Plant-Packed Pumpkin Spice Granola
Perfectly-spiced pumpkin granola made with 7 nutritious plants! An insanely delicious fall-flavored granola that will leave you reaching for more every time. Vegan & gluten-free.
You ever buy some granola you really vibe with? Personally, I was hooked on Purely Elizabeth’s Pumpkin Cinnamon granola from the moment I first tasted it two years ago (I think I bought 8 bags that year 😂- don’t remember the exact number, but it was definitely more than 5 and (hopefully) less than 10). But this year, I only bought one bag - for research purposes - because I knew I wanted to create my own pumpkin granola, and what better way to get some inspo than by sampling a bit of my first pumpkin granola love?
I was inspired to create a pumpkin granola that packs in plenty of grains and seeds (just like Purely Elizabeth’s does!). But I added pecans, pumpkin puree, and fall spices to pump up the fall flavors even more. The result is everything I want a pumpkin granola to be: pumpkin-y, perfectly spiced, not too sweet, crunchy, nutritious, and super tasty!
Why You’ll Love this Pumpkin Granola
Pumpkin-y and spicy. The reason we’re all here, isn’t it? The delicious combo of pumpkin paired with warming spices is just unbeatable. *Activate cozy fall vibez.* 🍂
Plant-packed and nutritious. With two grains, three seeds, one nut, plus some pumpkin puree, this granola packs all the various nutrients found in each of those plant foods!
Crunchy AF. Is it even granola without that satisfying crunch?
Packable. Store the granola in an airtight jar/container that you can bring along with you to your favorite fall activity! Pro tip: pack some granola when hiking in the mountains so that you can snack on it once you reach the top (#summitgranola). 🥰 It tastes extra crunchy up there.
Deliciously addictive. Most of the time, the insanely delicious/borderline-addictive profile of this granola makes it a reason to love it. But it may also lead to oversnacking because it’s so, so good. 🤤 Consider yourself warned.
Ingredient Overview
Oats. The staple grain in this granola! Oats are a whole grain packed with fiber, protein, and various other nutrients.
Millet. A second grain to help incorporate more plant variety! Millet is a cereal grain that’s particularly rich in antioxidants and protein.
Pecans. Buttery pecans are my favorite nut to pair with pumpkin! (Or any other fall squashes or veggies for that matter.) Just like other nuts, pecans are a great source of healthy fats, but they contain the most fiber and healthy monounsaturated fats per serving!
Pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds in pumpkin granola?! So obvious, but it’s a classic for a reason! Plus pumpkin seeds have loads of nutrients, including being one of the best sources of magnesium.
Sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds add more plant variety, along with more nutrients!
Chia seeds. Adding some chia seeds gives the granola an extra nutrition boost as they pack tons of fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids!
Brown sugar. Adds sweetness and complements the pumpkin flavor really nicely.
Spices. Would it even be a pumpkin granola without all those warming fall spices? 🥰 This granola uses a pumpkin pie spice blend and extra cinnamon. I mixed my own “pumpkin spice” blend with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and cardamom, but any homemade or store bought pumpkin spice blend works!
Sea salt. A tiny bit of sea salt adds depth and enhances all the flavors in the granola. Don’t skip it!
Pumpkin puree. To incorporate that pumpkin flavor, obvs!
Maple syrup. The liquid sweetener, which pairs wonderfully with the flavor of pumpkin, and is also essential in helping to bind and crisp up the granola during baking.
Neutral oil. The fat source - any neutral oil works. If possible, opt for a high-oleic neutral oil (such as avocado oil or high-oleic sunflower oil) since these have a much higher content of monounsaturated fats than other neutral vegetable oils, meaning they are the more healthful option when it comes to choosing an oil.
Tips for Baking Granola
Low & slow. Since this granola uses pumpkin puree, it’s especially important to bake it at a low temperature and stir it often to make sure it bakes evenly. You don’t want mushy pieces from the middle of the tray ruining an otherwise perfectly crisped granola!
Don’t overbake. This is the most important tip for baking any granola, and also the toughest to explain, as baking granola to a perfect crisp is more of an art than a science. Aim to bake it until it is golden brown throughout, but not too brown. And until the edges have begun to crisp just slightly as you remove it from the oven, but not too much. (See what I mean about it being an art?)
If you’re unsure whether your granola is done, err on the side of underbaking! You can always pop it back in the oven to bake for a few more minutes, but you can’t salvage burnt granola. And overbaked granola tastes like unpleasant charred pieces reminiscent of a flavor that was once pumpkin (very sad).
Let it cool fully. Granola crisps up as it cools, which is important in achieving that super crunchy texture! Plus it’s really hard to taste much of anything when granola is hot. So hopefully knowing that calms any lingering temptation to start munching on it before fully cooled. 😉
Plant-Packed Pumpkin Spice Granola
Vegan, Gluten-Free
Ingredients
1 ¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup raw pecans, chopped
⅓ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
3 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
¼ cup millet
¼ cup (tightly packed) light brown sugar
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend*
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons neutral oil (avocado, sunflower, grapeseed, etc.)
⅓ cup pumpkin puree
Directions
Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add the oats, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, millet, brown sugar, chia seeds, spices, and sea salt and mix to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, oil, and pumpkin puree.
Add the wet ingredients to the mixed dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are completely coated (they will feel “wet” once fully combined).
Spread the granola mixture onto your prepared baking sheet, using the rubber spatula to press the granola down firmly into a thin even layer covering the whole sheet. Transfer the granola to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the granola from the oven, mix the granola thoroughly (this ensures even baking!) and press it down again into a thin even layer, making sure to cover the entire sheet. Return to oven and bake for another 15 minutes.
Remove the granola and give it one last stir. Return to oven to bake until golden brown and starting to crisp up around the edges, approximately 5-15 more minutes depending on how “wet” the mixture feels when you stir it, being careful not to overbake (check it sooner if your oven runs hot!).
If you’re unsure whether the granola is done, err on the side of underbaking! You can always pop the granola back in the oven to bake it a few more minutes, but you can’t salvage burnt granola. If you take the granola out and it’s not starting to crisp up throughout after 10 minutes (it starts crisping from the outer edges toward the middle), give it a quick stir and pop it back in the oven for a few more minutes to bake a bit longer (check it after 2-3 minutes).
Let the baked granola cool, untouched, on the baking sheet until crisp (about 1-1½ hours).
Once cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Notes:
*Any store bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice blend works! I mixed my own using: 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom.
*Recipe originally published 10/1/2020; last updated 10/25/2021.
Made this granola? Drop me a comment below or tag me on Instagram (@teostinykitchen) so I can see! Bonus points if you snap a pic during your favorite fall activities. I’ll be packing it on hikes through the mountains to snack on when I reach the peaks (I call it #summitgranola) - this is a fact: did you know granola tastes extra crispy up there?