Cinnamon Spiced Buckwheat Pumpkin Granola Recipe
Estimated Prep + Bake Time: 40 minutes
You don’t have to be a granola girlie to enjoy this delicious granola recipe…
Indulge your senses with your favorite warm, aromatic flavors like pumpkin, cinnamon, maple, nutmeg…all rolled up into a tasty snack you can take with you on a hike (or to your couch!) Granola is simple and quick to make; you only need a little patience to let it cool before breaking it into pieces! It comes together in one bowl, and then gets baked until golden and crispy.
Eating granola is an easy way to get a variety of important nutrients. Packed in this yummy treat are lots of healthy fats, complex carbs, plus a flavor and texture explosion! (Scroll down to see how this recipe fuels your body with each ingredient!)
I love 1) pairing granola with greek yogurt, 2) eating it by the handful, or 3) enjoying it like a bowl of cereal. Granola literally keeps me going; it’s been fueling my days for a decade at this point!
This recipe is my favorite recipe of those I’ve shared with you thus far. It’s fun spicing up your average granola recipe with extra protein with the buckwheat! Granola is already naturally higher in protein than most snacks, but especially with the addition of the buckwheat groats.
*Granola can easily be made gluten free, vegan, and refined sugar free (and this recipe checks all of those boxes!)
Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup buckwheat groats
½ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp vanilla
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
To a large mixing bowl, add your rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat groats, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg and stir to combine
To a microwave safe dish, add coconut oil, maple syrup, almond butter, and vanilla and microwave briefly (or heat on stovetop in a small pot) until the mixture is mostly melted
Whisk the liquid mixture until thoroughly combined
Pour the mixed liquid ingredients over the oat mixture and stir until the oat mixture is evenly coated
Pour everything onto the lined baking sheet and smooth out into an even layer
Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown, stir mixture halfway through
Take out of oven and let completely cool at room temperature
Break into chunks and pieces, and enjoy!
Storage Options:
I store my homemade granola in a glass airtight container at room temperature for up to a month!
The Healing Powers of this Easy Granola Recipe
(by ingredient)
Rolled Oats
Rolled oats are one of my favorite grains to bake and cook with. They are hearty, satisfying, and they keep me full!
Rolled oats are rich in soluble fiber which helps with digestion, lowers cholesterol levels, and reduces the risk for heart disease.
The soluble fiber content is called Beta-glucan, which helps with blood sugar control due to the slowed down process of absorption into the blood stream.
Soluble fiber also promotes healthy gut bacteria leading to improved digestion and reduced constipation.
It’s nutrient dense with magnesium, iron, zinc, and B vitamins and also contains antioxidants.
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are a good source of protein and other nutrients, and are a natural antioxidant!
Pumpkin seeds are known to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and high blood sugar, due to their high magnesium, zinc and fatty acid content. Check out this Cleveland Clinic article to learn more!
Roasting your pumpkin seeds has been proven to increase the amount of antioxidants you can get from this yummy ingredient!
Buckwheat Groats
Buckwheat groats are the hulled seeds of buckwheat, and they are a great source of protein, as well as magnesium, copper, and manganese.
The primary benefits include improved blood sugar regulation, better heart health due to its flavonoid content, and buckwheat groats will keep you full for longer due to its complex carbohydrates.
Buckwheat is inherently gluten free, making it a great option for celiac girlies to get important vitamins and minerals in their diets!
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is one of my favorite natural sweeteners to use (and we used it in a previous oat-related recipe!) I’m not talking about the table syrup with the corn syrup (yuck), but actual, pure maple syrup.
Maple syrup contains phenolic compounds, making it a source of antioxidants.
It also contains minerals your body craves such as zinc, manganese, potassium, and calcium, making it beneficial for blood pressure, bone health, and immune function.
Since your body doesn’t naturally produce zinc, it’s important to get a consistent supply through your diet! Zinc is required for gene expression, natural processes in your body involving enzymes, proper immune system functioning, creating proteins, creating DNA, healing your wounds and injuries, as well as your natural growth and development.
We only need small amounts of manganese in our diet, but its presence is necessary for normal brain function and nervous system function, as well as most of the enzyme systems in the body!
Calcium is one of the most well known nutrients for its contribution to building strong bones! Apart from helping our skeletons stay healthy, calcium also keeps your heart pumping, nerve endings firing, and is thought to protect against cancer and blood clot formation!
Maple syrup has a lower glycemic index than white sugar, which keeps blood sugars more regulated.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon contains high concentrations of protective plant compounds like cinnamaldehyde and polyphenols, again helping with lowering inflammation levels.
Regular consumption of cinnamon has been shown to:
help manage blood sugar levels
improve heart health by reducing cholesterol and triglycerides
To learn more, check out this article: What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Cinnamon Regularly
Cinnamon is antibacterial and protects against certain infections and neurodegenerative diseases, specifically bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oilhas brought up debate in the health and science spaces due to claims that it’s a type of superfood because it contains MCTs, which provide an energy boost for fat metabolism, and fuel the brain. However, the extent to which the claimed benefits are substantial are what is often being argued. Coconut oil continues to be studied for a wide range of health benefits.
Coconut oil has shown to exhibit anti-cancer properties. According to a 2025 scientific review by the Journal of Xenobiotics, “studies show that [Virgin Coconut Oil, Lauric Acid] and their synthesized nanocomplex conjugates and nanomaterials exert anticancer effects and also enhance the anticancer efficacy of standard chemotherapeutic agents.”
Ginger
Ginger is a fairly well known homeopathic ingredient with a range of health benefits!
Fresh ginger has a potent compound called gingerol which has antioxidant properties and reduces inflammatory enzymes!
This impacts how the body receives pain, and so ginger is known to help with menstrual pain and arthrytis over an extended period of time.
Gingerol also improves blood sugar regulation!
People with type 2 diabetes struggle to naturally produce enough insulin; ginger helps your muscles to absorb glucose, without requiring you to take extra insulin.
Ginger is known to reduce nausea! We’ve probably all drank a little ginger ale while hungover or recovering from a nausea spell, but in those cases it might just be the carbonation making you feel better!
Eating fresh ginger has been shown to help morning sickness, motion sickness and the side effects of some chemotherapy regimens.
“Ginger may be helpful because it helps increase the way food moves through your GI tract, called gastric motility, and block serotonin receptors in our gut lining,” (Dietitian Candace O’Neill, RD, LDN)
Some studies have also shown that ginger might be linked to a reduction in cholesterol, as well as having antibacterial properties, but more research needs to be done for this information to be conclusive.
Now that you know how healthy it is, enjoy this deliciously easy granola recipe and let me know how it went in the comments!
Share this blog with someone who has been needing some healthy, delicious, and easy-to-make vegetarian recipes in their life! <3
Love,
The Curly Goat
