Protein Coffee Granola
Big cluster granola with a real coffee flavour and 10g of protein per half cup. The powder goes in after baking, which is the step most protein granola recipes get wrong.
You'll Need
- Large rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Large mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Airtight jar for storage
Ingredients
- ✓3 cups rolled oats (not instant)
- ✓1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
- ✓1/3 cup maple syrup
- ✓1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- ✓1/2 tsp salt
- ✓4 scoops Original Protein Coffee (two 40g servings)
- ✓2 tbsp milk of choice
Instructions
- 1Heat the oven to 325F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
- 2Toss the oats, pecans and salt together, then pour over the maple syrup and melted coconut oil. Mix until every oat looks glossy - dry patches will not form clusters.
- 3Spread onto the tray and press the mixture down firmly with the back of the spatula into one flat, compacted sheet. Pressing is what creates clusters instead of loose oats.
- 4Bake 20 minutes without stirring. Stirring during this stage is the other reason granola comes out loose.
- 5Take the tray out and immediately scatter the four scoops of Original Protein Coffee over the hot granola, then drizzle over the 2 tablespoons of milk. Fold it through quickly with the spatula - the residual heat and the milk make the powder cling to the oats instead of sitting at the bottom of the jar.
- 6Press flat again and return to the oven for 5 minutes only. Any longer at this stage and the whey starts to scorch.
- 7Cool completely on the tray without touching it - a full hour if you can. Granola crisps as it cools, not in the oven. Break into clusters and store in a sealed jar.
Almost every protein granola recipe online tells you to mix the powder into the wet ingredients and bake it. Do that and you get a batch that tastes faintly burnt, because whey protein browns and scorches at a much lower temperature than oats and honey do.
This version bakes the oats and pecans first, then folds the Original Protein Coffee through while the tray is still hot, with a splash of milk to help it grab. Five more minutes in the oven sets it. The protein is still there, the granola tastes of coffee and toasted pecan, and nothing is bitter.
One batch is eight half-cup servings and keeps two weeks in a jar. It is the single most useful thing to have in the cupboard if breakfast is usually an afterthought.
Nutrition Per Serving
| Serving size | 1/2 cup |
| Calories | 345 |
| Protein | 10g |
| Total carbohydrate | 33g |
| Fiber | 4g |
| Total sugars | 9g |
| Added sugar | 9g |
| Total fat | 20g |
| Sodium | 160mg |
Why This Works
Whey protein denatures and browns at a far lower temperature than the sugars in maple syrup do. Mixed into the wet ingredients and baked for 25 minutes, it goes past toasted and into bitter - which is why so much homemade protein granola tastes vaguely scorched. Adding it in the last five minutes gives the powder just enough heat and moisture to bind to the oats without cooking it.
The two tablespoons of milk exist purely to make the powder stick. Dry powder folded into dry granola simply migrates to the bottom of the jar and you end up eating it on the last serving. A small amount of liquid turns it tacky enough to coat.
Pressing the mixture flat and leaving it alone is the whole cluster technique. Granola clusters form when sugar and fat cool and set around the oats in one continuous sheet. Every time you stir mid-bake you break that sheet and get loose muesli instead.
Tips From Our Kitchen
- Do not stir during the first 20 minutes. This is the single biggest difference between clustery granola and loose oats.
- Cool it completely on the tray. It will feel soft coming out of the oven and crisp up entirely as it cools.
- Rolled oats, not quick oats. Quick oats turn to powder.
- If the powder is sitting at the bottom of your jar, the milk step was skipped or the granola had already cooled.
- Store in a properly airtight jar. Granola goes soft in a day in a loosely covered container.
Swaps & Variations
- Nut-free: pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in place of the pecans.
- Lower sugar: cut the maple to 1/4 cup. Clusters will be looser but it still works.
- Different oil: light olive oil or melted butter both work. Butter browns faster, so check at 17 minutes.
- Add chocolate: 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips folded in once the tray is completely cold.
- Mocha version: Mocha Protein Coffee instead of Original.
Common Questions
Why does my protein granola taste burnt?
The protein powder was baked from the start. Whey browns and turns bitter at a much lower temperature than oats and maple syrup. Bake the oats first and fold the powder in during the last five minutes.
How do I get big clusters instead of loose oats?
Press the mixture flat on the tray, do not stir it during baking, and let it cool completely on the tray before breaking it up. Clusters set as the sugar and fat cool.
How much protein is in a serving?
About 10g per half cup, most of it from the two servings of Original Protein Coffee spread across the batch, with the rest from the oats and pecans.
How long does it keep?
Two weeks in a properly airtight jar at room temperature, or three months frozen.
Why is the powder ending up at the bottom of the jar?
The 2 tablespoons of milk were skipped, or the granola had cooled before the powder went in. The liquid and residual heat are what make it stick to the oats.
Original Protein Coffee
Just coffee and 22g of protein. Nothing else. No flavoring at all. Real arabica with 22g of grass-fed whey protein and 4.5g of BCAAs to support muscle recovery and keep you full, plus organic adaptogens and a pre and ...
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