Use this festive homemade Christmas granola to top a breakfast of your choice to create Christmas in a bowl. On top of yoghurt provides a festive yet lighter breakfast option for those days that might end up being more indulgent.
During the Christmas season, the food can be known to be very rich and indulgent. When it comes to breakfast then it can be nice to have an option which is lighter but still feels seasonal appropriate. Whether you are topping a bowl of yoghurt with additional fruit or decorating an acai bowl this homemade Christmas granola ticks all the boxes.
If you like to feel festive for the whole of December, you could whip up a batch of this granola towards the start of the month. You are then able to enjoy your homemade granola in the lead up, and share with any guests that may be staying during this period.
Another way you could use your granola would be to add into cookies. I have previously used granola to make Hot Cross Bun Granola Cookies. Any spare Christmas granola could easily be swapped into this recipe instead. Creating a batch of these cookies could be a great activity in the days in between Christmas and New Year. The cookies would be a sweet treat but possibly a lighter option compared to the indulgence of the main days.
Star Ingredient
What makes Christmas bakes Christmassy? I would probably say the spices, raisin, currants, sultanas, and mixed peel as I use them within Christmas cakes and Christmas puddings. Within this Christmas granola recipe, the addition of the dried cranberries and sour cherries give that luxury feel.
Cranberries feel festive as it is Christmas when cranberry sauce normally comes out to accompany turkey. Within baking there are great to toss through granola or paired with orange whether it is in cookies, cakes, or scones.
Sour cherries add a touch of tartness to the homemade granola which can otherwise be sweet.
How to Purchase Ingredients to be Conscious to the Planet
This recipe really is one that could be completely plastic free.
All the dry ingredients are purchasable within zero waste stores. You may need to shop around a couple of stores if your local one doesn’t have all of them – I ordered my golden linseeds from The Source Bulk Foods. They have all the dried ingredients apart from the mixed chopped nuts and mixed peel – I can find these at Uncle Sid’s.
For the runny honey, always pick a glass jar – it gives you a jar once finished you can add to you zero waste shopping bag (they are good sizes for nutmegs and cinnamon sticks). If you have a local honey supplier even better.
For golden syrup – I love the original tin. One it isn’t plastic, but it’s also very nostalgic to Christmas and general baking from when I was young.
For the butter, you can easily make you own, needing just one ingredient. What to learn how, find my homemade plastic free butter recipe here.
Ingredients you can buy Plastic Free
- Porridge Oats
- Runny honey
- Golden syrup
- Mixed spice
- Cinnamon
- Whole almonds
- Golden linseeds
- Mixed chopped nuts
- Dried cranberries
- Dried sour cherries
- Mixed peel
- Sultanas
- Raisins
- Currants
- Butter – if homemade.
Equipment You Will Need
- Baking tray
- Silicone baking mats or baking parchment paper
- Spatula
- Saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Large mixing bowl
Tips and Tricks when Making Homemade Christmas Granola
Baking trays
The shallower and larger baking tray you use the quicker the granola will bake. If you don’t have shallow baking trays or particularly large ones, you can either:
- Bake in batches
- Ensure you are stirring through more regularly with deeper trays
If you have a baking sheet that has a small edge, this could provide a nice thin layer when baking. You may need to batch in this incident as less granola would be held though. You may also need to reduce the baking time slightly.
Raisins, sultanas, currants
These are purchasable in various ways. You can either buy separately and you can have a larger amount of the one you like most. If your zero waste shop sells them as mixed dried fruit you can get the amount you need, or purchase more and have spare to use in recipes like Christmas Pudding energy balls or Christmas cake. Some zero waste shops may sell mixed dried fruit that includes mixed peel and / or glace cherries. If this is the case, you can add in the weight of the mixed peel and weigh out these together.
Mixed chopped nuts
If you can’t find mixed chopped nuts plastic free within stores but they have loose whole nuts separately you can create your own mix! Purchase a mixture of the whole nuts that you want to use and then once at home, chop them yourself. With this approach you can favour your favourite nut or continually mix up the ones that you use.
Gifting
Granola has come to be a bit of a classic edible gift within my kitchen. Consumable food gifts are a great idea if you are trying to be environmentally conscious. These gifts can be enjoyed until they are all gone. If they are edible gifts the jar or container used to present them in can then be reused. Gifting your homemade Christmas granola can be made more festive by tying a festive ribbon around the jar for that extra presentation points.
If you have made large batches of granola to gift, Kilner jars can be a great option as they have a variety of large jars that can be filled. If you are looking at split up your granola to gift to multiple people, smaller mason jars could be the pick. These smaller jars could work well as a stocking filler option.
If you want to extend the gift, you can create some cards with the recipes on for both the granola and granola cookies. You can point them back to this blog post if they are wanting to find out how to pick up the ingredients with less waste.
Homemade Christmas Granola
Equipment
- Baking Tray
- Silicone baking mats or baking parchment paper
- Spatula
- Saucepan
- Wooden Spoon
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 170 g unsalted Plant Butter
- 250 ml Clear Runny Honey
- 2 Tablespoon Golden syrup
- 1 Teaspoon mixed spice
- 2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 500 g Porridge Oats
- 250 g Whole Almonds
- 250 g Golden Linseeds
- 250 g Mixed Chopped Nuts
- 150 g Dried Cranberries
- 150 g Dried Sour Cherries
- 100 g Mixed Peel
- 250 g Sultanas raisins, currants (combined)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
- Line a couple of baking trays with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Melt the butter, runny honey, golden syrup, and spices in a heavy based saucepan over a low heat until full combined and runny, stir frequently.
- Combine the oats, whole almonds, golden linseeds, and mixed nuts in a bowl and using your hands or a wooden spoon mix together.
- Pour over the liquid mixture into the bowl and stir together.
- Divide the granola base between the baking trays and spread out.
- Bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes, rotating and stirring frequently (see tips and tricks section above for more notes).
- Once the baked granola has been removed from the oven, pop the trays onto cooling racks as you want the granola to cool completely within the trays.
- Once fully cool, add the granola into your largest mixing bowl.
- Add in the dried cranberries, dried sour cherries, mixed peel, raisins, sultanas, and currants.
- Using your hands or a spoon stir thorough to ensure the dried fruit is evenly distributed amongst the baked granola.
- Add into your Kilner jars, mason jars, or airtight containers of choice.
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