Paleo Pumpkin Spice Granola 3 Ways {nut-free}

Paleo Pumpkin Spice Granola is the perfect, not-too-sweet fall treat that you can easily turn into bars or chocolate-dipped granola balls!

It’s time. It’s time for pumpkin, scarves, boots, not sweating when you get in your car, and the best holidays. Before I jump into my ode-to-fall, let me set your mind at ease …

Enthusiastic as I am about my favorite squash, I have no intention of blasting you with 30 different pumpkin recipes. I only have two. At least, I only have two that I’m sharing this year. How about that for a teaser!

My Paleo food blogging colleagues have already been hard at work developing stellar pumpkin-centric recipes. Here are a few of my favorites:

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies by Juli @ PaleOMG

Paleo Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Scone Clones by Vanessa @ Clean Eating With a Dirty Mind

Paleo Pumpkin Gingerbread Cake with Maple Vanilla Frosting by Melissa @ The Clothes Make the Girl

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread by Danielle @ Against All Grain

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie by George @ Civilized Caveman

Creamy Pumpkin Moose with Cinnamon Swirl Crumble by Taylor @ Taylor Made it Paleo

Paleo Pumpkin Bars by Elana @ Elana’s Pantry

Pumpkin-Spiced Mini Donuts & Cake Pops by Hayley & Bill of The Food Lovers Kitchen

Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte by Cassandra @ Fed & Fit {that’s me ..heehee}

Now I understand why people have pumpkin-spific Pinterest boards.

As much as I love spring, summer, and winter all for their charming personalities, fall is my favorite. Fall never disappoints. I find that I’m the most grateful and take whatever I can get from this season. Any drop in temperature, any colored leaf, any whiff of pumpkin spice, any brown or burgundy nail color that I can now get away with …they’re all cherished.

Now, let’s talk Paleo pumpkin spice granola. Holy moly this is GOOD stuff. It’s so good, in fact, that I couldn’t just present it one way. I’m presenting it THREE ways. You can use this recipe to make three whole different healthy, nut-free, Paleo-friendly, pumpkin spiced treats! Whoa.

1^st, the original …Paleo Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars

They’re chewy, perfectly seasoned, not overly pumpkin-ed goodness. Great for lunches, hiking, sharing with colleagues, or for eating the entire batch standing up in your kitchen before you even get a chance to wrap one up.

2^nd, Paleo Pumpkin Spice Granola

Oh yeah …break it up, pour it in a bowl, and drown in some almond milk. NOM.

3^rd, Paleo Pumpkin Spice Granola Balls dipped in Dark Chocolate

This one came to me in a dream. What? Doesn’t everyone dream of things dipped in dark chocolate?

PS. I totally realize that I cheated. I turned my first of the two pumpkin recipes into three. Sorry I’m not sorry.

Recipe time!

First, preheat your oven to 300 F and then measure out 2/3 of a cup of honey and pour it into a small saucepan. Next, measure 3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil into the honey. Feel free to use butter here if you like. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract into the saucepan. Finish it off with ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt.

Got it all in there? We’re going to melt it until it’s a bubbling, delicious mess.

Isn’t this whisk the cutest?! My Mom gave it to me years ago as a joke. Look who’s laughing now! I LOVE it. I use it so much. It’s the perfect size for whisking small batches of salad dressing or granola honey goodness.

On medium/low heat, whisk the mixture and then let it sit until it starts to bubble. Remove it from the heat.

Measure out ½ cup of pumpkin puree into the now slightly cooler saucepan. Whisk it up!

Measure in ½ teaspoon of ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, then finally 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. This is the trio behind our favorite pumpkin spice blend. Whisk until smooth.

Now, the star of the show …pumpkin seeds (aka, pepitas). I purchased raw unsalted from the grocery store bulk section.

Add 2 cups of the pumpkin seeds into a large bowl. Next, find some unsweetened shredded coconut (I use Bob’s Red Mill). Measure 1 1/2 cups into the mixing bowl.

Next, grab some whole brown flax seeds. Golden flax seeds will work too, if that’s what you have on hand. Add ½ cup to the bowl.

Finally, the golden berries. I love golden berries. One of my readers once said they’re like nature’s sour patch kids. They’re tart, sweet, and far from tasting like a raisin. I dislike raisins. We’re adding golden berries to the granola mix because they help bring a bright, tart bite to the rustic sweet granola. Trust me, you don’t want to leave these guys out. You can usually find them in the health food section of most grocery stores.

Give 1 cup of the berries a rough chop. You can either do this with a knife or in your food processor. I like to chop them a bit because the berries are pretty large, otherwise. Add them to the mixing bowl.

Got all four dry ingredients ready? Stir it up!

Next, pour in your pumpkin spice sticky honey heaven. Stir it well.

Grab a 9 x 13 inch metal cake pan, or whatever size you have handy. Line it with some parchment paper —- um, this is important. If you don’t use some kind of non-stick paper or oil with flour, you’ll have a sticky mess in the pan.

Pour the mixture into the pan! Pat it down with either the back of the spoon or press down with another sheet of parchment paper. You want an even, dense layer.

Bake at 300 F for 25 minutes. When it comes out of the oven, restrain yourself! I know this is difficult. I know how good it smells. You must let it cool so it’ll set in the pan. And so that you don’t burn your mouth.

After the pan comes down to room temperature, transfer it to the refrigerator to finish setting. Note that it will only have that firm familiar granola texture if you keep it chilled.

Once cooled, you get to choose your path! Will you make Paleo Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars? Granola Cereal? How about Dark Chocolate-Dipped Granola Balls?

Let’s talk all three …

For the bars, cut the granola into the sizes you like. I don’t recommend going too large because these are pretty chewy and they may not hold their shape. Store in the refrigerator.

Next, the granola cereal! This one is super easy. All you have to do is take a fork to your now cooled granola pan. Stir and scrape until it’s broken up into small granola-like bits. Store it in a refrigerated airtight jar and enjoy over almond milk. This may be my favorite.

Lastly, the dark chocolate dipped granola balls. THESE are ideal for sharing. Roll up about 1 Tbl of the cooled granola (you may want to coat your hands in coconut oil so they don’t stick too much). I recommend you place the balls into the fridge while you prepare the chocolate so that they stay nice and firm. In either your microwave or in a double boiler, melt some dark chocolate. Enjoy Life is a great, trustworthy brand. Dip the balls into the dark chocolate, place on a parchment paper, and store in the fridge so they’ll firm and stay fresh.

Wasn’t that the best!? I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.

Paleo Pumpkin Spice Granola 3 Ways {nut-free}

4.34 — Votes 3 votes

By Cassy

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 18 bars

SaveSaved Pin Print

Paleo Pumpkin Spice Granola is the perfect, not-too-sweet fall treat that you can easily turn into bars or chocolate-dipped granola balls!

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2/3 cup honey
• ▢ 3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1/2 cup pumpkin puree {canned works great}
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 2 cups raw pumpkin seeds
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• ▢ 1/2 cup whole brown flax seeds
• ▢ 1 cup golden berries roughly chopped
• ▢ 1/2 cup Enjoy Life or dark chocolate chips {optional if making the chocolate-dipped balls}

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 300 F and line a 9 x 13 inch metal cake pan with parchment paper.
• In a small saucepan, whisk together and bring to a slight boil the honey, coconut oil, and vanilla. Remove from heat. Whisk in the pumpkin, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir the pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, flax seeds, and chopped golden berries together.
• Pour the liquid honey mixture over the dry ingredients and stir together. Pour the mixture into the parchment paper-lined metal pan and press down until you have an even thickness.
• Bake at 300 F for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, let it cool completely on the counter, and then transfer to the refrigerator for one hour or overnight before moving onto the next step.
• Bars: Cut into the bar or square shape you like and store in the refrigerator.
• Granola Cereal: Using a fork or spoon, break up the granola mixture into small bite-sized pieces. Store in a refrigerated jar and enjoy over almond milk.
• Dark Chocolate-Dipped Balls: Grease your hands with coconut oil. Using the cooled and set granola, roll ~1 tablespoon of the mixture in your hands to form a ball. Dip the balls in melted Enjoy Life or dark chocolate chips. Place on parchment paper and then the refrigerator to firm and store.

Recipe Notes

Makes 18 bars, 36 balls, and 3.5 cups granola cereal

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 394mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 1647IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg

Additional Info

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 18 bars

Calories: 240

Keyword: granola bars, homemade granola, paleo granola, pumpkin spice granola

Like this recipe?

Leave a comment