Grain-Free Granola

I love breakfast.

I love granola.

But grain-free granola? What's that?

Traditional, Cranberry, Apple Pie, and Cinnamon Crunch PaleoKrunch Grainless Granola; Traditional and Pumpkin Krunch PaleoKrunch Bars

Steve's Original is pretty much THE paleo snack company (it's 'original' for a reason) and they specialize in paleo kits, dried fruits, grain-free granola (PaleoKrunch) and grain-free granola bars (PaleoKrunch bars). 

Steve's Original really takes an active interest in promoting physical health and 15% of all proceeds from Steve's Original product sales go to the Steve's Club National Program to help bring personal development, nutrition, and Cross Fit (okay, so I still have no idea what that is) to youth across the USA.

Before I get into my review of their products, I should point something out for all of my gluten-free readers: since all of their granolas and granola bars are grain-free, they're also gluten-free!

It's a dense cereal (of course, it's granola!) and it's packed with healthful ingredients and no refined sugar. Depending on how you define veganism (the strictest definition excludes honey, as well, but I know a lot of otherwise-vegans who still eat honey) this granola can fit into a vegan diet as well.

It comes with a cool safety lock, so your granola is really fresh (and you know it's all in there).



And though the individual spicing of the granolas varies, they're all nutritionally very similar.



They're all full of healthy fats and light on the carbs. Carbs are important, especially in my diet, but everyone's diet is different and some people prefer to keep their carbs down (or maybe down at certain times or at certain meals). Steve's Original grainless granola makes it possible to enjoy your granola without the carbs!

But not without the yum factor.

Apple Pie PaleoKrunch

Surprisingly, the granola held together really well in nice big clumps, just the way I like it, making the granola suitable for both straight-from-the-tub snackage and enjoying over a bowl of yogurt or with some milk (I prefer almond, though I imagine it could taste good with coconut milk, as well).

I was a bit wary of the small serving sizes (I'm not sure exactly what one looks like, since I don't have a kitchen scale, but there are supposedly five servings in a tub) but the granola is perfectly rich and sweet, so you don't need a huge amount of it to be satisfied. It's also ideal as a topping for oatmeal, if you don not follow a paleo/grain-free diet, or a mix-in with Cheerios/some other plain cereal to jazz things up.



I really liked how the almond and the coconut shared the spotlight as the 'base' of this granola, but didn't overwhelm the other flavors. The cranberry shined through in the cranberry granola, the rustic apple shined through in the apple pie flavor, and the pumpkin and sunflower seeds added a delicious crunch in the original cereal.

The texture of this cereal isn't exactly like regular granola - it's a bit stickier and softer/chewier, but it's still delicious.

Yeah, definitely delicious judging by how fast I went through the tubs (great with yogurt, cacao nibs, and fruit, like above). Yummy!

The Cinnamon Swirl is predominantly coconut-, pumpkin seed-, and walnut-based and oh my dear is it good. If you want a real try, have the Cinnamon Swirl granola on vanilla ice cream with some warmed apple pie filling (I used TJ's).

The stickier, softer/chewier texture of the granola lends itself very well to the granola bars.

I only tried two flavors of the PaleoKrunch bars, but they make quite a few. 

Yes, including a bacon Krunch bar, for those of you who eat meat. A bacon granola bar? Have you ever heard of such a thing?

Anyway, the two (vegetarian) granola bars that I tried were both delicious. They held together well and were quite generously sized, especially for nut-heavy granola bars of only around 200 calories. I don't count calories or care much about them at all, but I know that some (many?) of you do and for those of you who do, these bars are about the size of my palm, if not a bit bigger. I'd say that's pretty good!

Of the two flavors I tried, the Pumpkin Krunch bar was my favorite. The pumpkin flavor was absolutely delightful and, even though I'm not normally the hugest pumpkin fan, this bar just tasted like fall. It's perfect for the season!

I wonder if they're going to make a holiday-themed one when the holidays approach? Like what - maple pecan? Or peppermint krunch? Eggnog krunch? 

Only time will tell.

Have you tried grain-free granola?

What flavor of holiday granola bar would you be excited about?

Have you ever heard of a bacon granola bar?

Don't forget to enter to win 3 taster bars of organic, fair-trade Madecasse Chocolate and to win the Tookies Smores Cookie-in-a-Jar Gift giveaway! !