Last Updated on April 15, 2022 by Karen

Start your morning with a bowl of this crunchy, nutty granola that tastes just like banana bread.

How is it already Wednesday? Time does fly on weeks when you just come back from a long weekend, but no complaints here.

In other news, I have quite the recipe to share with you today. For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to stop by the fruit stand and pick up a bunch of bananas after work in the dark. Wait, you mean you don’t grocery shop in the dark? ;) Well, it was NOT a good idea and when I got home, I discovered that the bunch I picked all had brown spots on them. Yeah…rookie mistake!

I only eat bananas when they are yellow and spotless (borderline green-yellow is okay too), but once it starts to ripen, I banish it to the freezer for future smoothies or make banana bread with them.

Or these Banana Bread Granola! I saw them on Minimalist Baker’s blog and had it bookmarked. What a delicious flavor! Crunchy oats and nuts are lightly sweetened with maple syrup and combined with bananas and warm spices — it’s a treat that can be eaten at any time of the day!

Plus, I love granola clusters and the mashed bananas in this recipe just naturally help them clump together. By the way, the granola will not be crunchy right out of the oven, but give it some time and it will crisp up as it cools.

This granola is the bee’s knees. Enjoy it in your morning yogurt or by the handful as a crunchy, less-guilt snack, and the realization that you’ll never have to eat another overripe banana again.

Banana Bread Granola

Author Karen @ The Tasty Bite

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned oats
¾ cup pecans coarsely chopped
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup maple syrup or honey
3 tbsps brown sugar
2 medium ripe banana mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tbsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix the oats and pecans together in a large bowl.
In a small saucepan over medium low heat, warm coconut oil, maple syrup, and brown sugar until the mixture is syrupy. Remove from heat and whisk in banana puree, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.
Spread the mixture evenly onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-30 minutes (giving it a stir every 10 minutes or so) or until golden brown.
Cool completely on the baking sheet and store in an airtight container.