If you make your granola at home, you can prep a nutritious low-sugar batch.
Image Credit: JuliaMikhaylova/iStock/GettyImages Fruit comes with so many nutrients — vitamins, minerals, fiber — that it outweighs the fact that, yes, nature’s candy also contains sugar.
Advertisement
The sugar in fruit shouldn't be a turnoff — but knowing just how much sugar is in the foods you eat (even the healthy ones) can help make you more mindful of your intake.
Video of the Day
No one is saying to replace your daily servings of fruit with granola, but for comparison's sake, a large honeycrisp apple contains as many as 25 grams of sugar, according to the USDA, which is about how much you'll find in three mini Snickers or a cup of the average store-bought granola cereal.
Advertisement
But swapping packaged, sugar-laden granola with a healthier homemade recipe can dramatically lower your daily sugar intake. Next time you want to add some crunch to your yogurt or fruit salad, prep one of these low-sugar granola recipes.
Want more healthy recipes? Download the MyPlate app and get simple, tasty meals and snacks tailored to your nutrition goals.
Advertisement
1. Vanilla Almond High-Protein Granola
This granola is high in protein and healthy fat, which helps keep hunger at bay.
Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com
Calories: 221 Sugar: 15 grams
Advertisement
Made with a scoop of your favorite vanilla-flavored protein powder (chocolate will do just fine, too), this high-protein recipe also provides about 5 grams of unsaturated fat. These two macronutrients are slow to digest, which will keep you feeling full for longer, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Get the Vanilla Almond High-Protein Granola recipe and nutrition info here. 2. Homemade Chunky Healthy Granola
This granola recipe offers a great mix of nuts and seeds.
Image Credit: Ambitious Kitchen
Calories: 210 Sugar: 10.5 grams
Advertisement
Advertisement
This granola recipe takes only about 50 minutes to prepare and makes 18 servings, so you'll have enough granola for days (or weeks) to come.
Thanks to the mix of nuts and seeds in the recipe, a serving packs about 9 grams of unsaturated fats, which are linked to healthier cholesterol levels and lower odds of developing diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Advertisement
Get the Homemade Chunky Healthy Granola recipe and nutrition info at Ambitious Kitchen.
Lolita’s Low-Sugar Granola
This low-sugar granola features heart-healthy sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Image Credit: Fountain Avenue Kitchen
Calories: 125 Sugar: 2.8 grams
Advertisement
At only 2.8 grams of sugar per serving, Lolita's Low-Sugar Granola really delivers on its promise. It's also free of artificial sweeteners and boasts a pretty low overall carb count, with only 11.7 grams total.
Made of a mix of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, it delivers filling, unsaturated fat and vitamin E, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Advertisement
Get the Lolita's Low Sugar Granola recipe and nutrition info at Fountain Avenue Kitchen.
Healthy Superfood Coconut Oil Granola With Chia and Flax
The fiber in this recipe helps keep you satisfied well past breakfast. Image Credit: Ambitious Kitchen
Calories: 278 Sugar: 9.7 grams
Advertisement
Loaded with high-fiber ingredients, like seeds, nuts and rolled oats, this granola will keep hunger at bay, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. A diet high in fiber is also linked to a lower risk of serious health conditions, like heart disease and diabetes. Pair your granola with some whole fruit to start your day off on a fiber-full note.
Get the Healthy Superfood Coconut Oil Granola With Chia and Flax recipe and nutrition info at Ambitious Kitchen. 5. Cinnamon Raisin Granola
Hemp seeds add magnesium to this low-sugar granola.
Image Credit: Running on Real Food
Calories: 243 Sugar: 7 grams
After only 20 minutes of cook time, this cinnamon raisin granola will have you excited for breakfast. Naturally sweetened, this recipe has only 7 grams of sugar, and the addition of hemp seeds delivers magnesium, crucial to delivering energy and other nutrients, like calcium and potassium, around the body, according to the NIH. Get the Cinnamon Raisin Granola recipe and nutrition info at Running on Real Food.
Advertisement
Advertisement
references
Mayo Clinic: "Mayo Clinic Minute: Foods to Help you Feel Full"
NIH: "Vitamin E"
Mayo Clinic: "Dietary Fats: Know Which Types to Choose"
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: "Fiber"
NIH: "Magnesium"
USDA: "Honeycrisp Apple"
references
Mayo Clinic: "Mayo Clinic Minute: Foods to Help you Feel Full"
NIH: "Vitamin E"
Mayo Clinic: "Dietary Fats: Know Which Types to Choose"
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: "Fiber"
NIH: "Magnesium"
USDA: "Honeycrisp Apple"
If you make your granola at home, you can prep a nutritious low-sugar batch.
Image Credit: JuliaMikhaylova/iStock/GettyImages
Image Credit: JuliaMikhaylova/iStock/GettyImages
Want more healthy recipes? Download the MyPlate app and get simple, tasty meals and snacks tailored to your nutrition goals.
This granola is high in protein and healthy fat, which helps keep hunger at bay.
Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com
Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com
Get the Vanilla Almond High-Protein Granola recipe and nutrition info here.
This granola recipe offers a great mix of nuts and seeds.
Image Credit: Ambitious Kitchen
Image Credit: Ambitious Kitchen
Get the Homemade Chunky Healthy Granola recipe and nutrition info at Ambitious Kitchen.
This low-sugar granola features heart-healthy sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Image Credit: Fountain Avenue Kitchen
Image Credit: Fountain Avenue Kitchen
Get the Lolita’s Low Sugar Granola recipe and nutrition info at Fountain Avenue Kitchen.
The fiber in this recipe helps keep you satisfied well past breakfast.
Image Credit: Ambitious Kitchen
Get the Healthy Superfood Coconut Oil Granola With Chia and Flax recipe and nutrition info at Ambitious Kitchen.
Hemp seeds add magnesium to this low-sugar granola.
Image Credit: Running on Real Food
Image Credit: Running on Real Food
Get the Cinnamon Raisin Granola recipe and nutrition info at Running on Real Food.
Mayo Clinic: "Mayo Clinic Minute: Foods to Help you Feel Full"
NIH: "Vitamin E"
Mayo Clinic: "Dietary Fats: Know Which Types to Choose"
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: "Fiber"
NIH: "Magnesium"
USDA: "Honeycrisp Apple"