Christmas Spiced Granola with Orange & Cranberry

My Christmas Spiced Granola with Orange and Cranberry is popular at this time of year. I add a variety of nuts and seeds for crunch, along with warming cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, which work perfectly with orange and cranberry. Make ahead and enjoy for an easy Christmas breakfast or Boxing Day brunch.

My festive granola is a hit at this time of year, but something I like to make the year round as I love the combination of flavors. Warming spices with orange will always be a go to.

This easy Christmas granola recipe can be easily adapted to suit your own tastes, varying the nuts, seeds, dried fruits and spices depending on what you fancy at the time and have in your stores at home.

If you enjoy the flavours in this granola recipe you should also check out my Christmas Spiced Flapjacks recipe.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• The perfect balance of Christmas spice flavours with a combination of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
• Make up to a week ahead of the big day and store, ready to serve for an easy breakfast on Christmas morning.
• Feed a crowd as one batch of granola goes a long way.
• With a few swaps this granola can be gluten free and vegan too.

Recipe ingredients

• Oats – I use regular porridge oats (rolled oats) as the base for this granola recipe. Use gluten free oats if needed.
• Nuts – I used chopped pecans and pistachios, as well as flaked almonds.
• Seeds – sunflower and pumpkin seeds add great crunch and texture to the granola.
• Ginger – I use finely chopped crystallised ginger in this granola mix, it really adds to the flavour.
• Oil – I used coconut oil to help bind the ingredients together but you can use any light flavoured oil.
• Unrefined sugar – I use honey, but maple or agave syrups would work well too.
• Spices – I used a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
• Salt – I add a touch of salt to balance out the sweet flavors.
• Vanilla – I use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste as it has the best flavor.
• Orange – I added the finely grated zest of 2 oranges to the granola mix. You could also use mandarins, satsumas or clementines, just add a little more given they are smaller fruits.
• Cranberry – I like stir through some dried cranberries once the granola has baked.

How to make Christmas granola recipe

• Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°CFan. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment or a silicone baking mat.
• Finely chop the pistachios, pecans and crystallised ginger.
• In a large bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, seeds and crystallised ginger.

• In a small saucepan, add the coconut oil, honey, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla extract and orange zest. Warm slightly to allow the coconut oil to become liquid.
• Once the sugar and oil mixture has warmed through and is in a liquid state, add to the dry oat mix.

• Stir together until fully incorporated and all the dry ingredients are covered evenly with the coconut oil and honey mixture.
• Pour the mixture onto the lined baking tray and spread evenly across the tray in a single layer.

• Place the tray in the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, turn the granola over and place the tray back in the oven for a further 10 minutes.
• Remove the tray from the oven and stir through the dried cranberries.
• Allow the granola to cool on the tray before placing in an airtight container.

Recipe variations

This easy granola recipe is really adaptable to suit your own tastes. Here are some ideas:

• You can use any combination of nut in this recipe, try whole almonds rather than flaked, walnuts, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, cashews.
• I use a mix of sunflower and pumpkin seeds as I always have them in my stores and they add great crunch and texture. You could also use flaxseeds, chia seeds or a blend of mixed seeds.
• I’ve added dried cranberries, but you can use the dried fruits of choice. Try raisins, golden raisins, sultanas, goji berries, apricots, figs, dates or prunes. If adding larger dried fruits I recommend chopping them up first.
• Adjust the spiced to suit your own tastes, you could also add a pinch of ground cloves or allspice.
• If there is a spice you don’t like leave it out and add more of the spices you do enjoy.
• Make vegan Christmas granola by swapping the honey for maple syrup, or agave syrup.
• For gluten free Christmas granola ensure you use gluten free porridge oats.

Serving suggestions

Keep things simple and enjoy a bowl of this delicious granola with ice cold milk, a perfect start to the day. Or do as I’ve done here and sprinkle some over Greek yogurt. I’ve added fresh orange slices, but you can add any sliced fruit or a handful of fresh berries.

My kids love sprinkling some Christmas granola over a bowl of cinnamon spiced porridge for added crunch and texture.

When baking breakfast muffins, sprinkle some granola over the top of the muffins before baking in the oven.

Useful hints and tips

1. Line the baking tray with a silicone mat or baking parchment, this will stop the granola from sticking to the tray.
2. Stir the cranberries through once the granola is baked. If you add the cranberries earlier they will dry out too much and possibly catch and burn in the oven. By adding them at the end they retain their chew.
3. I recommend using 2 baking trays if you plan to make a double batch of granola. Two thinner layers of granola will crisp up better than one thick layer which you will need to bake for longer.
4. For vegan diners, swap honey for maple or agave syrup.
5. For coeliacs or gluten free diners, ensure you use gluten free porridge oats.
6. Allergy advice: dairy free, egg free, soya free and peanut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

FAQs

Pin the recipe

Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then try some of my favourite healthy breakfast recipes:

• Chocolate & Hazelnut Granola
• Cinnamon Granola with Apricot & Almond
• Christmas Gingerbread Granola from Farmersgirl Kitchen
• Baked Nectarines with Hazelnuts & Yogurt
• Healthy Green Smoothie

For all my favourite breakfast and brunch recipes in once place, check out my Ultimate Guide to Brunch.

Christmas Spiced Granola with Orange & Cranberry

Christmas Spiced Granola with Orange and Cranberry combines a variety of nuts and seeds for crunch, and warming cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, which work perfectly with orange and cranberry.

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin SaveSaved!

Disable Screen Sleep ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 246kcal

Author: Lesley Garden

Equipment

• 24 x 36cm (91/2 x 14") baking tray with sides
• silicone baking mat or parchment paper

Ingredients

• ▢ 150 g porridge oats
• ▢ 40 g pecans (chopped)
• ▢ 40 g pistachios (chopped)
• ▢ 40 g flaked almonds
• ▢ 20 g sunflower seeds
• ▢ 30 g pumpkin seeds
• ▢ 40 g crystallised ginger (finely chopped)
• ▢ 70 g coconut oil
• ▢ 100 g honey
• ▢ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tsp ground ginger
• ▢ ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ▢ ¼ tsp salt
• ▢ ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ zest of 2 oranges (finely zested)
• ▢ 100 g dried cranberries

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°CFan. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment or a silicone baking mat.
• In a large bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, seeds and crystallised ginger.
• In a small saucepan, add the coconut oil, honey, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla extract and orange zest. Warm slightly to allow the coconut oil to become liquid.
• Once the sugar and oil mixture has warmed through and is in a liquid state, add to the dry oat mix. Stir together until fully incorporated and all the dry ingredients are covered evenly with the coconut oil and honey mixture.
• Pour the mixture onto the lined baking tray and spread evenly across the tray in a single layer.
• Place the tray in the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, turn the granola over and place the tray back in the oven for a further 10 minutes.
• Remove the tray from the oven and stir through the dried cranberries.
• Allow the granola to cool on the tray before placing in an airtight container. Store the granola in an airtight container, in a cool place/counter top for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

• This is a really versatile granola, add the nuts, seeds and dried fruits of choice.
• Adjust the spiced to suit your own tastes.
• Make a vegan Christmas granola by swapping the honey for maple syrup, or agave syrup.
• Only stir the cranberries through once the granola is baked. If you add the cranberries earlier they will dry out too much and possibly catch in the oven. By adding them at the end they retain their chew.

Nutrition Facts

Christmas Spiced Granola with Orange & Cranberry

Amount Per Serving

Calories 246 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Trans Fat 0.003g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 5g

Sodium 52mg2%

Potassium 165mg5%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 16g18%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 26IU1%

Vitamin C 3mg4%

Calcium 30mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •

Course : Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine : British

Keyword : Christmas breakfast, cinnamon granola, cinnamon granola cereal, cranberry and orange, granola with cinnamon, healthy breakfast egg muffins

Tried this recipe? We’d love to see your photos!Mention @lostinf00d or tag #lostinfood!

Share on Facebook