🖨️ Print post
My family LOVES granola but the store-bought brands are FULL of added sugars on top of more sweeteners mixed with added flavors and preservatives. So I decided to create one that they will love and that has nutritional value and easy digestibility too. This granola is made with organic oats that are soaked in water and kefir. I add my favorite mix-ins and it then gets put into the oven at a VERY LOW temperature for 6-12 hours. This low temperature allows the enzymes and nutrients in the kefir, oats and nuts to remain, helping our body digest all that yummy goodness. This batch has raisins, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, cashews, bananas, raw honey and lots of cinnamon. The house smelled AMAZING!
Ingredients
- 5 cups organic rolled oats
- 4 cups HOT filtered water
- 1/2 cup kefir
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 3/4 cup raw honey
- 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
Options for add-ins:
- cranberries
- raisins
- dried apricots
- soaked and dried cashews
- soaked and dried almonds
- soaked and dried pumpkin seeds
- soaked and dried sunflower seeds
- shredded coconut
Instructions
- Mix water, oats and kefir in a bowl and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Add in the remaining ingredients after it has soaked.
- Spread mixture 1/4 inch thick on a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper or grease a stoneware jelly roll pan with coconut oil and spread mixture.
- Place in a 200°F oven for 6-12 hours until crisp.
- Serve as a snack on its own, add to yogurt or eat as a cereal. Enjoy!
Hi! I’m wondering how long the granola will last and if it needs to be kept in the refrigerator. Thanks!
Hi- I keep mine on the counter. It rarely lasts more than a week as it gets eaten quickly.
This sounds so good but I do not use kefir. Can you recommend what I can use instead of kefir?
Hi- What do you normally soak your oats in?
Is it water kefir or milk kefir that is used here?
Hi- I use milk kefir. Have a great day.
I don’t understand what you do with the bananas. ???
The bananas are mashed and mixed in with the other ingredients.
Can you use yogurt instead of kefir?
Sure!
Can I use whey instead of kefir (i.e., strained from homemade yogurt)? Thanks!
Yes, you absolutely may!
When you say very very low temperature are you talking below 118°F?
I’m wondering if you’ve ever tried doing it with whole oats groats? My understanding was that once A grain is rolled a vitamin E is oxidized fairly quickly like in a few days…
I have a new coaching client who makes her own granola and I want it to be as nutrition dense as possible .
Would love to hear any thoughts you might have 🙂
Of course I went back and read your post and saw that you said 200°.
My understanding was that enzymes start breaking down above 118°F…
If you are that concerned- you could use a dehydrator.
I soak whole grain oats in salt water for 24 hours (I’ll add kefir next time), then dry them in a dehydrator. I soak my nuts and seeds in salt water for 6-8 hours, then put in dehydrator.
On granola making day, I use my flaker to flake the oats, use my food processor to chop up the larger nuts and seeds, then make a granola similar to yours. I then eat my granola with milk kefir.
Hello,
I’m confused why the water has to be hot to soak the oats? I always used warm water when soaking oats for oatmeal. Is it to kind of cook the oats? Doesn’t the hot water destroy the goodness of the kefir?
Hello!
I’ve just put my granola in the oven. It’s the first time I soak oat, my soaked granola in the oven is like porridge! very sticky. Is it normal, or I’ve done something rong? Thank you!
This is a great question! I’d like to know the answer too 🙂
Can you soak your nuts with the oats or does that need to be done separately?