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Yummm! This Chocolate Sea Salt Granola is so good! It’s a great recipe for meal prep, because it’s great to eat with breakfast or a snack. Just top a yogurt bowl with it and you’re set for a high-protein, nourishing, filling meal. You can also eat it like cereal with milk, or you can eat it by the handful as a crunchy, delicious snack. I also love making “snack jars” with granola by putting it in a glass Tupperware or small mason jar and adding nuts and dried fruit such as dried banana, coconut flakes, strawberries, figs, apricot, craisins, pineapple, etc. PSA: Granola stays much more fresh in glass than it does in plastic!

Nutritional benefits of this recipe:

This isn’t every benefit, but a few of my favorite!

Cacao is rich in antioxidants, magnesium, and zinc. It’s great for hormone health. Cacao powder is the unprocessed version of cocoa powder, so it’s richer in flavor and more nutritious.
Oats are high in prebiotics and help manage blood pressure, cholesterol, and cravings.
Pure maple syrup has an even higher amount of nutrients in comparison to honey, if you can even believe that! It’s rich in antioxidants, riboflavin, zinc, magnesium, calcium, and potassium.

Ingredients

Rolled oats – I like using sprouted oats for the health benefits.

Chopped almonds – Or sub another nut or seed.

Cacao powder – For the chocolate flavor.

Coconut sugar – As a sweetener

Sea salt or pink salt – If you use coconut oil, then you’ll need a little more since butter is already salted

Butter or coconut oil

Maple syrup or honey – Or you can use a combination of both. This helps sweeten it and also is what makes it stick together and become crunchy.

Pure vanilla extract – For flavor.

Egg whites – This helps make bigger clusters, which is particularly useful for granola recipes that use maple syrup. Honey is much more effective at making granola stick together in larger chunks, so whenever I use maple syrup in granola, I add a couple egg whites as well.

Optional toppings (after baking!) – Chocolate chips, diced dates, flaky sea salt

Method

Prep oven: Preheat oven to 300ºF and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed and the cacao is coating the other ingredients.
Wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, melt the coconut oil or butter, then add the maple syrup and vanilla extract and whisk to combine (do not add the egg whites!) Pour over the dry mixture and mix well, coating all of it.
Egg whites: In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites for 30 seconds or so until foamy. Pour on top of the granola mixture and mix to combine, making sure it is well mixed.
Transfer to baking sheet: Transfer the mixture to the parchment lined baking sheets and press it down, keeping it all together but flattening it out into about a 1/4-1/2 inch thick layer, making sure the layer is even and the edges aren’t thinner than the middle. I find that it comes out crispier when I do this on two baking sheets instead of one because it helps the middle cook better.
Bake it: Bake for 35-45 minutes until fragrant. The granola won’t be crunchy yet, but it should be fairly dry to the touch and not too squishy.
Right after baking: If desired, sprinkle with chocolate chips and/or dates and press them into the granola. You can also sprinkle with flaky sea salt for an extra salty kick.
For big chunks, let it cool to room temperature, 1-2 hours, before breaking into clusters. For loose granola, stir immediately. It will harden and crisp up as it cools, so don’t worry if it’s not crispy yet.
Store it: After it is fully cooled, store in an airtight glass container (either glass Tupperware or mason jars) for 4-5 days. I don’t recommend storing it in plastic because it doesn’t stay as crunchy.
Review 🙂 Please leave a comment and rating if you tried this recipe! It helps my website more than you know and I truly appreciate it!

Make the Chocolate Sea Salt Granola your own!

To make it nut-free: Replace the almonds with 1 cup pumpkin seeds. If seed-free as well, then you can replace with 3/4 cup rolled oats or puffed amaranth (puffed amaranth has a little bit more of an earthy taste, just so you know!)
Substitute some of the rolled oats for puffed amaranth, quinoa flakes, or barley flakes for extra nutrients and different flavor profiles. I actually made a more “superfood” version of this recipe as well that I will post soon that contains amaranth and quinoa flakes!
Add chia seeds or hemp seeds for omega-3’s.
Substitute another nut in place of the almonds, such as cashews, walnuts, pecans, or a combination.
Add sunflower seeds for more color and nutrients.
Add spices such as cinnamon, cloves, allspice, etc.

How to store Chocolate Sea Salt Granola

After it is fully cooled, store in an airtight glass container (either glass Tupperware or mason jars) for 4-5 days. I don’t recommend storing it in plastic because it doesn’t stay as crunchy.

How to serve Chocolate Sea Salt Granola

Top a yogurt bowl with the granola, a drizzle of almond butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and/or any other desired toppings.
Eat it like cereal in a bowl of milk.
Make “snack jars”: In a small mason jar or glass Tupperware: Add granola, your favorite nuts, and your favorite dried fruit. The best dried fruit for chocolate granola (in my opinion!) includes:
- Dried banana slices
- Coconut flakes
- Dates
- Dried strawberry slices
- Dried apricots
- Craisins
- Dried Figs

Other recipes you’ll love

Blueberry & Roasted Pecan Granola

Honey Walnut Fig Granola

Classic Nut & Seed Granola

Chewy Coconut Granola Bars

I hope you love this Chocolate Sea Salt Granola! Please be sure to leave a comment and rating if you make this recipe. It helps my website more than you know, and I love receiving feedback!