On a whim, I purchased a box of quinoa flakes, not knowing what I would do with them or what to expect taste-wise. I’m happy to say that this was a great leap of faith, and worth the risk. My first discovery is that it makes a great substitute for oats in granola.
Quinoa flakes are very light and crispy when baked in the granola, and they’re gluten-free! And just in case you didn’t know, they’re a seed, and a great source of protein. The package has a recipe for hot cereal, however I’m thinking “oatmeal” cookies might be great with quinoa flakes.
I have a feeling you’ll love this mix, especially if you love crunchy granola. I’ve been snacking on this granola for several days, and it is definitely sweet and crunchy, and goes great with yogurt and milk (I’ve had it with almond milk). If you want to lower the sweetness level, you could take the amount of maple syrup down to 1/3 or a 1/4 of a cup, and still have crunchy granola.
I didn’t add vanilla to this recipe, and it didn’t seem to need it, in my humble opinion. I do use a good quality maple syrup (Grade B) that has lots of flavor, so that might have something to do with it. If you like that extra taste of vanilla, add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to the cooked liquid mixture before adding the dry ingredients and baking.
Oh, and feel free to swap out the nuts and dried fruit I use with your favorites. If you like your granola a bit finer, place the nuts in a blender or food processor for a quick whirl to chop them up into finer pieces.
Quinoa Granola
Update: I now save the dried fruit from the baking process and add it into the cooked granola so that the fruit stays soft, rather than baking and becoming hard. You can do it either way, I just wanted to let you know there’s another way. Enjoy!Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of maple syrup (or honey)
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of oil
- 1 cup of quinoa flakes
- 1/2 cup of raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup of raw almonds
- 1/2 cup of raw hazelnuts
- 1/2 cup of yellow raisins
Method
- In a large saucepan (that can hold all the granola later on), add the maple syrup, salt, and oil, and bring to a low boil. Stir occasionally.
- Preheat your oven to 325°F/165°C.
- After about 5 minutes of a steady, low boil, turn the heat off, and let the syrup cool for a moment.
- Add all the dry ingredients, except for the dried fruit, to the saucepan and mix well until all the dry stuff is coated well.
- Place a piece of parchment paper or a non-stick pad on a cookie sheet. Spread the granola out across the cookie sheet.
- Bake for about 15
20minutes, or until it is starting to brown just a bit. - Cool for about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the dried fruit.
- Enjoy!
- Store in a sealed container.
I made this once at home and then in a cooking class. People loved it, even a woman who previously did not like quinoa. I thought it was plenty sweet w/maple syrup.
Your Cinnamon Bun Muffins were also a hit in another cooking class last year. I plan to repeat them in more classes.
Chef Rachel, The Healthy Cooking Coach
cool that you’re using the recipes for a cooking class! Thanks Rachel!
Love this granola. I baked it a little too long but it is still yummy. Next time I am going to add organic rolled oats. Planning on taking on the plane for a nutritious snack. Love your website.
Thanks!
Erica, I’ve been trying to figure out how to make granola with some quinoa flakes I bought. Thanks a ton for the recipe! If it works well I’ll share it over at Healthy Indulgences with credit to your blog, of course. 🙂
I love browsing your website and even if I haven’t gotten to bake much lately. The mouthwateringly good yet simple, clean photography and practical advice you offer with your recipes make your blog a refreshing read.
Thanks! Let me know when you post it. I imagine it will be sugar-free 🙂
This is fantastic! I love how the quinoa flakes become crunchy rather than chewy like oats and the salt and maple syrup are perfect…not too sweet amd not too salty. I switched up some of the nuts and added a few things. So versatile! Quinoa flakes are now a pantry staple instead of oats!
Before going gluten free I used to make granola this way with oats and am very happy to conclude that it works just ass well with quinoa flakes. Maybe even better.. What works really well, is to add a little bit of (dried) rosemary to the mixture. Really spices things up (wink wink).
Love your blog!
I just made this granola with a few variations and IT IS DELICIOUS!! I’ve been having to cut out a bunch of foods again and needed something to replace my homemade oat granola… this is perfect! I forgot how much I love hazelnuts!!! Look on my blog soon for my version!! THANK OYU FOR A GREAT RECIPE!
That looks so good for snacking or breakfast with almond milk. My mom bought be a box of flaked quinoa and I had no idea what to make with it besides hot cereal for the babies. Thanks for the idea!
where do you find quinoa flakes at??
My local PCC – a market in the Seattle area. Maybe health food stores nearby will have it. And of course there’s Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=quinoa+flakes&x=0&y=0
I have been looking through all these recipes and have been very intrigued, to say the least! Everything looks delicious, and I can’t wait to try some of the recipes! My question is about carbs. I am trying to eat low carb. and am wondering if these recipes, for the most part, fall under that category. I’m also trying to go gluten-free when possible. Thanks for any input you can share.
Lynda
I do focus on low-carb and low to no sugar eating, but you’ll need to access the ingredients for your own requirements.
What a blessing to have found your blog. We are gluten, egg and dairy free and also a few other things. I bought a bag of quinoa flakes just last week and am still wondering what to do with them. This is perfect. Thanks for sharing.
I made this granola today and it is so delicious and crunchy. Thanks for the recipe.
Can I use oats instead? Quinoa flakes are so expensive!
Yes! And you can find gluten-free oats too, if you need to. Bob’s Red Mill sells them, as well as other brands and stores.
Ah, yes – it is a bit on the sweet side. Cutting the sweetener in half will fix that.
I usually make a GF granola using quiona flakes and GF oats for summertime cereal. Just made your quinoa granola and it is more of a dessert. It is great! Thanks for helping me break out of my granola rut!!
I forgot to mention that I did the same with quinoa flakes. I bought them not knowing what to do with them and now I know 🙂
Thanks.
Ah. At last a granola recipe that I can try due to a) having all the ingredients available and b) looks delicious. Thanks for this. I might make some tomorrow. I’ll let you know how I get on.
No-bake cookies! I’m intrigued. Can you share your recipe?
I am totally going to make this. I have been wanting granola for such a long time. I made no-bake cookies with quinoa flakes, and they worked well for that. I didn’t really like the quinoa flakes just cooked like oatmeal, but it does seem to work well in recipes.