Crunchy Low-Fat Granola recipe (Using Meringue)
Granola’s great, but it’s not very healthy. It’s typically high in sugar (too sweet, even) and high in fat.
But it doesn’t have to be unhealthy to be crunchy and full of clusters. You can reduce sugar (which I prefer), and if you like, add a sweetener (I’d rather not add too much). The secret to making a low-fat granola that’s still crunchy and makes huge clusters is to have a meringue folded into it. More on this below.
General caveat: I’m not a food blogger! These are just notes from my own experiments, refining towards a recipe I like. Sometimes I go a long time between cooking sessions and I forget how to make something.
By the way, pictured above is granola on homemade yoghurt. You can find that recipe here (a super simple recipe using only dry milk powder and a starter yoghurt).
Ingredients
You don’t have to be too precious about the quantities here. Most people will adjust to taste.
- 500g oats
- 50g coconut (shaved, unsweetened)
- 3G salt
- 50g unsalted butter, melted in the microwave
- 75 ml honey
- 1 egg white
- Mix-ins: raisins, choc chips, nuts, seeds, etc.
Note on quantities: You may find this too sweet, or not sweet enough. Dial up or down the sugar as needed. But personally, I prefer to sweeten my granola breakfast via other means, e.g. honey drizzled over the top, or even using jam.
Method
The most complex part of this method is making the meringue.
- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C.
- Prepare a baking tray with baking paper or a baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats and the salt (you don’t want it to clump with the wet ingredients, and mix through the melted butter.
- In a separate bowl, use an electric beater beat the egg white until it has firmed up, then beat in the honey until it forms a stiff mixture (it can form anything from soft to stiff peaks). You don’t have to use an electric beater. But with a fork or whisk this phase will take 15-20 minutes.
The meringue is essential to this recipe. You can’t just mix in the egg white (I’ve tried). Without this step, the granola will taste the same, but it won’t cluster nearly at all.
Some notes on making the meringue, if you’re not familiar with this:
- Make sure the bowl you’re using to whisk up the meringue is clean.
- Make sure there’s no egg yolk or other contaminants in the egg white.
- You can’t use most kinds of store-bought egg white — it should come from an egg.
If you’re new to baking and are unfamiliar with meringues, look here at this article on Serious Eats for a more involved guide.
- Fold the meringue into the oats mixture, then fold in your mix-ins.
- Spread the granola over the surface of the tray.
- Bake the granola for around 45 minutes or until it is golden. You might want to turn the tray around during this period.
Results
As you can see from the image above, the granola clusters nicely, thanks to the meringue. In fact, it makes it very easy to snack with!
