Vegan coconut granola recipe
It was actually really tough to part with this vegan coconut granola recipe. It’s been my chef’s secret for years, and it makes me look like a super amazing cook every time I pull out homemade granola.
But did you know that making granola at home is actually pretty easy? For those of us who are a little kitchen-savvy, it’s a total piece of cake!
So because you know and love fair trade and organic products already, keep in mind that you can get some of these ingredients local, too. The farmers’ markets are opening up again soon, and it’d be great to support a local maple syrup/honey producer if you can! And more and more local producers are making their grains available, so you may even be able to get large-flake rolled oats from a small-scale farmer near your town. Farmers’ markets are truly a treasure trove of local foods!
“But fair trade is international by nature,” you may be thinking. “Why does this fair trade business want me to buy local?” And that’d be totally reasonable. But the thing is: many of the products that are available from fair trade brands are not possible to produce in Canada, or unavailable locally-made for whatever reason. Where local producers are able to make things, it’s a great idea to support them. This includes many kinds of fresh produce, as well as things like honey and maple syrup, as I mentioned above. CSA basket subscriptions are also a great opportunity to support your local farmers by giving them consistent revenue to invest in their business!
But we can’t grow coffee or cacao in Canada, for example. And it’s also important to think about which products we’re buying non-locally that have no real guarantee that they were made fairly. For instance, the last time you bought a pair of shoes, were they made locally from locally-grown materials? If not, then it’s worth considering if fair trade makes a more positive impact. Easy peasy!
So when you’re getting your ingredients together for this granola, try to do what you can to make sure you’re making sustainable choices. Whether that means fair trade or local, we’ll give our suggestions below and then leave that to your judgement. 🙂
Now onto that delicious vegan coconut granola recipe!
Vegan coconut granola
Ingredients
- 7-1/4 cups large flake rolled oats
- 1 200g bag shredded coconut (see note)
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 6 tbsp coconut oil (see note)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C.
- In a large bowl, mix together oats and coconut.
- In a small saucepan, combine remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Pour over the oat mixture and stir to combine well.
- Spread the granola on two (ungreased) baking sheets with high sides. Bake for 10 minutes, then stir the granola well and return to oven. Repeat this however many times is necessary for your granola to turn golden brown. (It usually takes me 30-40 minutes baking.)
- Remove the pans from the oven and stir the granola occasionally while it cools on the pan.
- Once completely cool, store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature. Will stay fresh for a month or so.
Notes
- Shredded coconut is easy to find in a fair trade variety, thanks to Camino! They make a great shredded coconut that’s unsweetened, fair trade and organic!
- Virgin coconut oil is a nice addition to this recipe, as it’s got the extra coconut flavour! Cha’s Organics makes a nice one that’s fair trade and organic.
If you’re like me, this vegan coconut granola recipe will become a new favourite! I know I specified that it’ll stay fresh for about a month, but good luck having it around that long! 😉
And be sure to comment below if you find local ingredients at your farmers’ market!
In solidarity,
Lia
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