Strawberry Chocolate Granola Clusters

You’ll be grabbing these addictive strawberry chocolate granola clusters by the handful! Quickly mix together simple ingredients like muesli, chocolate chips, and dehydrated strawberries, and let it bake low and slow.

Some recipes just put a big, beaming smile on my face.

I have been craving strawberry chocolate granola for MONTHS.

Do you ever get the idea to make something, but because it’s not on the meal plan or you don’t have all the ingredients, it gets put on the back burner?

That was this strawberry chocolate granola recipe for me. I was craving toasted oats, strawberries, and chocolate – all rolled up and crunchified together so that I could grab a cluster and pop it in my mouth.

But I kept putting it off because making granola clusters sounded hard.

Turns out, I was way wrong! Making these strawberry chocolate granola clusters is SO EASY, and they hit the spot!

Now the only problem is not popping one in your mouth every time you go into the kitchen…

STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE GRANOLA CLUSTERS

I don’t know if you need much convincing to make these strawberry chocolate granola clusters, but if you’re still on the fence, here’s why I think you should try these immediately:

• Frugal snack. You may not have dehydrated strawberries, but I bet you already have everything else to make this recipe in your kitchen.
• Real food ingredients. Nothing complicated or unpronounceable here!
• Can eat on the go. Unlike regular granola that you scoop up with a spoon, you can eat these granola clusters by the handful (although you can eat them with a spoon too if you want).
• Perfect amount of sweetness. Dark chocolate, strawberries, and honey all add sweetness, but it’s not overwhelmingly sweet.
• Yummy breakfast or snack option. Seriously so so good!

STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE GRANOLA RECIPE INGREDIENTS

This strawberry chocolate granola recipe is pretty simple, but it has some very specific ingredients that help make it absolutely amazing!

• Coconut Oil. All granola recipes need a bit of fat to coat everything, so it toasts up golden brown and delicious! Melted butter works too.
• Honey. To naturally sweeten the chocolate granola. Maple syrup will also work. You don’t need any brown sugar or granulated sugar for this granola recipe.
• Egg White. One of the secrets to getting granola CLUSTERS. Don’t skip it!
• Bob’s Red Mill Old Country Style Muesli. Muesli is a combination of grains, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds. Read below for other options.
• Oat Flour. Oat flour acts as a binder to help hold everything together – perfect for when you want to make granola clusters.
• Dehydrated Strawberries. You can find these with the other dried fruits in the grocery store, or you can make your own with thinly sliced strawberries.
• Chocolate Chips. It wouldn’t be chocolate granola without these! I like dark chocolate chips.
• Salt. A little bit enhances the other flavors, and you can always add more finishing salt at the end.

MUESLI FOR CHOCOLATE GRANOLA RECIPE

Beyond chocolate and strawberries, there’s other great stuff too, like Bob’s Red Mill Old Country Style Muesli.

Mouthful to say? Let’s call it just muesli for short.

If you’ve never tried muesli, it’s like oatmeal got together with the other whole grains, dried fruit, and nuts in your pantry and threw a party. Muesli is like the real food version of cereal – it’s similar to granola but has less fat to coat it, so it’s more of a lightly toasted mixture than a full-on granola. Heat it up, eat it cold, or straight out of the bag – your call.

This muesli does contain wheat, rye, and barley, so it’s not a gluten-free option. If you need gluten free granola, you can substitute the muesli with certified gluten-free rolled oats, plus mix-ins like nuts, seeds, and dried fruits (almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, shredded coconut flakes, raisins, flax, chia seeds, or hemp seeds would all be yummy). Use at least 1 cup of oats and fill in the remaining cup with whatever chopped nuts and seeds you have on hand.

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY DARK CHOCOLATE GRANOLA

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 250F.

Step 2. Combine coconut oil and honey in a small bowl and warm either over a double boiler or in the microwave so that it is just melted, but not too hot. Whisk well. Set aside to cool slightly.

Step 3. Meanwhile, combine muesli, oat flour, dehydrated strawberries, chocolate chips, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine well.

Step 4. Add the egg white to the oil and honey mixture and whisk to combine. Make sure it’s cooled enough that you don’t accidentally scramble the eggs!

Step 5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to combine well. You want the entire mixture to be moistened, so make sure there is no remnant of dried flour on anything.

Step 6. Pour the granola mixture into an even layer on a non-stick cookie sheet or a parchment paper lined baking sheet and press together to form a large rectangle, about ½″ high. Pressing the granola together ensures more clusters in the end.

Step 7. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until medium brown.

Step 8. Using a pancake turner, gently flip the granola one section at a time. It helps to visually divide the rectangle into six equal sections and flip one section at a time. Do your best to keep each section together, rather than haphazardly flipping and letting the oats fall all over the place.

Step 9. Once each section has been flipped, use the spatula to press any rogue pieces of granola back into the rectangle. Top with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt if using. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until it is medium golden brown. If it takes longer than 30 minutes, check on the granola every 2-4 minutes to prevent burning.

Step 10. Pull the homemade granola from the oven and set it on a cooling rack to cool for 2 hours. Do not touch the granola! It will harden into clusters as it cools, so it is imperative that you be patient as it cools.

Step 11. After 2 hours, gently break the homemade chocolate granola into clusters and store it in an airtight container with a lid for up to 2 weeks (if it lasts that long).

If you want extra crunchy granola dark chocolate flavor clusters, place the broken clusters back into the oven for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool completely again before removing from the pan for storage.

TIPS FOR GRANOLA WITH DARK CHOCOLATE CLUSTERS

Here’s what you need to know to make your house smell amazing and your mouth happy:

• There’s no such thing as too much chocolate
• Or strawberries – you can’t have too many!
• You need to be patient (seriously)
• Egg white + oat flour = crunchy clusters

Did you catch that last one? That’s the secret, folks! Egg whites and oat flour are key to crunchy clusters. I almost hate to share the secret because I want to keep these clusters to myself, but that’s not fair (or nice). So, here’s the recipe for granola with dark chocolate clusters, my friends – enjoy!

SERVE WITH STRAWBERRY GRANOLA CLUSTERS

These granola clusters are delicious by the handful as a snack. You can also try them with these:

• Sprinkled on top of yogurt or Greek yogurt
• As a topping for Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• In a Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
• Include in Trail Mix for extra crunch

Warning – these strawberry chocolate granola clusters are VERY addictive. You might end up “tasting” the entire pan if you are not careful. Not that I would know anything about that…

STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE GRANOLA CLUSTERS AS A HEALTHY SNACK

Strawberry dark chocolate granola clusters and other granola recipes are a bit heavier on the carbohydrates, with a small amount of protein and fat, depending on the exact ingredients you use. That means your best bet is to pair them with protein and produce!

And although I love grabbing a handful of these strawberry dark chocolate granola clusters, my favorite way to eat them is with a bowl of Greek yogurt and some extra sliced strawberries. It feels like an indulgent treat, but it’s actually a filling, satisfying snack.

Plus, it checks all the boxes for healthy snacking for me:

• Always including protein
• Pairing carbs with protein to keep my blood sugar stable
• Making a snack a mini meal that hits the macros that I need
• Adding produce to round out my plate (or bowl, in this case)

STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE GRANOLA FAQS

MORE DELICIOUS GRANOLA RECIPES

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola
• Cinnamon Granola with Coconut Oil
• Cranberry Orange Granola
• Kitchen Sink Granola Bar Recipe
• Peanut Butter Granola Bars
• Yogurt Parfait with Fruit and Granola