This delicious, allergy-free granola features caramelized bananas, orange juice and chai spice for a breakfast with strong fall vibes. Nut-free and easily adaptable to vegan diets and lactose-free diets!
I don’t have kids, nor do I have any allergies myself, so for most of my life I’ve given absolutely no thought to creating peanut-free (and other allergen free) recipes. But a few years ago Mr. Diplomat and I decided to go to the allergy clinic to see why he was breaking out in hives all the damn time.
The answer, as it turns out, is that he’s allergic to a great deal of things. Not enough to kill him (with some exceptions!), just enough to make his life itchy and miserable. Once we realized that basically all nuts were off the table, we stopped doing things like, you know, shoving handfuls of trail mix and granola in our faces. The hives crisis abated.
The unfortunate truth is that most commercially available granola is full of allergens. But we love granola! And so this recipe (and probably many subsequent ones) for allergy-free granola was born.
I want to say for the record that I’m sure there are some people in the world who are allergic to something in this recipe, so of course read it carefully. But for us this recipe is totally allergy-free; and there’s a lot to contend with around here. That means this is a recipe with NO coconut, NO peanuts or nuts of any other type, and NO sesame. Also…no to a lot of other allergens, although it would be weird if my granola recipe had eggs or crustaceans in it.
If you are lactose intolerant or vegan, all you need to do to adapt this recipe for you is substitute out the butter when carmelizing the bananas. Any neutral-flavored oil will do. Cook on medium low heat and stir often, as the bananas like to stick to the bottom even with the oil. Whatever is stuck on the bottom will come up with the addition of the orange juice.
One thing to note about this recipe is that it calls for maple syrup. When I say maple syrup I mean 100% real maple syrup! Don’t subject yourself to the cheap high fructose corn syrup concoctions found in many grocery stores. First of all…gross. But second, I have no idea how it will interact with this recipe and I definitely can’t guarantee it being awesome. For more information on maple syrup, what it is and where to find it, click here.
The other thing to note is to be sure to stir thoroughly every 5 minutes while baking. If you don’t, this recipe can burn pretty easily. Once done, your caramelized banana orange chai granola will still be slightly soft but don’t worry! It will harden as it cools. Also be sure to wait to put it in a sealed container until it is completely cool. If your granola is still warm, it will steam in the jar and stay forever soft.
Looking for other breakfast recipes? Check out my Mediterranean Tofu Scramble, Cheddar Scallion Sourdough Pancakes with Miso Butter or Creamed Eggs on Toast recipes!
Caramelized Banana Orange Chai Granola (Allergy free!)
Ingredients
- 2 bananas
- 2 tbsp butter (substitute neutral oil of choice for vegan / lactose-free)
- 3 small oranges, juiced (about 3/4 cup)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp chai spice
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/3 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (or other fruit of choice)
- 1/2 cup dried blueberries (or other fruit of choice)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease one or two rectangular baking sheets.
- Heat butter or oil of choice in a medium saucepan. Break bananas into small pieces and place in the pan. Cook bananas in butter, stirring often, until golden brown and carmelized.
- Juice oranges. Pour orange juice into the saucepan along with vanilla, maple syrup, chai spice and salt.
- Mash remaining banana pieces into the sauce and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for five minutes, or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
- Pour rolled oats and pumpkin seeds into a large mixing bowl. Add sauce to bowl and stir until evenly coated.
- Spread evenly in a single layer on greased baking sheets. Use as many as you need to not overcrowd the granola.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, being sure to stir every 5 or so minutes to keep from burning and to break up clumps.
- When you remove your granola from the oven it will be a dark golden brown but still soft - it will crisp up after removing from heat.
- Let cool COMPLETELY and store in a sealed container.
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