If you love chewy, chunky and crispy granola then this is the best gluten-free granola recipe out there. It’s fully of toasty oats, nuts and covered with sticky spiced maple syrup, making big clusters of goodness. Grab a handful for satisfying snack or make a batch as your family’s favorite gluten-free breakfast idea!

a bowl of homemade granola with milk and berries
If you’ve been looking for a gluten-free granola recipe to always have on hand, this version checks all the boxes!

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Better Than Store Bought Gluten-Free Granola

You haven’t had truly fabulous granola until you’ve made this recipe. I promise it is GF granola perfection! No dusty, dry crumbs, just glorious maple-coated cluster perfection.

It’s hard to land on what I love best about this homemade granola, and even harder to put into words just how sublime it is, but I’ll give it an honest effort. First, the spice mixture is out of this world. Orange zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon combine taste something reminiscent of German Christmas market. (Doesn’t that drum up some tasty visions?!)

Plus, the big chunky clusters of rolled oats and toasted nuts are perfect to snack on or elevate the creamiest bowl of homemade yogurt. And if you love your granola in slightly chewy, sticky bites, then then making it with pure maple syrup and a little unconventional baking technique I adapted from Bojon Gourmet makes the magic happen.

Lastly, have you seen what a bag of gluten-free granola costs?! No, thank you. Hands-down this is the recipe from my gluten-free breakfast collection I make the most. I always have GF rolled oats on hand and the recipe is completely customizable to what else I have laying around. From dried cranberries, coconut flakes, or swapping out oils – it’s all been done!

Let’s Make This Together!

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

Mix dry ingredients

First, preheat the oven to 325ºF. This is a slightly lower oven temp that other granola recipes bake at, but I like the lower, slower method so the granola clusters together.

In a large bowl mix together the rolled oats, any preferred nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. If you are adding any other mix-ins, like dried fruit, I recommend adding that after baking so they don’t become hard with baking.

all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Maple butter and mix

In a small saucepan or microwave safe bowl, melt together butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and salt. If you prefer to swap out butter with oil, that works too, but I do like the rich flavor butter adds to baked granola. Stir everything together so it’s nice and evenly coated.

granola being mixed with maple butter mixture.

“Sandwich” baking technique

You will need two baking sheets and two pieces of parchment paper to create our granola “sandwich.”

Why do we bake it like this? First, we don’t have to stir the mixture while baking. Also, the sheet pans trap in the moisture. The granola comes out of the oven like a huge, chewy bar, which can be broken off into perfect bite size chunks or crumbled into smaller pieces.

Dump the mixture onto one lined baking sheet. Spread it out, lay the second piece of parchment on top, and place the second baking sheet (right-side up) on top of the parchment.

Bake for 20 minutes, rotate, and bake for 15-20 minutes more. Remove top baking sheet and parchment, then cool without stirring.

showing how to sandwich the granola between two baking sheets to make clusters.
two sheet pans with baked granola between.

Yummy Additions and Modifications

This easy recipe is a simple mixture of oats and nuts since the maple coating delivers the flavor punch. However, it can be customized with some of the suggestions below.

  • Sunflower Seeds or pepitas
  • Dried Fruit, but add after baking!
  • Coconut – sometimes I add this halfway through baking so it gets a nice toasty flavor
  • Banana Chips, chocolate chips, or carob nibs – also best added after baking
  • Flax seed or ground flax – add with the oats
  • Any preferred nuts or leave out!
    a close up of GF granola in a white bowl with milk and berries.
    This is absolute bakery-style granola perfection. It’s so good, I gift it for the holidays every year along with the recipe because everyone always asks!

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    Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa

    a bowl of homemade granola with milk and berries
    5 stars (13 ratings)

    Chunky, Crunchy Gluten-Free Granola With Maple

    Melissa Erdelac of MamaGourmand headshot in patterned dress.Melissa Erdelac
    Yield: 16 1/4-cup servings
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    If you love chewy, chunky and crispy granola then this is the best gluten-free granola recipe out there. It's fully of toasty oats, nuts and covered with sticky spiced maple syrup, making big clusters of goodness. Grab a handful for satisfying snack or make a batch as your family's favorite gluten-free breakfast idea!
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    Ingredients
     

    Equipment

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
    • In a large bowl mix together rolled oats, cashews, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest.
      2 ½ cups gluten free rolled oats, ½ cup cashews, ½ cup almonds, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, zest of 1 orange
    • In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl melt together butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and salt. Once the butter has melted and ingredients are mixed together, pour over dry ingredients. Stir to combine. 
      6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt
    • Dump the mixed granola onto one lined baking sheet, spreading it out evenly. Lay the second piece of parchment on top of the granola, and place the second baking sheet (right-side up) on top of the parchment. You have a baking sheet / granola sandwich.
    • Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Rotate and continue baking for 15-20 minutes, or until granola edges are golden brown, but middle is still soft.
    • Remove top baking sheet and parchment and cool, undisturbed, without stirring. After granola has cooled completely break into chunks. 
    Calories: 161kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 182mg, Potassium: 123mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 131IU, Vitamin C: 0.02mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below. It helps others when searching for recipes and I LOVE feedback!