Crunchy Chocolate Quinoa Granola

Amazingly crunchy and crispy chocolate granola packed with with quinoa, hazelnuts and chocolate chunks. Sweet snacking made easy!

Finally I’m back with a new recipe! For the last 4 days, I have been hosting cooking demos for Peugeot Saveurs at the International Home and Houseware Show in Chicago. I had such a great time, cooking and baking all day, surrounded by an amazing team and high quality products. Definitely, I love the creating part of my job.

Throughout these 4 days, breakfast was always the highlight of the day. For me, there is no better way to kick-start the day. I like my breakfasts rather healthy~ish, energizing, comforting, and packed with wonderful flavors. Among all options, chocolate almond smoothies and homemade granola or muesli always win, followed by toasts with butter (eh, I’m French!).

Other granola recipes you’ll love:

• Easy Chocolate Granola
• Coffee Chocolate-Hazelnut Granola
• Sugar-Free Cocoa Raspberry Granola
• Easy Savory Granola

I know, there are already quite a few granola recipes on the blog and you might ask: why more? Just because there are endless of granola options and this is what I like the most about it. All granolas are super easy to prepare and once you tried your hands on a recipe, you understand there is no need for a store-bought granola that usually is full of sugar and slightly overpriced too.

I prepared this one with quinoa, based on a recipe I created recently: Cardamom-infused pears with quinoa-nut crunch. For this version, I had puffed the quinoa in a heavy pot as you would do for pop corn. The quinoa was super crispy and slightly toasted at the same time. Scrumptious! From this day, I have had in my mind to do something with this idea.

And there it is! I know already that you will love everything about it, and also because I made it super easy to prepare. There is no need to puff the quinoa here, just use it straight away from the package. That being said, you might need to rinse it first, especially if you are sensitive to quinoa (I know that some people are). In this case, make sure the quinoa dries out before you use it in the granola.

The rest is just the right balance of oats, shredded coconut, toasted hazelnuts (or any nuts of your choice : almonds, walnuts…), to which I added huge dark chocolate chunks. I don’t know about you, but after such a feast for breakfast, I always feel my best for the day ahead. Good morning!

Crunchy Chocolate Quinoa Granola

• 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
• Leave a Review

Print

Pin

• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 1 large jar 1x
• Category: Breakfast

Amazingly crunchy and crispy chocolate granola packed with with quinoa, hazelnuts and chocolate chunks. Sweet snacking made easy!

Email me this recipe

We’ll send it straight to your inbox, along with weekly food inspiration!

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 1/2 cups (250g) rolled oats (gluten-free if necessary)
• 1 cup (170g) uncooked quinoa*
• 1 cup (60g) shredded coconut
• 1 cup (125g) hazelnuts (or almonds, walnuts…), chopped roughly
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup (35g) coconut sugar or light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (110 ml) honey or maple syrup
• 1/3 cup (85 ml) coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 ounces (60g) dark chocolate, chopped

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
2. In a large bowl combine oats, puffed quinoa**, shredded coconut, and sugar. Add the nuts and stir.
3. In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, melt coconut oil. Add honey or maple syrup, vanilla, salt and cocoa powder. Whisk to combine until smooth.
4. Pour liquid ingredients over dry and fold coat.
5. Spread mixture out in an even layer on a lined baking sheet and press firmly with the back of a spatula to ensure that the mixture is compact. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through the baking time. The granola is ready when toasted and fragrant.
6. Let cool completely, add dark chocolate, and store in a jar.

Notes

* Use either 1 cup (170g) uncooked quinoa that you can “puff” yourself as explained below, or 2 cups (60g) puffed quinoa.
** For homemade quinoa puff: rinse uncooked quinoa thoroughly. Strain and place on a baking sheet. Dry the quinoa in the oven at 200°F (90°C) for about 10 minutes to speed up the process. Melt one tablespoon of coconut oil in a heavy cast iron. Add the dried and rinsed quinoa to the pan, moving the pan constantly to allow the quinoa to puff. Continue to move the pan with the lid on until the popping sounds slow- like popcorns! This step will take about 10 to 15 minutes. Just make sure it doesn’t smell burning.

Back-To-School, Chocolate, Gluten-Free, Nuts, Oatmeals & Granolas, Quinoa, Toppings & Jams, Year Round

Did you make this recipe?

Lastly, if you make this Crunchy Chocolate Quinoa Granola, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!