Who says breakfast can’t be indulgent? This skinny dark chocolate chia granola has an intense chocolate flavor and is perfectly crunchy and sweet.
Most mornings, I just have plain ‘ol oatmeal for breakfast, with maybe a little cinnamon and maple syrup—nothin’ fancy.
But you know what I WANT most mornings? Something that’ll excite my taste buds. Something that is indulgent and heavenly, but not loaded with sugar.
If that’s what you’re looking for too, this skinny dark chocolate chia granola definitely fits the bill. An intense chocolate chocolate flavor AND naturally sweetened breakfast. Boom.
This granola is definitely a more favorable to eat oats. Talk about a breakfast to look forward to in the morning.
I have a really hard time with getting my lazy bahonkus outta bed in the morning. Like, no alarm or coffee is going to give me the inspiration necessary. But this granola? If I know I’ve got some in the pantry, I’m out of bed the FIRST time the alarm goes off (as opposed to the SEVENTH time).
Not only is this granola heavenly, it’s also healthy and REALLY easy to make. Like it should be a crime how easy it is to make such a delicious breakfast like this.
I like to use old-fashioned oats in this granola, but you could just as easily use quick oats. The old-fashioned oats tend to result in larger clusters of granola.
I really wanted to spotlight the chia seeds in this recipe, but they’re so dang small it’s hard to make them noticeable without adding 1/2 cup of ‘em. However, I’ve found that 2 tablespoons is just the right amount.
Did you know that 1 ounce of chia seeds contains 11 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, and 9 grams of fat (5 of which are omega-3s)? Seriously. (source)
I can’t even begin to tell you how much you’re going to love this skinny dark chocolate chia granola. Just take my word for it.
This granola is the best granola you’ll ever eat in your life.
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- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut shreds
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 300° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, combine the old-fashioned oats, coconut shreds, chia seeds, and cocoa powder. Stir to combine. (You may want to sift the cocoa powder in if your's is clumpy.)
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until the coconut oil is melted.
- Remove the pan from heat and pour the mixture over the dry ingredients. Stir to combine.
- Pour the granola onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Be sure not to compact it.
- Bake for 45 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes to keep the granola from clumping too much. Take out of the oven and let cool. The cold air will help the granola to crisp up and become crunchy. Once completely cooled, sprinkle on the chocolate chips and give it a stir. Then place the granola in an airtight jar and store for 2-3 weeks (but it probably won't last that long).
Try my Vanilla Almond Granola Cereal next!
Pin it:
What’s your favorite way to enjoy granola? Over yogurt? By itself? Let me know in the comments below!
I can’t wait to try this, it looks amazing! Thanks for linking up the recipe to the This Is How We Roll Thursday link party.
It sounds as delicious as it looks!
Wow! This granola has all the ingredients I love! Pinning and stopping by from The PIn Junkie Pin Party.
Beautiful photography.
Thanks for stopping by Kim!
Wowza! Definitely going to give this recipe a try! It sounds amazing. Thank you for sharing it at What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Have a great weekend!
Blessings,Deborah
Love the ingredients! I love granola in yogurt parfaits. I think this would get me out of bed pretty quickly as well
Pinning!
Thanks for this great recipe, enjoying it right now with some coconut yogurt and raspberries, and consider it a new staple!
A few changes I made:
subbed agave for the maple syrup (didn’t have enough of the good stuff)
Also added
2 tbsp hemp hearts
1/4 c dried cranberries
1/4 c raisins
1/2 c toasted pecan pieces
some cinnamon
Also added the choc chips while it was warm so they clumped in nicely, then added some extra at the end (love the chocolate!)
Noticed it was burning a bit at the end, may try with lower heat next time?
Thanks again!
Looks delicious–pinned for my weekend cooking session.
Thanks for linking up to the Pretty Preppy Party!
Thanks for stopping Christy!
Oh my goodness this looks amazing! Thanks for linking up on my Friday Flash Blog party. Your post was featured this week — be sure to grab the swag button saying you were featured
Jennifer @ The Jenny Evolution
http://www.thejennyevolution.com/grab-button/
Awesome—thanks so much Jenny!
This Skinny Dark Chocolate Chia Granola looks SO good. I love all the ingredients. I totally pinned this. I also pinned the Vanilla Almond Granola Cereal. Love it! Thanks for sharing!
Dude. This stuff is legit. You are a goddess among women. I’ve made this several times exactly as written, except that I add chopped black walnuts because I love the texture. Oh and mine is always good to go after only 30 minutes of baking. Best granola EVER. Thanks for the recipe!
This granola is delicious. I followed the recipe exactly with one exception. I chose to leave the chocolate chips out. The granola is great without them. We have been adding it to yougurt for a nice dessert/snack.
Just made this and it is so, so awesome! The only change I made was to add some chopped pecan pieces. Thank you so much for the delicious recipe!
This is an absolute keeper! I just made it mostly following the recipe with tiny tweaks: I doubled the amount of cocoa powder and used two parts Dutch and one part extra dark cocoa powder. Also added chopped up tart montmorency cherries and finally tossed in the choco chips while the granola was still warm to create the clump around melted chocolate, oh soooooooo good. I think I’ve found a new go-to for my never-quenching chocolate addiction! Thanks a mil Margaret!!!