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Sweet, crunchy, protein-packed red lentil granola with coconut and cranberries is allergy-friendly and has 11 grams of protein per serving! It is nut-free and grain-free. Serve it just like you would any other granola. This post was originally published on mar 13, 2015.
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Make this red lentil granola for the added crunchy protein. No nuts, no grains! A simple granola with simple flavors.
If you’ve never had lentil granola before, you might be feeling a little bit hesitant, let me put your mind at ease. This granola is crispy crunchy with nutty flavor, it mixes delightfully with the dried fruit and spices for a lightly-sweet, crunchy snack that’s high in protein!
Lentil granola is a delicious, grain-free alternative to conventional granola. It’s delicious on its own as a snack or served over non-dairy yogurt or with non-dairy milk.
Split Red lentils that cook quickly work best for granola. Red lentils are basically split brown lentils that have also been skinned (dehusked). We cook the lentils until they are aldente, then toss with maple and bake until crisp. They get crunch and light and delicious!
Why You’ll Love Lentil Granola
- grain free granola with a lovely, sweet flavor
- 11 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber per serving
- versatile! Use whatever dried fruit and whatever nuts or seeds you have on hand to add texture and flavor.
- naturally gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, and palm oil-free
More Granola Recipes
Red Lentil Granola with Coconut and Cranberries
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked split red lentils, (masoor dal)
- 2 cups water
- 1.5 tablespoon sugar, divided
- a pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 teaspoons oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons or more seeds, such as hemp, sesame, sunflower or pumpkin
- 3 tablespoons dried cranberries , or chopped dates or use other dried fruit or raisins
Instructions
- In a pan, add water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the lentils, mix and cook. The water will come to a boil and might start to foam and boil over. Stir the foam to settle or scoop the foam out. If it is still boiling too rapidly, reduce heat to medium low. Stir once or twice in between to ensure the lentils cook evenly. At about the 7 minute mark, the lentils should be just about done. Take off heat as soon as the lentils start fraying and feel tender in the middle. Check a few lentils to be sure. If the center is hard, cook another minute.
- Drain excess water using a strainer, and rinse very lightly with cold water. Then let us sit in the strainer to drain for 5 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 320° F (160º C). Transfer the lentils to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar and a pinch of salt, and mix in. (Use less sugar if you like your granola less sweet). Spread the lentils using a spatula into a thin layer, then bake for 20 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, baking powder and 2 teaspoons of the oil. Add another 1/2 tablespoon sugar, if desired. Remove the baking pan from the oven, and mix the maple mixture into the lentils and move them around. Drizzle another teaspoon oil, if desired. If they are too clumpy, break the clumps and spread. Bake for 10 minutes then Reduce oven temp to 305° F (150° C). If they are browning too much reduce temp to 295 or 290 deg F (142 C). Bake 15 minutes or longer. Check if the lentils are crisping evenly, mix and bake longer until most are crisp.
- Remove from the oven and Add in coconut and seeds, and mix in and then bake for 5 minutes. Switch off the oven. Let the lentils sit in the oven for another 5-10 minutes to ensure all are crisped, then remove. They should be crisp, light, and crunchy. Add the dried fruit and mix. Cool completely before storing. Serve as you would serve other granola. Goes well with non-dairy yogurt, non-dairy milk or an as-is snack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- red lentils – Quick-cooking red lentils are ideal for making this granola.
- water – To boil the lentils.
- sugar – For sweetness. Use the full 1.5 tablespoons for sweeter or reduce to 1 tablespoon for less sweet. Or omit for sweetness from just the maple syrup.
- cinnamon and vanilla extract – Adds such a nice flavor and masks the lentil taste in the granola.
- maple syrup – For sweetness and for adding the granola texture. Use syrup made with jaggery or sugar as a substitute
- oil – Helps the lentils crisp in the oven. You can use the full 3 teaspoons or reduce to 2 teaspoons.
- baking powder – Helps the lentils get more crisp in the oven.
- shredded coconut – Adds texture and flavor. Use sweetened or unsweetened, or omit for coconut-free.
- dried cranberries – Adds texture and flavor! You can use raisins instead or other chopped dried fruit, like dates or dried apricots or dried blueberries
- seeds – For more protein and crunch! Hemp seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and/or pumpkin seeds all work well in this red lentil granola recipe.
💡 Tips
- You want the lentils to be just al dente. Red lentils turn to mush if you overcook them, so keep an eye on the pot as they boil.
- The cooked red lentils are a bit delicate, so be gentle with them while mixing .
How to Make Lentil Granola
In a pan, add water and bring to a boil at medium heat. Add the lentils, mix and cook. The water will come to a boil and might start to foam and boil over. Stir the foam to settle or scoop the foam out. If it is still boiling too rapidly, reduce heat to medium low. Stir once or twice in between to ensure the lentils cook evenly. At about the 7 minute mark, the lentils should be just about done. Take off heat as soon as the lentils start fraying and feel tender in the middle. Check a few lentils to be sure. Or cook another minute.
Drain excess water using a strainer, and rinse lightly with cold water and then let sit and drain for 5 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 320° F (160º C). Transfer the lentils to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar and a pinch of salt, and mix in. (Use less sugar if you like your granola less sweet). Spread the lentils into a thin layer, then bake for 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, baking powder and 2 teaspoons of the oil. Add another 1/2 tablespoon sugar, if desired.
Remove the baking pan from the oven, and mix the maple mixture into the lentils and move them around. Add another teaspoon oil, if desired. If they are too clumpy, break the clumps and spread.
Reduce oven temp to 305° F (150° C) after 10 minutes. Move the lentils a bit, and bake 15 minutes or longer. Check if the lentils are crisping evenly, and bake longer until most are crisp. If they are browning too much reduce temp to 295 or 290 deg F.
Add coconut and seeds, and mix in and bake for 5 minutes. Switch off the oven. Let the lentils sit in the oven for another 10 minutes, then remove. They should be crisp, light, and crunchy. Add dried fruit and mix.
Cool completely before storing. Serve as you would serve other granola. Goes well with non-dairy yogurt, non-dairy milk or an as-is snack.
What to Serve with Red Lentil Granola
Red lentil granola makes a delicious snack on its own, or you can serve it like you would grain-based granola, with non-dairy yogurt or with milk.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free.
While there is a mild lentil flavor to this granola, it tastes more nutty than lentilly. The crunch nutty flavor mixes delightfully with the dried fruit and spices for a lightly-sweet, crunchy snack that’s high in protein!
Split Red lentils that cook quickly work best for granola. Red lentils are basically split brown lentils that have also been skinned (husked).
This was delicious and gone very quickly. I used what few red lentils that I had in my pantry but can’t find any more locally in my small community. Would it work just as well with another type of lentils or perhaps garbanzo beans?
It will work with brown or green lentils. I wouldn’t recommend using chickpeas as they get too hard
I do not like lentils but they really expand my choices of things I can eat. This recipe is amazing. Delicious, easy. I can’t believe I like lentils!
Can you use bengal gram (chana dal) I stead of red lentils?
They will get too hard. You can use moong dal
This is very tasty and crunchy! The only downside is that there are a lot of steps to this recipe. It also doesn’t make very much so next time I will double it. I kept worrying about the lentils burning but they do get pretty dark so don’t worry!
Awesome! Yes definitely double it. Also reduce the temp to 290 F so they don’t brown as much. It’s a smaller portion for everyone to feel like they can try it. Sometimes larger portions are intimidating to try for the fear of wastage if people don’t like it.
You can precook the lentils before hand and refrigerate for upto 3 days and make granola later. I think adding the maple mixture on the first bake itself might work as well reducing the number of steps
I’ve been looking for more lentil recipes to add to my diet, but had never considered granola. I added dried cherries instead of cranberries, and had to cook about 10-15 minutes longer–likely variation in oven temp. This was delish!! I added to Greek yogurt with blueberries. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
awesome
I like this recipe a lot. It’s a great idea. I love crunchy green lentils as a salat or sandwich topping. But for what is the oil in this recipe?? Is it really necessary? Thanks in advance
You can omit the oil. Add a tsp or so more maple instead
How long can you store granola (in the fridge)?
for about 2 weeks.
How would you make granola bars out of this??? Would love to try that!
mix some nut butter + brown rice syrup or mashed cooked lentils + brown rice syrup into the granola, press into a pan and bake at 325 degrees F until crisp 20 to 25 mins
So clever!! And very tasty!
Mine wound up getting really mushy in milk. But I think I overcooked my lentils (in the pan), as I couldn’t really get them to separate well, and wound up with a lot of it getting fairly powdery when I was trying to stir it around while baking. Not many of those beautiful flakes like in yours! My other thought is that I underbaked.
What is the texture like in yours when there’s milk poured over?
i think you overcooked. The lentils should be separate to begin with. They do cook very quickly and the time depends on your pan and stove etc. so check after 7 to 8 minutes and keep checking every minute. I can imagine them getting quickly mixed up the milk if they are so powdery.
If they are separate, they get nicely crunchy, somewhat like krispies and do stay crisp when mixed with milk. maybe eat them as is, or convert them into bars with a bit of nut butter and brown rice syrup.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!! I love the idea of a savory version. This sweet version is baking right now and smells heavenly! I have made this before and what I do is soak the lentils overnight, drain, then mix up with the other ingredients and bake. That way you never have to worry about the mush factor 🙂
Blessings!
Dev Inder
Great idea. i will try that next time.
I tried this and it was excellent. I didn’t bother with the sugar and spices and just added dates, shredded coconut, cocoa nibs and a few chia seeds to the dried/toasted lentils and poured in coconut drink (milk alternative) when I was ready to eat and it was great. Wonderful result, easy to make and inexpensive, too. Previously, I’d also tried dehydrating shredded sweet potato, which also worked well as a granola but is much more work and also a bit pricey. Plus, this option packs a protein punch that had me feeling full, which was nice. Thanks, Richa.
Awesome!
This is such a good idea! A nice variation from oat granola. I will definitely be making this! 🙂
I love this recipe, will be making it more often using other flavors. Will split lentils work too or will they be too soft?
ps: I suffered from vertigo a few years ago. I ended up doing a lot of acupuncture and drinking nasty Chinese herb and bark teas
red lentils are split brown lentils that have been skinned. What lentils did you use?
Did any of the things work for your vertigo?
I absolutely LOVED this breakfast. I had to hide the last of it from my husband.