Protein Granola

This healthy high-protein granola recipe is lower in sugar and higher in protein than the average store-bought granola. Oats, nuts, and seeds are combined with plant-based protein powder to give you a delicious and nutritious start to the day. Learn my secret formula for crispy, clumpy granola without eggs!

A bowl of protein granola sits in front of a pan with the rest of the granola, fresh from the oven.

Do you love high-protein breakfast? You’ll want to try this Tofu Scramble or this Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie.

I’ve always looked at granola like the little girl, face pressed against the glass, yearning for the shiny bike inside. To me, granola was simply too much: too expensive, too high in calories, and too difficult to make at home.

It’s not as if I didn’t try making it at home. It was just most of my attempts didn’t turn out as I wanted. I was a homemade granola failure.

But I kept at it. Soon, I was making my own granola . Nowadays, homemade is the only way I roll with granola!

Why This Recipe is a Winner

  • Using plant-based protein powder adds flavor, protein, and even some texture to this recipe
  • Adding nuts and seeds contributes nutrition, nutty flavor, and crunch to every bite
  • Ground flax seeds in the granola sauce? That means no eggs are needed to create granola clusters, the part of granola we all love!
  • Protein powder granola doesn’t need much in the way of added sweetener because many protein powders have sweeteners in them.
Several bowls of ingredients for granola on a white counter.

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:

  • Rolled oats — These are also referred to as old-fashioned oats. Instant oats are too soft and steel-cut oats are too crunchy.
  • Nuts — Use your favorite nuts, like walnuts and pecans. Almonds and pistachios would also be great here.
  • Seeds — I recommend pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds, but you could also add sunflower seeds.
  • Pumpkin pie spice — I like pumpkin pie spice because it combines spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Substitute cinnamon.
  • Protein powder — We use protein powder with zero-calorie sweeteners. If you choose one without sweeteners, you should adjust the amount of syrup in the sauce, so your granola is perfectly sweetened to your tastes.
  • Ground flax seeds — I’m using, flax sort of like a flax egg here, binding the sauce to the granola, to form granola clumps. If you don’t like flax, a chia egg or ground chia seeds would have the same results.
  • Granola Sauce — The granola sauce includes water, vanilla, a little olive oil, and a syrup sweetener like agave nectar or maple syrup.
  • Dried fruit — Add chewy bites of texture and sweetness with dried fruit, like raisins, cranberries, and dried blueberries.

You can buy these ingredients and other vegan products at Costco! Having these products in bulk-sized bags means it’s more affordable, and I have plenty on hand to make batch after batch!

Two scoops of protein powder sit next to each other, one in a mound of vanilla protein powder, the other in a mound of chocolate protein powder.

What Protein Powder is Best?

Plant-based protein powders are made from various plants, including soy, nuts, seeds, beans, grains, and peas. Vegan protein powders contain beneficial fibers and probiotics. Buy protein powders at health food stores, grocery stores, and places like Costco or Target. Look for “plant-based” or “vegan” on the package.

How to Make Protein Granola

I love making homemade protein granola cereal! You might be surprised to learn how easy it is to make.

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

  1. Stir together oats, nuts, and seeds.
  2. Make the secret granola sauce.
  3. Drizzle the sauce over the oats mixture, stirring to coat. 
  4. Press granola into the pan
  5. Bake the granola, remove it from the oven, and add dried fruit.
  6. Cool on the pans, then break into pieces and transfer to a lidded container.

Storage Tips

Transfer granola to a lidded container and store it at room temperature. It will keep for up to 10 to 14 days. You can also refrigerate it or freeze it for longer storage.

Reader Reviews

★★★★★
Made this today and it is delicious. I am a veteran granola maker, but I had not seen a recipe that included protein powder. What a great idea… This one is a real keeper and simpler to make than many other recipes out there.

Barb

Protein Granola Serving Suggestions

Serve your granola with any of the following:

A bowl full of protein cereal with almond milk being poured int it.

Frequently-Asked Questions

Is granola good for weight loss?

Granola is full of oats, nuts, and seeds. These ingredients all have fiber and protein, which is satiating. In addition, granola requires chewing, which may be another satiety signal that can lead to feeling full. According to nutritionist Richard Mattes, nuts help with weight loss because they’re “high in protein, and protein is satiating…high in fiber, and fiber is satiating…rich in unsaturated fats, and there is some literature that suggests that has satiety value.”

Is high protein granola healthy?

Because of the oats, nuts, and seeds, granola delivers healthy, plant-based fiber, protein, omega-3s, and more. However, many granola mixes include lots of sugar, fats, and eggs. Look for a recipe with minimal sweeteners and fats. Vegan granola doesn’t use eggs, like this recipe that uses ground flax seeds.

How much protein is in granola?

Most granola recipes offer minimal protein. However, adding protein powder to the granola sauce makes a difference. You can get as many as 9 grams of protein per 1/2 cup serving with this healthy protein granola recipe.

Marly’s Tips

  • Keep this vegan protein granola low in sugar by using minimal syrup. Add more if you prefer a sweeter granola.
  • Allow the granola to cool completely before breaking it into pieces.
  • Make high-protein, low-sugar granola by using a sugar-free syrup in place of agave nectar.
  • Make chocolate protein granola by adding 1/4 cup of cocoa powder to the sauce mix or add chocolate chips after the granola is removed from the oven and has cooled slightly.
  • Make peanut butter protein granola by adding 1/4 cup of peanut butter powder to the sauce mix.

Healthy Vegan Breakfast Ideas

Yes, this is the best protein granola ever. But now you’re ready for even more vegan breakfast ideas! Be sure and check these out:

A bowl full of cereal with milk.

That’s it for this simple protein granola recipe!

A bowl of protein granola sits in front of a pan with the rest of the granola, fresh from the oven.

Healthy Homemade High Protein Granola

Healthy Homemade High Protein Granola Recipe is combined with delicious chocolate plant-based protein powder to create healthy, high-protein granola suitable for breakfast, snacks, and for toppings on your favorite desserts.
4.78 from 9 votes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Resting Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 263kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
  • ½ cup pumpkin seeds
  • ¼ cup hemp seeds

Granola Sauce

  • 1 teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ cup vanilla plant-based protein powder (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon agave nectar, maple syrup, or honey
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Add-Ins

  • cup dried fruit , such as dried cranberries

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 300°F/150°C. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Combine oats, nuts, and seeds in a large bowl. Stir together.
    A large white bowl holds oats, nuts, and seeds for granola.
  • Create the Sauce: In a bowl, combine the spice, protein powder, ground flax, water, vanilla, syrup, and olive oil. Stir together.
    A bowl of the sauce used to make granola in a glass pyrex measuring cup.
  • Drizzle the sauce over the oats mixture, stirring to ensure everything is coated. 
    A large white bowl full of granola ingredients covered in sauce.
  • Bake: Spread uncooked granola evenly across the baking sheet. Press it down gently into the pan to help form clumps while baking. Bake for 30 minutes.
  • When the granola is done, remove it from the oven and sprinkle with dried fruit. Allow it to cool completely on pans. Transfer to a lidded container and keep at room temperature for up to 10 days.

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Video

Notes

I used Vega Organic Protein Powder which has some sweetener to it. If you choose one with minimal sweetener, you’ll want to adjust the amount of syrup used in this recipe accordingly.
Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 48mg | Potassium: 184mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2018 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.

13 Responses to Protein Granola

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyWendy Reply

    5 stars
    Vanilla needs to be added to the third step of directions.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks, Wendy! Correction made.

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyBarb Reply

    5 stars
    Made this today and it is delicious. I am a veteran granola maker, but I had not seen a recipe that included protein powder. What a great idea. That is something I always have in stock. Cooks may feel that the mixture is not moist enough when it goes in the oven, but it will turn out fine. I am just used to a wetter mixture. Fear not. This smells wonderful when cooking, too. May be the vanilla protein powder I used? This one is a real keeper and simpler to make than many other recipes out there.

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyVanessa Reply

    Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlySuzanne Reply

    This looks so good! What a great breakfast to make ahead for the whole family!

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyB Reply

    5 stars
    Love the recipe !!! Was wondering what you would say the recommended serving for this recipe is? – would it be a 1/4 cup 🙂

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi B, I think a serving size is closer to a half cup. I hope this is helpful!

  6. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMunir Reply

    Hi Marly- thanks for sharing this recipe. How much is one serving in terms of total ounces of the finished product?

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Munir. Thanks for your comment. I have never weighed this recipe in terms of ounces.

  7. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyHeidi Reply

    5 stars
    The recipe itself was difficult to understand, the video is much clearer. The written recipe doesn’t I Clyde many ingredients so I was confused where to combine certain ingredients. That being said, I kind of just threw together my own version of this recipe and it tasted great!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi there Heidi! I’m glad to see you liked this recipe. We have some in our cupboard right now! I love having homemade granola on hand. I wonder if you scrolled down to the recipe card? That’s where the ingredients and quantities are included. You can even print it if you’d like. Hope this is helpful. 🙂

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyHeidi

      Hi Marly thanks for replying! I’m back again to make the recipe because my husband and I really loved it! I’m pretty sore I was looking in the right spot but it doesn’t say where to add the flax seed or the water. I’m assuming I mix the flax seed with the oats and the water with the protein powder? Maybe it’s in there and I just can’t seem to read it right haha. But thanks for posting this recipe!

  8. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyLeona Reply

    5 stars
    Granola at the store is too expensive. I like this homemade granola recipe better. Thanks!

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