Before we adopted the Keto lifestyle, my husband’s favourite snack was yogurt topped with granola and berries. He had to give up on granola because of the high sugar/carbs... until now. I’ve created this new keto-friendly granola recipe that incorporates a wide variety of healthy nuts, seeds and spices, while being minimally sweetened to make it a healthy snack any time, and can be made vegan too.

Keto Nut and Seed Granola Recipe

Ingredients:

(*Note: Feel free to swap in more or less of the various nuts and seeds with other ones, or add change them up with completely different seeds if desired. If you're not keto, you can even throw some rolled oats into the mix or use coconut sugar instead of Swerve. Bear in mind that you may have to use more water or coconut oil/butter as the oats will absorb more of it. Be sure to add them to the food processor in an order that puts the hardest nuts in first, ending with the softer nuts second and the smallest seeds at the end with the spices.)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet, or two small ones, with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

  2. Pulse hazelnuts and Brazil nuts in a food processor or high powder blender intermittently, until most of the nuts are in chopped into pieces (about ½-¼ of the full size of the nuts). Use a spatula to loosen up any nuts that get stuck to the sides. (*Note: if using a blender, process until they are ⅛ of the size their original size then pour the nuts out into a large mixing bowl before the next stage.)

  3. Now add the pecans to the food processor or blender. Pulse again, once or twice, then add the pecans, continuing until the pecans are chopped into smaller pieces (about ¼-⅛ of the full size of the nuts). (*Note: if using a blender, process until they are ⅛ of the size their original size then pour the nuts out into a large mixing bowl before the next stage.)

  4. Add pumpkin seeds and hemp hearts to the food processor or blender. Pulse just until everything is mixed well. Don't over-process! You want to have plenty of nut pieces remaining, and most of the seeds should be intact. (*Note: if using a blender, simply process until they are the final consistency you want it to be for your granola.) Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Stir in sweetener, maca powder (if using) cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, ground cloves and salt. Stir in the melted coconut oil or butter.

  5. Combine all the wet ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Stir in the protein powder.

  6. Pour the contents of the smaller bowl into the larger bowl. Stir well using a spatula.

  7. Transfer the nut mixture to the prepared baking sheet in a uniform layer, pressing together into a thin rectangle (about ½" thick). Spray the top of the granola layer with water with a spray mister. Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating and spraying with water halfway through. Granola should be lightly browned at the edges when done.

  8. Allow to cool completely on a baking rack. The granola won’t be fully crispy yet, but it become more crispier as it cools. Serve with high-fat yogurt, homemade creamy coconut milk yogurt, keto vanilla ice cream, or any kind of low-carb non-dairy milk. Add frozen or dried berries for added sweetness if desired.

Did you make this keto nut and seed granola recipe? If so, please let me know how it turned out in the comments. Or if you share pics of your creations on Instagram, please tag me so I can see them. Enjoy! :)