Keto Granola is food eaten as a snack and as breakfast; it contains nuts, rolled oats, honey, and brown sugar, and in some instances, puffed rice is also an ingredient. Granola is baked until it is crispy and golden brown.
However, now that we know what granola is, we can move further to the more important question, is Keto granola a new Keto-friendly item? We will try to answer that question in this article.
Is Granola Keto Friendly?
Most store-bought varieties of granola are not Keto friendly since they contain sugar and grains. However, you can make Keto friendly granola at home with the help of ingredients such as macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, lemon zest, golden flaxseeds, pumpkin, sesame, pistachios, almonds, coconut, and olive oil.
This homemade variety of granola can also be eaten on other diets as it is Paleo and vegan-friendly, grain-free, and gluten-free.
Keto granola recipe
Ingredients
- Nuts: Use the nuts that suit you and make sure they are raw and unsalted. Most people use a blend of cashews, walnuts, and almonds.
- Flour (Almond): The blenched variety of almond flour helps keep the Keto Granola together.
- Coconut (Shredded): Use shredded coconut flakes and make sure that they are unsweetened. The coconut flakes should be fine enough to hold the granola together.
- Maple Syrup (keto Friendly): Adds sweetness to the granola and binds it.
Instructions
The Keto version of granola is easy to make, and you start by preheating the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, you will need to grab a large baking tray and line it with parchment paper, which can easily be removed once the granola has cooled down.
You will need to take a large bowl and put all the ingredients in it: almond flour, shredded coconuts, and your favorite nuts; mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Then you will need to add the Keto friendly maple syrup and mix well until all the dry ingredients are covered.
Once the mixture is ready, transfer it to the baking tray, spread the batter evenly throughout the baking tray, and bake it in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Initially, the granola will be soft, but it will get firm once it’s baked. Once the edges of the granola are of golden brown color, please remove it from the oven.
Allow the granola to cool down, do not remove it from the baking tray until it’s cool. Once the granola is cool, take a knife, cut it into different shapes and enjoy it.
Serving Ideas For Granola
People usually enjoy eating granola as it is, but there are some foods that you can
pair them with:
- Ice Cream: Take a handful of Keto-friendly ice cream and top it with some granola.
- Milk: Take a bowl, add the granola and dairy-free milk, and devour it.
- Crunch Bars: Use granola as an ingredient for crunch bars.
- Trail Mix: Mix granola with chocolate chips, chocolates, seeds, or nuts put it in a lunchbox.
How To Store And Freeze Keto Granola?
- Store: If you have granola leftovers, make sure you keep them in a sealable container at room temperature. This storage method will not soften up the granola.
- Freeze: Keto-friendly clusters of granola can also be frozen. All you need to do is put the granola in a sealed container and store it in the fridge. Keto Granola can last in the freezer for up to six months.
Ingredients
- Pecans (Raw)
- Almonds (Raw)
- Pumpkin Seeds (Raw)
- Shredded Coconut (Unsweetened)
- Coconut Oil (melted)
- Salt
- Maple Syrup (Sugar-free)
- Vanilla Extract (Gluten-free)
If you want to, you can swap the maple syrup with a liquid sweetener (sugar-free) in this recipe.
Instructions
Add the chopped pecans, almonds, salt, and pumpkin seeds to a large bowl and mix all the ingredients well. Next, add unsweetened cocoa, coconut to the bowl, and mix well. In a small mixing bowl, add coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup (sugar-free). After mixing the ingredients of the small bowl, add the mixture to the large bowl.
Mix the batter until the nuts have a thick coating. Next, taking a baking tray, make sure it is lined with parchment paper, pour the granola mixture, spread evenly, and bake it in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not stir the mixture while it is in the oven, and once the granola is baked, take it out of the oven and let it cool down in the baking tray.
Keto Granola Cereal Recipe
Ingredients
- Almonds (One Cup)
- Pecans (One Cup)
- Hazelnut (One Cup)
- Pumpkin Seeds (1/3 Cup)
- Sunflower Seeds (1/3 Cup)
- Golden Flax Seed Meal (1/2 Cup)
- Egg White (One/Large)
- Butter (1/4 Cup/melted/can also be swapped by ghee or coconut oil)
- Best Erythritol (Six tbsp.)
- Vanilla Extract (One tsp)
Instructions
The first step is to preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit/ 163 degrees Celsius, then line a baking tray with parchment paper. Put hazelnuts and almonds in a food processor, and chop them into large pieces. Next, add the Pecan to the food processor, and stop the machine once the Pecan is chopped into large pieces.
Add more ingredients to the food processor, such as Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds, Golden flaxseed meal, and Erythritol, and don’t turn the food processor off until all the ingredients are mixed well. Make sure that you don’t overdo the processing.
Next, add the egg white to the food processor and the other ingredients, take a small bowl, pour in the melted butter along with the vanilla extract, whisk both the items and then pour them into the food processor. Mix the vanilla extract, melted butter, and egg white in the Food processor. Repeat the processing until the batter is even.
Ensure you don’t over-process the ingredients; once the processing is done, you will have a blend of nut pieces and a coarse meal. Next, transfer the mixture from the food processor to a baking tray, spread the mixture evenly on the tray, bake in the oven for fifteen to eighteen minutes, and take the granola out of the oven once the corners turn golden brown.
Once the baking process is done, bring the tray out of the oven and let it cool down. Once the keto granola is cool enough, cut it into different pieces.
Risks Associated With The Ketogenic Diet
Fatigue And Ketogenic Flu
Some people that follow the ketogenic diet might experience some side effects at the beginning, such as Ketogenic flu. The Keto flu happens when the body is in a transition face as it is going from using glucose as an energy source to ketones. Symptoms of the keto flu are fatigue, headache, dizziness, cramps, diarrhea, palpitations, and sleep-related issues.
The good news is that most side effects caused by the Keto diet last for a few weeks and then diminish. To lessen the side effects, make sure your body transfers to ketosis as slowly as possible.
Constipation Due To Lack Of Vegetables And Fruits
The Keto diet removes most of the fruits, vegetables, and grains from your diet, as it emphasizes the intake of foods rich in healthy fats. The lack of fruits and vegetables may cause a lack of fiber in your body and, in rare cases, can lead to constipation.
Nutrient Deficiencies
Taking foods out of your diet that you consume daily is tough and sometimes can create issues. The Ketogenic diet is low in folic acid, Vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium, which in the long run can lead to nutrient deficiencies in your body.
Risky For Diabetic Patients
For people with diabetes, changing diet plans is risky, and you need to discuss it with your doctor thoroughly. The Ketogenic diet requires some dramatic dietary changes, and it limits the intake of carbs to just fifty grams a day. Your body breaks the carbs down into glucose, and removing carbs from the diet can crash the glucose level in the blood.
Benefits Of The Ketogenic Diet
Studies show that the ketogenic diet has several health benefits for various health conditions such as:
Heart Conditions
The Keto diet improves body fat, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
Cancer
The diet is being studied right now as a potential treatment for cancer, as it may slow the growth of tumors.
Alzheimer’s Disease
The Keto diet may help reduce symptoms of Alzheimer’s and slow down its progression.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
The Keto diet helps decrease insulin levels in the body, which may also play a role in curing polycystic ovary syndrome; however, more research needs to be conducted.
Brain Injuries
Some studies on the Keto diet have shown that the diet can improve outcomes of trauma suffered due to injuries to the brain.
Conclusion
Keto granola can easily be part of the Ketogenic diet, and in this article, we have discussed several granola recipes that you can try. Don’t trust the commercial varieties of granola; they contain added sugar and have a high carb content.
Towards the end of this article, we focused on the negatives and positives of the Ketogenic diet and why it might be harmful to people who are Diabetic.
