Why Make your Own Sugar Free and Gluten Free Granola?
Granola is usually readily available to buy in most supermarkets. You pay a premium and it might be harder to get if you want Sugar-Free Gluten-Free Granola. To get granola that doesn’t contain fats that are usually added in the manufacturing process you most likely have to make your own. Granola is surprisingly easy to make though. And if you like crunchy granola all you have to do is bake your flakes in the oven for 15 minutes and then add it to your mix of seeds, dried fruit and nuts. In most recipes for home made granola the flakes are toasted with the use of some kind of vegetable oil to either bind the flakes together or to avoid them from sticking to the baking sheet. This can be avoided by using a liquid sweetener like honey. In order to keep your flakes from sticking instead of using oil, you can use a non-stick material to line the baking sheet. i tend to use a reusable teflon sheet. You can also use paper baking sheets or a non-stick baking sheet made from silicon or something similar. Either way, there is no need to use oil, This granola recipe is perfect for people who follow anti-inflammatory diet or a special MS diet.
In this recipe for sugar-free gluten-free granola I use rice flakes which tend to by quite crunchy on their own. They are sweetened with honey. You can also opt for gluten free oat flakes which are less crunchy and a bit more chewy. The nice thing about homemade granola is that you can decide what you want in your granola. This recipe can be mixed and altered to your hearts delight, using walnuts, pecan nuts, hazelnuts, flaked almonds, cashews, dried apricots and various other seeds and dried fruit. If you are not avoiding gluten the rice flakes can be substituted with rolled oats and the buckwheat flakes with other cereal flakes like bran flakes.
I like serving this with a milk alternative such as almond milk, some people like eating their granola with freshly squeezed juices. I also really enjoy granola with either natural or with fruit soya yoghurt as well as extra fresh fruit such as chipped apples, bananas, fresh berries etc. I add my daily dose of flaxseed oil to the cereal.
Ingredients for Sugar-Free Gluten-Free Granola:
- 3oz/85g of honey
- 6oz/170g rice or gluten-free oat flakes
- 3oz/85g raisins/cranberry mix
- 3oz/85g of chopped dates
- 3oz/85g buckwheat flakes
- 1oz/30g sunflower seeds
- 1oz/30g pumpkin seeds
- 1oz/30g linseeds/flaxseeds
- 1oz/30g almonds
- 1oz/30g chopped walnuts
Preparation Time to make Sugar-Free Gluten-Free Granola: 30 Minutes
- Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F/gas 4)
- Line a parking sheet with baking paper or a non stick baking sheet or teflon sheet too avoid having to use oil for baking.
- Place the rice or gluten free oat flakes into a mixing bowl.
- Gently heated the honey in the microwave to make it runny and easy to mix then add the rice flakes.
- Next spread the mix very thinly out onto the baking sheet.
- Put the mix into the oven to toast for about 10-15 min, letting it go golden brown. Make sure it doesn’t go too dark or burn.
- Remove the mix from the oven and let it dry out and cool.
- Using a food processor, grind the linseeds/flaxseeds until they are well broken up to make sure they are digestable.
- Add the remaining seeds and nuts and using the pulse button. Slightly break up the nuts and seeds making sure to leave them coarse and crunchy.
- Mix all the remaining ingredients with the toasted flakes, the seed and nut mix in a big bowl and then store in an airtight container.