Chocolate Granola

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Chocolate Granola has a rich chocolate flavor, the perfect amount of sweetness, and the best crunchy texture. Make this granola your own by changing up the nuts or other ingredient add-ins.

Be sure to try these other granola recipes: Peanut Butter Granola, Healthy Granola, and Almond Granola.

Overhead shot of Chocolate Granola, served in a bowl with berries and yogurt.

Chocolate Granola

Anytime I can pass off chocolate for breakfast, it’s a definite yes. This granola is richly chocolate and has the perfect amount of sweetness.

While my whole family will down handfuls of this granola, our favorite way to eat it is pictured above: in a bowl with good yogurt. I like getting a coconut mousse yogurt and topping it with a few handfuls of this granola and whatever berries I’ve got on hand. A drizzle of honey finishes it off perfectly.

Today I’m sharing how to make Chocolate Granola, some variation ideas, a few ideas for how to enjoy the granola, and some granola-making tips.

Process shots of Chocolate Granola ingredients, mixing, and baking.

How to make Chocolate Granola

The collage of photos shows a quick overview of how to make this recipe. The numbered photos above correlate with the description below.

  1. Combine the dry ingredients: Combine the old-fashioned oats, coarsely chopped almonds, and coarsely chopped pistachios in a large bowl.
  2. Combine the wet ingredients: Mix the maple syrup, coconut oil, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cocoa powder in a separate bowl.
  3. Stir: Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to mix the wet ingredients until you get a thick, cohesive mixture.
  4. Pour: Use a spatula to scrape every bit of the wet ingredients into the dry.
  5. Stir: Now mix the two together. It takes a minute and seems like it’s not coming together, but it does!
  6. Chocolate Granola is ready to bake.
  7. Spread: Make an even layer of granola on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
  8. Bake: For 21 minutes, stirring every 7 minutes. Once removed from the oven, stir in the coconut. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and allow them to melt into the granola (don’t toss, just let stand).

Variation ideas

Make this Chocolate Granola your own! Below are some ways to change it up.

  • Add dried cherries. Chocolate and cherries are delicious; dried cranberries would also be great in the mix (add after the granola is completely cooled).
  • Leave out the coconut. If you aren’t a fan of coconut, this granola is fine without it (no other changes necessary).
  • Use your favorite chocolate. We like combining semi-sweet and milk chocolate to top this granola, but use whatever chocolate you like best (all milk, all dark, or all semi-sweet are also good options).
  • Add a sprinkle of sea salt. If you like sweet and salty, add some Maldon®sea salt to the top of this granola after adding the chocolate chips and they’ve begun to melt a little.
  • Switch up the nuts. Our favorites are pistachios and almonds, but use whatever nuts you like best. Walnuts, pecans, cashews, peanuts, slivered almonds– they all work well. You can also use 1 and 1/2 cups of a single nut variety instead of 3/4 cups of two nut varieties. 
  • Use seeds instead of nuts. Replace nuts with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.

A close-up image of finished Chocolate Granola, scooped with a wooden spoon.

 Chocolate Granola serving ideas

  • As cereal: Pour a bowl of this granola and add in some milk.
  • In a parfait: Layer coconut-flavored yogurt with this chocolate granola, and a sprinkle of chia seeds. Add in some fresh berries or sliced banana.
  • In an açaí bowl: Add a few tablespoons of granola right on top.
  • Top your oatmeal: A sprinkle of Chocolate Granola on a bowl of hot oats adds a nice texture contrast.

QUICK TIP

If you’re anything like me, straight from the sheet pan is the best way to enjoy Chocolate Granola! I have such good intentions to stop and package it into a bag… you know how that goes!

Chocolate Granola preparation tips

  • Toss the granola frequently. This helps to evenly cook the ingredients and avoid burned areas. 
  • Give the granola time to harden. The granola needs a few hours to firm up after baking. Don’t cover or package the granola until it is completely cooled and the chocolate is no longer soft and melty on top.
  • Store granola in a cool, dry place in an airtight container. Here are a few ways to tell if granola has gone bad.

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Chocolate Granola

5 from 2 votes
This Chocolate Granola has a rich chocolate flavor, the perfect amount of sweetness, and the best crunchy texture. Make this granola your own by changing up the nuts or other ingredient add-ins.
Print Recipe

Chocolate Granola

5 from 2 votes
This Chocolate Granola has a rich chocolate flavor, the perfect amount of sweetness, and the best crunchy texture. Make this granola your own by changing up the nuts or other ingredient add-ins.
Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword chocolate granola
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 5 cups (10 servings)
Chelsea Lords
Calories 544kcal

Ingredients

Chocolate Granola

  • 3 cups old-fashioned oats (NOT steel-cut or quick oats)
  • 3/4 cup whole almonds coarsely chopped (measure before chopping)
  • 3/4 cup whole pistachios (or pecans) coarsely chopped (measure before chopping)
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup Special Dark cocoa powder (make sure it's Dutch process)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate chips (we like milk best)

Instructions

  • PREP: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or a nonstick Silpat liner and set aside. Measure out the oats in a large bowl and set aside.
  • DRY INGREDIENTS: Coarsely chop the almonds and pistachios. Add to the bowl with the oats.
  • WET INGREDIENTS: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the 3/4 teaspoon salt (reduce if sensitive to salt), 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut oil (measure when melted), 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and combined.
  • COMBINE: Pour the chocolate wet mixture into the oat and nut mixture; stir until all the oats and nuts are well coated.
  • BAKE: Spread mixture on the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 7 minutes, stir well, bake for another 7 minutes, stir again, and return to the oven for 4 more minutes. At this point, you can add in the 1/2 cup coconut flakes and bake for another 3-4 minutes if you want the coconut toasted. This will give you about 21 minutes total bake time which is how long I always bake my granola. Remove from the oven and toss once more. Let granola stand for 2 minutes and then sprinkle the 1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips on top and then the 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips on top. The chocolate will melt into the granola (don't toss it, just let it melt in). Let it stand for 2-3 hours or until the chocolate is firmed up and the granola has hardened and set up.
  • STORE: Store in an airtight container, out of sunlight, at room temperature for 3-4 weeks (do not store in fridge). Freeze any leftovers for up to 3 months.

Video

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10servings | Calories: 544kcal | Carbohydrates: 61.7g | Protein: 10.2g | Fat: 29.5g | Cholesterol: 67.8mg | Sodium: 29mg | Fiber: 6.5g | Sugar: 39.5g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Chelsea this is absolutely the prettiest, yummiest-looking yogurt bowl I think I’ve ever seen! I love that you made your own granola, too! This is a breakfast I could definitely get behind 🙂

  2. How much does it yield? Is it just for one serving of yogurt and granola? How should I increase the ingredients proportionally if I wanted to make a larger batch of granola?

  3. If I wanted to make this into granola chunks or bite sized pieces would you just not stir during baking?

    1. It will burn if you don’t stir, but after it’s done baking you can press it all together and let it cool like that then break it apart for slightly bigger pieces.

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