Gingerbread Granola – Dairy-Free Edible Holiday Gift

The baking bug hit me this weekend, so I decided to prepare some homemade treats to give to friends this holiday season. I was a bit torn on what to make. Then a friend mentioned how much they loved holiday granola flavors. So I decided to bake up one of my favorite seasonal flavors in the form of gingerbread granola.

Homemade Gingerbread Granola that’s Naturally Gluten-Free and Vegan

This recipe can be scaled up or down, packaged in bags, and gifted. It also freezes well, and is a delicious cereal to have on hand in your own kitchen! Plus, it’s wholesome, naturally dairy-free, full of flavor, and oh-so easy to whip up.

I also like how versatile this recipe is, and how it fits so many special diet needs. You can switch up the nuts, use seeds instead, add dried, or even chocolate. It’s naturally vegan-friendly, and you can make it celiac-safe with certified gluten-free oats. Plus, as it bakes, you’re home will be filled with a wonderful ginger and spice aroma.

Special Diet Notes: Gingerbread Granola

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian. Make it nut-free and/or coconut-free, if needed, but substituting more oats, seeds, or other favorite add-ins for the cashews and/or coconut.

Vegan Gingerbread Granola

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

Author: Alisa Fleming

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

4 cups rolled oats (certified gluten-free, if needed)
½ cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
1 cup raw cashews, coarsely chopped
½ to ⅔ cup light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground allspice or nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
⅓ cup oil
¼ cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup finely minced crystalized ginger (optional)

Preheat your oven to 250ºF (120ºC).
In a large bowl, stir together the oats, coconut, cashews, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice or nutmeg, and cloves.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, molasses, vanilla, and salt.
Pour the wet mixture over the oat mixture and stir until evenly coated.
Spread the granola on on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or in two 9×13-inch glass baking dishes.
Bake the granola for 60-75 minutes, checking in to give it a stir every 15 minutes.
When done, transfer the granola to a large bowl and stir in the minced ginger, if using. Since the ginger will be a bit sticky, make sure you mix it up well to separate.
Once cool, store it in an airtight container for up to one week. Freeze for longer storage.

Nut-Free Option: Substitute the cashews with any combination of additional oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and/or additional coconut.

Baking Pan Note: If you use metal pans, I find that the granola browns much more quickly, so keep a sharp eye!

Sweetener Note: I use a very firmly packed ½ cup, but if you want a sweeter, more dessert-like granola, you can up it a bit. You can substitute coconut sugar, which will be a little less sweet.

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More Dairy-Free Granola Recipes

If you have my books, you can enjoy my Spiced Chai Overnight Granola in Eat Dairy Free and my Essential Cinnamon Raisin Granola in Go Dairy Free. And online, I have a few more recipes!