Clusters of nuts and oats with chocolate chips and sweet banana chips make this Chunky Monkey Chocolate Chip Granola absolutely irresistible. The granola clusters are big and crunchy for optimal texture, just the way I like it!
And I’m not joking when I say this chocolate granola is dangerously delicious. I’m talking eat-by-the-handfuls good, so it never lasts long in our house!
Make a batch for an easy breakfast, quick snack, or healthy dessert. It’s perfect to make ahead of time then have whenever the craving strikes!
If you’re looking for another chocolate granola, try this Chunky Grain Free Granola Recipe filled with crisp clusters of nuts and seeds. Enjoy it plain, with almond milk, or overtop yogurt.
Ingredients
Peanuts – I used salted, dry roasted peanuts for that hint of a salty bite.
Walnuts – Full of healthy fats and add a great crunch.
Almond Slices – I used raw, shaved almonds for the thin and crisp texture. They also cluster better than whole almonds!
Coconut Shavings – I advise using unsweetened as this chocolate granola recipe is already plenty sweet. No worries if all you have is sweetened though, it will still taste delicious!
Banana Chips – Add a sweet and fruit crunch to the chunky monkey granola. I typically buy mine from Trader Joe’s but use whatever variety you can find.
Rolled Oats – Help hold the clusters together and add texture to the chocolate granola.
Water – Helps to thin out the coconut sugar and almond butter mixture.
Coconut Sugar – A refined sugar free sweetener that makes this granola just sweet enough for breakfast, a snack, or even a healthy dessert.
Oil – The key is to use a neutral flavored oil that won’t overpower the granola. I used avocado but any neutral-vegetable oil would work as well.
Almond Butter – I used raw almond butter (no salt or oil added) but you could also grind your own for this, just follow the steps I share in this post. You could also sub for another nut/seed butter, it might just impact the flavor.
Maple Syrup – Another refined sugar free sweetener that adds moisture and helps bind the granola clusters.
Salt/Cinnamon – Only add salt if your nut butter is unsalted. The cinnamon highlights the natural flavors of the nuts, seeds, maple syrup, and chocolate.
Chocolate Chips – Chocolate makes everything better and makes this into true chunky monkey granola. I used semi-sweet chips but feel free to use milk chocolate or dark chocolate as well!
How to Make Chocolate Granola
- Preheat oven to 275F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, add peanuts, walnuts, almond slices, banana chips, coconut, rolled oats, salt, and ground cinnamon. Process briefly until the largest nut pieces are at most corn sized ( 4-5 pulses). Pour nut mixture into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add water, coconut sugar, raw nut butter, oil, and maple syrup. Whisk and bring to a low boil on medium heat.
- Remove from heat and pour liquid over nuts in the large mixing bowl. Toss together until well mixed.
- Using a spatula, spread and press mixture to an even ¼” thickness on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 275F for 45 minutes. Cool completely before breaking apart into chunks. In a large bowl add granola chunks, along with chocolate chips and pulsed banana pieces.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
How to Make Granola Clusters
Usually with store bought granola I’m searching through the entire bag for the big clusters like I’m mining for gold. There’s just something so good about the big crunchy granola clusters that I can’t resist.
With this chunky monkey chocolate chip granola I knew it had to be very clustery, a ratio of 9:1 for clusters if I was going to really enjoy it. Here’s what I did for that big granola cluster energy:
- Pulse the nuts and oats until the large nuts are about the size of a corn kernel. This helps everything cluster and stay together versus having whole nuts and oats which wouldn’t ‘stick’ very well.
- Heat the nut butter mixture! I know it’s one extra step but it’s worth it for the big granola clusters. By bringing the ‘wet’ ingredients to a low boil, the heat creates a thicker, more caramel-y texture. This will really bind everything together and create strong, thick clusters.
- When adding to the baking tray, make sure you press down firmly and spread into an even layer.
- Baking at a lower temp (275F) and not stirring will help the granola bake slowly and form into big beautiful clusters.
- After you remove the baking tray from the oven, don’t touch the granola! Let it cool completely, at which point you can then break the granola ‘sheet’ into chunks.
Chunky Monkey Granola
I’m personally a big fan of the chunky monkey flavor – banana + chocolate + walnuts is such a tasty combo! After seeing so many creations with the chunky monkey flavor I knew I had to make it into a granola.
The walnuts are part of the granola mix and the chocolate chips are added in after baking. Then for the bananas, I obviously couldn’t add fresh bananas to the granola so I went with banana chips. Which if you’ve never used/enjoyed them before, they’re simply dried banana slices that get a nice crisp texture.
They also add a subtle sweet banana flavor to the chunky monkey granola that’s absolutely delicious! I buy mine from Trader Joe’s but you can also typically find in the bulk or nuts sections of any major grocery store.
How to Store Chunky Monkey Chocolate Granola
The good thing about granola is that it’s so easy to store for later. Once the batch cools after baking, simply stash it away in an airtight container, glass jar, or even a reusable storage bag. I’d recommend storing on the countertop/at room temperature for up to a week.
Granola is great to prep ahead of time for an easy breakfast or snack. I usually enjoy mine with almond milk or overtop yogurt, sometimes just by the handful too!
If you’re looking for more easy, healthy, and delicious breakfast options, I’ve got you covered with my favorite smoothies.
This Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie is bursting with sweet + fruity flavor. The combination of frozen fruit and greek yogurt makes for the creamiest blend! Then for any peanut butter lovers out there, this Green Smoothie is just like your favorite banana + peanut butter smoothie but packed with nutrients from spinach and flaxseed. Enjoy either of these as is or top with this chocolate granola for a bit of crunch!
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Dry roasted peanuts
- 1 Cup Raw walnut pieces
- 1 Cup Raw shaved almond slices
- 1 Cup Raw unsweetened coconut shavings
- 1 Cup Banana Chips
- 1 Cup Rolled oats
- ⅓ Cup Water
- ¼ Cup Coconut sugar
- 3 Tbsp Neutral vegetable oil I used avocado oil
- ½ Cup Raw almond butter
- ¼ Cup Maple syrup
- ½ Tsp Salt
- 2 Tsp Ground cinnamon
- ½ Cup Chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, add peanuts, walnuts, almond slices, banana chips, coconut, rolled oats, salt, and ground cinnamon. Process briefly until the largest nut pieces are at most corn sized ( 4-5 pulses). Pour nut mixture into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add water, coconut sugar, raw nut butter, oil, and maple syrup. Whisk and bring to a low boil on medium heat.
- Remove from heat and pour liquid over nuts in the large mixing bowl. Toss together until well mixed.
- Using a spatula, spread and press mixture to an even ¼” thickness on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 275F for 45 minutes. Cool completely before breaking apart into chunks. In a large bowl add granola chunks, along with chocolate chips and pulsed banana pieces.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
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