The Best Granola Butter Recipe (nut free)

Why you will love this recipe:

• The flavour! This granola butter recipe is slightly sweet, a little buttery, and a little nutty. It tastes like a delicious oatmeal cookie!
• It's easy to make with simple pantry staple ingredients.
• It's so much cheaper to make oatmeal butter yourself rather than buying pre-made store bought granola butter so it's a great way to save money on groceries.
• Kid's love this spread and it's safe for them to take to school since it's peanut free and nut free. 
• You can use granola butter in so many ways! It stores really well so it's great for meal prep. You can also put this butter into mason jars and turn it into a homemade gift.
• This homemade butter is healthy, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, plant based, nut free, refined sugar free and free from processed ingredients. It's great for those with allergies or dietary restrictions. 

Ingredients and substitutions:

• Rolled oats - these 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 to use certified gluten-free oats. I personally prefer to use gluten free, glyphosate free and sprouted organic oats to make this spread.
• Hemp hearts - also known as hemp seeds these 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 seeds you could use flax seeds instead.
• Coconut flakes - these help add even more delicious flavour to this homemade spread. I recommend using coconut flakes rather than shredded coconut.
• Avocado oil - this is used to help blend everything together and create the perfect creamy spread. I prefer avocado oil because it has a very neutral flavour so it doesn't change the taste of this oatmeal spread.
• Coconut oil - to help make this spread so smooth and creamy.
• Maple syrup - to add the perfect amount of sweetness to this recipe while keeping it refined sugar free. You could use agave syrup or date syrup instead.
• Vanilla extract - this helps enhance the flavours of this spread.
• Salt - to help contrast the sweetness of this oatmeal spread.

Recipe 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.
• If you love pumpkin: add 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice.
• To give this butter more protein: add a few scoops of collagen peptides to make it a high protein spread. Collagen peptides are tasteless so won'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.
• If you don't want to use two types of oils I would recommend replacing the coconut oil with more avocado oil.

How to make granola butter:

Step 1

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 2

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes, until the ingredients are toasted and the coconut flakes are golden brown. 

Step 3

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 4

Blend everything 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 you will need to have a little patience. 

Top 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 shredded coconut to make this nut-free spread. 
• 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.

How to serve:

You can use this spread the same way you would use peanut butter, almond butter or your other favourite nut butter. It's great on toast in the air fryer or English muffins, as a dip for fresh fruit, to add to oatmeal or protein powder overnight oats, to top pancakes with oat flour, crepes, protein banana muffins, or grain free waffles. It's also delicious eaten right off the spoon!

How to store:

Store this butter in an airtight jar or airtight container in a cool dark place for up to 2 weeks. If the oil separates give it a good 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.