This low carb banana-flavored cereal is the breakfast recipe you’ve been waiting for! Totally grain-free, it’s made with almond meal, hemp seeds and flaked coconut. Dig in!
If I suggested that you make your mother some cereal for Mother’s Day, would you think I am crazy? I mean, this is Mother’s Day, right? Surely I could come up with something more special than a bowl of cereal! Maybe you would think I don’t care for mothers or motherhood very much. Or maybe I had a bad experience in my childhood on Mother’s Day and I’ve been scarred for life, so I try to minimize the celebrations. Maybe I am really, really stingy or really, really cheap and all I want to spend on anyone is the price of a box of cereal. Just call me the Mother’s Day Grinch.
Or maybe, just maybe, there is a method to my madness. Picture this, if you will. A mother, a kind, generous soul who has given her all to her sweet children, who works tirelessly for their welfare, has recently gone on a low carb, gluten-free diet. It’s the best decision she ever made for her own health. She’s lost weight, she’s gained energy, her myriad health issues have decreased, she looks and feels like a million bucks. But she also feels a little deprived. Heretofore, she was used to pouring herself a quick bowl of cereal in the morning while the kids were getting ready for school. She loved the ease of it, the crunch of it, the way the milk took on the flavours and sweetness. This mother really misses her cereal.
Now a bowl of cereal for Mother’s Day breakfast is starting to look pretty good, isn’t it? Just the thing to make the new healthy mom feel truly special. And the kids can even bring it to her in bed!
I had a lot of fun creating this cereal and I certainly think it’s special enough for Mother’s Day. I wanted something granola-esque, with lots of healthy ingredients to boost your morning nutrition. I had a bag of hemp seeds from Bob’s Red Mill that I wanted to try out, as I’ve heard wonderful things about the flavours and nutrition of these little powerhouse seeds. They are low in carbs (yay!), high in fiber (yay!), and have a moderate amount of protein. Plus, you know, plenty of those other nutrient thingies like Omega 3s and magnesium. So along with some Bob’s almond meal and flaked coconut, and some chopped nuts, they made a great healthy base for a tasty banana nut cereal.
Oh, and did I mention it’s really easy to make? Score some points with mom AND have a little time for yourself. Win win, I would say.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
- 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill almond meal
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill hemp seeds
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill unsweetened flaked coconut
- 1/3 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tsp banana extract
- 1 large egg
- Preheat oven to 300F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond meal, hemp seeds, nuts, coconut, sweetener and salt.
- Stir in butter, extract and egg until mixture begins to clump together. Spread mixture out onto prepared baking sheet and press down to help it clump together.
- Bake about 25 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times, until beginning to brown. Turn off oven and let cereal sit inside for 5 to 10 minutes more.
Serves 10. Each serving has 12.95 g of carbs and 8.17 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 4.78
Food energy: 446kcal
Total fat: 38.38g
Calories from fat: 345
Cholesterol: 9mg
Carbohydrate: 12.95g
Total dietary fiber: 8.17g
Protein: 13.19g
Sodium: 108mg
Beverly C. says
Are almond meal and almond flour the same thing? If not, can you use almond flour in this recipe?
Carolyn says
I used the coarser meal for a more chunky approach but I think almond flour will work fine.
Ellie Kaufman says
Is it possible to use chopped almonds instead of walnuts or pecans?
Carolyn says
Of course!
Ellie Kaufman says
Awesome! My mom loves the vanilla almond cerial at Trader Joes, but she hasn’t been able to have that. I was going to try to make her some with this recipe; hopefully it will work out. Thank you! I’m excited to try this. 🙂
Carolyn says
Great idea!
Malainie says
This looks great! Thanks, Carolyn. I was just craving some kind of banana cereal!
Kathy says
does the banana extract (and other extracts) have any carbs?
Carolyn says
No, most of them don’t. Even if they use sugar to distill it (a few vanillas do), it’s so minimal and you use it in such small quantities, it might add .000001 carbs! 🙂 The brand I used here has 0 g carbs per tsp.
Lauren Kelly Nutrition says
This is absolutely perfect! I love hemp seeds so much and I can’t wait to make this!
Christine says
This sounds delicious. Love love love your photos.
Lana | Never Enough Thyme says
I would love to have a bowl of this on Mother’s Day! In bed. With a rose on the tray, please 🙂
Sherry says
Carolyn,
I couldn’t wait for Mother’s Day…I’ve got a batch in the oven right now and it’s smelling delicious! I love your recipes. Thank you.
Martha @ A Family Feast says
This looks delicious! We make homemade multi grain cereals all the time (much cheaper and less sugar) – but I ‘ve never used hemp seed. Must try!
Ragini says
Hi Carolyn, I made this cereal just now.
It does taste good, but after reading the nutrition facts I realize that it is very high in calorie even if I have half a cup of it a day.
Right? Hope to hear from you back
Ragini
Carolyn says
Of course it’s high calorie. I don’t really make much that isn’t. But it fills you up and keeps you going for quite a while so you won’t be snacking on any junk later. That’s kind of the point of a low carb diet.
heather | girlichef says
This is definitely special enough for Mother’s Day. I love crunching through little bowls of cereal like this any day, though!
susan says
Any suggestions on a substitute for coconut?
Carolyn says
Sliced almonds (not slivered but the thinly sliced ones) would be a good replacement.
Michele says
Hi Carolyn,
I just made a double batch of this and it is wonderful! It is a great way to get hemp seeds in your diet. I used Honeyville almond flour. I was also thinking of using maple extract with pecans next time for some variation. This recipe is a keeper!
Barbara says
Michele, I make my own granola and Carolyn has a maple pecan version with maple extract. Totally yummy !! Love the flavors.
Michele says
Thanks for the tip Barbara. I looked it up and will be giving the maple flavor a try!
Cookin Canuck says
I would be thrilled if my family presented me with a bowl of this cereal on Mother’s Day! This is one I am making very, very soon.
Donna says
Carolyn,
Can you recommend a substitute for the egg?
Thank you,
Donna
Carolyn says
You could try a flax or chia egg but I make no promises it will work.
Barbara says
Carolyn, I just finished making this and the smell is divine and the flavor sublime !! I had a teaspoonful after it came out of the oven. I’m sure my husband will love it as well, and if not, well, more for me !! I subbed hazelnut meal, toasted some whole hazelnuts, also added some pecans and chopped them all up. I’m thinking a coffee extract next !
Carolyn says
All sounds great!
Donna says
Thanks Carolyn. I’ll give it a shot.
Samantha says
I love the addition of hemp in this recipe! Perfect with a cup of coffee!
Kim Beaulieu says
Now this is a cereal I can wrap my head around. So much good stuff in one place! I bet the smell is out of this world.
Nutmeg Nanny says
My mom is a total cereal lover too! It doesn’t matter that she isn’t low carb or GF because this cereal looks amazing for all eaters!
Colleen (Souffle Bombay) says
This would set me off on the right foot for the day!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
This looks completely delicious, such a great way to start the day!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
I adore your reasoning for why this delicious looking cereal is a good Mother’s Day breakfast!
Kristyl says
I used almond flavoring instead of the banana (I’m going to get some and try it.). It is delicious!
Toni | BoulderLocavore says
I love hemp seeds. They remind me of sunflower hulls in their flavor and they pack such a nutritious punch in recipes. I love this cereal Carolyn. I may be sending a link to it anonymously to my family for Mother’s Day. A little nudge!
Betsy says
I made this yesterday and it is divine! The only thing I would do differently next time is use maple instead of banana extract. Something about the banana doesn’t sit well with me. And the one I have is pure banana extract from Olive Nation. But it’s wonderful as a snack dry, or as cereal with almond milk. It’s wonderful to be able to have cereal again! Oh, BTW, I subbed hazelnut meal because I was low on almond flour. YUM!
Linda says
I agree with you on the banana flavoring. I, too, had thought maple & cinnamon would be a great alternative. I tried topping the dry banana cereal with two sliced strawberries. I added English Toffee Stevia to canned coconut milk & applied liberally! Wow!!
Liz says
This looks perfect! I’m certain I’m going to be making a lot more of your recipes in the future—my blood glucose has been whacky and though I’m not considered pre-diabetic, I am symptomatic 🙁 This looks like a fabulous breakfast!
Shaina says
This is cereal perfection.
Susan says
Have had this as a snack twice now, so very pleased to have this in my pantry. Thanks once again Carolyn, for your creative foodie talents
Monique @ Ambitious Kitchen says
This looks awesome! I’ve been loving hemp seeds lately, just spooning tablespoons into my mouth after workouts. 🙂
Dani @ DaniCaliforniaCooks says
I love the way this looks! I’ll have to hunt down banana extract, however.
Kiki says
I really loved this. I read through all the reviews and decided to forgo the banana extract and used maple extract instead which I’m glad I did. I’ve never had hemp seed before but I really like it! Although the granola was not as crunchy as I’d like, it goes great with some almond milk.
Michelle H says
I’ve been making your recipe for the last few months and I love it. I use 1 teas. vanilla and 1 teas. almond extract instead of banana. It is sooooo good with almond milk. I also just need a couple tbl of sweetener. This is also great in some yogurt. Thanks so much.
Carolyn says
Thanks! Glad you like it.
Estelle says
Thanks for the recipe, first time ever that I used hemp seeds, crunchiness is awesome. I made it with coconut oil though, do you think it would have to be stored in the fridge?
Mary says
I love this. Have made it several times for myself and my 93 yr. old father. My daughter would like to try making this also. The problem…military frowns upon the use of hemp seeds. Can I substitute with raw sunflower seeds?
Carolyn says
Sure, sub away. But why does the military frown on the use of hemp???
Mary says
Had to look this up. Found this at http://www.af.mil/
The prohibition is explained in Air Force Instruction 44-120, paragraph 1.1.5, as well as AFI 44-121, paragraph 3.2.2, which states, “Studies have shown that products made with hemp seed and hemp seed oil may contain varying levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an active ingredient of marijuana which is detectable under the Air Force Drug Testing Program. In order to ensure military readiness, the ingestion of products containing or products derived from hemp seed or hemp seed oil is prohibited.”
Elaine Markley says
Kind of like too many poppy seeds showing up on a drug test as a narcotic.
Carolyn says
Interesting!!!
Mary says
Ca
Mary says
Carolyn, I want you to know that you have been a life saver for me. I have 6 auto-immune diseases and since starting a LCHF diet, I have felt better than I have for the last 20 some years. I look forward to making your recipes. Thank you for finding alternatives to a lot of my favorite foods
Carolyn says
So very glad I can help, Mary! It must be tough living with all of that.
Ginny says
This was wonderful and so filling! I only had chopped pecans (like smaller than 1/4″) and it ended up quite crumbly – do you think this was the problem? There were a few chunks, but mostly crumbs. Also, I’m wondering if I could reduce the carbs more by subbing in a zero-carb whey protein for maybe 1/2 of the almond flour? Thanks for all of your hard work – you are making my life so much easier!
Terri says
This turned out really good. It is still cooling in the pan but I just had to eat a warm serving with almond milk. I only had 2/3 the amount of hemp seed so I added sunflower seeds to make up the difference. I doubt it changed the flavor any. I also substituted vanilla for the banana flavor. I also adore the Peanut Butter Flax granola. I love all your granolas.
KarenJo says
I have missed you cold old cereal in the summer time! I think this recipe is my all time favorite now!!(as I drip cashew milk off the spoon onto my keyboard) 5 Stars Carolyn and so easy to make 🙂
Carolyn says
Glad you like it!
Tonya says
I love this recipe and enjoy it as a cereal but was wondering what I could add to this recipe to make into more of a bar for easy on the go meal . was also wondering if adding some collagen protein peptides would work for adding a little more protein?
Carolyn says
Sure, add the collagen. And then add an egg white (or possibly two) and press firmly into a pan and bake. Then cut into bars. Not sure how long to bake, though…
Lena says
I just made this tonight. I did not have banana extract, so I used pumpkin pie extract. It was so delicious. I will use as cereal with unsweetened almond milk.
Corinne says
I make this frequently and I got my parents hooked on it! I use a mix of nuts (whatever I have on hand) which gives a nice texture. Banana is not a favorite so I vary between vanilla and maple flavors. Delish with unsweetened almond milk!
Lena says
I made this once and will certainly make again. If I don’t have the hemp seed (they are very expensive for a small bag), would this change the flavor without it? It tasted great and had the consistency of granola type cereal. It didn’t last long in my home. I highly recommend it.
Carolyn says
No, it wouldn’t change the flavour.
Laura says
I’m getting ready to try this out! Is one serving half a cup? TIA
Carolyn says
Usually more like 1/3 cup as it’s very filling.
Deanna says
This looks and sounds delicious! Can I leave out the egg?
Carolyn says
The egg helps make it clumpy and more like cereal but it might work if you sub a few tbsp or two of water before you bake it.
arm2008 says
Mixed results – the texture was good, and the initial flavor and smell were good, but as it cooled it lost the banana flavor. All I can figure is the extract evaporated and reduced the tastiness. Next time I’ll try an emulsion instead of extract and see if that helps.
Denny says
This recipe is amazing!!
Inez says
Mmmmm. This is now in my oven. I used vanilla because banana didn’t jazz me so much. I also swapped coconut oil for the butter because coconut definitely makes me happy. Hard to wait for it to bake because it was just a bowl of wonderful. Did I mention, mmmmm!
Robin says
Can I use Hemp Seed Hearts and have it come out ok?
Robin says
I made it with hemp hearts and 1/2 c. Pumpkin seeds and 1/2 c. Chopped Pecans and almond extract. It’s for my husband and I think he’s going to love it!