Puffed Amaranth Granola

This Puffed Amaranth Granola recipe is lightly sweetened, packed with protein and perfect for a healthy, gluten-free breakfast or snack!

Thanks to Nuts.com for sponsoring this post!

Hi friends!

I’m super excited to share this Puffed Amaranth Granola recipe with you guys today because it includes a new-to-me food that had been on my list to try for what seems like forever now: amaranth.

If you haven’t heard of amaranth before, it’s an ancient seed that has a similar look and nutritional value to quinoa. It’s gluten-free, high in protein and fiber and full of vitamins and minerals. My friends over at Nuts.com has been selling it for a while now and when they reached out to me about trying it I jumped at the chance! Don’t be fooled by the name! They offer so much more than nuts! Tons of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, baking products, chocolate, coffee and more! If you haven’t checked out their website, go do so immediately!

Amaranth can be cooked to make porridge-type recipes, but what intrigued me the most was seeing that it can be popped or puffed almost like popcorn! I just knew I had to give it a try.

Puffed Amaranth Granola

The size after puffing is not quite as impressive as popcorn, but it is kinda fun to throw some in a pan and watch it go crazy…although it does take a bit of practice to keep from burning it.

Luckily, I did several test runs and took a few notes to share with you guys. Then I turned around and used it in a simple granola recipe that tastes great by the handful or over some yogurt!

It adds a nice little crunch to the granola and mixes well with the pumpkin and chia seeds I threw in there, along with some pecans, raisins and lots of cinnamon. You could easily swap in your favorite nuts or dried fruit if you’re not a fan of raisins or pecans….but I really liked this flavor combo.

Here’s the recipe and instructions for puffing:

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Puffed Amaranth Granola

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Preparation 00:10 Cook Time 00:15 Serves Makes approx 5-6 cups     adjust servings

This Puffed Amaranth Granola recipe is lightly sweetened, packed with protein and perfect for a healthy breakfast or snack!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup puffed amaranth (2-3 Tbsp raw)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 3/4 cup raisins

Instructions

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. (It's ready when you sprinkle some water in the bottom and it sizzles and dances around).
Add one tsp amaranth to the pan and put the lid on. It should begin popping immediately. If it doesn't, dump it out and turn up the heat a little bit.
Let sit 5 seconds, shake the pan. Repeat 2-3 times for a total of no more than 20 seconds. Remove from pan.
If it looks good and didn't burn, repeat the procedure with 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have 3/4 cup puffed amaranth.

In a large bowl, combine amaranth, oats, pepitas, pecans, chia seeds and cinnamon.
In a small bowl combine vanilla, oil, maple syrup and peanut butter. Microwave 20 seconds and stir until well combined.
Pour wet mixture into bowl with dry ingredients and mix until well coated.
Spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
Remove, let cool and stir in raisins.
Store in an airtight container.

by Lindsay

Recipe Notes

Feel free to use your favorite nut or dried fruit to replace the raisins or pecans.

Sounds delicious, right? Like I said, it might take you a couple tries to get the hang of puffing the amaranth and getting the right pan heat for your stove so practice with just a teaspoon at a time. And don’t worry if all of them don’t pop! Just like popcorn there will be some unpopped kernels.

If you’ve been meaning to try amaranth, this is the perfect recipe to do so! And be sure to follow Nuts.com on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest to see more recipes made with their products!