snack bag, handbag to ward off hunger for children and adults alike.
- Easy to vary the flavours if you need to switch things up.
- Very quick to make. 15 minutes of hands on prep time and 40 minutes in the oven.
Watch to see how to make it
Ingredients needed
- Butter. Unsalted is best so you can control the salt content. You can swap for coconut oil if vegan.
- Dates. Medjool dates give the best flavour and their toffee like texture makes them easy to blend.
- Almond butter. You want the lovely drippy almond butter, not the hard crust from the dregs of the jar.
- Bananas. The riper the better as they are easier to blend.
- Honey. It doesn’t have to be a premium brand but the better the honey the more flavour it imparts. You can swap for maple syrup.
- Orange zest. Make sure the orange is unwaxed.
- Vanilla extract. You don’t have to use a premium brand here.
- Jumbo rolled oats. Use gluten-free oats if you need to.
- Ground almonds. Almonds are the most easily accessible where I am but you can switch them up for ground hazelnuts or ground pecans.
- Hemp seeds. So good for you! These are a complete protein and a great source of magnesium, fibre and good fats. They are totally safe for children of all ages to eat.
- Ground flaxseed. You can use very finely milled flaxseed or a brand that is more crushed than ground.
- Sesame seeds. They are a great source of healthy fats, protein, B vitamins and fibre.
- Sea salt (optional). I’d definitely recommend adding salt if you are making this for older children or grown ups as it enhances all the other flavours.
Step-by-step instructions
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Wet ingredients. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan then add in the bananas, dates, almond butter, honey, orange zest and vanilla extract and blend using an immersion blender.
- Dry ingredients. Mix the oats, ground almonds and seeds in a large bowl until well combined.
- Mix. Pour in the blended ingredients and mix until the oats and seeds are completely coated.
- Bake. Spread out the granola on a large greased baking tray and bake for 40 minutes.
Cluster tips
- Granola is all about those clusters. My children squabble over who has the largest cluster in their bowl. Although you do want some variety in the size of the clusters, and it’s also nice to have some really crumbly bits.
- Grease your baking tray so the granola does not stick which gives you more control over the crumble.
- Stir the granola twice during the bake. Once after 20 minutes which gives it enough time to crisp a little. Then again after 30 minutes.
- Try not to move the granola around too much mid-bake. You need to chop into it just enough to break it up but not too much that all the shards disintegrate.
- Leave the granola to cool in the baking tray. The clusters get crunchier as they cool.
Shop the recipe
Buy Now → How to store
Leave the granola to cool in the baking tray. Once it has reached room temperature then you can store in an airtight container in a cool dark place.
The granola keeps well for up to two weeks.
Vegan kid friendly granola
There are two very easy swaps which make this recipe vegan and dairy-free:
- Swap the melted butter for melted coconut oil.
- Swap the honey for maple syrup.
Serving suggestions
Ooh, the possibilities…
- Serve with yoghurt, honey and fresh berries for the ultimate breakfast parfait.
- Scatter over ice cream.
- Eat it like cereal, drowning in cold milk.
- Straight from the jar for a lazy but protein rich snack.
Variations to try
The options are endless with this granola but these are my favourite twists to this recipe:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola
Add 30g cocoa powder to the dry mixture and swap out the almond butter for peanut butter.
Ultra Seedy Granola
For older kids who can handle seeds which are a little bigger then you can add even more seeds. 20g pumpkin seeds + 20g sunflower seeds give a bit more crunch.
More breakfast recipes you’ll love!
- Pecan Espresso Granola – a granola for the grown ups.
- Breakfast Quinoa {it’s vegan too!}
- Banana Oat Bread {refined sugar-free}
- Grain-Free Coconut and Chia Porridge
- Easy Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins
- Best Granola Bars
I urge you to give this Kid Friendly Granola a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
Kid Friendly Granola
Ingredients
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 2 bananas - 200g, peeled and sliced
- 5 medjool dates - pitted and roughly chopped
- 100 g almond butter
- 50 ml honey
- 1 orange - zest only
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 300 g gluten-free jumbo rolled oats
- 100 g ground almonds
- 50 g hemp seeds
- 30 g ground flaxseed
- 20 g sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt - optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/ 150°C fan assisted oven / gas mark 3.
- Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan then remove from the heat.
- Add the bananas, dates, almond butter, honey, orange zest and vanilla extract into the saucepan and blend using an immersion blender.
- Mix the oats, ground almonds and seeds in a large bowl until well combined.
- Pour in the blended ingredients and mix until the oats and seeds are completely coated.
- Spread out the granola on a large greased baking tray and bake for 40 minutes in total. After 20 minutes, take the tray out and break up the granola to form about 1 inch sized clusters, then do the same again after 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, loosen the granola from the bottom of the baking tray then leave to cool completely on the tray.
- Pour the granola into an airtight container where it will be delicious for up to 2 weeks.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a stand blender.
- If the granola is for young children then leave the salt out but for older children or adults the salt really enhances the other flavours.
Vegan / Dairy-Free Version
- Butter – swap for coconut oil
- Honey – swap for maple syrup
Pro tips
- Tip #1 Make sure your bananas are good and ripe, the medjool dates are sticky and fresh and the almond butter is lovely and drippy.
- Tip #2 The ground almonds can be swapped for another ground nut like pecans, hazelnuts or walnuts. You can grind yourself or buy ready ground.
- Tip #3 Try not to move the granola around too much mid-bake. You need to chop into it just enough to break it up in the clusters but not too much that all the shards disintegrate.
Ingredient measurements
Please note that the US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results.READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups
Nutrition Information
Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.The nutrition serving is for 1 serving of granola, assuming the granola is portioned into 10 servings.
Margaret O'Hare says
As per recent comment this is indeed a very forgiving recipe and excellent as always Georgina, thank you for your efforts.
No little people here and I wanted a bit more crunch in the bite so I just used one banana. I actually forgot the almond by accident but I had added in a selection of seeds and nuts that I had to hand. Also half tahini, half peanut butter (again using up what I had in the store cupboard). I used a mix of oats similar to what I use for oatcakes - with a mix of fat rolled, fine and irish (steel cut). I toast the irish oats for a few mins on a cast iron skillet to get a bit of bite into them.
I wanted this for a morning yoghurt topping but was worried I had made too much. However judging by the amount of times I saw my husband nibbling on a piece as it cooled on the tray I think we will be fine!
Thanks again for your lovely work.
Georgina Hartley says
That's great to hear Margaret - thank you for your feedback on the recipe!!
Christa Eenkooren says
Hello
I have a son allergic to nuts, could I substitute tahini for the almond butter? I imagine I'd have to reduce the liquids somehow as tahini is more runny than almond butter.
Any thoughts or ideas!
Thanks so much.
Georgina Hartley says
Hi Christa, yes you absolutely can - I have done it and it's delicious. You don't have to worry about adjusting the liquids as the recipe is very forgiving. Although since you'll be removing the ground almonds as well you might need to up the quantity of the oats and seeds a little to compensate.