This soft ginger granola, tastes reminiscent of gingersnaps and is made with rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, and ginger, and is sweetened with maple syrup and vanilla. An easy, healthy, portable breakfast or on-the-go snack.
Gingersnap cookies. That’s undeniably what you should expect, taste-wise, from this made-from-scratch soft ginger granola. The zip of ginger is gloriously tempered by the subtle sweetness of maple syrup and a touch of vanilla. And the soft texture of the granola is a welcome respite from those ubiquitous crunchy granolas. (Although if you prefer a little crunch in your clusters, no worries, just bake this granola a wee bit longer until crisp, golden, and irresistibly snackable.) Sprinkle clumps of perfectly spiced granola atop yogurt or ice cream or simply grab it on the go.–Jenny Howard
Soft Ginger Granola
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-light olive oil plus more for the baking dish
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup peeled and minced or grated ginger
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup honey, or agave syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Use a little oil to slick a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) glass baking dish or a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a large bowl or directly on the baking sheet, stir together the rolled oats, ginger, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Drizzle with the oil and mix thoroughly. Spread the granola mixture evenly on the baking sheet.
- Bake the granola mixture, stirring every 5 to 6 minutes, for about 20 minutes. If you want a spectacularly soft granola, don’t let the granola become too golden in color before you remove it from the oven and transfer it to a clean, room-temperature baking sheet to cool. If you prefer a slightly crunchy granola, give the granola another 5 minutes or so, keeping in mind that it will continue to dry out and become crunchier as it cools, and let the granola come to room temperature in the baking dish or on the baking sheet. (You can freeze the granola in airtight containers or resealable freezer bags for up to 3 months.)
Notes
Soft Ginger Granola With Nuts And Fruit
This soft ginger granola recipe leaves the door wide open for personalization. So make it YOUR way. Maybe toss in a small handful of raw, unsalted nuts before baking or stir in some dried fruit right after the granola emerges from the oven. Yum, yeah?
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
If you like ginger, and we do, this simple and zippy-tasting granola will be a hit.
Once you mince the ginger, mixing the ingredients will take just a few minutes. We mixed the ingredients together right in the pan, popped it into the oven, then baked it for 20 minutes.
We ended up with eight 1/4-cup servings or four 1/2-cup servings. Since we eat granola on yogurt or as a snack or as cereal almost daily, this batch was gone in a couple days.
One note of curiosity. We weren’t sure why the granola should be soft. The flavors in the recipe are balanced, not too sweet, so we’ll try the recipe again, but will bake a bit longer since we like crunch. And next time we’ll add a variety of nuts, including walnuts and almonds, with the pepitas.
This granola is spicy and delicious! To be honest, I was prepared to not like this as I’m not usually a fan of ginger, but this recipe really does taste like a gingersnap cookie!
I used maple syrup and I chose to grate my ginger (I keep mine in the freezer so it grates really easily). I think the granola would benefit from some dried fruit, like cranberries or apricots, tossed in after it’s baked, but overall, this is a winner as-is!
“Addictive” was how a friend described this granola as he enjoyed it straight from the jar. We liked the heat of ginger with the subtle sweetness of maple syrup.
This granola is wonderful to snack on or to sprinkle on yogurt or ice cream. The texture became dry and crunchy as the granola cooled (I left it in the baking dish) but the change wasn’t a disappointing one at all. I never had a chance to freeze the granola as it disappeared after just a few days.
Originally published March 17, 2019
I was disappointed in this recipe. I love ginger, but it actually wasn’t as ginger-y as I expected; it definitely didn’t taste like gingerbread! It was okay but I wouldn’t make it again.
We’re sorry to hear that you didn’t love this, Beth. I think you could safely up the amount of ginger here, or add a bit of ground ginger for a more ginger-y punch.
My husband and I LOVE this granola. It’s easy to make and is a bit softer than most granolas. I like that I can customize what I put in or how crunchy so it’s a little different each batch. Great recipe!
Always lovely to hear when a recipe suits more than just the cook, Helen! Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know…