This homemade pumpkin spice granola recipe is the perfect fall treat! It’s full of crunchy bits of granola dotted with warm spices, sweet pumpkin, tart cranberries, and nutty pecans. Plus, it’s vegan and gluten-free!
Whether or not you’re a part of the pumpkin spice craze each fall, you have to admit there’s nothing quite like the smell of sweet spices baking in the oven. Honestly, the smell of this granola is just so darn good – it’s intoxicating!
This is my ideal granola texture, filled with crunchy nuts, seeds, and oats. It’s nourishing, satisfying, and lightly sweetened. Lately, I’ve been enjoying it with a slow-roasted sweet potato and a dollop of creamy Greek yogurt for breakfast.
Ingredient Notes
- Oats: Make sure to buy old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats. If you’re gluten-free, look for gluten-free certified oats.
- Seeds: I like using a mix of golden flax seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds, but you can use whatever mix you like!
- Nuts: Pecans give this a truly “fall” flavor but you can also use walnuts or almonds.
- Pumpkin Puree: You’ll need ½ cup of canned pumpkin puree. If you need ideas for leftover pumpkin, I recommend my pumpkin pasta sauce or garlic pumpkin cheesy bread.
- Spices: I call for a mix of pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and ground ginger. No ground ginger? Use 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger.
Optional: I like to sprinkle the top of the granola with demerara (or turbinado sugar) for added sweetness and crunch, but it will be delicious without it, too!
TIP: With all the fiber-rich ingredients like chia and flax seeds, this granola is wonderfully filling. I found that starting with smaller portions is great, especially if you’re new to fiber-packed foods.
For a full list of ingredients and their quantities, please refer to the recipe card.
Serving Suggestions
In addition to my sweet potato breakfast, I highly recommend enjoying this in:
- a bowl of Greek yogurt with your favorite nut butter (like this salted chocolate hazelnut spread!) and fresh fruit
- a bowl of milk for a classic cereal situation
- a bowl of ice cream with a drizzle of maple syrup or caramel sauce
The possibilities are endless! If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments 🙂 Looking for a more summery variation? Try my tropical granola!
How to Make This Recipe
The base recipe was adapted from a favorite cookbook of mine, Soframiz, aka the owners of the wonderful Sofra Bakery. In it, they shared an olive oil granola that tastes so, so good. I kept most of the same ratios, but played around with adding pumpkin puree and more nuts and seeds.
- Drain the pumpkin puree: Add pumpkin to a paper towel-lined plate. Spread evenly over the paper towel and allow to sit for 5 – 10 minutes, then transfer the drained puree to a medium bowl.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine oats, seeds, spices, and salt with a wooden spoon.
- Mix the wet ingredients: To the medium bowl, add the brown sugar, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry until the oats are well-coated.
- Spread: Line a full sheet pan (or two half-sheet pans) with parchment paper. Spread the mixture onto the pans in an even layer, about ½-inch thick. Sprinkle with demearara sugar and flaky salt, if using.
- Bake and cool: Bake for about 30 – 35 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the mixture is nicely golden brown and the oats are mostly dry to the touch. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool. After a few minutes of cooling, sprinkle the cranberries over the top, then cool completely before enjoying.
Tips
- Drain the pumpkin puree: Draining the pumpkin puree eliminates excess moisture and prevents the granola from becoming too soggy, so don’t skip this step!
- Don’t bake the cranberries: Dried fruit will dry out even further in the oven, so make sure to add them after baking the granola!
- Play around: If you like this recipe, I recommend experimenting with different nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Instead of cranberries, pecans, and sesame seeds, I bet it’d be delicious with chopped up crystallized ginger, walnuts, and chocolate chips!
Storage Instructions
Room temperature: Granola should be cooled completely, then stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 1 month.
Freezer: Alternatively, store in the freezer in an airtight Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
Make sure you drain the pumpkin puree and don’t take the granola out of the oven too early! It’s done when it smells sweet and toasty, the granola is *mostly* dry to the touch (it’ll continue to harden as it cools), and it’s a nice golden brown color.
Because the pumpkin puree stains the oats, it’ll already be a bit darker before baking, so I recommend saving a piece of raw granola to compare to the cooked version. Once it’s darkened significantly, it’s done.
No, pumpkin pie filling has a bunch of additional ingredients, like evaporated milk, spices, and sugar, so it’ll completely change the texture of the granola. Look for 100% pure pumpkin!
You can try 1 – 2 tablespoons of additional brown sugar or 2 – 3 tablespoons of additional maple syrup. Do note that more sugar increases the likelihood of clusters.
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Pumpkin Spice Granola
Ingredients
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree, such as Libby's
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup pepitas, also known as pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- ¾ cup golden flax seeds
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon demerara or turbinado sugar, optional
- Flaky salt, for topping
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 163℃.
- Drain pumpkin: Place a double layer of paper towels on a large plate. Spread ½ cup canned pumpkin puree evenly over the paper towels. Place another layer of paper towels on top, gently pressing to absorb excess moisture. Let it sit for about 10 – 15 minutes, then carefully remove the top layer of paper towels and transfer the drained puree to a medium bowl for use.
- Mix dry ingredients: Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, ½ cup pepitas, ½ cup pecans, ¾ cup golden flax seeds, ¼ cup chia seeds, ¼ cup sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, and 2 teaspoons sea salt.
- Mix wet ingredients: To the medium bowl, add the ⅓ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth.
- Combine the wet ingredients into the dry until the oats are well-coated.
- Spread: Evenly spread the mixture on a full sheet pan (or two half-sheet pans). Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon demerara or turbinado sugar if using, and flaky salt.
- Bake: Bake for about 30 – 35 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the mixture is deeply golden brown, the oats are mostly dry to the touch, and the kitchen smells wonderful.Note: Because the pumpkin puree stains the oats, it'll already be "golden brown" before baking, so it can be more difficult to tell when they're done. I recommend saving a piece of raw granola to compare to the cooked version. Once it's darkened significantly, it's ready!
- Cool: Place the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool. After a few minutes of cooling, sprinkle 1 cup dried cranberries on top, then cool completely, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight container, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Can you use honey instead of maple syrup?
Hi Rachel,
I haven’t tried honey myself, but I’d expect it could work as a substitute, though it will likely yield a slightly sweeter, milder flavor than the maple syrup. And I think the texture might be a bit chewier. Do let me know if you give it a try!
Owner’s Review: This is now my go-to granola recipe; I love how it has so many fun, crunchy textures from the oats, chia seeds, and nuts.