We’re two days away from the official first day of fall. But it seems as though the season for all things “pumpkin spice” is already in full swing, especially when it comes to the world’s largest coffee shop chain. Good grief, they seem to be spending a fortune advertising their newly-rebranded “Real PSL”.
Which — I’ll admit — is earning a bit of a “real eyeroll” from Yours Truly.
First off, I (along with so many of you) have been making “real” pumpkin spice lattes for years and years now. I’m glad they are finally joining the real-pumpkin-puree party, but maybe a little late, eh? Second, this is probably just me being stubborn, but a slick new marketing campaign is not going to convince me to use the acronym when I order. I already have to rack my brain to remember the chain’s non-intuitive vocabulary when ordering a drink size, and just would like to order a medium pumpkin latte, thankyouverymuch. Third, sorry, but I’m not waiting on pins and needles until the coffee shop’s official pumpkin spice release date arrives. In my little kitchen, with great props to the joys of modern canning, every day can be pumpkin spice day! Because if you ask me, there are far too many great pumpkin recipes out there to just limit their season to a month or two. :)
Still, I love cozying up with some tasty pumpkin spice recipes in the fall just as much as anyone else. So today I’m adding one new tasty treat to our pumpkin recipe collection on the blog. It’s incredibly easy to make. It’s made with (yes) real pumpkin and lots of pumpkin pie spice. It’s perfect for breakfast, snacking, or even to sprinkle on top of some ice cream for dessert. And it is absolutely delightful. :)
Let’s make some (real) pumpkin spice granola!
Actually, if there were ever a food that was begging to be made with pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices, I think granola would have to be it. Those delicious warming flavors in pumpkin pie spice already include many that I use in my maple-sweetened standard granola recipe. But then when you add in some crispy pepitas, some good-for-you pumpkin puree, and (well, some not-as-good-for-you) sweet chocolate chips if you’d like, a pumpkin spice granola turns into the perfect seasonal treat.
To make it, begin by whipping up a maple-sweetened pumpkin sauce with a few simple ingredients. Pour it over some oats and whatever nuts sound good to you. (I used a mixture of pepitas and pecans, but almonds and/or walnuts would also taste great with this recipe.)
Stir it all up, and then spread it out in an even layer on a baking sheet. Then pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Then remove it and stir in some coconut if you’d like. I like to add my coconut in halfway through baking so that it doesn’t get too toasted, but coconut is optional with this recipe.
Pop it back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes until it’s nice and toasty and golden, then pull it out and let the granola cool to room temperature. It will crisp up quite a bit more as it cools. If you’d like a treat, feel free to stir in some white or dark chocolate chips in with your granola. But I actually just like mine plain.
Then serve it up with some milk or yogurt (or again, I highly recommend the ice cream option for dessert)…
…and enjoy it any day of the year that pumpkin sounds good to you. ;)
Hope that you love this one as much as I do!
Pumpkin Spice Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats (use certified gluten-free oats if making this GF)
- 1 cup raw pecan halves
- 1 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, store-bought or homemade
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- (optional) 1/2 cup shredded or shaved coconut
- (optional) 1/2 cup white or semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine the oats, pepitas and pecans in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and salt together until smooth. Pour the maple syrup mixture over the oats mixture, and toss until everything is evenly mixed.
- Spread the granola mixture out evenly on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and add in the coconut (if using) and give everything a good stir. Return the granola to the oven and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture is golden. Remove and let the granola cool until it reaches room temperature. Stir in the chocolate chips (if using).
- Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
“Love this! Recently tried the fresh pumpkin spice from RawSpiceBar to make a few fall inspired recipes and it was definitely worth trying!”
Yum, this looks so good! Will have to try this recipe out, thanks for the share
Thanks Khloe — we hope you enjoy it!
This was so fantastically yummy! I loved the spices and how substantial the seeds and nuts make the granola. Imade it as written except for substituting raisins instead of the chocolate. Thanks!
Thanks Heather, we’re so glad you liked it! :)
I made this today with pumpkin left over from Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. Love it!! So delish. Do you happen to have a calorie count for it? Maybe I missed that somehow. Thanks! And I must mention, I’m a big fan of your blog.
Thanks Robyn, we’re happy you liked it, and are so glad you’re a fan of the blog! Unfortunately though, we don’t have the nutrition facts/calorie info for this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!
This just came out of the oven, smells amazing and tastes heavenly! I subbed the pecans and pepitas for slivered almonds and walnuts. It’s going over our pumpkin overnight oats tomorrow morning :) thank you for the recipe!
Awesome Lisa, we’re so happy to hear that! We hope you enjoyed your breakfast this morning! :)
Loved this! Not too sweet, just right. I’m going to halve the amount of nuts and seeds next time or add more oats because it was kind of nut-heavy in my opinion. Also may play around with allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg in addition to the pumpkin pie spice. Overall really liked it though, thank you!
Awesome Jessica, we’re happy to hear that! :)
I just made this and it was awesome! I’ve never had a pumpkin flavored granola before, and I was initially skeptical that the pumpkin spice flavor wouldn’t stand out enough. But, I can definitely taste the pumpkin flavor in it! I made the recipe exactly as written except that I pulsed the pecans a little bit because I don’t like big chunks of pecans. Normally I’m a yogurt and granola girl, but after tasting this a few mins ago, I think this particular granola would taste awesome with the 1% milk I have sitting in my fridge. Pretty sure this is what I’m going to be having for breakfast tomorrow morning…. :) Thanks for a delicious new granola recipe!
Thanks Sharice, we’re happy to hear you liked it! Enjoy your breakfast! :)
Recipe I would love to try but my son is allergic to tree nuts therefore pecans are not an option. Could I replace them with almonds?
Yes, you definitely could! We hope you and your kiddo like these. :)
I just saw this recipe on foodgawker and your image drew me in like a magnet. The clarity of these photos is outrageous! I have been really working to get my photos CLEARER and yours are the clearest I have seen on the web. WOW! I feel like I can reach in and pick a pecan off my screen. I love it!
Also, this granola looks like the perfect welcome to fall!
Wow, thanks so much Kathryn, that’s really sweet of you to say! We’re glad you like the photography, and we hope you enjoy this granola! Happy fall. :)
Cannot wait to make this granola!! Simple, easy and healthy!
Thanks, we hope you enjoy it! :)