Rawnola is a delicious, 5-minute, gluten-free, raw breakfast that's loaded with healthy fats, antioxidants, fiber, protein, and it's free of refined sugar! Make it once and you'll have a healthy breakfast ready to eat all week long!
Thank you to Mariani for sponsoring this recipe. You can trust that my opinion is always 100% honest, thank you for supporting the brands that I love.
Are you tired of eating avocado toast or oatmeal for breakfast every day? Or maybe you just want a healthy breakfast that's already prepped to eat?
Do you want to switch up your breakfast routine with something quick to make that's rich in fiber and protein and will keep you feeling full, but it tastes great too?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, you should definitely try this gluten-free raw granola recipe! It's one of my favorite easy raw food recipes that you can make in 5 minutes, the leftovers last all week, and it tastes delicious!
If you're wondering what rawnola is, the rawnola definition is very simple, it's just a raw version of cooked granola! Instead of cooking the ingredients, you're going to use a food processor to cut up the ingredients very small and then enjoy it topped with fresh fruit and plant milk. It's delicious!
What Does Rawnola Taste Like?
It tastes like granola that's not super crispy because it hasn't been roasted. However, the texture isn't soft either. BTW if you're looking for a crunchy 5-star granola recipe to try, try this one!
If you don't like oatmeal because of its mushy texture (like my husband), then you're going to love this raw oat recipe because it has tons of texture! Big chunks of roasted nuts, crispy seeds, and satisfying oats mixed with sweet dates and dried fruit, it's so delicious!
To me, rawnola tastes like cereal...but better! Especially if you top your bowl with lots of fresh fruit!
Tasty Topping Options
Of course, you can eat the raw granola plain without toppings but toppings make it so much better, just like tacos, pizza, and chili!
My favorite toppings are:
- Blueberries
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Mango
- Kiwi
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Strawberries
- Bananas
- Peaches
- Plums
- Cherries
How to Make Rawnola
Start by removing the pits from the deglet dates and soak them in warm water for 10 minutes. While the dates are soaking, put all of the nuts into a food processor and pulse it a few times to break them up.
Next, add the soaked dates and dried fruit and pulse it a few times to chop that up and combine it with the nuts. The mixture will be a little sticky and crumbly with some big chunks.
Lastly, add the old fashioned oats, coconut, ground flax, chia seeds, ground cinnamon, sea salt, and hemp hearts and pulse it a few more times until everything is combined.
Serve with your favorite plant milk and top it with lots of fresh fruit and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds for an easy vegan breakfast!
What Type of Plant Milk Should I Use?
My favorite plant milk to use for raw granola, cereal, and oatmeal, is unsweetened plain (not vanilla flavored) coconut milk because it's so creamy, but I also like unsweetened almond milk. However, you could also use soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk, hemp milk, or macadamia milk based on your preferences or what you have on hand.
Ways To Adapt This Recipe
You can enjoy the rawnola like you normally would eat cereal with plant milk or you could:
- Use the filling to make bliss balls by rolling 1 tbsp into a ball and repeat until you run out of filling.
- Sprinkle chunks of the raw granola on top of plant-based yogurt with fresh fruit.
- Make smoothie bowls, acai bowls, or oatmeal and top it with a sprinkle of raw granola.
Notes & Substitutions
- Chocolate Rawnola: To take this recipe to the next level, add 2 tbsp of cacao powder (or cocoa powder) when you add the cinnamon. If it tastes a little bitter, you can drizzle a little bit of maple syrup or date syrup (low-glycemic) on top of the raw granola for extra sweetness.
- Gluten-Free? This recipe is gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free oats.
- What if You Don't Have Dried Stone Fruit? You don't have to use the dried fruit that I used to make apricot prune rawnola, any dried fruit that you like is fine! You could use dried mango, cherries, figs, goji berries, strawberries, cranberries, or raisins to add natural sweetness.
- Nut Substitutions: Any combination of your favorite nuts is fine, you don't have to use the ones I listed. You could also use macadamia nuts, cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, or even peanuts.
Success Tips
- If you use deglet dates, remember to soak them in warm water for 10 minutes before you add them to the food processor. If you don't soak them first, they can be difficult for your food processor to chop up.
- Deglet dates are more affordable but they're not as sweet and soft as medjool dates. If you can splurge a little bit, I recommend the medjool dates over the deglet dates.
- Use a food processor, not a blender. You want to chop, not blend and puree the nut and dried fruit filling.
- Use unsalted roasted nuts and roasted seeds (instead of raw) for even more flavor!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and store it on the counter for 4-5 days. If you store it in the fridge, the mixture will be a little bit drier and crumbly.
Want More Easy Vegan Breakfast Recipes?
Slow Cooker Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal

Dried Fruit Rawnola Bowls
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
Rawnola -
- 1 ½ cups Roasted Walnuts
- ½ cup Roasted Almonds
- ½ cup Roasted Pecans
- 1 cup Pitted Dates (deglet or medjool)
- ½ cup Mariani Probiotic Apricots, Prunes, or Berries (or your favorite dried fruit)
- 1 cup Old Fashioned Oats (gluten-free)
- ½ cup Shredded Coconut
- 1 tbsp Chia Seeds
- 1 tbsp Ground Flaxseed
- 1 tbsp Hemp Seeds
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt (more or less to taste)
Toppings -
- ½ cup Blueberries
- 1 medium Mango
- 1 medium Kiwi
- 1 medium Banana
- ¼ cup Pumpkin Seeds
Instructions
- Start by removing the pits from the dates and soaking them in warm water for 10 minutes. While the dates are soaking, put all of the nuts into a food processor and pulse it a few times to break them up.
- After 10 minutes, drain the dates and discard the water. Add the soaked dates and dried fruit to the food processor and pulse it a few times to chop it up and combine it with the nuts. The mixture should be a little sticky and have some big chunks.
- Next, add the old fashioned oats, coconut flakes, ground flax, chia seeds, ground cinnamon, sea salt, and hemp hearts and pulse it a few more times until everything is combined and a little crumbly.
- Serve with your favorite plant milk and top it with lots of fresh fruit and a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.
Notes
- If you use deglet dates, remember to soak them in warm water for 10 minutes before you add them to the food processor. If you don't soak them first, they can be difficult for your food processor to chop up.
- Deglet dates are more affordable but they're not as sweet and soft as medjool dates. If you can splurge a little bit, I recommend the medjool dates over the deglet dates.
- Use a food processor, not a blender. You want to chop, not blend and puree the nut and dried fruit filling.
- Use roasted nuts and roasted seeds (instead of raw) for even more flavor!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and store it on the counter for 4-5 days. If you store it in the fridge, the mixture will be a little bit drier and crumbly.
Nutrition
*I originally shared this recipe on 3/14/18, but I updated it on 5/8/20.
Oh my. I’m addicted to rawnola! It’s absolutely delish!
Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it!
Made this today. Very easy and delicious.....and filling!!! Took me through to lunch (I didn't even feel like having too much for lunch). I have been vegetarian since I was 11 and now looking at more vegan options for health and weight loss. This is a great breakfast recipe!
I'm so happy you liked it!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! It was super easy and quick to make. I ate is with almond milk and fresh sliced banana. Adding it to my recipe collection!
I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Yooooo! This was EVERYTHING I needed! This was so filling and had just the right amount of sweetness! I love every bite of it.
Thank you, Sha-Keema! I'm so glad you liked it!
So good and great texture. I use 1/4 cup per serving as this is high in fat (albeit healthy fat) and calories. If you add fresh fruit and dairy free milk it’s enough to fill you up. My son (23) who loves junk food loves this with yogurt and hates dates. Hee hee
I'm so glad that you both enjoy the recipe! Thank you for the feedback =)
Where do you normally pick up the pitted dates? Thanks so much!
Hello, I get them at Costco!
Yipee! I was just thinking about doing fruit and granola but this sounds even better since Im trying to temporarily limit grains! Ive done a similar breakfast and used coconut cream instead of milk. Thanks😊
I'm doing the same thing, Pat! I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as I do! Let me know what you think =)