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Yes! You can totally make granola with steel-cut oats! This Honey Nut Steel-Cut Granola is packed full of flavor and healthy nuts and will make you forget all about rolled oats in your granola!
Growing up we only ever ate steel-cut oats. It wasn’t until I got really into healthy living blogs that I discovered that most people didn’t eat steel-cut oats. I honestly believed that rolled oats were called “quaker oats” since I only ever saw them come from those horrible quaker oat packets.
Feel free to judge.
But suddenly I found myself buying enormous bags of Trader Joe’s Rolled Oats, making overnight oatmeal and completely neglecting my beloved steel-cut oats. Truth is, once you discover the convenience of rolled oats (aka ready in under 10 mins!) it’s difficult to justify spending 30 minutes cooking steel-cut.
But I really do miss the crunchiness of steel-cut oats. Though to be fair, I think that I mostly miss how my mom used to make it with milk and brown sugar…so good.
Speaking of moms, have I mentioned that mine is wonderful? Mom, I can already feel you typing your response to this…
Allow me to explain.
Not only is she responsible for introducing me to steel-cut oats, but also for that delicious manuka honey you see in the background of those photos. She brought it back for me after her recent trip to New Zealand (where manuka-pollinating bees live) and I’ve basically been rationing it out every single day since.
This stuff is like gold. If you’ve never tried manuka honey, start saving your pennies and then invest in a little jar of this magic. The best way for me to describe it is like “the most honey-filled honey you have ever tasted”. Does this make sense?
Confession: I totally didn’t use the manuka honey in this Honey Nut Steel-Cut Granola. It is far too precious for that. But I DID top the granola with a bit of manuka honey for an added sweet and antioxidant-filled boost!
Apparently manuka honey has all sorts of health-benefits and its encouraged you have a spoonful a day. An excuse to eat a spoonful of honey everyday? Thanks Mom!
PrintHoney Nut Steel-Cut Granola
Yes! You can totally make granola with steel-cut oats! This Honey Nut Steel-Cut Granola is packed full of flavor and healthy nuts and will make you forget all about rolled oats in your granola!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 3 cups steel-cut oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- 2 cups of mixed nuts (I did 1/2 cup of hazelnuts, pecans, slivered almonds and walnuts but feel free to use any kind of nuts)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup honey (local raw honey is ideal)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- In a large bowl combine steel-cut oats, nuts, cinnamon and sea salt.
- In a separate bowl combine coconut oil, applesauce, honey and vanilla.
- Stir wet ingredients into dry and mix until combined.
- Spread granola over a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 mins.
- Remove from oven and flip and the bake for another 20 mins.
- Remove from oven once again, flip and then bake for another 15 mins.
- Remove from oven and flatten granola with the back of a spatula.
- LET SIT FOR ONE HOUR. Do not try to move granola off tray.
- After an hour, you can take the granola and break it up into clusters.
- Combine with raisins.
- Keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (if it ever lasts that long…)
Super interested to hear about the texture of this granola! I love extra crunchy, and the long bake time I’m sure is how they get softer..?? Yum!!!! Love that you’re rationing honey.. I do that with almond butter 🙂
I grew up on the Quakers packaged instant oatmeal (gross, I know. My parents wouldn’t buy me Froot Loops as a kid, but they would buy me that. They don’t make sense lol) so I didn’t even know steel cut oatmeal existed until I started reading blogs! I actually just bought some for the first time a few months ago. I haven’t tried making granola with it yet though. This looks fabulous!
those clusters!! OMG. This looks amazing. And how lucky are you?! that manuka honey is a precious little gift! enjoy every drop. xo
Pictures look bomb D!
Manuka honey is our standard here so wouldnt know what to compare it to!
I didn’t use steel cut oats until after years of Quaker oats and let’s just say, the five minutes I was used to didn’t cut it for the steel cut oats! That was the crunchiest oatmeal I’ve ever had. It was kind of scarring 😉 I have to give this granola a go, it looks SO good and I love the honey nut combo! I have a feeling this blows store bought honey nut cereals out of the water. Actually, I know that for sure. Pinned!
Oddly enough, I only ever heard of steel-cut oats used for breakfast when starting to read blogs. It wasn’t until about a year ago that I realized they’re used in one of the most popular savoury dishes in my area and a super cheap stable. Either way, your idea of using them in this recipe here is amazing. I bet it makes for the crunchiest of crunchy granolas.
…. and don’t lure me into buying Manuka honey. I’ve been tip-toeing around those jars at health food stores forever – always gasping at the price. But if it’s that good …
I have never heard of that honey, but it sounds marvelous! 🙂 I am the exact opposite. I wasn’t introduced to steel cut oats until literally this year. LOL! I am going to make your paleo lemon poppy seed muffins today though! 🙂
Hope you enjoy them, lovely! Wish I could give you a huge jar of Manuka honey!
YUM! I’m sure this has the most amazing texture from the steel cut oats. And, I’ve been OBSESSED with Manuka honey. I was able to get my hands on some local Manuka honey and love it. It’s gold!
It is SO good. I have some on my face right now. All I want to do is just lick it off haha
This looks so delicious!!
Thanks, lady!
Ohhhh that looks so crunchy and delicious! I could totally go for a bowl of this in the morning 🙂
I should warn you, one bowl suddenly becomes two…every single day this week gah!!!
I just made this and it is tasty but I was disappointed that it was very crumbly instead of breaking up into chunks. I wanted it to be more of a snacking granola. I did let it sit for the full hour before putting into storage containers.