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This tigernut granola recipe is a ridiculously addicting breakfast or snack that you won't believe is AIP-friendly, Paleo, Vegan, and nut-free! (yes nut-free, despite the name, see more below)
Most nut-free, grain-free granolas seem to be made of just coconut flakes. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but sometimes you want that crunch, you know?
That's where tigernuts come in.
Table of contents
What are Tigernuts?
Despite the “nut” name, tigernuts are actually NOT nuts but rather small root vegetables, like sweet potatoes.
They are not as well known in the US as in other parts of the world, where they've been called things like chufa and groundnuts.
Tiger nuts are high in antioxidants, a great source of fiber, have antibiotic properties, and work as a prebiotic, as well as a great source of iron. (1)
For this recipe you'll want sliced tigernuts because slicing tigernuts on your own would be time consuming, let along dangerous (they're pretty hard)!
Tigernut granola ingredients (and substitutions)
I made this tigernut granola with just a six ingredients:
• Sliced tigernuts – I HIGHLY recommend going with the pre-sliced tigernuts as whole tigernuts can be kind of hard and tricky to slice yourself. (I use these by Organic Gemini.)
• Coconut flakes– you can use shredded coconut or coconut flakes, but I personally recommend the flakes because they're roughly the same size as the sliced tigernuts and therefore will cook at the same rate. (I use these by Bob's Redmill)
• Avocado Oil – you can also use coconut oil, I just like to use avocado oil because it's in liquid form
• Maple Syrup – obviously gives this dish some sweetness 🙂 Feel free to use the equivalent amount in honey if you'd rather, though the taste will change slightly
• Vanilla Bean Powder or Vanilla Extract – This is an optional ingredient but I love the flavor it brings to this granola. Some people don't do well with vanilla extract though, so if that's you, leave it out or use the powder (and yes, vanilla bean powder is AIP-compliant as the “bean” is not actually a bean in the traditional sense. And the vanilla seeds are so teeny tiny that you probably won't break them down as you eat them, much like seeds in berries – so they're fine on AIP)
• Carob or Cocoa Powder – use Carob Powder (I use this one) for AIP and Cocoa Powder (I use this one) for any other diet *Note – the carob powder in this one is really delicious, and I usually don't love carob. It just goes really well with the other ingredients!
How to eat this tigernut AIP granola
There are several ways to eat this:
• alone, as a snack (watch out – it's addicting!)
• like a cereal with your favorite dairy-free milk (use coconut milk or tigernut milk or banana milk for AIP)
• with your favorite dairy-free milk, like a cereal (use coconut milk or tigernut milk or banana milk for AIP)
• as a topping on a coconut parfait
• as a topping on a sweet potato bowl
• I also love granola as a topping on pancakes to give them a bit of crunch. You could do these AIP Cassava Flour Pancakes or these Paleo Carrot Cake Pancakes
How to make this granola coconut-free
You can make this granola coconut-free by replacing the coconut flakes with an equal number of sliced tigernuts. The granola will taste a bit different and may not clump together as much, but it will still be delicious.
Make Ahead
You can make this Chocolate granola and store it up to 6 months in a sealed container at room temperature! (Note – this one stores longer than the Pumpkin Spice Granola because it doesn't use fresh pumpkin)
That's what makes this so great – spend an hour making it (and I'd make the Pumpkin Spice Granola too at the same time) and then have it at your disposal any time you need it!
Video Demo
If you're more of a visual person, watch the full-length video on YouTube to see how easy it is to make this nut-free granola!
Want more breakfast ideas? Try one of these!
Pumpkin Pie Coconut Parfait (Paleo, AIP, Vegan, nut-free)
Nourishing Breakfast Bowl (Paleo, AIP, Whole30, nut-free)
Cassava Flour Pancakes (Paleo, AIP, Vegan, nut-free)
More Helpful AIP & Paleo Resources in the Freebie Library
If you find this recipe helpful, you may really enjoy the resources in my Paleo & AIP Freebie Library! There's a “dump” freezer meal plan, a list of AIP-compliant breakfast toppings, and so much more. Plus, you'll get even more ideas sent to your inbox! Get the password here.
Chocolate Tigernut Granola Recipe
Also be sure to check out my Pumpkin Spice Tigernut Granola as well! Equally as delicious, with many uses.
If you make this granola, I'd love to hear how it turned out! Either comment below or share a pic on Instagram and tag me @thrivingautoimmune!
Chocolate Tigernut Granola (AIP, Paleo, Vegan, Nut-free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sliced Tigernuts
- 1 cup Coconut Flakes (the wide ones, though shredded can work as well (see above on how to make coconut-free))
- 1/4 cup Avocado Oil
- 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
- 1 tbsp Carob Powder (use Cocoa Powder if not on AIP)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Powder (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 F and move the baking rack into the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl, then evenly spread onto the baking sheet.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Check the granola at 35 to make sure it isn’t burning. It may still seem a bit moist at 40 but take it out as it will dry as it cools.
- If any is stuck together after it cools, break apart with your hands. Store in an airtight container at either room temp or in the fridge.
Wonderful recipe. 🙂 I finally caved and bought some tiger it’s to try and make my AIP journey a little less difficult this time around, and this recipe gives me lots of hope! I made it tonight and am so excited to try it out tomorrow on my sweet potato breakfast bowl! My taste tests were quite delicious. 🙂
So delicious! I eat it all the time. I like to add some to my Lovebird cereal for some extra flavor!
These are flippin amazing!! I live in Ireland and found this and many of your recipes easy to make. Thank you so much for sharing this !
This is my third time making this granola. It is SO good! I definitely have a hard time splitting it up into 8 servings. It’s more like 3-4. 😂 Thank you for the awesome recipes, Michele!
Bless you! I just discovered your recipes. I’d rather given up on AIP substitutes for various recipes because I cannot do plantains, cassava, tapioca, or coconut. So many recipes call for coconut milk, too! Your simple suggestions for substitutions (like banana milk for coconut milk, and more sliced tiger nuts in this recipe to replace the coconut) make me hopeful that I can have a few treats again. While I have gotten used to meat/poultry/fish/organ meat plus vegetables and a little fruit, I have missed things like breakfast cereal and custard (this parfait looks custard-like, anyhow). Looking forward to doing a little experimenting over the next few days. Thank you so much for sharing the results of your exploration of alternative solutions.
Thank you so much! I made it this morning and it was wonderful! Very close to a favourite chocolate granola I used to enjoy pre-AIP. I do urge your readers to check on the granola every few minutes, it took 10 minutes for mine to cook perfectly at 275.
Yum! I’m renaming it “Cathy Crack”.
I bought a bag of sliced tigernuts SPECIFICALLY to make this recipe, and it did NOT disappoint! I did make some changes: I added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, and took the vanilla powder down to just 1/8 tsp so it wouldn’t compete with the other flavors. My kitchen smelled so good while it was in the oven, and I tasted a few little pieces each time I took it out to stir. It tastes amazing!
Hi Michelle
New to AIP and would love the homemade craisin recipe mentioned in the comment above please
Here you go! https://thrivingautoimmune.com/how-to-make-dried-cranberries-paleo-whole30-aip/
I LOVE this granola. It’s such a great on the go snack and so easy to change up too. I have also tried it w/o the carob/cocoa powder and then added your homemade craisins after it’s cooled. AMAZING!!! Even my non-AIP family loves it. I had to start ordering TigerNuts by the kilo!