By Kate Springer (Updated 11/2023)
Ever wonder what to do with granola? A lot of people use it as a breakfast cereal, or on top of yogurt, but there are many additional ways to use granola.
We’ve updated this old blog post that’s dedicated to listing some tips for how to use granola. Check out the ideas below for some inspiration on how to eat granola for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snack!
Looking for vegan granola, gluten free granola or just some good classic crunchy granola? Check out our healthy granola products while you’re here!
What Can I Eat With Granola Other Than Yogurt?
This is one of the most common questions we get from our customers online and at local farmer’s markets. We’re big fans of eating yogurt and granola together, but there are so many other ways to eat granola if you want something a little more outside the box.
Explore all our favorite granola uses (yogurt included!) below.
Ways to Eat Granola for Breakfast
- Add some granola to your breakfast cereal bowl for some extra crunch, including low carb granola options
- Top off your yogurt with a sprinkling of your favorite granola.
- Our Oats So Good Muesli tastes even better with our grain free granola, Nutty No Grainer.
- Stir some granola into pancake batter for an interesting take on the breakfast classic. Our granola with blueberries goes great with blueberry pancakes!
- Coat French toast with our original Granola with maple syrup, or use the organic granola version.
- For some extra dimension, add granola to your next smoothie bowl.
- Sprinkle your toast with granola. Peanut butter or chocolate-hazelnut spread toast goes great with Chocolate Granola.
- Toss in some granola with your oatmeal.
How to Eat Granola with Lunch
- Try Nutty No Grainer Original on top of a salad.
- Make chicken tenders with Nutty No Grainer Original instead of breadcrumbs or batter. For a more savory take, use our savory granola, Nutty No Grainer Mediterranean blend
- Add Maple-Vanilla Granola to meatballs, meatloaf or hamburgers to add texture.
- Granola or nut blends, such as our Nutty No Grainer, works as a topping on cottage cheese. Add some fruit for a sweet and savory taste.
- Try a crunchy nut butter sandwich. Take your peanut butter and jelly to the next level when you sprinkle granola in between the slices of bread. If you’re a fan of crunchy peanut butter, you’ll love this unique lunch!
How to Use Granola for Dinners
- Top baked apples with Apple Cinnamon Granola, and pears with rosemary and Maple-Vanilla Granola.
- Give roasted yams a touch of crunch with some Ginger Granola. Or, add any of our granolas to sweet potato crumble for additional flavor.
- Top roasted vegetables with Pumpkin Granola or Go Nuts Granola.
- Substitute breadcrumbs in stuffing for granola.
- Croutons can be replaced with granola for an innovative soup topping.
Desserts with Granola
- Enjoy granola-topped ice cream on nights when you crave a cool treat, and we offer low sugar granola to keep the carb count low
- No yogurt parfait is complete without fruit and granola! If you like this mixture, try making frozen yogurt bites by mixing yogurt, granola and berries together into small clusters. Freeze and eat. As an alternative, make yogurt pops out of fruit and yogurt, and coat them with granola.
- Berry crisp gets a leg up with granola. Apple crisp tastes great with Apple Cinnamon Granola, while blueberry works with Nutty No Grainer with Blueberries or Granola Blues Granola. If you prefer a more traditional take, just about any crisp works with our Maple-Vanilla Granola or Ginger Granola.
- Put granola on top of pies, cakes, cupcakes and cheesecakes for visual interest. For those who are gluten free, we offer a wide range of gluten free granola options.
- Chocolate bark is even more flavorful when mixed with our granola. For chocolate-cherry bark, add in Cherry Vanilla Pecan Granola. Nutty No Grainer with Cranberries also works well.
- Add granola to chia seed pudding for added substance.
- Roll strawberries or bananas in nut butter (or a nut-free substitute) and top with Chocolate Granola for a sweet treat.
- Jazz up a pudding cup with your granola of choice.
- Top baked fruit, such as apples, with a generous handful of granola.
- Mix granola into muffin, brownie or cake batter.
- Whip up some delicious granola-chocolate chip cookies with our mix.
Granola Snacks
- Place granola on top of your go-to smoothie.
- Make granola bars out of ingredients such as honey, peanut butter, chocolate chips and dried fruit. Be sure to use your favorite type of granola! For some tropical flavor, try using Coconut Granola, which is available in both original and organic versions. Those looking for a unique taste might want to reach for our First Date Granola, which has no added sugar.
- Energy bites are great for days on the go: just mix up granola, sweetener and nut butter, and form the mixture into balls. Refrigerate, and then simply grab and go.
- Add granola to your trail mix the next time you need to refuel on an outdoor adventure.
- Make granola yogurt bark! Spread your favorite yogurt on a sheet pan and sprinkle with granola and any other toppings you want, like dried fruit or chocolate chips. Freeze and then break into pieces for a sweet snack.
- Take our snack packs with you on busy days. They’re available for all of our granolas, so stock up on your favorites.
- Make a pretty parfait in a mason jar by alternating layers of yogurt, fruit and granola.
- Coat pretzel sticks in frosting or nut butter. Drizzle melted chocolate over that layer. Roll the pretzels in granola. Our Coconut Granola or our Chocolate Granola works well for this.
- Top apple slices with nut butter and granola, such as our Apple Cinnamon Granola. This is a delicious and nutritious way to make apple nachos!
Common Questions About Eating Granola
What are the benefits of eating granola?
There are many! The benefits vary depending on the type of granola you’re eating. If you’re eating high-quality, non-GMO granola like True North, you’ll get a healthy serving of good fats, vitamins from nuts, seeds and dried fruits, plenty of protein and heart-healthy whole grains.
Can I eat granola at night?
You absolutely can! There’s a reason our list of ways to use granola for desserts is the longest section of this post – we love granola at night! Granola with milk or yogurt is a great option for a healthier sweet treat at the end of the day, but you can also use it to top ice cream, milkshakes or homemade sweets.
How long does granola last?
Granola has a long shelf life, so it’s a great pantry staple to keep in your house. True North Granola can stay fresh in the pantry for several weeks, but can also be frozen for up to 6 months. When you’re ready to eat it, simply pull it out of the freezer and allow it to defrost at room temperature! This is a common practice for our bulk granola customers and it works really well.
Is granola healthier than oatmeal?
Both granola and oatmeal can be part of a healthy diet. The key difference is that oatmeal typically only contains oats, perhaps with some spices, flavorings or dried fruit added in. Flavored oatmeal is also often high in sugar. Granola, on the other hand, is usually made with oats as well as nuts, seeds, dried fruit and more. While some store-bought granola brands are very high in sugar, it’s easy to find healthy granola brands (like True North!).
Is granola low-carb?
It depends on the type of granola you’re buying. If you’ve ever shopped for granola in the supermarket, you’ve probably seen very few low carb varieties. Many are high in sugar and other forms of carbohydrates. But it is possible to find low-carb granola. Click here to read more about our four favorite low-carb granola varieties.
We hope you enjoy these ideas for different ways to use granola. Be sure to share any other tips, plus photos of how you eat your granola, with us on social media, or email us at [email protected]. Thanks to Clare Barboza for the wonderful photos!
