This healthy birthday cake granola is made with all sorts of hearty ingredients like oats, cashew butter, honey + coconut oil with a little bit of fun thrown in! With authentic birthday cake taste, this will quickly become your favorite treat or breakfast!

The tastiest funfetti flavoured granola

Honestly, there aren’t many sweeter granola recipes out there than this birthday cake granola. I absolutely adore granola + do love my maple almond version or my chocolate granola, but THIS granola? Another level. I took the basic structure of a great granola – oats, some fat, a liquid sweetener – and took it to the next level with sprinkles + vanilla + almond extra to add the perfect note of cake batter taste. It’s a super special + really fun way to start your day (especially if paired with some protein), but honestly, I love to eat it as a snack or when I need a sweet treat during the day too! No matter when or how you eat it, you’re going to love this stuff.

Ingredients Needed to make this Birthday Cake Granola

As with any granola recipe, you can totally switch some of these out to make it what you want + add fun additions too if your heart desires. (White chocolate chips would be INSANE in here). We’ll cover substitutions down below, but here are the basic things you’ll need:

gluten free oats
cashew butter
maple syrup
coconut oil
salt
vanilla extract
almond extract
sprinkles

What substitutions can I use in this granola?

Oats: If you can, look for old fashioned oats, jumbo oats or rolled oats. Quick oats don’t give it the best texture! You don’t need to use gluten-free oats unless you really are gluten-free. It doesn’t add anything to the recipe.
Cashew Butter: Any nut butter will work here, but cashew is the only butter that will really give this a true cake batter taste. Peanut and almond will be delicious, but they’re much stronger flavours. Likewise, you can use sunflower seed butter if you need to be nut free!
Coconut Oil: If you aren’t worried about being dairy-free, you can totally use butter in place of the coconut oil. Ghee should work too!
Maple Syrup: feel free to use honey or agave if you’d rather, but be sure it’s a liquid sweetener.
Extracts: vanilla + almond together are what really make this taste like cake batter, so I really wouldn’t skip it! You could also use an actual cake batter extract, but it will be much more artificial.

Are all oats gluten-free?

All oats are actually naturally gluten-free! The issues with gluten contamination arise from how the oats are processed. Many facilities are impacted by cross contamination with products containing gluten, wheat, rye, etc. If you have celiac’s or a very intense allergy, this cross contamination can be enough to set off a reaction, so best to purchase true gluten-free oats from a gluten-free facility!

Is it possible to find healthy sprinkles?

Most sprinkles aren’t much more than some sugar, so they definitely aren’t a “healthy” ingredient, per se, but they are fun for a treat! If you’re wanting to watch what you give to your kiddos or what you’re consuming, you can try to find an option that doesn’t contain artificial dyes.

Whole Foods 365 brand has an option!
Danielle Walker has a recipe for homemade sprinkles in Eat What You Love
Thrive Market also has some great options

Tips + tricks for making clusters in your Birthday Cake Granola

There are two different types of granola people: clusters or not clusters. I’m honestly both. I love clusters for a snack, but I want crumbles on my smoothie or in my yogurt. If you happen to be a clusters person, be sure to use the right sized pan when you bake the granola. You want one thick, even layer. Once the granola is baked, LEAVE IT! You want to let it cool 100% before you break it up into the clusters of your choosing.

If you’re not a clusters person, feel free to stir your granola halfway through baking + then stir it again once it’s come out of the oven. Tossing it around as it cools will ensure it doesn’t really clump up on you.

How to store it

Be sure to let the granola come to room temperature + cool completely before storing. I find using a large mason jar easiest, but you can also use any Tupperware container.

If I plan to keep my granola longer than a week, I love to pop it in the freezer to keep it fresh.

How long will this granola keep?

It should be fine for a month a room temperature in an airtight container, but I love to throw it in the freezer after 1-2 weeks since I like mine really fresh.

Ways to serve or enjoy this Birthday Cake Granola

There really isn’t a right/wrong way to eat this delicious granola, but sometimes inspiration can be helpful! Here are some of the ways I love to chow down:

in a bowl with milk (dairy or non-dairy)
on top of coconut or greek yogurt with berries
on top of ice cream
straight from the jar as a snack!
on top of oatmeal for a bit of crunch
as the special topping on a smoothie or smoothie bowl
over berries as a raw crumble
sprinkled over an apple or banana with peanut butter

No matter how you choose to enjoy this granola, I can promise you that it’s crunchy, sweet, so satisfying + FULL of birthday cake flavour. If you do make this delicious treat, be sure to drop me your thoughts down below in a comment (it helps me SO much) or tag me in your creations on instagram – I LOVE seeing them.

Other recipes you might love:

Print Pin

Birthday Cake Granola

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

3 cups gluten-free oats
1/3 cup cashew butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/3 cup sprinkles

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350f or 175c and line a cookie sheet (with a rim) with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add the cashew butter, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla and almond extract. Whisk together until combined.
Add the oats, sprinkles and salt and stir!
Spread the mixture in one, thick, even layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-30 minutes, checking at 20 to ensure the edges don't burn!
Once the granola is golden brown and cooked, remove from the oven and immediately add the sprinkles over the top!
For clusters, allow to cool completely (this could take hours) before breaking up and storing.
For unclumped granola, toss the sprinkles in immediately and allow to cool before storing!