The Best Chocolate Almond Granola

The most delicious healthy chocolate almond granola that’s lightly-sweetened, oil-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free! Packed full of nutritious ingredients like oats, almonds, flax seeds, and cacao powder. Makes for a delicious breakfast with your favorite plant milk and bananas, an absolutely tasty snack on its own, or a delicious topping over plant yogurt, oatmeal, toasts, and smoothies!

I’ve been deemed a granola addict - in part because I ate a lot of granola while hiking last week (granola on mountain peaks hits different - don’t @ me), and in part I can’t stop eating this specific granola.

This granola is irresistible thanks to the pairing of chocolate with almonds, coconut, and the perfect amount of sea salt - what’s not to love?! Bonus points for being healthier than most store brands. Try it and you might find yourself going back for seconds or even thirds, too! 😉

Why You’ll Love This Granola

It’s absolutely delicious and perfectly balanced, with just the right amount of sweetness (from maple syrup and chocolate chunks) to balance the bitterness from the cacao! Honestly, is there a better combo of chocolate and almonds in granola, especially when paired with a hint of coconut and sea salt?!

And it’s also quite healthy! It’s not entirely a health food - it’s granola, not kale, after all. But compared to most store bought granolas, it’s low in sugar and doesn’t contain any oil! 🤯 Plus it’s primarily made with nutritionally-dense ingredients like oats, cacao powder, flax seeds, and almonds, that pack protein, fiber, antioxidants, and various vitamins/minerals!

It’s crunchy - can you even call it granola without that satisfying crunchy texture??

It’s versatile - sprinkle it on your toasts, oatmeal, smoothie bowls, smoothies, plant yogurts, or anything else you like granola on! It also makes a delicious snack on its own. My absolute favorite way to eat this granola is paired with oat milk and banana slices because the cacao blends in with the oat milk and turns it into chocolate milk. 🤤 Oh, and the banana on top makes it absolute 🔥. It’s SO GOOD (seriously, try it)!

Ingredient Overview

Rolled oats are the grain base in this granola! They contain fiber, protein, and lots of various vitamins and minerals. Although oats are naturally gluten-free, make sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you have a gluten sensitivity or intolerance.

Almonds are my favorite nuts to pair with chocolate - it’s a winning combo 12/10 times! Not only are they irresistibly delicious, they also contain protein, fiber, magnesium, vitamin E, and other nutrients. Be sure to use raw almonds as they’ll roast while the granola bakes.

Cacao powder adds the chocolate flavor into the base of the granola! I use raw cacao powder because it has deeper flavor notes and contains more nutrients than cocoa powder, including tons of antioxidants, calcium, and magnesium. Plus it’s rich in fiber and protein! You could sub cocoa powder but note that since cocoa powder is less bitter, your granola will turn out slightly sweeter.

Ground flax seeds boost the nutrition of this granola by adding (even more!) fiber and protein, plus omega-3 fatty acids among other nutrients! They pack in loads of nutrition without altering the texture or compromising the flavor of the granola.

Almond butter is the fat source, adding some extra nutrition while also keeping the granola oil-free! Make sure to use an almond butter that’s very drizzly and well-mixed - you want it to most closely resemble the texture of oil. If you use a store bought almond butter, check the ingredients label to make sure it doesn’t contain any added oil as many brands will add oil to thin or cheapen their nut butters.

Your granola will also pick up any added flavors from your almond butter (like spices!), so be sure to use a high-quality almond butter that you like the taste of! For reference, I’ve tested this granola with both unspiced and spiced almond butters and I prefer the final flavor from unspiced, single-ingredient almond butter in this granola!

Maple syrup is the liquid sweetener, keeping the granola free of any refined sugars!

A small dash of vanilla extract helps to deepen the almond and chocolate flavor notes without overpowering the final product.

Coconut pairs amazingly well with chocolate and almonds - just be sure to use unsweetened shredded coconut. If you’re not a fan of coconut, skip it!

A bit of sea salt helps enhance the chocolate notes here and provides balance, plus I just love the combo of sea salt and chocolate! (Edit: the original version of this recipe featured flakey Maldon sea salt, which I love, but found that the granola was less balanced without that finely ground salt mixed in. If you’re going for those “salted dark chocolate” vibes in your granola, feel free to sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon of flakey Maldon onto the granola post-baking!)

Chunks of dark chocolate add extra sweetness and complete the granola! I mean, who doesn’t like chocolate chunks in their granola?! I use a chocolate with 70% cocoa content (I find that it’s perfectly sweetened but still dark enough to give the granola a rich, chocolate-y flavor), but use whatever cocoa content you prefer - just check the ingredients to make sure the chocolate is vegan. If you want to avoid adding any refined sugars, use a dark chocolate that isn’t sweetened with any refined sugars.