This is now one of our best sellers at LettuceLove Cafe and Kelly’s Bake Shoppe. Every time I make it, it is sold out by 5pm that day. I think more and more people are realizing the benefits of eating raw food and allowing this food to keep it’s nutrition and enzymes intact. The Kelly’s Bake Shoppe is going to be making more of these types of products in the very near future and the good news is too is that it’s shippable!!

What is so great about this granola is that it has so many purposes. It can be used as healthy energy snacks for your children’s lunch boxes, breakfast cereal and top it with almond milk and bananas, it travels well in car or in a plane, it’s perfect for hotel rooms when you can’t find good food to eat (bring your granola!!!), crumble it over your coconut milk ice cream,…there are so many ideas!!!

If anyone is new to dehydrating, it is so darn simple. Don’t under estimate how talented you really are!! I’ve put a note at the bottom of the recipe if anyone wants to ‘bake’ it instead. My thoughts are that if you keep your oven on as low of a temperature as possible, it will be best to slow bake it. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions by placing comments at the bottom.

Raw Cacao and Coconut Granola surrounded by all of the ingredients

Cacao and Coconut Granola

  • 2 organic apples, cored & chopped
  • 2 ripe organic pears, cored & chopped
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 4 tbsp coconut butter
  • 1 cup date paste (soaked dates and then pitted and then processed)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ cup cacao powder (raw cocoa powder)
  • 1 cup raw sunflower seeds (soaked for 2 hours or more and then rinsed and drained)
  • 2 ½ cups raw almonds (soaked for 4 hours or more and then rinsed and drained)
  • 2 cups raw pecans (soaked for 2 hours and then drained)
  • ¾ cup coconut, shredded and unsweetened
  • 1 ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds (soaked for 2 hours and drained)
  • ½ cup RAW cacao nibs (folded in at end)
  • 1 cup raisins (folded in at the end)
  1. In the food processor, place the apples, pear, maple syrup, coconut butter, date paste, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, cacao powder and ½ cup of the sunflower seeds and blend until very smooth. Transfer this mixture into a large mixing bowl. Do not wash out the processor!
  2. Add the remaining ½ cup of sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, coconut to the food processor that has not been washed. COARSELY chop the nuts and seeds in a few pulses. Add them to the bowl with the apple and pear mixture. Add cacao nibs and raisins and combine well with a large spatula.
  3. This is the fun part! Dehydrating! Spread the granola mixture on your Teflex sheets (1cm thick) and dehydrate for 8-10 hours at 115F. Flip the granola over onto the screens and peel away the Teflex sheets. It will smell so good by now!

Continue dehydrating for another 10-14 hours. (Or until you can’t take it anymore and MUST try it.) Break into pieces once it’s cooled and store in an airtight glass container in the fridge. This is the best way to keep it fresh longer.

I have never tried it in the oven but I think it would work. Ideally you want to do it in the dehydrator as that is what keeps food raw and all the nutrition intact. As soon as you bake it in the oven, it eliminates naturally occurring enzymes and other phytonutrients you want to take into your body in a raw, uncooked state.

Oven method: Put parchment paper on your cookie sheets and spread out granola mixture on to them. Bake at the oven’s lowest (200F) temperature until firm to touch 2-3 hours. Remove Cookie sheets from oven and flip over the mixture by placing a cookie sheet on top of another cookie sheet and then peel away the parchment paper from the mixture. Bake for an additional 2 hours (or until crispy and a little browned) . Remember, granola hardens more as it cools so you don’t want to over-bake it and break your teeth!

Please Read: I have never baked this recipe before, I only dehydrate it…so these baking times are very much a ‘guesstimate’. Please monitor this granola. These ingredients are expensive and you don’t want to waste them.

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Author

Kelly is the co-founder and co-owner (with her daughter Erinn) of the ever popular, Kelly's Bake Shoppe, where 1000's flock to on a weekly basis. She lives in Grey County with her two cats Daisy & Tuna. You can find Kelly developing and creating marketing content and building new business ideas with her daughter Erinn. They have the ever popular podcast: Cupcakes and Consciousness on Apple and Spotify. Tune into their latest shows. Kelly & Erinn are now writing their 2nd cookbook that is due to come out in winter 2023.

3 Comments

  1. Oh my goodness! I have been wanting to make my own granola for quite some time. I get tired of buying things pre-packaged and more and more have been trying to learn to make it on my own. I just hadn't come across the right recipe that caught my attention to want to try making granola. Until now. I saw this and *had* to make it. And let me tell you, it was worth the wait! Everything happens for a reason and obviously I have never made granola before now as this is granola I was first meant to make and it turned out to blow my mind. I cannot believe how good it is. Thank you so so much for sharing the recipe =)
    Btw – I absolutely adore your cafe!!!

  2. Pingback: WIWEW #1 |

  3. Kelly – where can I find gluten free almonds, sunflower seeds, pecans,etc? Packaging in my usual spots has changed and says May contain wheat… Any help would be much appreciated!!

    P.s. Adore the. Lettuce love cafe and your bakery – have just started working my way through your recipes on line. So far my favourite is the butternut squash soup – scrummy!!!

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