Granola Butter

This is the best homemade granola butter! This oatmeal spread is slightly sweet, a little nutty, full of flavour and tastes like oatmeal cookie dough! It's easy to make with rolled oats, hemp hearts, maple syrup and avocado oil and can be used in so many ways.

Why you will love this recipe:

• The flavour! This oat spread is slightly sweet, a little buttery and a little nutty.
• It's easy to make with simple pantry staple ingredients.
• It's so much cheaper to make it yourself rather than buying pre-made store bought versions like the ones by Oat Haus so it's a great way to save money on groceries.
• Kid's love it and it's safe for them to take to school since it's peanut free and nut free.
• This spread can be used in so many ways.
• This recipe is healthy, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, high fiber, plant based, nut free, refined sugar free and free from processed ingredients and crops oils which many store bought spreads contain.
• This recipe is very adaptable so you can give it the flavour you prefer.
• It stores really well so it's great for meal prep.
• This homemade spread makes a great gift.

If you love homemade butters you will also love pumpkin seed butter and macadamia nut butter.

Taste and texture:

This spread is thick, smooth, creamy, rich and gooey. The flavour reminds me of oatmeal cookie dough. It's a little sweet, a little nutty and a little buttery tasting.

Key ingredients and substitutions:

• Rolled oats - rolled oats form the base of this spread. Be sure to use rolled oats and not quick oats or steel cut oats to make this recipe. If you are gluten free be sure the oats you use are certified gluten free. I personally prefer to use gluten free, glyphosate free and sprouted rolled oats to make this spread.
• Hemp hearts - hemp hearts help add healthy fats and protein to this recipe. They also give this dip a nutty flavour, even though it's nut free. If you don't have hemp hearts you could use flax seeds instead.
• Avocado oil - avocado oil is used to help blend everything together and create the perfect creamy spread. I prefer avocado oil because it's high in healthy omega 3 fats and has a very neutral flavour so it doesn't change the taste of this oatmeal spread.
• Maple syrup - this is used to help add the perfect amount of sweetness to this recipe while keeping it refined sugar free. You could also use agave syrup or date syrup instead.

How to make:

Step one:

First, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the oats, coconut flakes and hemp hearts on the baking sheet.

Step two:

Now bake for about 8 minutes, until toasted. 

Step three:

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the ingredients cool. Then transfer them to a food processor and add the remaining ingredients.

Step four:

Lastly, blend everything well until you have a smooth butter. You will need to take breaks intermittently to scrape down the sides of your food processor. Note: if your food processor starts to smoke or get too warm, stop and let it rest for a while before blending again. It will take about 20 minutes to fully blend so be patient.

Chef's tips:

• If you want a runnier butter or are having a hard time getting it to blend, add another 1-2 tablespoon of avocado oil. 
• Be sure to use coconut flakes and not finely shredded coconut to make this decadent butter.
• Making this butter does require a bit of patience. Stop your food processor every so often to scrape down the sides of the food processor, and if it starts to overheat, let it rest and cool and then blend again.
• You can blend this butter into your desired consistency. I like mine nice and smooth, but if you want it to be a little chunky blend it for less time.

Variations and add ins:

• To make this into vanilla granola butter: add an extra tablespoon of vanilla extract to the recipe.
• To make cinnamon granola butter: add 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the recipe.
• To make it chocolate flavoured: add 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa powder while blending the granola or add some chocolate chips into the oat mixture during the last 5 minutes of baking. I think this version tastes like brownie batter!
• Add dried banana and some ground cinnamon to make it taste like banana bread.
• To give this butter more protein I love adding a few scoops of collagen peptides to make it a high protein spread. The reason I love using collagen peptides to add protein is that it is tasteless so doesn't impact the flavour of the butter like protein powder would. Just note that collagen peptides are not vegan.
• Instead of hemp hearts you could use flax seeds. Just note this will change the flavour and the nutritional profile of the spread.

How to serve:

You can use this gourmet spread the same way you would use peanut butter or other nut butters. You can spread it on toast, use it as a dip for fruit, use it to top rice cakes, oatmeal or overnight oats, pancakes, crepes, muffins, or waffles. It's also delicious eaten right off the spoon!

This oat butter spread is also great to add to smoothies. It is also delicious mixed with yogurt.

How to store:

Store this butter in an airtight jar in a cool dark place for up to 2 weeks. If the oil separates give it a stir before serving. One tip to help prevent the oil from separating is to store the jar upside down. That way when you flip the jar over to serve it the oil will spread through the butter.

You can also store this butter in the fridge and it will last for months, but note that it will firm up and develop more of a fudge like texture so you will need to let it come to room temperature before serving to give it the nice gooey texture you want.

Frequently asked questions:

Other recipes you will love:

• Sugar free granola
• Snickers cheesecake overnight oats
• Orange chocolate overnight oats
• Protein baked oats

Since you made it this far we are basically best friends so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook where I share even more recipes and healthy living tips! And don’t forget to leave this recipe a star review before you go!