Crunchy Pumpkin Granola Recipe
This granola is lightly sweetened and spiced, full of fall flavors, and made with pure ingredients for perfect, crunchy granola clusters every time—it’s the perfect topping for pancakes, granola, oatmeal, and more!
It’s fall, which means it’s time for everything pumpkin spice! I like to kick off the fall season with a batch of this homemade granola—not only does it make your kitchen smell amazing while it bakes, but it’s the perfect addition to your morning breakfast!
Why Make Homemade Pumpkin Granola?
Most people don’t make their own granola, which is understandable—you can easily buy it at the grocery store with countless options available. However, most of the cheapest granola brands are full of added sweeteners and ingredients that (while delicious) aren’t always ideal for a balanced snack or breakfast. This homemade granola recipe is the best of both worlds, being both cheaper to make, lower in sugar, and allowing you to customize the recipe to your dietary needs and preferences!
What You’ll Need
- Pumpkin purée. Make sure to use a high-quality purée, NOT a pumpkin pie filling. I love to use Libby’s, but whatever brand you use, make sure the only ingredient listed is pumpkin.
- Pure maple syrup. Sweetens the granola and adds moisture to keep everything together.
- Olive oil. Helps the granola to crisp up.
- Old-fashioned oats. Rolled oats provide the best texture—do not use instant or steel-cut oats.
- Pecans and pepitas. For a toasty, nutty flavor.
- Uncooked quinoa. Quinoa might seem like an odd ingredient, but it really adds a nice texture to the granola!
- Pumpkin pie spice. For a warm, spiced note—you can substitute with spices of choice or a homemade pumpkin pie spice blend!
- Kosher salt. To enhance flavor and balance sweetness.
- Chia seeds. To help the granola hold together and to add texture.
- Egg white. This is the secret ingredient—the egg white will act as a binder to keep the granola together, giving you those big granola clusters.
Pumpkin Granola FAQ?
While granola is super easy to make, there are still a few tips and tricks you should implement to get the best results!
- Why do I need to drain the pumpkin? Pumpkin purée has a high water content, so if you don’t drain out the moisture, you’ll have a soggy, soft granola that will never crisp up. After multiple rounds of testing, I found that draining the water from the pumpkin was a quick and easy solution!
- Why is there an egg white? The egg white will act as a binder to the other ingredients and will keep them in the clusters you want.
- How to serve granola? You can use it as a topping for yogurt, pancakes, and oatmeal, or you can even eat it like cereal with milk or mix it into your trail mix!
Hope you have a happy fall, and an even happier baking season!
xoxo
Crunchy Pumpkin Granola Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling
- 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup pepitas
- 2 tablespoons uncooked quinoa
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ¾ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg white
Instructions
- Scoop the pumpkin purée onto a few layers of paper towels and allow to sit for a few minutes to draw out the moisture. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 325℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- With another clean paper towel or thin tea towel, gently wring the pumpkin purée to squeeze out any excess moisture—be careful, as the paper towel can tear. If at any point the paper towel becomes too weak, transfer the pumpkin purée to another clean paper towel and continue this process. Once finished, the pumpkin should be dry and malleable, around ½ it's original volume.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the drained pumpkin purée, maple syrup, and olive oil. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is homogeneous—it may take a few minutes to get rid of any clumps of pumpkin.
- Once mixed, add in the oats, pecans, pepitas, quinoa, chia seeds, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Stir with a spatula until evenly combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until slightly frothy and broken up, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg white to the granola mixture.
- Stir the granola until well combined, then pour it onto the prepared baking sheet. Firmly press the mixture into an even slab ¼ to ½ inch thick.
- Bake the granola for 30-35 minutes, until crisp and golden around the edges. To test it for doneness, open the oven and carefully pinch a bit of granola off of the pan. Let it cool. If you taste it and it's too soft, continue to bake until crisp to your preference.
- Remove the granola from the oven and allow it to cool completely before breaking it up into pieces (the size is up to you). Store the granola in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.
