Chocolate Granola Recipe with Espresso is a unique granola recipe that’s breakfast, a snack, a topping, a gift, or whatever you want it to be! It bursts with delicious flavors in every crunchy bite!
A few scenarios to ponder . . .
One — It’s Christmas morning, Santa’s cookie plate is left with a few crumbs, presents are opened, wrapping paper is all over the floor, and you’re hungry for scrumptious breakfast.
Two — It’s a lovely winter evening, you’ve had a delicious dinner, have a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream in hand, sit down by the warm fireplace, and realize the ice cream is lacking something.
Three — You’re on the road heading to to your Aunt’s house for the holidays, and desperately need a (really tasty) snack.
What do you want?
Enter, Chocolate Granola with Espresso
It’s a brilliant breakfast, it can complete your dessert, and it’s a super satisfying snack.
Okay fine, maybe you were thinking a granola bar? If so, you will love that this recipe has an option for making the same mix into granola bars.
What’s in this Chocolate Granola recipe?
- butter
- sugar
- maple syrup
- espresso powder
- vanilla
- cocoa powder
- almond meal
- sliced almonds
- oats
- chocolate covered espresso beans
How much do you want all of that in a bowl!?
Or, you can make this mixture turn into chocolate granola bars.
Chocolate and espresso are a rare occurrence in granola — and one you’ll love!
And by the way, this unique granola recipe makes an awesome holiday gift, too! Just put it in a Mason jar with a red bow, and it’s good to go.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- If you’re on a gluten-free diet, be sure to purchase oats that specifically say they are gluten-free.
- If you don’t want the espresso kick, you can use mini chocolate chips instead of the chocolate covered espresso beans, and omit the espresso powder.
Can you make it ahead?
The Chocolate Granola will be good for a few days, but the fresher, the better — if it seems to have lost its crunch, just spread it out on a baking sheet and roast it for 5 to 10 minutes in a 350°F oven.
Enjoy every last morsel of this Chocolate Granola with Espresso!
More unique granola recipes:

Chocolate Granola with Espresso
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 2 cups oats
- 1 cup chocolate covered espresso beans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prepare a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350°F, adjust a rack to the center, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all of the ingredients except the chocolate covered espresso beans. In a large mixing bowl, blend the butter with the sugar until smooth. Then mix in the syrup, vanilla, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Use a large spatula to fold in the almond meal, almonds and oats.
- Add the granola mixture to the baking sheet. Pour the granola mixture onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and use your hands or a flat-bottomed metal spatula to flatten out the mixture. It should be about ½ inch thick and cover most of the sheet.
- Roast. Roast in the preheated 350°F oven until the edges become golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet, at least 30 minutes. Use your hands to break the granola apart into small pieces, and set aside.Or, to make granola bars, use a Chef's knife to cut the granola into any size you'd like (without the espresso beans).
- Crush and add the chocolate covered espresso beans. Add the chocolate covered espresso beans to a heavy duty zip-lock bag and seal it, making sure all the air is out. Use the bottom of a small sauté pan, or a flat-bottomed meat mallet to crush the beans. Then mix them into the granola.
- Keep the granola (or granola bars) in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. (This will be good for a few days, but the fresher, the better -- if it seems to have lost its crunch, just spread it out on a baking sheet and roast it for 5 to 10 minutes in a 350°F oven.)
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Coco in the Kitchen says
This is gorgeous, delicious, it would never make it out of the kitchen!!!
Luís Lopes, Cooking Lisbon says
We have something similar in Portugal which is very delicious also, but with honey.
David says
While not a fan of anything coffee flavored (will you still speak to me?) I am imagining this with a maybe chocolate covered pomegranate seeds, or blueberries! Yum! Merry Christmas!
valentina says
Of course I’ll speak to you — you love chocolate, after all. 😉