This tahini granola recipe is easy to make, perfectly crispy and clustery, and full of the best sweet and savory flavors.
Looking for a fun new twist on homemade granola?
Try adding some tahini! ♡
Barclay and I have been obsessed with my peanut butter granola for awhile now. But it recently occurred to me to try making a batch using sesame seed butter (tahini) instead. And sure enough, we ended up loving it! I basically just swapped in creamy tahini in place of peanut butter, and also added some extra cinnamon, cardamom and sesame seeds (for crunch) to go along with it. And the granola baked up to be fabulously crispy and clustery, the perfect balance of sweet and savory, and downright delicious.
If you’re a tahini and granola lover, it’s time to give tahini granola a try!
Tahini Granola Ingredients:
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this tahini granola recipe…
- Oats: Just the usual old-fashioned oats. (If making this recipe gluten-free, be sure to purchase certified GF oats.)
- Nuts: I used a mix of half raw pepitas and half raw slivered almonds. But just about any chopped raw nuts that you like will do.
- Tahini: Specifically, tahini that’s more on the runny side. If yours happens to be really thick, add an extra tablespoon or two of coconut oil to help thin it out a bit.
- Honey: This is my preferred sweetener for granola. But maple syrup or brown sugar would also do.
- Coconut oil: Or any other mild-flavored oil that you prefer.
- Vanilla: To make this extra yummy.
- Fine sea salt: To bring out all of the flavors. (If you are only have plain table salt on hand, note that you will need to use less salt.)
- Spices: I added a little ground cardamom in with my usual ground cinnamon and loved how it paired with the tahini flavor.
- Sesame seeds: These are totally optional, but I thought they were a fun extra crunchy touch to go with the tahini flavor.
- (Optional) Shredded Coconut: If you’re a coconut lover, feel free to add this in! We will only bake it briefly, to avoid burning.
Full ingredient amounts/instructions listed in the full recipe below.
How To Make Granola:
To make this tahini granola recipe, simply…
- Mix the ingredients. In one bowl, combine the base ingredients (oats and nuts). In a second bowl, combine the tahini sauce (tahini, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, salt, cardamom, cinnamon and sesame seeds), and heat the mixture slightly until warm but not bubbly. Pour the tahini sauce over the base ingredients, and stir to combine.
- Bake. Spread the granola out evenly on a large parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Then sprinkle the coconut evenly over the top of the granola (if using), bake for 5-10 more minutes until toasted, and transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let it cool completely to room temperature without stirring.
- Break it up. At this point, you can break the granola up into your desired size of clumps. (I love mine extra clumpy!)
- Serve. Then serve it immediately or store in an airtight container at room temp for up to 1 month.
Possible Variations:
Want to customize this tahini granola a bit? Feel free to…
- Use different nuts: I made my batch with a mix of pepitas and slivered almonds. But any combination of raw chopped pecans, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds or other favorite nuts would also work!
- Add dried fruit: Feel free to also mix any favorite dried fruit into this granola after it has finished baking.
- Add citrus: We also made a batch with the zest of one orange plus one tablespoon of freshly-squeezed orange juice and it was delicious. If you happen to have a fresh orange on hand, I would highly recommend it. (Lemon would work too!)
More Favorite Granola Recipes:
If you’re a granola lover, here are a few more of my favorite granola recipes!
Description
This tahini granola recipe is easy to make, just as cluster-y as you might prefer, and full of the best balance sweet and savory flavors.
Scale
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup nuts (I used half raw pepitas, half slivered almonds)
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine oats and nuts in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the tahini, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, salt, cardamom, cinnamon and sesame seeds (if using). Heat briefly in the microwave (for 20-30 seconds) or in a small saucepan (over medium heat for 3-4 minutes) until warm, but not bubbly. Stir again until smooth.
- Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oats mixture, and stir until evenly combined.
- Spread the granola out evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through, and keeping an eye on the granola to ensure that it doesn’t burn. Remove pan from the oven, sprinkle the coconut on top, and give the mixture a good stir. Bake for 5-10 more minutes, or until the granola is lightly toasted and golden.
- Remove baking sheet from the oven and transfer to a wire baking rack. Without stirring the granola, let it granola cool until it reaches room temperature.
- Break the granola up into your desired size of clumps. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
