Date-sweetened chai granola. A nut-free granola that’s perfectly sweetened with dates! A delicious and nutritious vegan breakfast.

A fall-inspired granola that’s nut-free and sweetened with dates. This granola is delicious eaten by the handful or served with plant-based milk or yogurt.

This recipe was originally created in 2018 and has been updated with new photography and more details. It’s also inspired by Natalie from Feasting on Fruit. Her date-sweetened granola was my absolute favorite when I avoided added sugar (more on my journey to making peace with food here) and I decided to share it with you, adding my own little twist. It’s still my go-to fall granola to this day.

Here’s what I did: First, I added chai spices to the granola for a touch of fall flavors. Second, I decided to make it nut-free by using sunflower seed butter. This recipe is easily customizable and you can find all of my substitution notes below. I hope you’ll enjoy this date-sweetened granola!

date granola mixture in a food processor

date sweetened chai granola on a baking sheet

How to Make Date-Sweetened Granola

Start by making the date mixture: In a food processor, add the Medjool dates, sunflower seed butter, water and vanilla. Process until you get a creamy and sticky mixture. This is what will bind the granola together.

Transfer the date mixture to a mixing bowl, along with the oats, seeds, spices and salt. Mix it all together until combined.

Bake the granola for 40 minutes, tossing it halfway. The granola will continue to crisp up as it cools down. It should be lightly sweet and crispy. Let it cool completely before storing it in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes on Substitutions

You can make a regular granola by skipping the spices, though I highly recommend at least keeping the cinnamon.
Feel free to use any nut/seed butter. Almond butter and peanut butter also work well in this recipe. Of course, use seed butter for a nut-free option.
If nuts aren’t an issue, you can substitute the seeds for nuts, such as pecans, walnuts or chopped almonds. You can also do a mix of both.
I don’t recommend using regular dates instead of Medjool dates. Medjool dates are sweeter and softer, helping the granola stick together better. That being said, they will work in a pinch. I recommend soaking them in boiling water for 10 minutes before using. You might need to adjust the baking time to get a crunchy granola.

More Vegan Granola Recipes

date-sweetened chai granola in a bowl from the side

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Date-Sweetened Chai Granola

A delicious, easy and healthy granola with hint of fall flavors. This recipe is made without added sugar thanks to dates, plus it's nut-free, gluten-free and oil-free. Eat it by the handful or serve it with plant-based milk or yogurt.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine vegan

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Ingredients

1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups seeds of choice (I use 1/2 cup each of flax, pumpkin seeds and hemp hearts)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
1 teaspoon ginger, ground
1/2 teaspoon clove, ground
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
1/2 teaspoon cardamom, ground
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a food processor or high-speed blender, process the dates, sunflower seed butter, water and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the date mixture until evenly coated.
Spread the granola evenly on both prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 20 minutes. Stir the granola, moving the bits on the inside to the outside and vice versa. Return to the oven and bake another 20-25 minutes until dry and crispy, checking every 10 minutes and stirring so the edges don’t burn.
Remove from oven and let cool completely before storring in jars or airtight container. The granola will get crispier as it cools.

Notes

Feel free to use any nut/seed butter. If you’re not looking for a nut-free recipe, almond butter and peanut butter also work well.

If nuts aren’t an issue, you can substitute the seeds for nuts, such as pecans or chopped almonds.

You can skip the spices (except for the cinnamon) to make a basic granola flavor.

Recipe adapted from Feasting on Fruit’s date-sweetened granola.

If you make this date-sweetened chai granola, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

10 Comments

Britta

2018-10-04 at 10:45 am Reply

Just made this and sure enough, it really is utterly addictive. Loved it!
- Unsweetened Caroline
  
  2018-10-05 at 6:54 am Reply
  
  Hi Britta, thank you so much for the feedback! I’m happy to hear you loved it as much as we do. 🙂
Pamela Winningham

2019-10-13 at 11:43 am Reply

Hi there! Would this recipe work well as granola bars? I want something easy and packable (flat) to take on hikes.
I can’t wait to try it!! All my favorite spices 🙂
- Unsweetened Caroline
  
  2019-10-14 at 1:24 am Reply
  
  Hi Pamela, I think that would be delicious! It might be a trial and error the first time (they may be crumbly). I would press really well in a dish before baking and then bake for the same amount of time or adjust as needed. Again, I can’t guarantee they’ll be perfect without trying first, but it’s worth a try! You can also check out my pumpkin spice date bites if you’re looking for a fall hiking snack. They’re no-bake and so easy to pack! Hope this helps. 🙂
Rabia

2019-12-30 at 8:11 am Reply

Hi. Can you suggest an alternative to the nut/seed butter? I want to give your recipe a try. Thanks
- Unsweetened Caroline
  
  2019-12-30 at 2:49 pm Reply
  
  Hi Rabia, the nut or seed butter is an important part of the recipe and it helps it stick. I haven’t tried any alternatives, so I can’t guarantee anything else would work. Normally you could use maple syrup or rice syrup to make it stick, although this may make the recipe too sweet due to the dates. Sorry I can’t help more!
Carola

2020-04-08 at 8:43 am Reply

I really want to try this recipe! Is there a way to avoid dates? I never have them in my pantry, plus I have PCOS so I should keep sugars law. I was thinking about a touch of honey instead (still sugar but at least I have it, and I’d use very little of it). Thank you in advance (:
- Nourished by Caroline
  
  2020-04-08 at 8:48 am Reply
  
  Hi Carola, I haven’t tried this one without dates and it may be difficult to determine how much honey to use. I do however have another granola recipe that’s very similar, but it’s sweetened with maple syrup. You could easily use honey instead! It uses 1/2 a cup, but you could try reducing it and adding a little more nut or seed butter. It may just be a little more crumbly that way, but it would still taste good. Look for maple peanut butter granola on my blog (it’s a newer recipe). You could also add the chai spices! Hope this helps. 🙂
Carola

2020-04-08 at 8:56 am Reply

That was fast! Thank you very much, I check it out immediately (:
- Nourished by Caroline
  
  2020-04-08 at 9:03 am Reply
  
  Haha you caught me as I’m doing some computer work. 🙂 No problem and I hope you’ll love it!