REI | Backpacking Breakfast: Chocolate Granola Recipe

Coconut Chocolate Granola
Start your day with something sweet with this backpacking-friendly Coconut Chocolate Granola.

This vegetarian breakfast is loaded with nearly 500 calories per serving while remaining super lightweight. Half the calories come from easily-accessible carbohydrates while the other half come from slower burning fats & protein, providing blend of rapid energy for now and long burning fuel for later.

As far as DIY granolas go, this one is relatively simple to make at home. It uses pretty standard ingredients like rolled oats, coconut flakes, chopped nuts, cacao powder, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Once combined, place the spread on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 300F. Like with all DIY granola, there’s a very thin line between perfectly baked and overbaked, so be sure to set a timer!

Before you take this (or any meal really) into the backcountry, we definitely recommend making a small batch and testing it at home. You want to be confident you’re onboard with your meals before committing to them. Once you get the recipe dialed into your liking, then you can make a large batch to save for later.

If you enjoy your granola with a bit of milk, than a powdered milk is the way to go. When you portion out your granola into resealable containers or baggies, just add 1 tablespoon of powdered milk. Once out on the trail, just add water, shake, and voila: Granola with Milk!

Faster than instant oatmeal and loaded with more calories too, if you’re looking for a new backpacking breakfast to get your morning started, than this Coconut Chocolate Granola is for you!

Coconut Chocolate Granola
Makes 4 servings

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup coconut flakes
½ cup chopped nuts
¼ cup cacao powder
¼ cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons powdered whole milk
1 oz freeze dried raspberries (or other freeze dried fruit)

Preheat oven to 300F
In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut flakes, nuts, cacao powder, maple syrup, and salt until everything is evenly coated.
Spread the mixture in an even layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove & let cool.
Divide the granola between 4 zip top bags. Add 1 tablespoon powdered milk and ¼ oz freeze dried raspberries to each bag.
In camp, add ½ cup water (hot or cold) to the bag and mix. Enjoy!