Free Weekly Meal Plans
Free Weekly Meal Plans
about
work with me
contact
  • Follow on Facebook
  • Follow on Instagram
  • Follow on TikTok
  • Follow on Pinterest
Peanut Butter and Fitness
    • All Recipes
      • Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Brunch
      • Desserts
      • Drinks
      • Main Dishes
      • Pasta
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches and Wraps
      • Sauces and Spreads
      • Side dishes
      • Snacks
      • Soups
      • Dairy Free
      • Gluten Free
      • High Protein
      • Low Carb
      • Vegetarian
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Turkey
      • Seafood
      • Air Fryer
      • Instant Pot
      • Slow Cooker
      • Grill
      • Stove Top
      • Oven
      • Sous Vide
      • Meal Prepable Recipes
      • No Heat Meals
      • Freezer Friendly
      • One Dish Meals
      • Easy Weeknight Dinners
      • Asian Inspired
      • Italian Inspired
      • Mediterranean
      • Southwestern
      • Fall
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Winter
      • Christmas
      • Pumpkin
      • Thanksgiving
      • Easter
      • Halloween
      • Game Day
      • New Year’s Eve
      • Valentine’s Day
      • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Quest for the Best
  • Meal Prep
  • My Cookbooks
  • Product ReviewsI’ll be posting a series of my “Quest for the Best” health, fitness and meal prep products here, as well as any cool products I find along the way so you can get the goods too.  If you’re interested in seeing any particular product recommendations, comment below!
Search
Recipes Breakfast

Chocolate Macadamia Nut Granola

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
Rate

Author:

Erin

Published:

March 12, 2024

Updated:

May 7, 2024

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for details.

How’s everyone doing with springing forward this week?! I still feel like garbage with the time change but waking up to this Chocolate Macadamia Nut Granola definitely helps! This granola is rich and chocolatey thanks to plenty of Dutch cocoa, chocolate chips, and sea salt flakes. It even has a hint of coconut to pair up with the macadamia nuts’ tropical vibes thanks to the unrefined coconut oil that’s melted right into the wet ingredients. It’s perfect for enjoying with yogurt, pouring milk on top, adding as a crunchy topper to smoothies, or just eating it by the handful!

  • Ingredients and Substitutions
  • Add More Protein
  • Shop for This Recipe
  • Recipe
    • Chocolate Macadamia Nut Granola
    • More Breakfast Recipes

When I lived in San Francisco years ago, I flew out to Hawaii a lot – usually once a month or every other month – and one of my favorite treats along with the poke, mai tais, and shave ice was always the chocolate covered macadamia nuts. I always had to get them when I was there and bring a few home. So when I was trying to figure out what kind of nuts to add to my chocolate granola, macadamia nuts were an obvious choice! You could of course use almonds, peanuts, or cashews instead if that’s what you’re into.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to recreate the Chocolate Macadamia Nut Granola at home!

  • Rolled oats – Also called old fashioned oats, these are thick enough to hold up in granola and get nice and crisp when baked. Quick oats would turn to mush and not crisp up, and steel cut oats are much too tough to use here.
  • Macadamia nuts – I went with chopped macadamia nuts for my granola, but you can take your pick of nuts for this recipe. Try to find nuts that are raw, but if you can’t, just keep a close eye on them while roasting so they don’t get too toasty or burn. I used dry roasted macadamia nuts, but had to pull the granola out of the oven around the 20 minute mark so they didn’t get too crispy.
  • Cocoa powder – I recommend Dutch processed cocoa powder for pretty much all baking recipes. It gives you maximum chocolate flavor with the least amount of bitterness.
  • Chocolate chips – I went with a semi-sweet chocolate chip, but you could use dark or milk chocolate instead if you prefer. I do recommend using full size chips rather than mini chips so they don’t completely melt away into the granola.
  • Maple syrup – You need a thick liquid sweetener like maple syrup or honey to help everything stick together into granola clusters. I do not recommend subbing this out with granulated or brown sugar.
  • Coconut oil – Because I went with macadamia nuts for this recipe, I also used an unrefined coconut oil to bring out just a hint of that coconut flavor in the baked granola. It’s almost tropical 😉 If you’re allergic to coconut, you could substitute this with cocoa butter or vegetable shortening like Crisco. A neutral tasting oil would likely work as well, but I can’t promise since I haven’t tested it.
  • Almond butter – I opted for almond butter instead of peanut butter for the more neutral flavor, but peanut butter would be super delicious here too!
  • Brown sugar – Although the brown sugar melts into the syrup and oil, I wanted some additional sweetness without adding more liquid in the form of maple syrup. Plus, the brown sugar brings another layer of flavor! Light or dark brown sugar will work here.
  • Espresso powder – Instant espresso powder helps deepen the chocolate flavor of the granola. You could skip it, but I don’t recommend that.
  • Vanilla extract – Vanilla bean paste would also work really well here.
  • Flakey sea salt – Don’t skip this! The flakey salt really helps bring out the sweetness and rich chocolate flavor of the granola.

Be sure to sprinkle the sea salt onto the granola after it bakes and while the chocolate chips are nice and melty! This helps ensure that it sticks so you get that amazing chocolate + sea salt combo in every bite.

How to

Add More Protein

If you want to bump up the protein content of this granola, whisk a couple scoops of unflavored collagen into the melted coconut oil. I’ve tried adding scoops of plant based and whey protein powders to granola in the past and they didn’t work out – the left behind too much powder that ended up burning during baking.

Collagen hits the sweet spot of the right volume (no extra powder laying around to burn) and it held up to the heat without impacting the flavor of the granola.

my fave collagen

Shop for This Recipe

Baking Sheets

Spatulas

SILPAT

Dutch Cocoa

Recipe

No ratings yet

Chocolate Macadamia Nut Granola

Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 25 minutes mins
Total: 35 minutes mins
Servings: 16 servings (1/2 cup per serving)
Rate Pin Print
Servings: 16 servings (1/2 cup per serving)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups rolled oats, (285 grams)
  • 2/3 cup raw macadamia nuts, chopped, (92 grams)
  • 1/2 cup full size semi-sweet chocolate chips, (120 grams)
  • 1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder, (32 grams)
  • 1 tsp espresso powder
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup, (104 grams)
  • 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted, (56 grams)
  • 3 tbsp Barney Butter Smooth Almond Butter, melted, (48 grams)
  • 2 tbsp light brown sugar, (24 grams)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 tsp flakey sea salt

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with SILPAT, set aside.
  • Add rolled oats and chopped macadamia nuts to a large bowl. Set aside.
  • Whisk melted coconut oil, almond butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla extract, espresso powder, and cocoa powder until smooth. Pour over rolled oats and macadamia nuts, then mix until evenly coated.
  • Spread granola mixture in an even layer on the SILPAT lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The mixture should begin to have a matte appearance and the nuts will smell toasted.
  • Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before sprinkling chocolate chips over the hot granola. Don't mix the granola! Once the chocolate looks melty and soft, add flakey salt.
  • Let the granola cool until the chocolate chips have hardened again, about 2 hours, then break into chunks and store in an air tight container until ready to serve.

Tips & Tricks

  • I recommend using full size chocolate chips rather than mini chips.
  • This recipe yields sixteen 1/2 cup (46 gram) servings.
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 weeks.
  • Click here or scan the barcode below to log this food in My Fitness Pal.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 46grams, Calories: 222kcal (11%), Carbohydrates: 24g (8%), Protein: 4g (8%), Fat: 13g (20%), Sodium: 121mg (5%), Potassium: 121mg (3%), Fiber: 3g (13%), Sugar: 10g (11%)

Did You Make This?

If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my business thrive & continue providing free recipes. You can also tag me on Instagram at @peanutbutterandfitness so I can see your creations!

Rate Recipe

More Breakfast Recipes

  • Peanut Butter Collagen Granola

    Peanut Butter Collagen Granola

  • Protein Overnight Oats 8 Ways

    Protein Overnight Oats 8 Ways

  • Strawberry Cheesecake Baked Oatmeal

    Strawberry Cheesecake Baked Oatmeal

  • Blueberry Oat Crumble Muffins

    Blueberry Oat Crumble Muffins

browse all
57 shares
  • Share
  • Email
  • Yummly

About Erin

Erin is the author behind Peanut Butter and Fitness. She started this website in 2013 as a way to keep track of her favorite healthier kitchen creations and meal preps. Today, she still loves playing with her food and camera while helping others strike a balance between indulgence and well-being.

Read More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

WELCOME

Hey, I’m Erin!

I like to describe PBF as a healthy eating blog with a dollop of indulgence. Here you’ll find high protein and veggie-packed meals with a side of cocktails and desserts.

Read more

MEAL PREP GUIDES

Get My Cookbooks!

Read More

Most Popular Recipes

  • Gochujang Glazed Air Fryer Salmon Bowls

    Gochujang Glazed Air Fryer Salmon Bowls

  • Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Shake

    Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Shake

  • Protein Overnight Oats 8 Ways

    Protein Overnight Oats 8 Ways

  • 3 Cheese Pizza Chicken Bake

    3 Cheese Pizza Chicken Bake

High Protein Recipes

  • High Protein Hamburger Helper

    High Protein Hamburger Helper

  • Chicken Tzatziki Bowls

    Chicken Tzatziki Bowls

  • Sheet Pan Honey Dijon Chicken

    Sheet Pan Honey Dijon Chicken

  • Air Fryer Sesame Orange Salmon

    Air Fryer Sesame Orange Salmon

LOOKING FOR MORE?

Check out my books!

For more full in-depth guides to meal prepping, check out my meal prep books! With over 30 recipes each, these are perfect for starting strong!

Get them here

As Seen On:

Get Meal Plans in Your Inbox!

Subscribe to my email list to receive the latest recipes & free weekly meal plans!

Browse by Category:

Meal Prep
Breakfast
Dinners
Chicken
Drinks
All Recipes
  • Follow on Facebook
  • Follow on Instagram
  • Follow on TikTok
  • Follow on Pinterest
Contact
Privacy Policy
Disclosure
Accessibility

© 2023 Peanut Butter & Fitness

Back to Top

Design by MRD | Theme by OC

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required