Ash Carnie
← Back to the blog

Recipes

No-Egg Keto Cluster Granola

I was halfway into making my favourite keto granola when I realised I was out of eggs. A quick chia egg held it together just as well, so here's the swap.

Ash Carnie3 min read
Jump to the recipe
The nut and seed base laid out before mixing: almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and flax seeds
The nut and seed base laid out before mixing: almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and flax seeds

Same granola, minus the eggs

I was halfway into making my favourite keto granola when I realised I was out of eggs. Rather than put the whole batch off, I swapped in a chia egg instead, and it held together just as well.

The chia egg

One chia egg here is 1 tablespoon of chia seeds stirred into ¼ cup of hot water. Mix it well right away, before the chia has a chance to clump, and it thickens into a gel in 5 to 10 minutes, about the same consistency and the same binding job a whisked egg white does in this recipe.

Ground flaxseed works just as well if that's what you have on hand instead, just with a different ratio: 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed (whole flax won't gel properly) stirred into 3 tablespoons of hot water, left to sit the same 5 to 10 minutes.

Everything else stays the same

Egg-free keto granola clusters broken up on the baking tray, with a container of finished clusters in front

The base is unchanged: the same nuts, seeds and coconut, pressed into one compact slab and baked low and slow until it snaps into clusters. The only thing different is what's holding it together. The full story behind the pressing and the cooling is in the original recipe, this version follows it exactly, just with the chia egg standing in for the egg whites in the glaze.

(Nothing here is medical advice.)

The recipe

KetoGrain freeEgg free
Prep
15 minutes
Bake
20 to 25 minutes
Cool
45 to 60 minutes
Serves
About 12, a quarter cup each

Ingredients

Some ingredients link to the exact products I use. They are affiliate links, so I may earn a small amount if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. I only link to things I actually keep in my own kitchen.

The nut and seed base

  • 1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
  • ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes. Wide flakes give the best crunch
  • 2 tbsp whole chia seeds
  • 2 tbsp golden flax seeds, or hemp hearts

The chia egg (or flax egg)

  • 1 tbsp chia seeds and ¼ cup hot water, or
  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp hot water

The binding glaze

  • 2 tbsp melted coconut oil, or melted grass fed butter
  • ¼ cup monk fruit sweetener, granulated or powdered
  • 1 tsp pumpkin spice mix, or 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt

Method

Heat the oven

  1. Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F) and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment.

Make the chia egg (or flax egg)

  1. Stir the chia seeds into the hot water right away and mix well, before it has a chance to clump. Using flax instead, stir the ground flaxseed into its 3 tbsp of hot water the same way.
  2. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until it thickens into a gel about the consistency of a raw egg white.

Mix the base

  1. In a large bowl, toss the chopped almonds and walnuts with the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, chia seeds and flax seeds until evenly mixed.

Whisk the glaze

  1. Whisk the chia (or flax) gel with the melted coconut oil, sweetener, pumpkin spice, vanilla and salt until smooth.

Coat and pack

  1. Pour the glaze over the nuts and seeds and fold with a spatula until everything is coated and glistening.
  2. Spread it onto the baking sheet. Do not scatter it loosely.
  3. Press it down hard with the flat bottom of a glass or a firm spatula, into one even compact slab across the pan. This is what lets it break into chunky clusters later.

Bake low and slow

  1. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the tray halfway through.
  2. It is ready when the edges are deep golden and the top feels dry. Watch the coconut flakes in the last 5 minutes so they do not darken too far.

Leave it completely alone

  1. Take the tray out and do not stir it or touch it while it is hot.
  2. Let it sit undisturbed for 45 to 60 minutes. As it cools, the chia gel and sweetener harden into a crisp brittle.
  3. Once it is completely cold, break the slab by hand into big clusters.

Thanks for reading.

More on PCOS, real food and faith, written from the middle of it.

One email a month. Unsubscribe any time.

Explore more posts