If you have kids, spouse or you yourself that have food allergies, you know how difficult it can be to shop. Especially for granola! In this tree nut free granola recipe, I have made it simple to make a homemade delicious granola with no tree nuts. Now, if your allergy or the person in the house with the allergy is also allergic to peanuts, that is an easy fix. You can still make this tree nut free granola recipe, just swap out the peanut butter for sun butter.
My daughter has a very severe tree nut allergy where she goes into anaphylactic shock when she ingests tree nuts. We found this out the hard way when she was 18 months old and she had another attack again at 3 years old. This is the scariest thing to deal with, especially in littles that cannot really speak to what is happening to them. If you have food allergy kids you know exactly what I mean.
What is the difference between tree nut and peanut allergies?
Tree nut allergies are any nut that grows on a tree. Where a peanut allergy can be just peanuts or more legumes as well. Allergies are a funny thing though because although my daughter has an allergy to tree nuts, it is not all tree nuts. It also changed over time and can continue to change over time. So, basically any time she eats a tree nut, even if it is one that she is not allergic to, she can have a sudden reaction as it could have changed in her body. So, that is super fun!
This also makes it very difficult to shop as any time it says may contain… or made in a factory that processes tree nuts, we need to steer clear. We do not know which tree nuts and we cannot take the chance. It is even a crap shoot to have the ones she is technically not allergic to. So, good luck!
How can you prevent the allergic reactions?
I make a lot of things at home for this reason. Baked goods and treats are something that have become mostly homemade. Also, this tree nut free granola came about because my daughter loves granola. I was making her one that was very simple. Only three ingredients and definitely completely nut free. Here is the link for that one, 1-2-3 Granola.Â
She loves that granola, but as she is getting older, she wants a hearty option. Also, just to be able to switch it up. Granola is one of those things that usually always has nuts, contains nuts or is made in a factory with nuts. So, it was back to the granola drawing board. Luckily, she is not peanuts too, but for any of you with peanut allergies, just swap the peanut butter for sun butter and it will be great.
I came up with this tree nut free granola recipe that is packed with flavor, protein and dried fruit. She loves it… and so do I!
What do you need to make tree nut free granola?
Well, it is actually a pretty simple and straight forward recipe. I really had pretty much everything on hand to make this recipe already.
Quick Oats- I love good old fashioned Quaker oats for this recipe, but you can use whatever quick oats you and your family love
Raisins- We love raisins around here, so I added in a bunch of those. If you don’t like them, you can omit them or swap them for another dried fruit
Dried Cranberries-Â Same thing here, we love them, but if you don’t dried cherries are also great in this
Peanut Butter-Â She can have peanuts, so I added peanut butter for the protein. If you cannot in your house, add sun butter instead. If you can have tree nuts, feel free to do almond butter or something else instead too
Maple Syrup- You want to use the real stuff for this. You will taste the difference here
Olive Oil- I usually use non-flavored oils in granola, but I love the olive oil in this recipe. It adds a really nice flavor and makes the granola crisp, but not rock hard
Kosher Salt- I like my granola sweet and salty. The kosher salt is perfect here. It contrasts the sweetness perfectly
Cinnamon- I love the cinnamon with the peanut butter and dried fruits
What equipment will I need for this recipe?
So, there is nothing crazy needed here. Just a great mixing bowl, I will link the ones I love. A good sheet pan. I will share my favorites. Then just a whisk and rubber spatulas. Done.
Mixing Bowls- These are my favorite mixing bowls. I love that they are nesting bowls and they have different sizes. Also, I really love that they are plastic because they are super easy to clean and can even go in the dishwasher. They are easy for the kids to use and I don’t have to worry about them breaking. I use mine almost every day. My favorite mixing bowls
Sheet Pans-I know that I have definitely linked these before. I am obsessed with these pans and the fact that they come in quarter sheet size. I use that size pan almost every day. I also really love the half sheet pan size. These pans are the best. I use them in professional kitchens and at home. The Best sheet pans
Whisk- I am actually very picky about my whisks. I like smaller, fuller whisks. Maybe because I am more petite, so I don’t like one with a long handle? I feel like I can control it better. The fuller whisk is so that you can actually whisk things. These whisks I like because they come in three sizes, they are balloon whisk tops and they are silicone and wire. Which is great. My favorite set of whisks
Chef’s Tips
The biggest tip I can offer when making any granola, but especially this granola, is to mix it while it cooks. You want to mix it on the sheet pan with a rubber spatula at least 3, maybe 4 times during the cooking process. This will create those granola clusters as well as ensure that all the bits are crispy.
The second thing is to make sure you are keeping an eye and a nose on it. I always tell people, your nose can tell you a lot about cooking. If it starts to smell too toasted or even just the slightest bit burnt, check it and turn it or stir it or it may be done. Trust yourself and your senses when you are cooking.
Lastly, let the granola cool completely on the sheet pan before stirring it and/or jarring it up. You will lose the clusters you spent all that time creating if you stir it or jar it up too soon. Let it fully cool in the pan and then stir it or jar it up. ENJOY!
Tree Nut Free Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups quick oats or gluten free oats
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup of each of the following- Olive oil maple syrup and peanut butter or sun butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees or 325 convection
- Add the oats and dried fruit to a bowl and toss together to combine
- In a small sauce pan on the stove, combine the vanilla, peanut butter, olive oil, maple syrup and whisk together. To that add the salt and the cinnamon. Cook until smooth and homogeneous
- Pour the maple syrup mixture over the oats and dried fruit and toss it all together. Spread it evenly into a 1/4 sheet pan. It will be slightly packed in the pan. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, stir it half way through and then take it out to stir it. Make sure your stir it well before putting it back into the oven. Then you will bake it for another 10-15 minutes and stir it again halfway through. This will help make sure it is brown and crisp everywhere while creating the clusters we all love in granola.
- Allow the granola to cool completely before lifting it off the sheet pan. It should lift off in large and small clusters. ENJOY!
