This orange and black sesame granola incorporates some of my favorite flavors from Lunar New Year foods. There’s black sesame paste, which you’d normally find in the filling of black sesame tang yuan (芝麻湯圓). Oranges symbolize luck and prosperity, so I also incorporated orange zest into the granola.
To make the granola, you’re essentially making 2 mini-batches of each flavor: an orange granola and a black sesame granola. Bake them together on a sheet pan, break into clusters, mix them up, and enjoy! This granola is incredibly crunchy and yields BIG granola clusters (my favorite).
COOKING NOTES FOR ORANGE & BLACK SESAME GRANOLA
BLACK SESAME PASTE
To give the granola with rich black sesame flavor, I used my black sesame paste. The paste is easy to make and creates the perfect spreadable consistency for mixing the granola ingredients. The paste also coats evenly over the granola, so it gives the granola that grey-black color.
You can also use store-bought black sesame pastes, such as the black sesame butter from Rooted Fare (note that their paste contains peanuts). I’m not sure if black sesame tahini would work well because they’re usually much thicker and unsweetened.
ORANGE FLAVOR
The flavor for the orange granola comes from orange zest. I tried a batch where I mixed in orange juice. Although there was a touch more orange flavor, the granola required much more baking time before it turned crispy. That’s why I don’t recommend it.
HOW TO GET BIG GRANOLA CLUSTERS
I wanted this granola recipe to yield big clusters instead of a loose granola. To get clusters (or shards) that don’t break apart easily, the granola needs some kind of binding agent. In my experience, the best binding agent is sourdough discard or egg whites. In the recipe below, I use egg whites as the binding agent.
I thought black sesame paste alone would be sufficient to bind the granola for the black sesame side, so I tested a batch without egg whites. I was wrong! There were a few larger brittle clusters, but most of the granola was loose and fell apart very easily (see photo below).
COOK GRANOLA AT LOW HEAT
To get an extra crunchy granola that browns evenly, bake the granola at low heat: 275ºF (135ºC) for 65 to 70 minutes (I usually bake the granola for about 68 minutes total). Whenever I bake granola at a higher heat, I always get granola that’s more browned (or even burnt) at the edges but still soft at the center. In my opinion, baking granola at lower heat is a more foolproof method.
SHOULD I BAKE THE GRANOLA SEPARATELY?
I thought that baking the granola in separate quarter sheet pans (9×13 inches) would make the granola bake more evenly, so I tested a batch with this method. I didn’t find much difference between baking the granola together in a lager half sheet pan or 2 separate quarter sheet pans.
Orange & Black Sesame Granola
Ingredients
Orange Granola
- 1 cup (115g) rolled oats
- 2/3 cup (about 90 grams) mixed nuts and seeds, any mix you like
- 2 tablespoons millet, (see note 1 for substitutions)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup (45g) coconut sugar, (see note 2 for substitutions)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 large egg white
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce, (see note 3)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Black Sesame Granola
- 1 cup (115g) rolled oats
- 2/3 cup (about 90 grams) mixed nuts and seeds, any mix you like
- 2 tablespoons millet
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar, (see note 4)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 large egg white
- 4 tablespoons (80g) black sesame paste, (see note 5)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275ºF (135ºC). Slide an oven rack to the center position. Line a half sheet baking pan with parchment paper.
Prepare Dry Ingredients
- In 2 medium bowls, mix the oats, nuts and seeds, millet, coconut flakes, and sesame seeds for each mini batch of granola. Set the bowls aside.
Make Orange Granola
- In a small bowl, use a fork to mix the coconut sugar and orange zest. Add the egg white, coconut oil, maple syrup, soy sauce, and vanilla. Whisk until incorporated.
- Pour the orange syrup mixture into one of the bowls with the dry ingredients. Use a flat spatula to combine the wet and dry ingredients.
- Pour and spread the granola over one half of the lined sheet pan. Flatten the granola so that everything is touching each other and there are no big gaps in between.
Make Black Sesame Granola
- In a small bowl, use a fork to mix together the granulated sugar and orange zest. Add the egg white, black sesame paste, coconut oil, maple syrup, soy sauce, and vanilla. Whisk until incorporated.
- Pour the black sesame paste mixture into the remaining bowl of dry ingredients and mix together with the spatula.
- Pour the granola over the empty half of the baking pan. Spread and flatten the granola so everything is touching each other. The entire surface area of the sheet pan should be covered with granola. It’s crucial that you spread out the granola as much as possible so that it bakes evenly.
Bake Granola
- Bake the granola for 68 to 70 minutes, making sure to rotate the pans after 35 minutes of baking. The orange side of the granola should be a deep golden brown color.
- Let the granola cool completely before breaking apart and eating. The cooling process is very important to getting the granola extra crunchy. Once cool, break the sheet of granola into clusters. For a snacking granola, break them up into large shards.
- Store the ginger granola in an airtight container. It will stay crunchy for at least 2 to 3 weeks!
Video
Notes
- Millet: I like adding ancient grains because they add a distinct crunch to the granola. You can also use amaranth or buckwheat groats. If you don’t have any of these grains readily available, feel free to substitute with more oats, nuts, or coconut.
- Sugar Substitutions: you can use dark brown sugar, powdered jaggery, or dark muscovado instead. Measure the sugar by volume.
- Soy Sauce: In my cookie recipe, I use soy sauce to give it savory and umami flavor. Do not use dark soy sauce for this recipe, as the flavor is too strong.
- Using Granulated Sugar: I wanted to use a more neutral-flavored sugar on the black sesame side to prevent too many flavors clashing together. That’s why I used granulated sugar.
- Black Sesame Paste: I recommend using the black sesame paste from my recipe for the most consistent results.
Nutrition
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