The crunchy, creamy granola clusters of your dreams have landed, and they taste perfectly like a cinnamon roll! That’s right, my Cinnamon Roll Granola Clusters are a delicious (and albeit, healthy) way to enjoy all of the flavors of a cinnamon roll for breakfast, but with the crispy, crunchy texture of delicious granola. Plus, this recipe is naturally gluten-free and vegan friendly, so what are you waiting for?! Run, don’t walk, to your kitchen and make this recipe ASAP!
Friends, when it comes to granola, I don’t play around. The days of buying pre-made, sugar-filled, and often boring granola clusters are a thing of the past. From my Gigantic Chocolate Chunk Granola Clusters, to my PB&J Granola Clusters, I love finding ways to not only keep granola healthy, but also make it taste delicious. And when it comes to this recipe, I think I’ve finally nailed it!
This recipe is actually a riff off of Trader Joe’s NEW Cinnamon Roll Drizzled Granola. I love a good Trader Joe’s item, and after seeing it make its way around TikTok, I knew that I needed to try it. But after tasting it, I have to say: I was thoroughly disappointed. In fact, I found it so underwhelming, that I went straight to my kitchen to see if I could create a version that matched all of the hype that I was seeing on TikTok. And lo and behold, I came up with this recipe, which is all that I could have dreamed of and more.
And because this is a Kalejunkie recipe, of course I had to make it with a healthy twist. While the Trader Joe’s recipe is full of refined sugars, my version is (optionally) refined sugar-free, uses only 8 ingredients, and did I mention that it’s also naturally gluten-free and vegan-friendly? It’s true! But enough about the facts… let’s get into this recipe and you can see just how delicious it is!
What You Need to Make This Delicious, Cinnamon-y Granola
- Rolled Oats: Rolled oats are an excellent source of fiber, and will keep you full and satisfied all day long! Just make sure to use gluten-free rolled oats, if you are gluten-sensitive!
- Chia Seeds: Chia seeds are one of my favorite sources of plant-based omega 3’s!
- Ground Flax Seeds: Ground flax seeds add protein and fiber to this granola. What’s not to love about that?!
- Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar: To add a little touch of sweetness to this granola, we’ll be using brown sugar or coconut sugar. Both taste equally as well, and while I personally opt for brown sugar, you can certainly use coconut sugar to keep this recipe refined sugar-free.
- Cinnamon: A touch of cinnamon truly makes this granola taste like a cinnamon roll!
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds the perfect, light cinnamon flavor that is essentially to achieving that cinnamon roll flavor.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup adds a natural sweetness, without the refined sugars!
- Coconut Oil: Coconut oil acts as the perfect binder for this granola, making sure it stays together in big chunks.
- White Chocolate Chips: This is optional, but highly recommended! I love drizzling this granola with some melted white chocolate, for the perfect finishing touch.
How to Make This Trader Joe’s Copycat Cinnamon Granola
Making this granola is so simple and easy, and is perfect to whip up at the beginning of each week! Simply start by preheating your oven to 325 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Next, in a large bowl, whisk together all of the granola ingredients: the rolled oats, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, brown sugar or coconut sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Whisk until fully combined.
Then, transfer your granola to your baking sheet and use a spatula or the back of a lightly greased spoon to spread it out into a thin, even layer. Make sure that the granola is packed tightly together, so that its forms into clusters.
Bake for 22 minutes, making sure to rotate the tray at the 11 minute mark so that the granola bakes evenly.
Once your granola is done, remove from the oven and let it cool COMPLETELY. While your granola is cooling, place your white chocolate chips in a bowl and melt them in a microwave, in 3, 30-second increments, being sure to stir them in-between. You can also melt them on the stove, using the double boiler method.
Once your granola is cool, drizzle it with the melted chocolate and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes. Finally, remove from the fridge after the 20 minute mark, break into large pieces, and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! And, since I practically live on Instagram, be sure to tag me in your creations so that I can repost them! xx
** Photography by Gayle McLeod
Ingredients
For the Granola:
- 3 Cups Rolled Oats
- ¼ Cup Chia Seeds
- ¼ Cup Ground Flax Seeds
- ¼ Cup Brown Sugar or Coconut Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- ½ Cup Maple Syrup
- ½ Cup Coconut Oil, melted
For the Topping:
- White Chocolate Chips, melted; for topping
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 325 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Next, in a large bowl, whisk together all of the granola ingredients: the rolled oats, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, brown sugar or coconut sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Whisk until fully combined.
- Then, transfer your granola to your baking sheet and use a spatula or the back of a lightly greased spoon to spread it out into a thin, even layer. Make sure that the granola is packed tightly together, so that its forms into clusters.
- Bake for 22 minutes, making sure to rotate the tray at the 11 minute mark so that the granola bakes evenly.
- Once your granola is done, remove from the oven and let it cool COMPLETELY.
- While your granola is cooling, place your white chocolate chips in a bowl and melt them in a microwave, in 3, 30-second increments, being sure to stir them in-between. You can also melt them on the stove, using the double-boiler method.
- Once your granola is cool, drizzle it with the melted chocolate and place it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Finally, remove from the fridge after the 20 minute mark, break into large pieces, and enjoy!
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
Hi. I don’t have white chocolate. Can I omit this or substitute? Thank you. Have a great day !
Hi Maddie! You could use regular chocolate here, but it will alter the flavor slightly.
Made this because I ran out of my TJ’s granola. This tastes pretty good but it also felt like a bit of work on a Sunday night. I will also say that it’s partly my fault bc I make my own brown sugar instead of keeping it on hand but I’m hoping it will go great with my Greek yogurt in the morning! Also the chocolate chips I used were nestle premium white morsels and I had a hard time getting them to melt and drizzle easily (even though I followed the 30 sec increments).
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that you had some trouble with this recipe, Dana. I am glad you enjoyed it nonetheless, though, and I appreciate your review!
That white chocolate running down the side of that measuring cup & those splash-painted chunks are bringing me to my knees- obsession💯 I did gently melted raw coconut butter for a white chocolate sub and also plan on using some plain clusters to set up a trail mix this week. So perfect.
YAY! I am so happy to hear that, Gigi! Thank you so much for making this recipe and for leaving such a kind review!