Christmas Gingerbread Granola with Gingerbread Men is a delicious combination of toasted oatmeal, treacle (molasses), spices, nuts, preserved ginger and dried cranberries. Add in some mini gingerbread men biscuits (cookies) for a fun holiday breakfast.
Why make Christmas Gingerbread Granola with Gingerbread Men
If you love the flavour of gingerbread as much as I do then making a breakfast cereal that tastes just like it is a must! It’s really simple to make and the mini gingerbread men biscuits make it super cute and a lot of fun. This Gingerbread granola also makes a great homemade holiday gift.
What is granola?
Granola is a crunchy cereal made from oats baked in oil with sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup. It also often contains nuts, seeds and dried fruit.
Granola is usually served as a breakfast cereal although it can also be used as a topping for desserts such as stewed fruit or yogurt.
Is muesli the same as granola?
Although both muesli and granola are made up of similar ingredients. Muesli is not baked, the ingredients are simply mixed together in their raw state and can be unsweetened.
What ingredients do I need to make Gingerbread Granola?
Christmas Gingerbread Granola has quite a few ingredients but they are all easily available and I’ve included some alternatives that you might want to try. Here is what you need:
- Rolled oats
- Rye Flakes (optional)
- Spices
- Nuts
- Oil
- Black Treacle (molasses)
- Maple Syrup
- Orange
- Crystallised stem ginger
- Dried cranberries
- Mini Gingerbread Men (optional)
A full list of the ingredients and the required quantities is found in the recipe card at the end of this article.
What are rolled oats?
Rolled oats are a type of oats (oatmeal) that flat and flaky. They have been steam processed so are quick and easy to cook. I use jumbo oats because they have larger flakes and I find that they hold their texture better when I bake them in granola.
Do I have to add rye flakes?
Rye flakes are completely optional. I add rye flakes because I like the flavour of rye. And I had some in my larder that I had used on top of a rye bread loaf. If you don’t have any or don’t want to add them to your granola then replace the rye flakes with more rolled oats.
What kind of spices do I need for Gingerbread Granola?
You will need ground ginger because you can’t have Gingerbread Granola without ginger! Cinnamon brings a lovely warm spiced taste to the granola and Mixed Spice brings a whole range of different spice flavours to the mix. I also add a small amount of ground cloves as it’s one of my favourite flavours. But it can be overpowering, so only use the amount recommended in the recipe.
What is Mixed Spice?
Mixed Spice is readily available in UK supermarkets and baking suppliers. It is a combination of the following ground spices:
- allspice
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- mace
- cloves
- coriander
- ginger
If you can’t source ready-made mixed spice you can make your own.
What kind of nuts should I use in Christmas Gingerbread Granola?
You can really use any nuts that you like. It’s good to have a mix of at least three different nuts so I chose four! I use pecans, whole blanched almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts in my granola, but you could substitute Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts or walnuts. I wouldn’t recommend including peanuts in the granola as their flavour can dominate.
All the nuts are roughly chopped so they are easy to eat and they provide that creamy, crunchy texture that you can only get from nuts.
What can I use instead of black treacle (molasses)?
If you find black treacle is too strong for your taste then you can use golden syrup or cane syrup. You can also simply increase the quantity of maple syrup.
What is crystallised stem ginger?
Crystallised stem ginger is fresh ginger which has been cooked until soft then boiled in a sugar syrup and dried. The pieces of ginger have a sugar coating and can be easily cut with a sharp knife. It has a strong sweet ginger flavour and brings an extra ginger zing to the granola.
Can I use stem ginger in syrup?
Stem ginger in syrup is a similar type of processed ginger. However, it is not dried like crystallised ginger, it is stored in a sweet ginger syrup. You can use stem ginger in syrup in this recipe if you rinse the syrup off the pieces of ginger with water and then dry them with kitchen paper. You can then chop the ginger into small pieces and use them in the same way as the crystallised stem ginger.
What can I substitute for dried cranberries?
Cranberries have a lovely sweet but sharp taste that I absolutely love. But you can easily substitute raisins, sultanas (golden raisins) or even pieces of dried apricot.
Where can I get mini gingerbread men?
I used McVitites Mini Gingerbread Men and I bought them at my usual supermarket. Some supermarkets also sell their own brand of mini gingerbread men. You can make your own gingerbread men with my recipe if you can find a small enough cookie cutter.
What equipment do I need to make granola?
You don’t need any special equipment to make this granola, you can make it with standard baking equipment. Here is what you need:
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring jug
- Weighing scales (or cups)
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- 2 baking tray (baking sheets)
- Spatula
- Small pan
- Wooden spoon
How should I store Christmas Gingerbread Granola with Gingerbread Men?
Once the granola is completely cold store mix in the mini gingerbread men and keep it in an airtight container. I use a large preserving jar with a rubber seal and a metal clip to keep it air tight. However, a plastic cereal box or other air tight container is also a good option.
How long will the granola keep for?
You can keep the granola for up to 3 months if it is kept in an airtight container. If you find that it has lost its crunch then refresh the granola in the oven at 140C/275F (pre-heated) for 5 minutes. Then let it cool again before storing it again in a clean, dry airtight container.
Can I make a smaller quantity of granola?
It’s fine to make half the quantity of granola but it’s probably not worth making any less. I tend to make this larger quantity as it is a better use of my oven, but you may wish to bake something else at the same temperature to use the other oven shelf.
How should I serve Christmas Gingerbread Granola with Gingerbread Men?
My favourite way to serve this Gingerbread Granola is for breakfast or brunch. Serve it over thick Greek yogurt and add some fresh fruit such as orange segments, raspberries, strawberries, figs and fresh dates.
If you don’t have fresh fruit then stewed apples, plums or cooked frozen summer fruits also work well with granola. I like to make sure everyone gets a mini gingerbread man so also add a few extra minis in a bowl on the table.
Christmas Gingerbread Granola can also be served as a crunchy topping to many desserts and makes a good alternative to a crumble or crisp.
Give a Homemade Holiday Gift
Dress up a lidded jar as simple or as fancy as you like and give it as a gift. I have kept it simple with a label featuring a gingerbread man button tied to a recycled coffee jar with raffia. The sky is the limit when decorating your granola container, you can cover the lid with festive fabric and tie it with a ribbon. Or use glass paints to create a seasonal design. Whatever you do, I’m sure this delicious Gingerbread Granola will be very welcome.
More Fun Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
More Granola Recipes
All my Christmas Holiday Recipes
You can find all my festive recipes in the Recipe Index or use the search bar to look for Christmas or festive recipes.
PIN FOR LATER
Christmas Gingerbread Granola Recipe (with Gingerbread Men)
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 large spoon
- Measuring spoons
- measuring jug
- weighing scales
- chopping board
- 1 Sharp knife
- 2 baking tray baking sheets
- 1 spatula
- 1 small pan
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 300 g (3⅓ cups) rolled jumbo oats
- 100 g (1 cups) rye flakes If you don't have rye flakes, add another 100 g of rolled oats.
Spices
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
Nuts
- 80 g (¾ cups) pecans roughly chopped
- 50 g (½ cups) blanched almonds roughly chopped
- 50 g (½ cups) hazelnuts roughly chopped
- 30 g (¼ cups) pistachios roughly chopped
Liquids
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp black treacle
- 100 ml (⅓ cups) maple syrup
- 1 medium orange
To finish
- 30 g (4 tbsp) crystallised stem ginger chopped
- 130 g (1 cups) dried cranberries
- 100 g (3½ oz) mini gingerbread men optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 140C (275F).
- Put 300g (3⅓ cups) rolled oats and 100g (1 cup) rye flakes into a large bowl and mix together.
- Add 1 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp mixed spice, and ¼ tsp ground cloves to the cereal and mix.
- Roughly chop 80 g (¾ cup) pecans, 50 g (½ cup) blanched almonds, 50 g (½ cup) hazelnuts and 30 g (¼ cup) pistachios and add to the bowl with the cereal, spices and the zest of the orange. Mix thoroughly.
- Put 5 tbsp vegetable oil, 2 tbsp black treacle, 100 ml (⅓ cup) maple syrup and the juice of the orange into a small pan and warm through stirring until combined.
- Pour the mixture over the oats, spices and nuts and stir until all the pieces are covered.
- Spoon the mixture onto two baking trays lined with baking parchment or reusable non-stick liners.
- Bake the granola in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Stir after 15 minutes and swap the trays on the oven shelves.
- Remove the trays from the oven and leave to cool.
- Once cool return the granola to a large clean bowl and add the 130 g (1 cup) dried cranberries and 30 g (4 tbsp) of chopped crystallised stem ginger.
- Add the 100g (3½ oz) mini gingerbread men (if using) and store in a sealed jar or container.
- Serve with milk or yogurt and berries.
Chloe says
This is so cute, I’m going to find some jars and make this as gifts!
Janice Pattie says
It is a fun gift to give to a gingerbread-lover.
Karen says
I love the flavours in this gingerbread granola and all the lovely spicing. It’s so much cheaper to make your own granola rather than store bought.
Janice Pattie says
Thank you, it is much nicer and you can choose what to put in it.
Cat says
The flavours in this granola are so warming and delicious! The mini gingerbread men added such a cute touch, we all loved it.
Janice Pattie says
Thank you, I love the little gingerbread men, they are so much fun.
Sisley says
This is such a clever idea and a great for me to start eating granola more often as I love gingerbread flavours.