This Strawberry Granola, made with freeze-dried strawberries, white chocolate, shredded coconut, and oats, is an easy and delicious meal prep breakfast or a great snack option to have on hand.
We are in a full-fledged granola phase at my house. The whole family loves it... for snacks, for breakfast and my son has been adding it to ice cream for dessert. Granola really does it all!
And this Strawberry version is super fun: freeze-dried strawberries are paired with sweet oats, crisp coconut flakes, slivered almonds, and some optional mini white chocolate chips. Admittedly, the white chocolate chips make it fall a little bit more towards the sweet dessert side of the spectrum, so they can be skipped if you want to make it just a bit more healthy. But they're a fun, delicious addition to it.
Though this granola doesn't technically have any fresh strawberries in the ingredients, it's recommended if you are serving it with yogurt you should top it with fresh strawberries!
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe with quantities is listed below this text in the recipe card. If substitutions are available for this recipe, they'll be listed here. If you don't see a substitution you are looking for, please leave a comment below.
- rolled oats
- sliced almonds
- unsweetened coconut flakes (buy the big kind if you can, as opposed to the finely shredded version)
- granulated sugar
- maple syrup
- almond extract + vanilla extract
- coarse kosher salt
- coconut oil or light olive oil (one that doesn't have too strong of a flavor is ideal)
- unsalted butter
- freeze-dried strawberries (these are so commonly available in most grocery stores and I don't recommend skipping them or replacing them with fresh, for obvious reasons)
- mini white chocolate chips (these are fun, yet optional)
Never Bought Freeze-Dried Strawberries Before?
Freeze-dried strawberries can be commonly found in most grocery stores. They are typically found near other dried fruit or nuts. I buy mine from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.
You can also buy freeze-dried strawberries online.
Crisp Granola vs. Granola Clusters
This recipe has a higher-than-typical amount of fat added to the granola in the form of both butter and olive oil. Adding that extra bit of fat not only improves the flavor, but also helps crisp up the oats.
Many people are often after the granola clusters you can pick up, but I find myself drawn to the separated crisp granola instead.
Luckily, with this recipe, you can do either and I'll share how.
If you want separated crisp granola: you'll want to make sure to stir the granola several times while baking, and once or twice as it cools.
If you want crunchy granola clusters: don't stir the granola while it's in the oven or as it cools.
The only downside to this is that you have to be careful not to burn the granola as it cooks if you are not stirring it. Stirring promotes more even cooking, but it is possible to cook it properly without stirring, so long as you pay close enough attention to the granola as it nears the end of the called-for cook time.
How to Tell When the Granola is Done
Nobody wants burnt granola. It's important to keep a close eye on the granola towards the end of the cooking time to ensure it's lightly toasted, but not dark brown. Setting a timer obviously is the best way to assist you while watching over the granola.
In addition, your sense of smell will be a good guide as to when it's done. As the oats, nuts, and coconut get toasty, they will start to exude their fragrant aroma. When you smell the toasty granola, you'll know it's done, or nearly done.
Serving + Storing
This granola will last at least a week, but likely a lot longer. I usually use mine up within a few weeks and it's always stayed just as good as the day I've made it. Do keep in mind it has no preservatives in it so you can't leave it for quite as long as you would store-bought granola.
If you made a big batch and you want to keep the granola very fresh for a longer period, it can be frozen without the freeze-dried strawberries or white chocolate chips for about 6 months.
Mason jars with tight-fitting lids are a great way to store granola.
More Strawberry Recipes
Making the recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I'll get back to you as quickly as I can!
PrintFull Recipe
Strawberry Granola with Coconut and White Chocolate
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: About 6 cups
- Category: Snack / Breakfast
- Method: Bake
Description
This Strawberry Granola is a crunchy, sweet and hearty start to your morning, especially when paired with some greek yogurt. Made with freeze-dried strawberries, white chocolate, shredded coconut and oats, it is an easy meal prep breakfast or snack to have on hand.
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup coconut oil or light olive oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-½ cups freeze dried strawberries
- ½ cup mini white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 and place a piece of parchment on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, mix the oats, almonds, coconut, and salt together.
- In a small saucepan heat the sugar, coconut oil, maple syrup, and butter over medium-low heat, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbling, then remove from heat. Stir in the almond extract and vanilla extract.
- Add the sugar mixture into the oats and stir together, making sure to coat the dry ingredients well.
- Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake until dry and lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring granola 1-2 times along the way (see note about granola clusters).
- Remove the granola from oven, and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cool add the freeze-dried strawberries and white chocolate chips and stir together.
- Transfer the granola to a storage container.
Notes
If you want separated crisp granola: you'll want to make sure to stir the granola several times while baking, and once or twice as it cools. If you want crunchy granola clusters: don't stir the granola while it's in the oven or as it cools. See section "Crisp Granola vs. Granola Clusters" above for more.
This granola will last at least a week but likely a lot longer. I usually use mine up within a few weeks and it's always stayed just as good as the day I've made it. But do keep in mind it has no preservatives in it so you can't leave it for quite as long as you would store-bought granola. If you made a big batch and you want to preserve the granola very fresh for a longer period, it can be frozen for about 6 months.
Kit
Made this last night and am obsessed with it. Thanks for the great recipe!