This healthy banana bread granola uses just 6 ingredients, tastes incredible and is also oil-free and vegan. It's the perfect way to use your ripe bananas!
Got some overly ripe bananas on your counter? Instead of whipping up the classic banana bread, let's use those sweet yellow beauties in a healthy breakfast recipe!
Our clustery banana bread granola has all the classic flavors of banana bread – you know like walnuts, cinnamon, and banana – but is fiber-rich, naturally sweetened, full of giant clusters of crunchy granola. And to me, this is the ultimate breakfast treat. It tastes like dessert, but is actually nutritious!
A Healthy, Low Sugar Granola
Some might argue that the best way to use ripe bananas is in banana bread, and while I agree, here's why I think it's better in banana bread granola:
- It's faster to make
- It will last you longer
- It only uses 6 ingredients
- 3 bananas = 24 servings of granola
I mean not to knock banana bread, but I think you get way more bang for your buck with this granola. Plus, for every 1/4 cup of granola (1 serving), you're getting just 4 grams of sugar and 3 grams of protein! #WIN
How to Make Oil-Free Granola
Here's the thing about good granola: you need fat. Why? Because fat helps make it crispy.
Without a fat, your granola won't be quite as flavorful and you won't be able to get it as clustery or crispy. Does that mean you need oil? Not necessarily…
I would say about 95% of granola recipes have oil. My preferred oil is coconut oil, but today we're not using oil! We're making this oil-free granola by adding in some tahini. Tahini is a great source of healthy fats and since it's on the thicker side, it also helps you get super clustery granola.
I love using tahini in sweet recipes because it adds an extra nuttiness and almost helps to mellow out the sugar a bit. It's a great balance and just helps this banana granola recipe have that much more flavor!
If you don't like tahini but still want to make oil-free granola, just swap the oil with a nut/seed butter and it should absolutely still work!
Why You'll Love This Banana Bread Granola
Not that you need any more convincing at this point, but if you're still on the fence if this banana bread granola is for you, let me sway your mind. This granola is…
clumpy & clustery
low in sugar, but still tastes sweet
uses just 6 ingredients
pairs well with all flavors
is full of fiber & heart-healthy fats
tastes like dessert but is healthy enough for breakfast
Do you need me to go on? Yeah, I didn't think so ????now it's up to you! When you whip up your own batch of this granola, make sure to come back to this post, give it a star rating and let us know what you thought!
More Ways to Use Ripe Bananas:
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Banana Blueberry Crumble
- Chunky Monkey Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
- Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast Bars
Oil-Free Banana Bread Granola
Ingredients
- 5 cups gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 bananas
- 1/4 cup tahini (or nut butter of choice)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Mash the bananas in a separate bowl until smooth. Stir in the tahini and syrup and beat vigorously until everything is combined (you don't want large chunks of tahini!).
- Pour the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until well mixed and all the ingredients are coated.
- Separate the mixture onto two baking sheets, and bake for 30 - 35 minutes, until the granola is starting to brown. I recommend stirring and flipping it every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking.
- Let cool completely then transfer to an airtight container. Store in a cool, dry place for two weeks.
Video
Nutrition
This was really good – I just threw the bananas, tahini and maple syrup in the vitamix to make it easy to mix in with the oats. It came out great.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Mine came out soggy and not very crispy. What did I do wrong?
I think it didn’t bake quite enough or you had too much banana. Make sure to also follow the instructions at the end for making it SUPER crispy!
Metric measurements please? ❣
This recipe looks DELICIOUS, thanks for sharing!! I really want to try it soon.. Quick question though, does it not get soggy (and lose the crunchy texture)? I tried a recipe with banana once, and I think it made the oats soggy… xx
Mine doesn’t! I like to leave it in the oven (with the oven off) for 4 – 6 extra hours to ensure that it stays nice and crispy!
ohhh thanks for your reply! I just saw it. I’m going to try this recipe today!! Final question (sorry!), can I use Agave syrup instead of Maple syrup? What’s the difference?? Thanks so much Alyssa! <3
Sure! The difference is what it comes from and amount of sucrose in it 🙂
This was so good that I had to comment. I did add lactose free chips, cranberries and dried coconut so I increased the sugar by a lot. However, I love that the granola is toned down in sugar; I didn’t worry as much about what to put in it. This is amazing. It tastes like something you’d get at a Farmer’s market. Hail SQ!
Can I use frozen banana? Thanks
I think so as long as you let it thaw completely!
I loved this recipe, with minimal ingredients and using tahini to make it oil free. This granola will replace porridge for my breakfast this spring. Thanks Alyssa!
I’m so glad!! I’m excited to share some new variations 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! Do you think it’s possible to make it without tree nuts? My son is allergic to every nut BUT peanuts. I could sub in peanuts or maybe add a mixture of coconut and dried cranberries or blueberries? If anyone has tried it nut free let me know 🙂
I would say just sub in peanuts! And yes, you could also add in any extras you wanted too 🙂
This granola is delicious and so easy to make. My boys love it, they can’t stop munching on it. Thanks For the recipe!
One of my faves too! So glad you all enjoy it 🙂
I absolutely adore this recipe!! I’ve made it 4 times with different nut variations and it always tastes amazing!! I also swapped one cup of the oats for one cup of mixed seeds, such as chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, etc to add a bit more fiber, and it turns out lovely!
Oh I’m so glad!! Yay 🙂
This granola was absolutely amazing! I used pecans instead of walnuts and it was perfect for my family. Thank you! 🙂
YAY!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 One of my favorites!
OMG 😀 SOOO Good!!! Thank you for sharing <3
I added pecans and sunflower seeds to the mix.
So glad you enjoyed it! xo
Hello !! May I ask how long would the granola last in an air tight container for ?
At least a few weeks!
Can I try nut butter instead of tahini? What would be a good substitute for tahini?? Thank you!!
Totally! Any nut or seed butter will work!
I enjoyed this recipe. I used honey and pecans. It is slightly sweet and it is perfect for cereal.
Love those substitutions! Please leave a star rating when you have a moment 🙂 xox
Can I add more nut butter to the mix if I want it nuttier? I love peanut butter so I’ll take any chance to add it into recipes.
You can, but you’ll want to reduce the amount of other liquids and/or add more oats!
I just made this. It is delicious! I am leaving it in the oven for the next 4 to 6 hours like you suggested. Sure this will be a regular in my batch cooking. Just wandering what size bananas you use. I used four,as mine were small and the oats I buy are courser than most. Thank you for the recipe!🙂
I just use a cup of mashed bananas, so it varies based on their size. I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
This is the BEST granola recipe! I honestly make it once a week. It’s so easy and delicious and a perfect use for overripe bananas!
Woohoo!! It really is one of the best!
This granola is delicious!! I used cashews and peanut butter and it is to die for! I can’t stop eating it! Haha
this granola + peanut butter almond milk and berries = to die for!
BEST COMBO!
I just recently found your site and it’s been a lifesaver! I’ve made at least 6 different energy balls and this recipe I’ve made at least 10 times already. My 91 year old dad who kept wanting to eat cereal (which I wouldn’t let him) loves this. I do too. It’s one of the few healthy things he’ll eat anymore. I did add some chia and hemp seeds to it and can’t wait to try some different nuts and maybe some pumpkin seeds, but otherwise wanted to say thank you!
I LOVE THIS!! So glad that you’ve been enjoying the recipes and that you’ve gotten your dad on board too 🙂 Makes me so happy!
Yum! Used steel-cut oats because I always eat granola with milk and like the way they hold up better! Love the idea of using mashed bananas instead of oil, genius!
FUN! So glad that worked!
Absolutely Awesome recipe…ivdded almonds and peacans..flax raisins and coconut…mmmm thanks for sharing
Yum sounds amazing!!
Hi 😀
This recipe is well written, thank you for that.
I tried it out but the banana flavor was too strong for my liking, I like my granola nuttier.
I might try this recipe again with apple sauce instead of bananas and peanut butter instead of tahini.
I look forward to trying more recipes from your blog.
Have a lovely day.
I think you’d really like this one!! https://www.simplyquinoa.com/nutty-date-coconut-granola/
I just made this. It is delicious! I am leaving it in the oven for the next 4 to 6 hours like you suggested. Sure this will be a regular in my batch cooking. Just wandering what size bananas you use. I used four,as mine were small and the oats I buy are courser than most. Thank you for the recipe!🙂 five stars!
I just use a cup of mashed bananas, so it varies based on their size. I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
I just made this granola last night and it turned out wonderful! I used almond butter instead of tahini as that’s what I had on hand and unused a mix of walnuts and almonds. Delicious! I placed half of the granola in our freezer so I can grab some whenever I need. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I love those swaps! I’m so glad you are enjoying it 🙂 Thanks for the review!
We love a great “clustery” granola so we tried this one this week after seeing it on the instagram feed. I loved it, my husband wasn’t a huge fan of the banana taste. I’m looking at all the other granola recipes to try another. It’s hard to tell from the photos which one might have a high cluster ratio. What would you recommend as a second try that has the great clusters but maybe not the banana taste?
I would try either the blueberry or the vanilla! They’re all so good 🙂
I just made this granola and it is so good. I added flax, hemp, and pumpkin seeds. I love all your recipes. Thank you!
Love the additions! Thanks so much for the review!
Hi, if i omit d maple syrup, will it still be crunchy? Maple syrup is very pricey in my country and i am also trying to cut down (minimize) sugar in my diet, tq
Could you try honey? You’ll definitely want some extra sweetness I think!