Mineral rich cinnamon pumpkin granola is busy school day ready, and on the go for a fun filled autumn weekends!
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Before we go into hibernation mode for the winter, we have a pretty amazing fall to enjoy around here!
The air is finally turning, and the leaves around here are warming up the sky with beautiful autumn colors!
Surrounded by some of the most beautiful hiking paths in the country, we soak in every hiking path we can observing the falling leaves and active wildlife…and dodging autumn rain showers!
Because we are outside almost as much as during the summer, I need some quicker snacks during the autumn too.
I love having my oven running during the fall to keep the chill out of the house, but I also have days were we just aren’t home at all, and I need quicker, grab and go things!
Have the kids pack this cinnamon pumpkin granola up in snack containers themselves for a hike or soccer game on the weekend, and you can also pack it up quick for their yogurt at school. It also makes for a great breakfast with a splash of raw milk or coconut milk on a Friday morning when we just feel like sleeping in a little longer!
The girls have been devouring this cinnamon pumpkin granola, and I love that it is packed with a different variety of nourishment I can feel good about.
Lightly crispy with a variety of nuts and seeds, and sweetened only with raw honey and blackstrap molasses, this granola is a big mineral rich boost for busy kids that will stick with them. Both buckwheat and pumpkin seeds are mineral boosting powerhouses packed with manganese, magnesium, zinc, and folate to keep our organs functioning properly. Buckwheat is is also rich in B vitamins for energy, and pumpkin seeds are loaded with antioxidants.
There are some grain free swaps in the recipe ingredients! Even if you aren’t grain free, it is nice to mix things up a bit!
If you are nut free, try swapping the pecans and walnuts for more seeds or even more oats or a different grain! Feel free to use the comments and I would be happy to walk you through any of that! Granola is very hard to mess up – very forgiving!
Cinnamon Pumpkin Granola
Ingredients
- 6 cups oats Not quick oats. If you are gluten free, be sure your bag says gluten free. If you are grain free, simply replace the 6 cups of oats with any combination of coconut shreds and/or coconut flour, and different variety of finely chopped nuts and seeds (brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, etc. I would NOT do all coconut flour or shreds however - it will be too dry. The coconut flour/shreds do not need to be soaked in the first step but any nuts or seeds do.)
- 2 cups buckwheat flour
- 2 cups raw pumpkin seeds finely chopped (I get mine at Costco. I buzz all of the nuts and seeds in my food processor pretty fine)
- 2 cups raw pecans finely chopped (I get mine at Costco. I buzz all of the nuts and seeds in my food processor pretty fine)
- 2 cups raw walnuts finely chopped (I get mine at Costco. I buzz all of the nuts and seeds in my food processor pretty fine)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 TB sea salt
- 2 - 15 oz cans of pumpkin any homemade squash puree will work here if you have it!
- 1 cup coconut oil melted stove top (II get the linked large container at our Costco)
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup raw honey you can taste your granola mixture for sweetness - I can get away with less but if you have older kids used to sweeter things you can bump it up a bit if you need!
- 1/4 cup organic molasses I get mine at Costco
- 1-2 TB cinnamon
- 1 TB vanilla extract
Instructions
- Put the oats, buckwheat, pumpkin seeds, pecans, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl along with the lemon juice and sea salt. Fill the bowl with water just enough to be able to stir it all together in a sticky mixture. Do not over water because we won't be straining this mixture after it soaks - the more water you put in the more that has to dehydrate out! Cover your bowl with a towel, and leave your mixture to soak on the counter overnight or 8-10 hours. This soaking process decreases the phytic acid in the oats, nuts, and seeds making them digest the best, as well as making more of their nutrients available to absorb.
- After the soaking is done, put the rest of the ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir well to combine. You can taste your mixture for sweetness at this point too. I actually use my big stock pot for making the granola mixture as it is easier for stirring!
- Spread the granola mixture onto your dehydrator trays (this is the dehydrator I have!) and dehydrate at 125 degrees until the granola is dried out - this can take up to a day depending on how much water you used in the soaking process. You can dehydrate at a higher temp like 150 or 165 degrees which is what I choose to do often and that will take 8 hours or so - many dehydrator brands run differently on those temps so just keep an eye on them! Once the granola is dried out, you can crumble it into an airtight container and store in the pantry.
Renee, this looks delicious! I think it’s time for us to try oats and buckwheat, see how we do. I think the kids guts are ready… 🙂
I hope it works Megan! You have worked so hard!
LOVE, love, L.O.V.E this one!!! You are the queen of granolas, this one is just perfect!
Thank you Emily!
If I have sprouted buckwheat flour and sprouted oats, can I just soak the nuts and add the other stuff after? And would I need to use lemon juice? I would like to use those sprouted ingredients I already have on hand!! Thanks!!
Yes Emily! You can do that! I would soak the nuts with the sea salt but they don’t need the lemon necessarily!