Sesame Tahini Chunky Granola

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

There are so many ways to eat this granola because it’s chunky. You can pack it for an on-the-go snack. Or put it in a bowl with milk like cereal or eat it with yogurt and fruit.

It is sweetened with honey and maple syrup. Unlike other granola recipes, this healthier granola does not have granulated sugar or brown sugar. Because honey and maple syrup have their own personalities, you get so much more than just sweet when you use them in granola, unlike plain sugar.

Tahini gives the granola wonderful nutty flavor. It is so good with the combination of cinnamon and cardamom spices mixed in.

Why Make Homemade Granola

It’s cheaper than store-bought granola. A small bag can be pretty expensive. You can make an entire sheet pan of granola that is a fraction of the cost.

You can customize it. Always start with oats, and then you can use different nuts, spices and other ingredients to make it how you want. I will peruse granola at the grocery for inspiration for my own.

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Oats: Make sure to use old-fashioned oats and not quick cooking oats. They are gluten free and are the base of this granola.
• Sesame seeds: I like to use a combination of black and white sesame seeds because they look beautiful mixed throughout the granola. You can use one or the other. It’s up to you.
• Pistachios: For nuts, I include chopped raw pistachios. They just make sense with the flavors of sesame, cinnamon and cardamom. Chopped almonds are a good substitute.
• Cinnamon, cardamom & salt season the granola. Cardamom is part of the ginger family. It has a distinct flavor that’s lovely with cinnamon. There’s just a little bit of salt to activate everything.
• Tahini is paste made from ground sesame seeds used in Middle Eastern cooking. It has a creamy and smooth consistency.
• Olive oil is the ingredient that helps the granola toast and brown in the oven. Using extra-virgin olive oil is a healthier option than coconut oil, which is higher in saturated fat.
• Maple syrup & honey sweeten the granola. If you want to make the recipe vegan, then use all maple syrup. It will have a more maple-y flavor that is still very tasty.
• Vanilla extract adds subtle vanilla taste to the granola.

How To Make Chunky Granola

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

1. Combine the oats, sesame seeds, pistachios, cinnamon, cardamom and salt in a large bowl.

2. Warm the olive oil, maple syrup, honey, tahini and vanilla extract in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk everything together until is smooth and combined.

3. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir the oat mixture. It should be evenly coated and damp from the tahini mixture.

4. Spread the granola across the pan. Then press it down with a wooden spoon or spatula. I like to use a sheet of wax paper to make sure it is tight and compact.

5. Bake the granola until it is golden brown. This will take 20-24 minutes. If the edges start to brown too fast, just place foil on those portions of the granola.

6. Wait for the granola to cool completely before breaking it into chunks.

Serving

Because it most of this granola is chunky and not in tiny pieces, it’s great to snack on. Think about how you’re planning to eat it when you are breaking the sheet of granola. You may want to leave larger pieces.

As mentioned, you can put granola in a bowl with milk. Or eat it with Greek yogurt. Either way, you can add fruit like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, oranges and so much more. You can also add chocolate chips, dried fruit, or dried coconut.

How To Store Granola

Keep your granola in an airtight container, so it stays crisp. It can be stored at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Recipe Tips

Make sure to pack down the oat mixture tightly on the sheet pan before you bake it. Again, I like to start with a wooden spoon and then pull out a piece of wax paper. This way I can use my hands to press it without making a mess.

Don’t touch the granola while it’s baking, but keep an eye on it. Most recipes say to toss the granola a couple times, so it bakes evenly. You can rotate the pan if necessary and cover any sections that are browning faster than others with scraps of foil. You want to end up with one large piece of granola that you will break apart.

Let the granola cool completely before you snap it into pieces. It may be tempting todo this while the granola is warm, but then you won’t get those nice chunks.

More Granola Recipes

Peanut Butter Granola
Apple Cider Granola