Dark Chocolate Cherry Quinoa Granola

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Rich dark chocolate, tart cherries and savory quinoa in every cluster of this oven baked granola! Finger licking deliciousness packed with wholesome superfoods, its the perfect component for a balanced breakfast or a midday snack.

If baked goods are not part of your go-to routine, then you need to try these easy granola recipes. Explore the various uniquely inspired oats to add to your menu plan! 

From lemon blueberry granola to cranberry almond granola, each oven baked recipe is a perfect meal prep. Here are healthy eating solutions for your busy workweek so that you can easily avoid unnecessary snacking on prepackaged foods full of added sugars. 

Whether you prefer in a bowl with milk or placed on top of yogurt and berries, this chocolate cherry granola recipe can be easily modified to fit your personal preferences. Mix and match your favorite add-ins for endless options that you can’t really go wrong with.

How to make dark chocolate cherry quinoa granola?

This chocolate cherry granola will wow your sense and blow you taste buds away with a myriad of sweet maple and tart cherry flavors. Gather a few simple ingredients to quickly assemble this healthy baked goods recipe.

In a bowl, combine the oats with cooked quinoa, pecans, chia seeds, flax seeds, cinnamon and salt.

In a smaller bowl, stir together the melted coconut oil and maple syrup. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until the oats are fully coated.

Spread the mixture in an even layer onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 325°F for about 35 minutes until the granola begins to crisp up and turn light brown around the edges.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Quinoa Granola Tips:

Change up your meal-on-the-go routine with a hearty serving of chocolate cherry granola. Here are tips to make your crunchy meal prep even more enjoyable.

• Cherry: Cherries provide a delicious tartness that explodes with flavor when you chew into a piece. In addition, they harness a ton of beneficial antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. 
• Chocolate: Dark chocolate adds a richness to the crunchy granola that is magically delicious. Mix in the chocolate after the granola is removed from the oven so that it melts over the clusters coating with finger licking goodness.
• Quinoa: Cooked quinoa is added to the granola based for another hearty and whole grain addition. When baked, the quinoa crisps up as a marvelous addition to the crunchy granola.
• Oats: Select rolled oats or quick oats for this recipe instead of using steel cut oats. Quick oats are thin and have less texture that results in a smaller granola crumble. Rolled oats are bigger pieces that are much thicker that results in larger clusters.
• Dried fruit: Dried cherries are the star in this granola recipe. However, you could easily add to cherries or substitute for another dried fruit such as apricots, currants, figs, peaches or plums.
• Nuts: Pecans imparts a complex nuttiness to the finished granola. You could add to the pecans or substitute with almonds, coconut, hazelnuts, pistachios and walnuts.
• Seeds: Chia seeds and flaxseeds are superfood ingredients that are already added this tasty recipe. Consider varying the amount and also adding hemp seeds.
• Vegan: The recipe is vegan if you select dairy free chocolate chips. 
• Gluten free: Even though oats are gluten free, it’s recommended to use certified oats to prevent cross contamination that often occurs during the harvesting, processing and packaging of the grain.
• Sweetener: Sweeten the granola as needed. Coconut sugar, honey and agave are some of the available options to substitute in place of the maple syrup. Stay away from honey if you want this to be a vegan recipe.
• Clusters or crumble: Stir the granola while baking if you want to break up the clusters into crumble. To maintain large clusters, don’t stir while baking and instead spread the mixture in a thin even layer and rotate the pan while baking until the edges begin to brown.
• Storage: Bake the granola until completed dried out and crunchy, then cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container. Eat within3 weeks to ensure quality and freshness.

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