Air fryer granola takes fourteen minutes, and the only real trick is to press the mixture flat and then leave it completely alone. No shaking, no stirring. Shaking is what turns granola into loose oats, and leaving it be is what gives you proper clusters. This one is pumpkin pie spiced, vegan, and comes in at 1.1g of sugar a serving.
I cannot believe I waited this long to make my own granola, and there is no way back now.
The thing nobody tells you is how little sweetener it actually needs. The crunch was never coming from the sugar, it was coming from how thoroughly you dried it out.
This version is pure autumn, all the warmth of pumpkin pie, for the mornings when cooking anything feels like too much. A bowl, some yoghurt, a handful of berries, and you are done before you have properly woken up. If you want that same flavour waiting for you in a jar instead, my pumpkin spice latte overnight oats do the no cook version.
- Fourteen minutes in the air fryer, and you do not touch it once
- 1.1g of sugar a serving, sweetened entirely with chicory syrup
- 8.6g of protein and 8.4g of fibre a serving, comfortably above a standard supermarket granola
What is actually in it
Chicory syrup does the sweetening, and it is chicory root fibre rather than sugar, so it binds and sweetens while carrying almost all of the fibre. Maple syrup or honey work in its place, you will just be trading the fibre for sugar.
Vilgain pea protein crispies are where the protein comes from, and they hold their crunch through the air fryer rather than going soft the way protein powder does. Any pea protein crisp does the same job. For why 8.6g at breakfast is worth having, I wrote about how much protein you actually need.
Pumpkin puree is only two tablespoons and it is there for moisture and flavour. It helps the mixture clump, which is half the battle with clusters. Plain puree, not pie filling.
Pumpkin seeds and pecans carry the fat and most of the texture. Walnuts or almonds swap in without changing anything else.
Coconut oil is what actually crisps it. Melted, it coats every oat evenly, so the whole layer dries at the same rate instead of browning in patches.
One thing to watch
Air fryers vary enormously, far more than ovens do, and granola goes from golden to burnt faster in that small hot airflow than you will expect. Check it through the window rather than disturbing the mixture. And because you are not shaking it, the layer has to be reasonably even and not too thick, or you will get soft in the middle and dark at the edges. Mine is done at fourteen minutes at 140C. Yours might be eleven, or seventeen. Watch the colour the first time and then you will know for good.
If you are after the same pumpkin spice in something more like a treat, the pumpkin pop tarts are the other direction entirely.
Alex 🙂
Air Fryer Granola, Pumpkin Pie Style (Vegan, High Protein)
Pumpkin pie granola made in the air fryer in fourteen minutes, pressed flat and never shaken so it bakes into proper crunchy clusters instead of loose oats. Vegan, sweetened entirely with chicory syrup at 1.1g of sugar a serving, and genuinely high in fibre. The kind of jar you keep reaching into.
Ingredients
Instructions
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In a large bowl, mix the oats, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
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In a separate small bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, chicory syrup and pumpkin puree until smooth.
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Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well, until everything is properly coated.
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Line your air fryer basket, or a tin that fits it, with parchment paper. Tip the granola in and press it down firmly into a compact, even layer. Pressing is what holds the clusters together later.
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Air fry at 140C for 14 minutes, without shaking or stirring at any point. Check the colour through the window, or crack it open partway, rather than disturbing the mixture.
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Once it is lightly golden, turn the air fryer off and leave the granola undisturbed in the basket for a few minutes. It firms up and crisps further as it cools.
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Once mostly cooled, lift the parchment out and let it finish cooling completely on a tray.
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Break the granola into pieces with your hands, keeping the chunks as big as you like them.
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Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks, or freeze for up to two months.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 9 ServingCalories:200kcalTotal Fat:13gSaturated Fat: 4.9gTrans Fat: 0gSodium:185mgTotal Carbohydrate:19.4gDietary Fiber: 8.4gSugars: 1.1gProtein:8.6g
Note
- Oven method: bake at 180C for 20 to 25 minutes on a parchment lined tray, then cool completely without disturbing it.
- Air fryers vary a lot. Watch the colour the first time you make this rather than trusting the timer, and keep the layer even and not too thick, since you are not shaking it.
- Nearly all of the fibre comes from the chicory syrup, which is inulin. If you do not normally eat much fibre, start with a smaller portion.
- Swap the pecans for walnuts or almonds, and the chicory syrup for maple syrup or honey if you do not mind the extra sugar. Honey makes it non vegan.
- Use plain pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened.
- It must be completely cold before it goes into a jar, or condensation will soften it.
- Nutrition figures are estimates, calculated from the labels of the products used.
