Healthy pumpkin seed granola made with simple, nourishing ingredients sweetened naturally and a great nutrient-dense snack for the season. Made with oat, almonds, pumpkin seeds, toasted quinoa, pumpkin puree and lots of fall spices!
Sprinkled on top of yogurt, on top of apple slices with nut butter, or simply by the handful, there’s no wrong way to enjoy this healthy pumpkin granola! This recipe is gluten free, made with nutrient dense nuts, seeds, and whole grains and sweetened naturally with maple syrup.
Homemade vs. Store-Bought Granola
Granola makes for such a good snack. However, not all granola is made the same. Most store bought granolas are packed with sugar, low in protein and not very nutritious. This is why it’s important to always read the label. Choose ones that are lower in sugar and made with simple ingredients when possible.
The good news is it’s really easy to make your own at home and this pumpkin granola is truly a must for pumpkin season. It’s everything you want in granola — a little sweet, salty, nutty, crunchy and packed with pumpkin and pumpkin spice in every cluster!
Your whole house will smell super cozy while it bakes in the oven. And this recipe makes a batch big enough to enjoy for at least a week if it will last that long. 🙂
Nutrition Benefits of Snacking on Pumpkin Seed Granola
You can feel good snacking on it knowing you’re getting plant-based protein and healthy fats from the pumpkin seeds, almonds and quinoa. Pumpkin seeds are small but mighty when it comes to nutrition — did you know you can even make pumpkin seed milk out of them?
Maple syrup complements the flavor of pumpkin and pumpkin spice perfectly and gives this granola some subtle sweetness that’s not too over the top.
Ingredients for Healthy Pumpkin Granola
- Pumpkin Puree –make sure you’re using pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie!
- Old-fashioned Oats (gluten free if desired)
- Raw Almonds
- White Quinoa
- Pumpkin Seeds (aka pepitas)
- Arrowroot Powder – arrowroot powder is gluten free and will help make this granola form really nice clusters.
- Maple Syrup
- Coconut Oil
- Vanilla Extract – vanilla extract really brings out the pumpkin flavors in this granola. Use a high- quality pure vanilla extract if possible.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Cloves
- Salt
- Dark Chocolate Chunks (optional)
Why I Added Quinoa to This Granola
Including toasted quinoa in this recipe provides an added texture, additional nutrients, and a fun visual appeal. Toasting it before adding it to the mixture gives it that golden brown color while also adding an extra crunch.
How to Enjoy This Recipe
Pumpkin granola truly makes for the perfect fall snack. Here are a few ideas for how to enjoy this delicious and crunchy pumpkin granola!
- on top of apple slices dipped in nut butter
- like a bowl of cereal with nut milk on top
- sprinkled on top of pumpkin yogurt (my favorite is siggi’s pumpkin spice)
- simply a handful by itself
How Long Does Homemade Granola Last?
This pumpkin seed homemade granola will last for 1-2 weeks if it’s stored in an air-tight container.
My Favorite Store Bought Pumpkin Granola
As I mentioned, not all granola is created equal. Most you see at the grocery are high in sugar, low in protein and lacking nutritional value. My favorite store bought pumpkin granola is the pumpkin cinnamon granola from Purely Elizabeth.
Not only does it taste incredible, but it’s also made with nutrient dense ingredients. The ingredients are even similar to the ones I used in this recipe! The granola is lower in sugar and higher in protein than your average granola. It also comes in big, nice clusters! The best part is the pumpkin flavor is sold year round in stores and online.
Healthy Pumpkin Seed Granola
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Whisk
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 cups organic old-fashioned oats gluten free if desired
- 1/2 cup quinoa uncooked
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger optional
- dash of clove optional
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. arrowroot powder
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil melted
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add oats, almonds and pumpkin seeds to the bowl of a food processor. Roughly chop, 2-3 times. Alternatively you can roughly chop the almonds and pumpkin seeds. Add to a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Over low heat toast the quinoa until golden and fragrant. Once you start to hear a popping sound it's close to being toasted.
- In a small saucepan, combine the maple syrup, pumpkin puree, coconut oil and vanilla. Whisk together and heat over low for a couple of minutes to combine. Remove from heat and stir in the arrowroot powder.
- Add toasted quinoa to the bowl with oats, almonds and pumpkin seeds. Add pumpkin spice, cinnamon, ginger, clove and salt. Stir together.
- Pour the pumpkin puree mixture onto the dry ingredients and stir to combine so that all of the granola is coated.
- Spread out onto a baking sheet so that's all the granola is touching but in a single later. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes, add chocolate chunks if desired and then place the granola in the freezer to harden for 10 minutes.
- Remove, break up granola with a folk so that some big clusters remain, and enjoy!
Notes
More Pumpkin Recipes You’re Sure to Love for Fall
- Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew Copycat Recipe (DF)
- Pumpkin Apple Baked Oatmeal (GF & DF)
- Pumpkin Chickpea Blondies (GF & DF)
- Pumpkin White Wine Orzo with Chicken
- Pumpkin S’mores Cookies (GF & DF)
And if you’re not already, I’d love for you to be a part of the Once Upon a Pumpkin community on Instagram.
Pin this recipe for later!
Do you rinse your quinoa first and toast it a little?
Yes you could rinse it a bit and pat dry with paper towel before toasting!