Vegan Pumpkin Pie Spice Granola
It’s mid-September, also known as the month of Pumpkin Spice. While I am not the biggest fan of pumpkin pie, and even less of a fan of the ever increasing range of pumpkin pie spiced products available, I’ve decided to give it a shot and make some vegan pumpkin pie spice granola. I know it’s not the most original use of pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, but it makes sense. Warm, delicious, sweet, cinnamon, pumpkins, oats, pecans. Ginger, cloves and sunflower seeds. No, it’s not the most original combination (see below for some of those), but it tastes amazing (which I suspect some of the before mentioned “original” options do not).
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It’s Pumpkin Spice Season!
After making our vegan pumpkin pie spice granola, I decided to honor of the month of Pumpkin Spice by doing a little research into all the available pumpkin spice products. I made a list of 10 items that did not appeal to me (although maybe you’d like them!) and a measly three that met my discerning approval.
10 Vegan* Pumpkin Pie Spice Products That Made Us Ask “Why?”
- Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Pumpkin Spice Beverage– bubbling pumpkin pie soda. The appeal is lost on me.
- Ice Chips Pumpkin Pie Spice Mints– pop one in your mouth for a blast of refreshing post-Thanksgiving dinner. Yum.
- Organic Spray-On Pumpkin Spice Flavoring– so you can literally spray pumpkin pie spice flavor on everything.
- Pumpkin Spice Aged Balsamic Vinegar– Now you can make a nice pumpkin pie spiced salad dressing… yum?
- Pumpkin Pie Spice Coffee– this one might be contentious, but I can not stand flavored coffee. I know it’s popular, but coffee should taste like coffee, not bitter pumpkins.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice Extract– we’re getting close to the root of the problem. Pumpkin pie flavored items should ideally contain pumpkin and a cinnamon spice blend.
- Organic Pumpkin Spice Soap– to each their own, I suppose.
- Pop Secret Pumpkin Spice Popcorn– it just feels like they’re trying to hard.
- Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter– it’s not the worst sounding combination, it just seems so… unnecessary.
- Pumpkin Ale Beer– this might go along with the coffee in my dislike for unflavored beers.
3 Vegan* Pumpkin Pie Spice Products that Sound Pretty Great!
- Pumpkin Spice Creamer– I’m a coffee purest- I drink my coffee black. But if I were to adulterate it with something pumpkin spice, this seems a much better way to do it than directly in the beans.
- Pumpkin Spice Complete Cookie– if you’re not going homemade, complete cookies are a good alternative. And a pumpkin cookie sounds pretty good!
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie Spice Granola- huge yes from us- keep reading for the recipe.
*Products are vegan to the best of our knowledge, although were not exhaustively researched to verify.
Looking for Granola? Looking for Pumpkin?
If you didn’t stop by for the vegan pumpkin pie spice granola, and are looking for a different breakfast option, I have some advice for you. I have several granola recipes on my blog- 4-Ingredient Easy Banana Granola, Vegan White Chocolate Granola with Wild Blueberries and Green Tea Coconut Granola. If you actually came for the pumpkin and not the granola, I have a couple recommendations there as well- check out my Savory Pumpkin Muffins, or if you’re looking for something sweeter there’s always Pineapple, Pumpkin and Pecan Upside-Down Cake.
Making Pumpkin Pie Spice Granola
Making granola is a pretty easy process. This particular granola is a little wetter than many of the others I’ve made- that’s very much my fault, as I was trying to add as much actual pumpkin as the recipe could handle. Because of that it takes longer to cook than other granola (around 25-30 minutes). To end up with the perfect, not mushy, not burnt granola, make sure that the oats have become fairly dry, but are still soft when you remove them from the oven.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie Spice Granola
Ingredients
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ tsp. of vanilla or almond extract, optional
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 cups oats
- ½ cup pecans
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- 2 tsp. brown sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, maple syrup, coconut oil, pumpkin pie spice, salt and optional extract. Stir until smooth and uniform. Add the oats, sunflower seeds and pecans and fold until they are all completely covered.
- Spread evenly on a baking sheet covered with a silicone baking mat, and sprinkle the brown sugar on top. Place the baking sheet in the oven. After 15 minutes, remove and stir before cooking another 10-15 minutes. They’re finished when the oats are fairly dry, yet soft (it will harden as it cools). Store in an airtight container.
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Let’s hear from you…
- What are some of your favorite/least favorite pumpkin pie spice items?
- Do you ever buy those little ornamental squash and gourds in my pictures? Any idea what I should do with them now that I finished taking these pictures?
Share your answers, and any other thoughts you have in the comments below!
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