This Tropical Granola is lightly sweetened with toasted coconut, almonds, and pineapple. A healthier homemade alternative to store-bought granola.

tropical granola in bowl with cup of coffee in background with text title

I love granola recipes. Homemade granola is one of my very favorite breakfasts. I make a big batch almost every week, because when we run out of granola it’s a very sad morning. I was stuck in a granola rut, making my same favorite granola recipe week after week. It’s delicious, but I needed some variety.

I have recipes for peanut butter granola, honey almond granola, cranberry coconut granola, and now this delicious tropical granola.

granola just out of the oven and a rimmed baking sheet

Why you should make Homemade Granola

  1. It’s a real, unprocessed food: My grocery lists these days consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, ingredients for baking, and lean protein. I do buy the occasional box of crackers, and I don’t usually have time to make all of our bread from scratch.  Breakfast cereal is one area where I’m still working. I’d love to stop buying boxes of cereal, except for the occasional box of Cheerios. By making a big batch of granola each week, I’m making great progress towards my goal. Every ingredient in my homemade granola is a real, recognizable food.
  2. It’s a healthy food: Old-fashioned oats are a heart-healthy way to start your day. I love overnight oats, a hot bowl of oatmeal or baked oatmeal. With homemade granola, I can control the amount of sugar in my breakfast. You will find that my granola recipes are lightly sweetened but still have plenty of flavor.  It’s easy to add other good-for-you ingredients, like flaxseed, to homemade granola as well.
  3. It’s customizable: The possibilities for homemade granola are endless. You can easily invent your own or modify mine. If a recipe calls for olive oil, for example, you can substitute coconut or canola oil. Don’t have pure maple syrup? Use honey instead. Don’t care for coconut? Leave it out, or add another mix-in in its place.
  4. It’s quick and easy to make: All of my granola recipes can be mixed up in 20 minutes or less. I often will make a double batch because it doesn’t take any more effort and doesn’t disappear quite so fast! One big tip I can give you is to use your kitchen scale to measure the ingredients by weight. It’s faster, and you won’t dirty so many measuring cups. Place your bowl on the scale and zero the scale before each new ingredient.
  5. You will look forward to breakfast!: This is the reason that will keep you making batch after batch of granola. I have been known to mix up a quick batch in the late evening, just because I really, really wanted to wake up to homemade granola in the morning. Homemade granola tastes so much better than any granola you can buy at the store.

preparing granola ingredients in a glass bowl

For this tropical granola which is full of all sorts of yummy things, I mixed in coconut, slivered almonds, and dried pineapple. I added some puffed brown rice cereal to keep the granola light, and coconut oil to help the oats become crisp.

granola ready to eat in a cereal bowl with spoon.

While you might hesitate at the coconut (I’m not a fan of the texture of shredded coconut, but I do enjoy toasted coconut flakes in this recipe. ) it is a nice addition to this tropical granola. The key for the coconut is to use flakes and toast the coconut so it has the proper texture and a more subtle flavor.

This granola will bring a little taste of the tropics to your morning! My favorite way to enjoy it is with a splash of milk and topped with some fresh mango.

tropical granola in a bowl with milk and fresh mango chunks

More Granola Recipes:

tropical granola in a bowl with milk and mango chunks
5 from 1 rating

Tropical Granola Recipe

Servings: 10 Makes about 7 1/2 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
This Tropical Granola is lightly sweetened with toasted coconut, almonds, and pineapple. A healthier homemade alternative to store bought granola.
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Ingredients

  • 4 cups old-fashioned oats, (340g)
  • 1 cup puffed brown rice cereal, (30g)
  • 1 cup dried coconut flakes, (40g)
  • ½ cup slivered almonds, (65g)
  • ¼ cup wheat germ, (20g)
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. Kosher salt
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted*
  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup chopped dried pineapple, (100g)
  • chopped fresh mango, for serving (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
  • In a large bowl, stir together oats, brown rice cereal, coconut, almonds, wheat germ, cinnamon, and salt.
  • In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, whisk together coconut oil, honey, and vanilla. Pour over oat mixture and stir until well combined.
  • Spread granola in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until granola is lightly golden, about 30 minutes total.
  • Let granola cool completely before stirring in dried pineapple. Serve with chopped fresh mango, if desired. Granola will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, but I'm betting it won't last that long!

Notes

*Note: I used virgin coconut oil in this granola, because it adds even more coconut flavor. You could also use refined coconut oil, but your granola won't have as much coconut flavor throughout.
Serving: 3/4 cup, Calories: 368kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Sodium: 54mg, Potassium: 236mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 24g, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.

 

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