Wholesome Buckwheat Oat Granola Bark: Your Healthy, Clumpy Breakfast & Snack Solution
Prepare to revolutionize your mornings with this incredibly quick, healthy, and utterly delicious buckwheat oat granola recipe. Designed for a truly satisfying real food breakfast, or as the perfect on-the-go snack, its delightful bark-like clusters offer a texture and flavor that will keep you energized and full until lunch.
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For those who have followed my personal weight loss journey, utilized the accompanying recipe eBooks, or engaged with the Healthy Eating Facebook group, you’ll be well aware of my profound and enduring affection for my daily morning granola. This wasn’t always the case, however. For many years, my mornings began with the taxing ritual of deciding what to eat: peanut butter and toast? Eggs with toast? A current boxed cereal? Perhaps a muffin, a smoothie, or even waffles? The options felt endless, and each day brought a new wave of decision paralysis.
What I’ve come to understand is that constantly making choices about small, routine things, day in and day out, significantly depletes my willpower. Starting the day with such decision-making sets me up for what is scientifically known as decision fatigue later on. This isn’t just a minor inconvenience; it’s the kind of mental exhaustion that can lead to craving all the chocolate at 8 PM, undoing all my good intentions from earlier in the day.
Embarking on a journey towards a whole foods diet and striving to prepare as much food as possible from scratch became pivotal in taking control of the ingredients I consumed. A key strategy in my path towards a healthy weight was identifying foods I genuinely enjoyed eating regularly. The beautiful side benefit? A dramatic reduction in decision fatigue, which, in turn, strengthened my willpower significantly.
While a consistent breakfast might sound monotonous to some (I still reserve weekends for different breakfast foods to enjoy with my family!), my daily bowl of granola has transformed into a cherished comfort food. I genuinely miss it when travel or other plans prevent me from having it. I actually look forward to it every morning. Yes, even after years of eating what might seem like ‘the same thing,’ it brings me joy and a sense of nourishment.
It’s important to clarify that my breakfast bowl doesn’t contain *only* granola. Over time, I’ve gradually incorporated more ingredients known for their health benefits and recommended for regular consumption. Each day, my vibrant and nutritious breakfast bowl now typically includes:
- 1/4 cup of this homemade granola
- 3/4 tablespoon each of: chia seeds (for omega-3s and fiber), flaxseed meal (for lignans and fiber), and hemp seeds (for protein and healthy fats)
- 4 walnut halves, broken into smaller pieces (excellent for brain health)
- Approximately 2 tablespoons of dried cranberries (for antioxidants and a touch of sweetness)
- 5-6 blackberries (fresh when in season, or frozen and thawed for year-round enjoyment)
I prefer a small bowl and pour milk over this wholesome concoction. My husband, Brian, enjoys a similar mix but often pairs his with yogurt. Honestly, it’s incredibly delicious and satisfying! I find myself completely full and energized all the way until lunchtime. This, coupled with my habit of enjoying a cup of decaf coffee with milk (or tea with milk), is another mindful strategy I use to avoid unnecessary snacking throughout the morning.
Crafting Wholesome Buckwheat Oat Granola Bark
Now that you understand the why behind my morning ritual, let’s dive into the what: this exceptional buckwheat oat granola bark recipe! This recipe is a thoughtful evolution of my long-standing favorite healthy clumpy granola recipe, which I’ve enjoyed for many years. While my even older recipe was good, it contained more sugar, oil, and an extra cooking step. This new rendition takes health and nutrition to the next level by incorporating buckwheat groats, reducing the amount of sweetener and oil, and significantly boosting the content of beneficial nuts and seeds.
And the best part? These improvements come without any sacrifice to taste, the coveted clumpy consistency, or the quick and easy preparation that made the original so popular. If you’re like me and make either of these healthy granola recipes regularly, you’ll find yourself stirring the ingredients together in about 5 minutes – truly! It then bakes for approximately 25 minutes and cools for an hour before being ready for storage. The minimal hands-on time makes this a perfect staple for busy individuals and families. My family, in particular, adores how both recipes consistently produce those delightful, clumpy bark-like pieces. These chunks are not only perfect for easy-to-grab, healthy snacks but also add an incredible texture to morning cereal with milk, ensuring it stays satisfyingly crunchy and never soggy!
Suddenly, that “convenient” box of store-bought cereal doesn’t sound quite so appealing, does it?
The Power of Buckwheat: More Than Just a Grain
You might be asking: why tinker with a great recipe if it was already a favorite? And what’s the big deal about buckwheat? My motivation stemmed from ongoing research into gut health and resistant starch. During this exploration, I encountered numerous compelling articles, such as this one from Huffington Post and this comprehensive piece from the Whole Grains Council, all highlighting the remarkable benefits of buckwheat. Specifically, buckwheat—especially in its ‘groat’ form—acts as a powerful prebiotic. This means it contains resistant starch that is not digested in the small intestine but ferments in the large intestine, feeding beneficial gut bacteria.
The scientific evidence is impressive. In fact, one study cited concluded with exciting findings:
Not only did the buckwheat-fed group emerge with a lower bodyweight when compared to the control, some of the best types of helpful bacteria were found, along with a decrease in some types of pathogenic bacteria.
Given such compelling information, it became imperative to find an enjoyable way to regularly incorporate buckwheat into our diet. This led to the adaptation of my beloved granola recipe. Beyond the buckwheat, I’m continuously testing how low we can go with natural sweeteners without compromising flavor or texture. I wouldn’t have kept the reduced honey and maple syrup measurements if the granola hadn’t held together beautifully and tasted just as fantastic. Both Brian and I agree: this new buckwheat oat granola is every bit as delicious, so why not make it even healthier? Furthermore, I boosted the seed content by adding sesame, sunflower, and flax seeds, all of which are renowned for their nutritional profiles and proven health benefits.
When it comes to buckwheat groats, you have flexibility: both raw and toasted varieties work wonderfully in granola. Some individuals opt to soak raw buckwheat for a few hours before use. While you can certainly do this if you prefer, it is not strictly required for this recipe. The topic of soaking grains and nuts to address phytic acid is a complex one, often debated and without a universal scientific consensus. Many findings seem to trace back to a single source, and not all experts agree on the necessity or efficacy of soaking for everyone.
For sourcing, I’ve consistently found Bob’s Red Mill organic buckwheat groats to be a reliably good price. More recently, I discovered Anthony’s, though you commit to a larger 5 lb. package (we now even use their turmeric for our dog!). Both are excellent choices for quality groats.
Enough with the preamble – let’s get right to this fantastic recipe and start making some delicious, healthy granola!
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Buckwheat Oat Granola Bark with Nuts & Seeds
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey*
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup*
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup oil**
- 3 cups whole rolled oats
- 2 cups raw or toasted buckwheat groats
- 1 cup chopped nuts almonds, walnuts, or pecans
- 3/4 cup sesame seeds
- 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
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Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a large rimmed baking sheet with silicone or parchment.
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Mix the first four ingredients (the liquids) together in a large bowl, and then add the remaining ingredients, stirring until the oats and groats are completely coated.
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Press the granola mixture evenly onto the prepared baking sheet with the back of the spoon, a spatula, or your hand wetted with water.
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Bake, rotating the pan halfway through if needed for even browning, for about 25 minutes WITHOUT STIRRING. It should be golden brown all over and more on the edges.
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Remove to a cooling rack for 1 hour and then break the granola into chunks before letting cool completely.
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Store in an airtight 1 gallon container.
Notes
**Choose non-industrial oils like melted coconut, cold-pressed sunflower, avocado, or mild olive.
Nutrition
Other Wholesome Breakfast Recipes You Might Love:
For more healthy and delicious breakfast inspiration, check out these recipes:
Delicious Overnight Scrambled Eggs with Spinach
Convenient Freezer Mediterranean Breakfast Wraps
Fluffy Gluten-Free Buckwheat, Oat, Maple & Cinnamon Pancakes
Savory Mediterranean Scramble with Spinach & Bacon
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