This Tahini Date Pistachio Granola is a healthy, flavorful breakfast! It also mades a perfect midday snack.
Late night snacking has always been an issue for me. Unfortunately, cereal is my favorite evening indulgence, so I don’t keep it in the house anymore.
I’m not sure what it is about a bowl filled with milk and crunchy-turning-mushy things, but it just feels so right at 9pm.
The one exception to the rule is homemade granola. For whatever reason, I can keep it in the pantry without going on a rampage.
Maybe because it’s heavier? I tend to make a one-bowl-and-done kind of granola; this stuff is filling, at least in my opinion.
I love the flavor and texture combination of dates, tahini, and pistachios. A hint of cardamom calls out from the background to add warmth, but you’ll barely know it’s there.
You can double the amount for more of a spice kick. Ground cinnamon would also be lovely here.
As with pretty much any granola recipe, you can add in whatever seeds and nuts you have. I almost threw in some chia seeds, but meh. There was enough going on, and I was kind of digging the (almost) monochromatic look.
Looking for more granola ideas? Make sure to check out my quinoa granola recipe as well.
Tahini Date Pistachio Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups pitted dates, divided
- 1/2 cup well-stirred tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (use gluten-free rolled oats for gluten-free)
- 1 cup roasted and salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
- optional: 1/4 cup raw flax seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a kettle or small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Place 1 cup of the pitted dates in a small bowl, and top with just enough boiling water to cover. Soak for at least 5 minutes, until very soft. Chop the remaining dates and set aside.
- Drain the dates, reserving the soaking water, and place in a food processor. Add 3-4 tablespoons of the soaking liquid, and puree until creamy. Transfer to a medium bowl and combine with the tahini, salt, and cardamom, stirring until smooth (Note: tahini consistencies vary. You want the mixture to be thin enough to easily toss with the other ingredients. If it seems too thick to combine with the oats, you can add another 1-2 tablespoons of the date soaking liquid).
- In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, pistachios, and flax seed. Add the liquid mixture, and stir until the oats are wet and the mixture is thoroughly combines.
- Spread into a thin layer on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping the oats once or twice midway through. The granola should be dried out and fragrant.
- Allow to cool, then toss with the remaining dates. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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Yummy! Love dates and tahini. Of course, granola too! And to mix it all into one delicious recipe — I need this, ASAP!
Granola is so much heavier than cereal. It would make an awesome late night snack. I always used to have a snack when I was a kid, but I haven’t had one in years. Once the retainers go in after dinner, I am done. Also greatly assisted in helping me lose 40 pounds and keep it off for 12+ years. I loved granola for breakfast, but after doing the Whole30 and finding grains super irritating, I need to make a paleo version.
Relating to this so much! Only granola calls to my senses just as cereal does, if not worse (hey, it’s healthy! Duh) so I stopped making granola altogether too. But I love it so much! And what makes it worse is that, to me, there’s no store-bought granola that can stand up to homemade. Love the mix of flavors in this one. Pinned (for when I’ll want to try and make some again!)
I, too, have a weakness when it comes to granola. This one with tahini and pistachio sounds so up my alley. I love that it is sweetened with dates as well.
Perfect for breakfast!
I made the recipe and found I had to lower the oven temperature and bake it longer — it was getting too brown and wasn’t drying out. (I got it relatively thin, it pretty much covered the half sheet pan.) After 15 minutes at 350 I lowered the oven to 300 and had to bake it about 35 minutes longer. It’s still not completely dry, but it is tasty. I’ll keep it in the freezer so it doesn’t spoil.
Hi Tom. Thanks so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it. Sometimes there are inconsistencies between ovens, which could account for this sort of thing. I JUST got a new oven, and I always like to retest recipes when someone has this experience, so I’ll add it to my list and adjust the recipe if needed. It’s possible my older oven was having an off week when this was in test rotation (something I lived in fear of when my oven was older.) I’m glad you noticed before it got too brown, and I’m happy you like how it tastes! You could always take the oven very low to finish drying it out without worrying about browning it further. Like 200-225.
Great idea — I’ll put it in a 200-degree oven for a bit to dry it out. Normally I think my oven runs a little slow so I was surprised it browned so quickly.
Same exact thing just happened to me on the retest. Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention! I’m going to try again next week with a lower temperature and update when I have a new version.