Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola (Whole Foods Copycat)
I try not to go into Whole Foods but I live very close to one and find myself there far too often.
When I’m there I especially try to avoid the bulk bins or at least try to recreate bulk bin items at home.
A sample of this and that and I could make a dinner out of bulk bin and hot bar samples. No shame.
One thing that I don’t just sample and actually buy is the ‘PB & J Granola’. It’s very chewy, a little bit gooey, slightly crunchy, and highly addictive. I love it and decided to try a DIY version.
It’s a one-bowl, no mixer, easy recipe and after studying the label on the bulk bin, I learned the granola is made with peanut butter, honey, oats, oat bran, chopped peanuts, raisins, and dried strawberries.
I used conventional honey-roasted peanut butter and haven’t tried using natural or homemade peanut butter or other nut butter such as almond butter. They tend to be runnier, thinner, and adjustments to the dry ingredients will likely need to be made.
Rather than using dried strawberries because they’re ungodly expensive and would require a special online order for most people, I used dried cranberries. I love the chewiness and natural sweetness the dried fruit provides but I know some people loathe raisins. If you’re not a fan of raisins or dried cranberries, substitute with an alternate dried fruit.
I used a bit of oat bran which I buy from the bulk bins, but if you don’t keep it on hand or don’t want to buy it, grind old-fashioned whole-rolled oats in your food processor or blender for about 30 seconds.
The granola will keep for up to a month and I suggest giving lots of it away because it’s pretty dangerous to have around. A nibble, a handful, and seven handfuls later. So good.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola (Whole Foods Copycat)
The granola is very chewy, a little bit gooey, slightly crunchy, and highly addictive. It’s a one-bowl, no mixer, easy recipe. I used conventional honey-roasted peanut butter and haven’t tried using natural or homemade peanut butter or other nut butter. I love the chewiness and natural sweetness the dried fruit provides but you can substitute with an alternate dried fruit. You may possibly be able to omit the dried fruit entirely if you add more dry ingredients, although I haven’t tried. I used a bit of oat bran but if you don’t keep it on hand, grind old-fashioned whole-rolled oats in your food processor or blender for about 30 seconds.
Ingredients:
heaping 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I used conventional honey-roasted peanut butter)
3/4 cup honey
2 cups old-fashioned whole-rolled oats (not quick-cook or instant because they behave like flour and will make mixture too dry)
1 cup finely chopped lightly salted or salted peanuts (love my Mini-Prep Plus 4-Cup Food Processor here)
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup oat bran (often found in bulk bins or substitute with 1/2 cup oat flour by grinding 1/2 cup whole-rolled oats in food processor or blender for 30 seconds)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste (the saltiness level in peanut butter and peanuts varies greatly)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat, parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- To a large microwave-safe bowl, add the peanut butter (haven’t tried using natural or homemade peanut butter or other nut butter such as almond butter; they tend to be runnier, thinner, and adjustments to the dry ingredients will likely need to be made), honey (haven’t tried with agave or maple syrup), heat on high power for 30 seconds to soften, and stir to combine.
- Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. If you don’t like raisins or dried cranberries, substitute with an alternate dried fruit or you may possibly be able to omit dried fruit entirely if you add more dry ingredients, although I haven’t tried so cannot comment on exact measurements.
- Turn mixture out on prepared baking sheet. It’ll take up the entire baking sheet and while you don’t want to hard-pack it, make sure it’s a fairly flat layer and all pieces are of uniform height because higher pieces will have a tendency to burn. Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes.
- Remove tray from oven and using a spatula (like you’d use to flip eggs or burgers), flip sections of the granola over until it’s all been flipped. I prefer flipping to stirring because I think it cooks more evenly.
- Return tray to oven and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until granola is lightly browned, keeping in mind that granola will cook a slight bit more as it rests and cools on baking tray. Keep a watchful eye on it after you’ve flipped it because it can be prone to burning. Granola firms up as it cools. Allow granola to cool for at least 1 hour on baking tray (or overnight and exposed to air if you prefer it to be drier) before serving. Granola will keep airtight for 3 to 4 weeks.
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I could never ever in a million years avoid WF! I would just make this at home so I could there and buy other things… so serious!! =)
Averie, I feel the same about whole foods, as much as I try to avoid going to that place somehow I end up there for some reason!
I find it too dangerous on my wallet as it gets hard to resist and I find myself like lost puppy in there hehe!! Any how I am so glad you created this copycat version! So making it this weekend!
If you try it, LMK how it goes!
This looks amazing! All those clusters and I love the pbj combo, I could live on it even though I’m a grown adult! It’s a good thing I don’t live by a whole foods or I too would be in there far too often.
I live way too close…I’m in there more than I’d like to admit…whoops!
I made this recipe as is with exception I used all dried cranberries as I don’t like raisins. It is great!
Thanks for trying the recipe the day after I posted it and I’m glad it came out great for you (minus the raisins)!
We used to live really close to a WF too, and when we moved in October, I didn’t know whether to celebrate or cry. My wallet leaned toward the former, but… Life without WF (and TJ’s — I had to give them up too) just isn’t the same! It’s probably a good thing I didn’t find this granola there though. Granola is one of my out-of-control foods (along with ice cream) and it doesn’t matter how much I portion out… At least half of the bag always disappears in one go!
I have made this several times now and we LOVE it! I have shared it with friends and get requests all the time for more! I use dried blueberries and also add chia seeds and hemp seeds. Seriously addicting! Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you and that it’s on rotation! Dried blueberries are amazing and I bet with the chia and hemp seeds, your granola is awesome! I want some :)
Hi! Could you use natural peanut butter for this or even homemade peanut butter? Thank you!
I haven’t tested the recipe that way and don’t recommend it because it could be too runny, separate, etc. and the granola wouldn’t turn out properly then.
this is almost dangerous to make as I will eat the whole thing! homemade granola is the way to go!
I just made this & it is A-MA-ZING! Ended up making 3 batches…first one as written, 2nd one with Sunbutter, pure maple syrup & sunflower seeds & no dried fruit so my toddler can eat it, 3rd one with regular Jif Naturals PB & agave, also w/o the fruit for my dad who is diabetic. The original is my favorite & the one with agave comes in a strong 2nd! The Sunbutter one didn’t brown as much but still tasted good.
Thanks for trying the recipe (3 ways!!) and I’m glad it came out great for you! How cool that you adapted things based on various family member’s needs. Glad to hear the original was your fave but that the other two versions were still great!
I make our granola weekly and I was looking for new flavors when I found your recipe. Averie, have you tried using more of a drying oven temperature rather than a baking oven temperature? I dry-bake my granola at 230 Fahrenheit degrees for three hours. It comes out of the oven beautifully, in large and small chunks (the oil keeps the clusters together) with no need to flip. Definitely going to try this with raisins soaked in grape juice so they don’t get too dry in the oven. Who doesn’t like grape jelly, right?
I have done it in a dehydrator before at about 115F but that took forever! Your method sounds great as does soaking the raisins in grape juice!