/ / / / / Homemade Tropical Granola

Homemade Tropical Granola

This easy homemade granola recipe for tropical granola is loaded with coconut, mango, mandarin oranges, and pineapple! It is delicious by itself for breakfast or you can add it to smoothie bowls or parfaits for an extra special treat!

Tropical granola filled with coconut, macadamia nuts, pineapple, mango, and mandarin oranges.

I love researching the origins of ingredients. Although macadamia nuts are usually associated with Hawai’i I knew they were not indigenous to there. Turns out they are actually from Australia!

So here is another fusion mix for you, coconuts from Hawai’i, mangoes from India, mandarin oranges from China, pineapple from South America combine together to make a popular breakfast staple from the US.

We love granola but the commercial stuff is SO sweet. It gives me a toothache and makes me feel a little nauseous. Plus I can make a ton at home for just a fraction of the cost of buying a pound. I buy the oats in bulk at Costco and the add ins on sale at our local Sprouts and Trader Joe’s.

There are a few staples in our house of vanilla almond granola and chocolate granola. This tropical granola really hits the spot being not too sweet but having nice little bursts of fruit.

Tropical granola filled with coconut, macadamia nuts, pineapple, mango, and mandarin oranges.

Ingredients

  • rolled oats
  • coconut strips
  • macadamia nuts
  • dried pineapple
  • dried mangoes
  • dried mandarin orange slices
  • coconut extract
  • coconut oil
  • honey
  • ground ginger

The coconut strips and mandarin slices were from Trader Joe’s and the macadamia nuts, dried pineapple, and dried mango were from Sprouts bulk bins.

The coconut strips and mandarin slices were from Trader Joe’s and the macadamia nuts, dried pineapple, and dried mango were from Sprouts bulk bins.

Tropical Granola (2)-001

If your coconut strips are a bit chunky, cut them in half and roughly slice them. Don’t go for shredded, just a little thinner.

Other optional add ins

The beauty of making your own granola is you can add or take away as you wish. Here are some other great fruits to add in if you want more fruit or don’t like any of those above.

  • banana chips
  • golden raisins
  • dried papaya

In the vein of where are these ingredients indigenous to, bananas come from Southeast Asia, raisins came from Persia/Egypt, and papayas from Mexica/ Central America.

Tropical granola filled with coconut, macadamia nuts, pineapple, mango, and mandarin oranges.

How to make this

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, macadamia nuts, and coconut.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut extract, coconut oil, brown sugar, ground ginger, and honey. Pour honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir until the oats are well coated.
  4. Spread the granola over greased rimmed cookie sheet. Press granola down slightly. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
  5. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool completely without stirring it. Break apart and add in the dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.
  6. Serve over yogurt or with milk.

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Top tips

The key to getting granola clumps is to not stir it too much, especially as it cools. Allow it to cool and then break the granola into clumps.

If you want a muesli style, go ahead and stir it once or twice before it cools completely.

Unless you can find diced versions of the fruit, you’ll need to slice up the fruit into bite sized pieces. Kitchen scissors will make this much easier!

Top tips for cooking with kids

Kids of all ages can help with the measuring, pouring, and mixing.

Let your children pick and choose which fruits to add to the granola.

You can also play a fun game of guess the fruit. Have them smell all of the fruits, then they need to close their eyes, and you hold a piece for them to smell. See if they can guess which fruit is which.

See here for more tips on cooking with kids!

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Recipe

a bowl of tropical granola on a wooden table

Homemade Tropical Granola

This easy homemade granola recipe for tropical granola is loaded with coconut, mango, mandarin oranges, and pineapple! It is delicious by itself for breakfast or you can add it to smoothie bowls or parfaits for an extra special treat!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 366kcal
Author: Jade Jones

Ingredients

  • 4 cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ cup melted coconut oil
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup coconut strips sliced into bite sized pieces if needed
  • ½ cup chopped macadamia nuts
  • ¼ cup dried pineapple dices
  • ¼ cup dried mango cut into bite sized pieces
  • ¼ cup dried mandarin orange slices cut into bite sized slices

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the oats, macadamia nuts, and coconut.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, coconut oil, brown sugar, ground ginger and vanilla extract. Pour honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir until the oats are well coated.
  • Spread the granola over greased rimmed cookie sheet(s) . Press granola down slightly. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, cut dried fruits into bite sized pieces, if needed.
  • Remove pan from oven and allow to cool completely. Break apart and add in the dried fruit. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
  • Serve over yogurt or with milk.

Notes

Other fruit options that will work are: banana chips, dried papaya, and golden raisins.
The key to getting granola clumps is to not stir it too much, especially as it cools. Allow it to cool and then break the granola into clumps.
If you want a muesli style, go ahead and stir it once or twice before it cools completely.
Unless you can find diced versions of the fruit, you’ll need to slice up the fruit into bite sized pieces. Kitchen scissors will make this much easier!

Nutrition

Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Sodium: 20mg | Potassium: 170mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 519IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 2mg
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11 Comments

  1. I am sure this one tastes pretty good! Thanks for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board.

  2. This looks so good! I’m drooling right now. Pinned and tweeted. We appreciate you being a part of our party. Please stop by on Monday at 7 pm. Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls

  3. This looks awesome!! I’m with you on the store-bought stuff; way too sweet, and raisins and I don’t get along. Ever. Definitely going to try this 🙂

    1. That was exactly why I wanted to make something different. We really need to spice up our routines every once in a while and eat something new and fun.

  4. This looks delicious, Jade. I wish we had a Trader Joes here in Central Pennsylvania. Someday I will move back west and be close to some really good grocery stores and no feel gouged every time I try to buy some fresh fruit or veggies!

    1. I feel you Becky! When we lived in the south it was always a little frustrating because I felt like I didn’t have access to anything. I have seen the coconut strips at our local Kroger affiliate if you have that? You might even get lucky at Target or Walmart.

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