Strength and Sunshine

Where Gluten-Free & Allergy-Friendly Food Is Healthy & Delicious

Strawberry Mocha Granola

by 193 Comments

Whether for breakfast or as a snack, this gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free granola will have your taste buds singing! A decadent combination of strawberry, coffee, and chocolate, this Strawberry Mocha Granola will be love at first bite!

Say hello to a wonderful granola recipe today! (This is one of two you will be seeing this week!). However, I am going to talk about not just the granola, but my true kitchen tool love, my granola paddle! I also have to put a disclaimer here and tell you that this is actually the paddle I got from my rice cooker years ago! I only use it for granola now…weird, I know.

Strawberry Mocha Granola | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 #granola #breakfast #strawberry #mocha #glutenfree #vegan #snack

Now, this paddle is my pride and joy. I love it and it’s just the perfect granola tool! I would never think of using some other “spatula” for granola-making. It just wouldn’t work! I might be biased (okay, I am) but if you want to master the art of granola-making you must use a think plastic rice cooker paddle. If it’s gentle enough for fluffing rice, than it is gentle enough for making fabulous granola!

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Granola Paddle | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 #granola

You think I’m joking, but I’m not. This little thing is my best friend!

Strawberry Mocha Granola | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 #granola #breakfast #strawberry #mocha #glutenfree #vegan #snack

I have used it every time I’ve made granola (which is a lot). From the first to many others. With more you haven’t even seen or drempt of yet!

Strawberry Mocha Granola | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 #granola #breakfast #strawberry #mocha #glutenfree #vegan #snack

From mixing, stirring, flipping, and patting down, this paddle knows how to make the perfect granola! The one method in my granola-making that I have switched is going from foil to parchment to line the pan. I used to use foil greasing with a bit of oil, but now I use parchment and nothing sticks and I think it just works better!

Strawberry Mocha Granola | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 #granola #breakfast #strawberry #mocha #glutenfree #vegan #snack

But I have to admit, it isn’t just the paddle that makes the granola. It is the art of creativity, love, and compassion for the process. You need to give your granola-making your all! Be super unique, creative, gentle, and love every moment of it! I zen out when I make granola. There is something of peaceful about throwing all those ingredients into a huge mixing bowl, swirling it around, and then simply spreading it on a pan. The smell of it baking in the oven is always unreal and makes my mouth water!

Strawberry Mocha Granola | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 #granola #breakfast #strawberry #mocha #glutenfree #vegan #snack

I bet you’re wondering about the history of granola now, huh? Well I have it right here! It start with a man named Sylvester Graham in the early 1800s, who was a minister and advocated vegetarianism. His diet centered around whole grain wheat flour (which would be called Graham flour). He developed the crackers. Then came Dr. James Jackson in 1863, who also advocated a healthy diet and developed “Granula”, which was the flour but baked into sheets and then broken in to smaller snacking pieces. At this same time, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg was developing a diet for his patients and made a breakfast cereal of whole grains, ground up, and decided to call it “Granola” because he was sued by Jackson for using the name “Granula” in the beginning!

Strawberry Mocha Granola | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 #granola #breakfast #strawberry #mocha #glutenfree #vegan #snack

Kellogg lost interest in cereal for awhile (until Corn Flakes in 1902), so he kinda faded into the background. However, Charles Post was a patient of Kelloggs for almost a year. He left though and sought treatment elsewhere where he went on to open his own health retreat. He used Dr. Jackson’s basic recipe of “Granula” and developed Grape Nuts, which became a huge success.

Strawberry Mocha Granola | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 #granola #breakfast #strawberry #mocha #glutenfree #vegan #snack

So, Kellogg, Post, and the new company Quaker Oats, continue busting out cereals for the mainstream, but become attacked in the mid-20th century due to the sugar content and unhealthy marketing to kiddos. So, during the health food/hippe-craze of the 1960s, granola was revived as a healthy whole grain staple full of oats, whole grains, nuts, and dried fruits. All natural, crispy, and not-so sugar laden! The end 😉

Strawberry Mocha Granola

Strawberry Mocha Granola | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 #granola #breakfast #strawberry #mocha #glutenfree #vegan #snack

Ingredients: (makes about 5 cups)

+ 1 1/2 Cup Gluten-Free Rolled Oats

+ 1 1/2 Cup Crispy Brown Rice Cereal

+ 1/4 Cup Dry Buckwheat

+ 1/2 Cup Almond Pulp (crumbled, used from homemade milk)

+ 1 Cup (28g) Freeze-Dried Strawberries

+ 1/2 Cup Strawberry Puree

+ 1 TB Instant Espresso

+ 2 TB Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

+ 1 TB Cocoa Stevia Syrup

+ 1/2 Tsp Coffee Extract (optional)

Directions:

+ Preheat the oven to 325ºF.

+ In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients and give it a mix. Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix again until all is coated evenly.

+ On a baking pan lined with parchment paper, spread the granola out evenly, patting it down into a nice layer.

+ Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10.

+ Remove and let cool completely before storing in an airtight jar.

Strawberry Mocha Granola | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 #granola #breakfast #strawberry #mocha #glutenfree #vegan #snack

This granola would have been a hit with the hippes 😉 I know it was a hit with me! All the good things of coffee, chocolate, whole grains, nuts (pulp!), and fruity goodness!

So tell me:

+ Do you have a special tool you use when making one of your favorite recipes?

+ Have you ever had Grape Nuts? No, I have not and now I will never be able too, hahaha!

*Recipe linking up for the week! Allergy Free Wednesdays, #RecipeFridays, #RecipeOfTheWeek, #StrangeButGood, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Real Food Friday, Gluten-Free Fridays, Tasty Tuesdays, Savoring Saturdays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Real Food Recipe Roundup, Tasty Tuesdays, Meatless Mondays, Lena’s Tasty Tuesdays!*

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Comments

  4. I’m liking your hint about the rice cooker paddle! Plus, how can I turn down the strawberry mocha flavor combo? Thanks for stopping by and sharing this recipe with us – you’re featured this week on Five Friday Finds! I’m looking forward to what you share this week. 🙂

    Reply

  5. Strawberries in granola is seriously one of my favorite combos. Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Savoring Saturdays, Rebecca! I’m going to feature it at this weekend’s party. 😉 Can’t wait to see what you share!

    Reply

  6. Looks great! And the information about granola was quite interesting! Thanks for linking up, I can’t wait to see what you post next time!!

    -Cindy

    Reply

  7. Seriously great recipe! I love making granola but my kids seem to love when I make it too-they eat it all! I am definitely going to try this one-chocolate & strawberries – YUM! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  8. Hi Rebecca,
    This looks so good, it could become our new favorite breakfast! It’s absolutely perfect for me and my family! Thank you so much for sharing your healthy and delicious strawberry mocha granola recipe with us at the Healthy, Happy, Green and Natural Party Blog Hop. I’m pinning and sharing!

    Reply

  10. Hi Rebecca,
    Thanks for the interesting information which wasn’t fully aware of. Great recipe too. What a healthy delicious snack this would be for all ages. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pin & twitted.

    Reply

  18. Rebecca, you never stop to amaze me with all these strawberry recipes of yours 🙂 — strawberries, chocolate, AND coffee in granola? Amazing!

    I had a good laugh about the spatula too — before reading, at a glance I was wondering what a rice cooker paddle had anything to do with granola. Well, now I know 🙂

    I don’t have a favorite kitchen tool {I have so many and I love them all}, but I do have a favorite fork. It’s all bent and gnarly and I absolutely love it 🙂 It’s in most of my dessert photos too {to the chagrin of some of my friends 😉 } — now that I mentioned it, I’m sure you’ll notice it 🙂 . I also pretty much have a favorite of every utensil and dish I use: I have a special breakfast bowl, special dessert plate, special fork, special spoon, etc. I get a tad sad if I ever have to eat using something else. Pretty dishes and servingware make me happy 🙂

    Reply

    • Haha, you are such a sweetheart Audrey 🙂
      I am so wish you! I jave speical utensils amd dishes I will only use too! Don’t get me started on my plastic apoon I ise for breakfast that I kept from the Whole Foods hot bar, hahahahaha! 😉

      Reply

  19. Great granola recipes and loved learning about the history of granola too! I’ve been meaning to make up a batch of granola for awhile now. Glad I waited so I can make this recipe. I mean, how can you go wrong with strawberries, chocolate, and coffee? You can’t! 🙂

    Reply

  24. I have that paddle. I need to make granola with it now. I am a total food history geek, but didn’t know about the history of granola. Loved reading about it.

    Reply

    • Haha, there is no overpowering coffee flavor here! There are too many other great flavors bursting!

      Reply

  36. I’m sure this would be a love at first bite for me as well! I often make mocha or coffee granola’s but haven’t made one with strawberries or with almond milk pulp, both sound interesting to me. I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

  42. A little coffee IN your granola – brilliant! And I use parchment when making my granola, too. I had used foil and had sticking problems so I switched. Wonder why it took us so long to figure that out!? LOL!
    ~jules

    Reply

    • Hahaha! O the wonders for parchment 😛
      A bowl of this with a mug of coffee….perfect start to the day!

      Reply

  45. Awesome, I have never made my own granola! There is a granola maker (True North Granola) in the same building as my gym, and it drives me crazy when they are baking because it smells SO GOOD!

    Reply

    • You need to gey granola making!
      I would live at your gym! My 2 loves….fitness and granola 😉

      Reply

  49. I am so excited for summer to give all these recipes a go! How long would this granola typically last before spoiling? It sounds absolutely delicious and is truly a mix of all the finer things in life (at least mine haha) Much love!

    Reply

    • You don’t need the summer! I use frozen strawberries for my puree 😛 Haha!
      2-3 months if it is sealed correctly!

      Reply

  51. I love the strawberry mocha combo! Very creative and it sounds delicious. Thanks for the history of the mega cereal companies, very cool. I wonder what the founders of those corporations would think of the products they sell today? Pinned!

    Reply

    • NuNaturals is the best! Seriously..chocolate syrup…that is sugar and calorie free?! Crazy cool!

      Reply

  53. I never used to be a fan of coffee flavored anything, but I think I am now starting to change that opinion, and combining it with strawberry is definitely a good way to go! especially with granola, I LOVE it!! Thanks so much for linking up with us today for meatless monday 🙂

    Reply

  55. That’s such a cool background story to granola. 😀 My husband loves the stuff, I really should try out your recipe and make it for him rather than getting it from the supermarket.

    Reply

    • Wait till you see all the other flavors I have yet to post 😉 I am always thinking of granola combos!
      Hahahahahhahaha! Granula 😉 Now I am always going to think of you that way!

      Reply

  59. Ah…you know I’m all about that granola! 😛 My mission is to finish my entire collection by the end of March so that I can finally attempt to start making my own! This looks delicious, and since I’m super-Asian, I have a whole bunch of rice cooker paddles hanging out in my apartment! <3

    Reply

    • I have a bunch of “pre-made” that I never open because…well…I like making my own, hahaha!
      Omg! Yay for rice cooker paddles!

      Reply

  60. I never liked GrapeNuts when I was a kid (surprise) but fell in love with them as I got older. They are so so good heated up in the microwave – now I have a hankering for them…. This granola sounds divine!

    Reply

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rebecca

Meet Rebecca

Hey there, welcome to Strength and Sunshine! I’m Rebecca and I’m so glad you’re here! This is your go-to destination for delicious, fun, and (mostly) healthy gluten-free and allergy-free recipes, tips & tricks, advice, as well as celiac and food allergy coaching services!

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