With as many beans as I eat, it’s about time I started using putting the aquafaba to good use. I’ve been playing around with aquafaba for the past couple of months and I think this Super Crunchy Oil Free Granola is my favorite use so far! The starchy bean water binds the granola into crunchy clumps, without the use of excessive oils and sugars, like traditional granola. And no, the end product doesn’t smell or taste like beans. 😅
Never heard of aquafaba? Scroll down for a little crash course…
What is Aquafaba?
Aquafaba is the slightly goopy water that usually gets discarded from a can of beans. The soluble starches from the cooked beans give this strange liquid surprising properties that allow it to be whipped like egg whites and act as a binder in food. Absolute liquid gold for people looking for a vegan substitution for eggs! While it can’t be used as a sub for eggs in every recipe, it works for quite a few.
I suggest using the liquid from canned chickpeas over any other bean. Chickpea aquafaba is the most neutral, or has the least amount of color and flavor. Definitely stay away from black bean or kidney bean aquafaba, as they’ll be dark in color. I have used aquafaba from cannellini beans before, but chickpea aquafaba definitely has less flavor.
What is Cream of Tartar?
Cream of tartar, or tartaric acid, is an acid in powder form, and is a good ingredient to keep stashed in the back of your pantry. It has a few unique uses in the kitchen, including being the secret ingredient that turns baking soda into baking powder. In this granola recipe, cream of tartar is used to stabilize the aquafaba and make it easier to whip into a dense foam. Without a pinch of cream of tartar it can take up to ten minutes to properly whip aquafaba. With cream of tartar it takes only about three minutes.
Super Crunchy Oil-Free Granola Substitutes and Options
This recipe is super flexible and can be a great way to use up leftover dry goods in your pantry. The spice mix and the grains, nuts, and seeds, can all be swapped out to match your preferences.
When substituting the grains, nuts, and seeds in this recipe, just try to have about 3 cups total dry goods, in a ratio of about 2 cups grains to 1 cup nuts and seeds. Other nuts and seeds that you can use are: chia, sunflower, sesame, pecans, walnuts, or hemp.
Sweeten it up!
I purposely made this Super Crunchy Oil Free Granola very low in sugar. You can increase the sugar amount to fit your taste buds (the uncooked granola is safe to taste). You can also substitute maple syrup for the brown sugar in this recipe, although it does make the mixture a bit more wet, resulting in a slightly longer baking time.
This black and white splatter baking sheet is from Roveandswig.com.
Super Crunchy Oil Free Granola
Servings 9 1/2 cup eachIngredients
- 1/2 cup aquafaba ($0.25)
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar ($0.01)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar ($0.16)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract ($0.14)
- 2 cups rolled oats ($0.33)
- 1/4 cup oat bran ($0.18)
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed ($0.12)
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds ($0.48)
- 1/4 cup pepitas ($.060)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves ($0.02)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the aquafaba and cream of tartar to a bowl and use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to whip the aquafaba into stiff peaks. Once the aquafaba is whipped, add the vanilla extract and brown sugar, then whip for another 30 seconds, or until the brown sugar is dissolved into the foam.
- In a separate bowl, combine the rolled oats, oat bran, ground flaxseed, almonds, pepitas, cinnamon, turmeric, ground ginger, and ground cloves. Stir until combined.
- Pour the oat mixture into the bowl with the whipped and sweetened aquafaba. Stir until the dry ingredients are completely coated in the aquafaba.
- Spread the granola mixture onto the lined baking sheet so that it is in a single layer and not piled too deep.
- Bake the granola for 20 minutes, then remove it from the oven and give it a gentle stir. Bake for 10 minutes more, and stir a second time. Bake 5 minutes more, or until the granola is dry and the edges are deep golden brown.
- Allow the granola to cool and then store in an air-tight container at room temperature.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Love homemade granola? Check out my No Sugar Added Banana Nut Granola!
How to Make Oil-Free Granola – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Pour the liquid from a can of chickpeas (aquafaba) into a measuring cup. You’ll need 1/2 cup of aquafaba. One 15oz. can of chickpeas usually has about 3/4 cup, so you should have plenty from one can.
Adding a little cream of tartar (tartaric acid) helps make it a LOT easier to whip the aquafaba into a foam. Without the cream of tartar it can take a good ten minutes to whip the aquafaba, with cream of tartar it only takes about 3 minutes. So it’s worth it! Add 1/8 tsp cream of tartar to your aquafaba.
Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to begin whipping the aquafaba. I wouldn’t suggest trying to do this one by hand. The aquafaba will look foamy at first, but if you keep going…
Eventually it will whip into a creamy foam. It’s done when the beaters begin to leave a trail in the foam, like in the photo above.
Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract to the whipped aquafaba.
Whip for another 30 seconds or just until the brown sugar is dissolved into the foam.
In a separate bowl, combine your grains, nuts, seeds, and spices. I used 2 cups rolled oats, 1/4 cup oat bran, 1/4 cup ground flaxseed, 1/4 cup slivered almonds, 1/4 cup pepitas, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, and 1/8 tsp ground cloves. Stir these together well.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of whipped aquafaba and stir them together.
Stir until everything is saturated and slightly clumpy.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment, then spread the granola mixture over the surface into a single even layer. BTW, this is a Crow Canyon Enamelware Rectangular Tray from Roveandswig.com.
Bake the granola in the preheated 350ºF oven for 20 minutes, then give it a good stir. Bake for 10 more minutes and stir again. Then bake for a final 5 minutes, or until the granola is dry and it is deeply golden brown on the edges. Ovens can vary, so keep a close eye on it for those final 10 minutes or so.
Let the granola cool completely, then store it in an air-tight container at room temperature.
Super easy amd came out delicious! I used whole flax instead of ground and threw in pecans because that was the only nut I had. The flavor is great! My 4 year likes it! I’m glad it’s not overly sweet. I will definitely make again.
I used your “kick the can” method to cook some chickpeas at home (6 cups of water to one pound of chickpeas.) Can I use that aquafaba for this recipe?
The first time I made it, it was a little bland for my taste. I added a bit more sugar, spices, a little salt, and coconut flakes instead of pepitas (that’s what I had on hand) and it turned out SUPER yummy! I had to keep myself from gobbling up the whole thing straight from the pan.
You’re amazing! I loooove granola, but it’s hard to fit into my diet with the high fat content. This version is perfect (and I add a couple scoops of protein powder too). I just made it this morning, and it turned out so crunchy and perfect. I had aquafaba in the freezer from last month, which I let thaw overnight in the fridge. It whipped up perfectly with the cream of tartar. Thank you again for this genius recipe!!!!
That’s great Mary! Thanks for sharing!
Ok, this looks incredible! But I have a question, I see above that pressure cooked chickpeas also yields Aquafaba, but what about if I don’t have a pressure cooker, can I just use water from cooking beans in a pot on the stove?
Cooking on stove top makes aquafaba, too. :) The tricky part is knowing what concentration your aquafaba is. If you use more water it might be too watery to whip.
I increased a few of the spices because I like almost everything with extra spice but this is also wonderful as written. I have been using an ancient Jane Brody recipe (I have had it since the late 70s/early 80s) and have now switched over to this one. Thanks!
I made this yesterday and it was SO easy and delicious!! I never would’ve thought to make granola this way, but now I’m so excited to try different variations! And this is so much more affordable than store-bought. Thank you for the inspiration. :)
Could you use egg whites instead of Aquafaba? I don’t eat chickpeas (texture thing, and my system is sensitive to other legumes) and I’d hate to waste a whole can of chickpeas just for the liquid.
I haven’t tested it with egg whites, so I’m not sure how that would go and I’m not sure that there would be any other single ingredient swap you could make. But I did make this with aquafaba from cannellini beans and it was also good!
OMG. How did you know that I needed this recipe???!
We didn’t but we’re glad you found it!
Me too! I was just searching “how to make granola crunchy” and “crunchy granola” last night and then found this this morning while looking for tonight’s dinner recipe! Can’t wait to try it.
I previously tried a granola recipe that calls for honey, which is the only sweetener in that recipe. Would you say the aqufaba + brown sugar would sub for the honey?
I suggest using aqua faba from pressure cooked chickpeas rather than from cans. It is wiser to discard liquids from canned foods such as peas, beans, and fruit and preferably rinse the beans etc before using. This is because the liquid contains most of the preservatives, stabilizers, starch etc.
I just made your salmon and cannellini beans and I guess I’ll start with the aquafaba from that since it’s on hand… I plan to add a bit more sugar anyway.. think it’ll work out???
Yep, I made one of my test batches with cannellini bean aquafaba and it worked fine. A little more beany in flavor, but fine. :)
Made this today…it was yummy! Not too sweet, good crispy texture and I liked the flavor the turmeric added. I didn’t have any oat bran, so I substituted quinoa – a nice tasty twist. Probably made my version crunchier than yours.
P.S. I had your Sriracha Chickpea Salad wraps for lunch…a tasty & quick way to get some of this aquafaba (which I’ve never heard of before!)
How long do you think can the aquafaba be kept (in the fridge? or should I freeze it?) after opening a can of beans? Love the idea to get rid of the oil from granola. Currently I’m using coconut oil, but of course that’s not completely unproblematic what with the transport to Europe etc. Also, less calories. :)
I wouldn’t keep the aquafaba in the fridge more than about 4 days, or as long as I’d keep an open can of beans. I’ve heard that it freezes great, although I haven’t tried it myself! :)
I made this with frozen aquafaba and it worked wonderfully. Aquafaba had been frozen for about a month.
Canned chickpeas are pressure-cooked right in the can, so I’ve been experimenting with cooking them in my Instant Pot in the same liquid I’ve soaked them in. The resulting aquafaba isn’t quite as thick as from canned chickpeas, but it seems to work okay. It might be possible to simmer aquafaba in a open saucepan for a while to thicken it up. I’ve also frozen it and that works out just fine.
I was just wondering about using homemade aquafaba. Thanks!
Have you tried using frozen and then thawed aquafaba? Or aquafaba from homemade chickpeas? We use dried chickpeas because we make a lot of hummus, but we also make a lot of granola. It’d be great if I could save the aquafaba from batch cooking the beans for other applications.
See Sheryl’s comment above.