Raw, live, sprouted, gluten free granola - homemade vs store bought price comparison

Good 'n' Raw Chocolate Granola

A few weeks ago we had a family stay with us. They had a big tote box full of a wide variety of healthy cereals [which I'm sure they got all of them for free or a very reduced price due to being out of date] and among the selection was raw, sprouted buckwheat granola. I tried both kinds and REALLY liked them. YUM, YUM, YUM. Finally a granola that tastes good, is healthy for me, is not loaded down with added sugar and fat, and does not upset my stomach! I was very excited to say the least. Oh yes, and it's raw!

Nature's Path Qi'a Superfood

I knew I could make a copy of them so when I had time I did a quick internet search for 'sprouted buckwheat granola recipe' or something like that and came up with several recipes. I printed out 5 of what looked like the best choices and then came up with my own variation with what I had.

Making it was not hard at all, but it did take time and also I'm sure it was very convenient to have the proper equipment on hand ... mainly, a dehydrator. (I have a 9-tray Excalibur that someone gifted me; I am very thankful for it and it has served me well for several years.) If you do not have a dehydrator, you might be able to rig one up or use your stove if it has a low setting (to maintain the 'raw' status, it cannot be heated above 115; I heated mine at 105).

Here is the recipe I came up with; it yields about 3 pounds of granola and fills a gallon jug. 
2 1/2c hulled buckwheat groats, soaked over night and then sprouted for 8-12 hours till you just start to see the 'tail' come out
1/4c flax soaked in 1/2c water over night (keep the water)
1/4c plus 1/8c sunflower seeds, soaked and sprouted
1/4c plus 1/8c sesame seeds, soaked over night
3/4c almonds soaked over night (this caused them to just start to sprout) - slip skins, slice a little
3/4c pecan pieces, soaked over night
3/4c coconut flakes or shreds
3/4c raisins
and a paste made out of:
1c dates
1c figs
1/2c honey
1/4c coconut oil
1T cinnamon
Water as needed to ease the mixing process 

Combine all in a bowl. Mix well. Spread to about 1/4" over teflex sheets or waxed paper or parchment paper. I put about 2 1/4c per teflex sheet and filled 4 sheets. Dehydrate at 105-115 degrees for 8 hours, flip onto the tray and dehydrate another 24 hours. Store in air tight container, pref in the refrigerator if you will not be eating it within a week or so. It is RAW and perishable.

Now the big question of the day: HOW MUCH DID IT COST? I used the current Azure Standard prices for all the ingredients listed except the coconut oil which I purchase from Costco.

My granola ... VERY GOOD flavor

My 3 pounds of mostly organic, raw, sprouted, gluten free granola cost just under $12 to make; $10.50 if I would have used as many non-organic options as possible. This is about the price of 'normal' non-organic store-bought granola that is usually loaded with added sugar and does not have as high of quality of ingredients. We must consider these things when we look at the price!

How much does THEIR granola cost?
Amazon sells several different 'raw granolas' however many of them have agave listed as one of the main ingredients. I don't care if it's 'raw' or not, I do not want it in my granola! There is much information on the web on why I stay away from agave but I'll leave the digging up to you if you are interested. Just start with a google search of "raw agave bad". Because of this, I did not consider many of these raw granolas comparable to mine. Yes, I used honey, however I believe it would have been just fine without it and will leave it out next time (that knocks off about $1.35 from my cost ... wow). I will only compare mine with the ones I have listed above.

A 7.9oz bag of Nature's Path Qi'a Superfood granola goes for $9.25 on amazon (plus $4.99 s&h but we will not include that here and just assume it was the health food store price). We'll need just over 6 bags to equal 3lbs ... for a total of $44.05.

An 8oz bag of Good 'n' Raw Chocolate goes for $7.95 on their website (I could not find it anywhere else, and once again, we'll leave out shipping and handling). 6 bags of that for 3lbs total ... $47.70.

I'm paying about a fourth of the cost to make mine at home ... and it's how I want it to be. Of course there are ways I can reduce the price of mine and that is my next project: making a more frugal batch of raw sprouted granola. I am not one for sweet things and this granola turned out a little on the 'too sweet side' for my tastes. I am now in the process of making a batch of very basic granola with buckwheat, sunflower seeds, flax and sesame seeds. I'll probably add a little coconut oil and coconut flakes as well. Ok and maybe a bit of raisins.

I hope this experiment has helped someone.