Sugar Free Granola

This is a tasty version of a less sweet granola. Correct, this recipe doesn't have added sugar, therefore it could be labeled sugar free. Correct, this recipe has plenty of natural sugar. However it also has plenty of starch, both of which cause a blood sugar rise in a diabetic. Diabetics, eat this granola with caution. The recipe yielded 13 cups when I made it, as written. I put it through a nutrient analysis and per 1/2 cup - 237 calories, 11 gms fat, 31 gms carbohydrate, 5 gms fiber. Hope this helps, Karen, Registered Dietitian

This recipe based on date paste is really original. The only problem I had was with the baking time. I followed the directions carefully, and my granola was soft and soggy. I had to bake it for an additiona 40 min or so, stirring every 15 min, and it became sufficiently crispy as it cooled. However, the wheat germ also burned. I would recommend mixing the date paste mixture into the rolled oats (and nothing else) FIRST, and THEN baking it at 275 degrees for about 30-45 min, stirring every 1/2 hour. Then, add the nuts, seeds, and wheat germ, and bake for an additional 10-15 min. I wouldn't add the raisins until the granola has cooled completely, or else the raisins may get further dehydrated and too hard and chewey. This recipe can indeed have no refined sugar, if you you can find no sugar added dried fruit. For multigrain, use a variety of grain flakes, such as spelt, oat, barley, triticale, wheat, and rye flakes. To increase the sweetness, use 2 cups dried fruit (choose plump, soft ones, as leaving it in granola for a week or two dries it out - dried apples and pitted Deglet dates are my favorite). I also like to add flavor by mixing in vanilla extract or fresh orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and cardammom into the date paste. You can also replace part or all of the wheat germ with wheat bran (or other grain bran) and/or soy protein powder.

I'm not sure of what your idea of sugar free is? But this is pretty high in sugar.

I was really excited about this granola recipe, but the results were somewhat disappointing. First of all, there was way too much oatmeal and not enough of everything else...some bites didn't taste like anything except dry oatmeal. I didn't have any sunflower seeds around, so I used another half cup of walnuts instead. Other than that, I made this exactly as written. Probably the biggest problem was that the raisins, which are put in right in the beginning, burned. They turned into little bits of hard, bitter charcoal. It wasn't tasty...I ended up picking them all out and stirring in fresh raisins. This improved the granola immensely, but it wasn't awesome. If you are going to make this, be forewarned! Decrease the amount of oats to about 6 cups, and put the raisins in while the granola is cooling.

Delish!! This is the recipe I have been looking for. My husband and I are trying to cut out sugar- refined and things like honey, syrup etc- so this recipe is perfect. Great nutty, toasty flavour and just a hint of sweetness. Merci Isadore!!

Great recipe and although it has natural sugar, it is indeed sugar free. Some may forget that coconut, apple juice and dates do not contain sugar unless you buy the sweetened variety. This will definitely be something I make again and again.

Pretty good. NOT sugar free though. Coconut has sugar in it, dates bought pre-chopped generally have sugar on them, and concentrate should send off little bells. I rinsed the dates really well, let them sit a bit, rinsed them again then made the paste out of them. For the coconut I also rinsed it until there was no sugar left on it and then toasted it seperately. For the apple juice I used apple juice not from concentrate and then added a bit of sugar substitute. Nothing I would eat plain but it's great with yogurt. I also found that I had to go through and re-bake at 3rd time to make it toasty.

This recipe is WONDERFUL! I've been mixing it up a little... Replacing the date/water paste with a prune/apple cider paste...Adding flax seeds for more nutrition... This makes a GREAT cereal (hot or cold) served with the left over apple cider to add sweetness instead of just plain milk or water.

This granola is... okay. The flavor is a bit weak and the crunch just isn't what I was looking for, but it's not bad for a no sugar added recipe. It's not too sweet, and has a strong coconut flavor. It would benefit from some orange peel and cinnamon, maybe. Don't get mee wrong, it tases good, just not great. As a previous reviewer pointed out, it is still high in sugars (so not sugar free) and in starch. The coconut also makes it high in saturated fat. Just because it doesn't have honey or brown suger, don't think it's ultra-healthy. It was worth a try, but I probably won't make it again.

I made this granola to take on a camping trip. It was really great although it took a lot of preparation.

I followed the directions exactly. When it was all mixed together, I needed just a little bit more moisture. I added another 1/4th cup of apple juice. I loved the taste of this granola. It was not too sweet. Next time I may add cinamon. Just to see how that tastes.

I halved the recipe and it still made a lot. I had to bake it for 40 plus minutes and I had it on a large cookie to get it toasted. Really had no taste even with all the sugar. I would prefer a good old granola bar over this.

This recipe REALLY should have it's name changed. It isn't anything close to being "Sugar free". The dates have a lot of sugar. The raisins have a lot of sugar. And the concentrated apple juice has a ton of sugar in it. Why would someone intentionally mislead people like this with a recipe that is supposed to be healthy? There are some people who aren't supposed to eat much/any sugar and if they ate this recipe they would be getting plenty.

I made some changes to the recipe. Instead of the paste made with the dates, I used mashed ripe bananas and added 1/2 Cup Splenda. It turned out good. Not super sweet but I don't want a sugary cereal.

Recipe looks great. I'm just concerned that it's labeled sugar free and no sugar info is listed below for it. Dates, coconut and raisins have sugar, and while more natural, they can still wreak havoc with a diabetic. Most Diabetic's would know better, but someone who is not and is baking for those with sugar issues could be misled. An accurate sugar count should be listed in the nutrition section. When we're talking about peoples' health we need to be accurate.

I did not care for this.

Good recipe. I added NuNaturals for Baking Stevia Powder for extra sweetness and fiber. I used 3/4 cup wheat germ and 1/4 cup ground flax seed. When I make it next time I will add a little salt. Very good recipe. Thanks.