The best bulk bin granola

One of the most important staples in our pantry is without a doubt bulk bin granola. Appropriate at any time of day really. It’s super simple (though it took me several tries to get the ratios right :D) and makes the whole dang house smell lovely. I avoided the overly packaged boxes in the natural aisle for years because of how expensive they were and all of the extra sweeteners. I stuck to plain oatmeal for far too long – why am I like this? – until I learned how easy DIY granola is. The only struggle is keeping up with demand in this house.

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granola ingredients
bulk bin granola

Homemade granola is a delicious, low waste alternative helping you avoid all of the extra plastic bags / liners and cardboard boxes that comes with conventional cereals. You don’t need that stuff! Even though those Peanut Butter Panda Puffs are looking right at me… Bulk granola probably lives in most bulk sections but I like to control the amount of sweetener I’m eating and experimenting with other nuts / seeds / dried fruits makes me feel like a real kitchen wiz.

More and more larger retailers are providing dry goods as a shopping option but seem to be slow on other “wet” staples like the maple syrup and coconut oil this recipe calls for. Between the Fred Meyers, New Seasons, Whole Foods, and People’s Co-op here in Portland no one carried either of these in bulk. I spent a good amount of time figuring out how I would possibly make my own coconut oil (future blog post??) and source maple syrup without using any plastic. Apparently though you can get a 5 gallon drum on Amazon and just swim in the stuff, no judgement. I did discover the possibility of maple-tapping in Oregon and I’m very excited to try collecting syrup myself in the near future! More to come on that.

This bulk bin granola uses all dry goods from the bulk and spice section, collected in my trusty reusable dry goods bags. The maple syrup is in a reusable or recyclable glass container with a small plastic ring and top. The coconut oil comes in a glass jar I will clean out and repurpose (I flip my lid for glass jars!) but unfortunately every single container I found of coconut oil had a plastic seal around the top. A small amount of waste for products I will get several uses out of compared to larger, harder or impossible to recycle packaged granola.

Do you have a favorite granola add-in?
Let me know if you tried this! #closedloopcooking

Stay hungry,
Hawnuh Lee
Closed Loop Cooking

The best bulk bin granola   by

This homemade granola uses all dry goods from the bulk and spice section, collected in my reusable dry goods bags! Enjoy this crunchy, wholesome, comforting goodness in your low impact breakfast (or lunch or dinner, really!)

makes: 4 1/2 cups approx | prep time: 10 min | cook time: 30 min | total time: 40 min

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Ingredients

  • 3 cups oats
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup flax seeds
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped nuts (I used pecans)
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp nut butter (I used almond)

To-Do's

  1. Preheat your oven to 325° F.
  2. Mix all dry goods in a large bowl (oats, coconut, flax seeds, nuts, cinnamon, salt.)
  3. On the stove over low heat combine coconut oil, maple syrup, and almond butter stirring often until mixed. Don’t let the mixture boil.
  4. Slowly add wet mixture to dry, stir in until all ingredients are coated evenly. Spread mixture onto a large baking sheet and flatten down evenly.
  5. Place sheet middle of oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. Remove from oven and let cool at least 20 minutes. The cooling process helps the granola create clumps.
  7. Optional: Once cool stir in golden raisins and serve with homemade almond milk and fruit.
  8. Keep in an airtight container (repurposed glass jars work great) for 2 – 3 weeks.

Notes

You can use a cookie scraper or wooden spatula to get this off of the baking sheet, no need to use parchment paper.

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