This healthy granola recipe transforms rolled oats and puffed rice cereal into butterscotch, peanut butter, and chocolate coated crunchy goodness. Every serving has 5 grams of protein and just 13 grams of carbs. That’s roughly half the amount of carbs in traditional protein granola recipes!
Ingredients for Healthy Granola
This copycat Butterfinger granola is very similar to my chocolate peanut butter granola recipe. So if you’ve tried that one, you should have most of the ingredients on hand already. Most of the ingredients are straightforward enough, but I’ll briefly run through a few commonly asked about ingredients.
Puffed Rice Cereal
I typically buy this ingredient in bulk from Amazon, but you might be able to find them in your grocery store around the gluten free cereals.
I have the brand I use on my Amazon foods list, if you’re interested.
Honey and Liquid Egg Whites
If you’ve tried my cinnamon protein granola, you might be wondering whether or not honey can be swapped for a sugar free syrup like Walden Farms. I’ve tested this in my healthy granola recipes that call for honey and while it does work, the finished product tends to be a bit dry.
I will say that the added chocolate post-baking in this Butterfinger granola could alleviate these issues.
As for the egg whites, these are in the recipe to help the granola crisp without adding more calories from honey or peanut butter. You may be able to get away with more egg whites and less honey to reduce the carbs, but I haven’t tested it.
You can get more ingredient swap ideas in my chocolate peanut butter and pumpkin spice granola recipes.
Protein Powder
This healthy granola recipe calls for PEScience Select, a blend of whey and casein protein. The addition of casein makes the protein powder a bit thicker than a whey-only powder.
Pro tip: You can order samples of PEScience if you’re new to recipes with protein powder. If you like it, you can use my affiliate discount code mason to save 15% off on PEScience products. And if you’re looking for other recipes to try with a sample pack, try my Butterfinger protein oats, no bake oatmeal peanut butter bites, or homemade McGriddles.
If you’re using a different protein, you may need to use a full two scoops or slightly more. I’ve added a video of the recipe below so you can get an idea of what the granola should look like before baking.
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Final Healthy Granola Recipe Notes
As with any protein powder recipe, you’re encouraged to stick to the recipe as closely as possible. If you make modifications, keep an even closer eye on the granola to avoid burning or over baking.
To troubleshoot a soft granola, break it into smaller pieces and continue baking longer. If the granola burns before it’s crispy, you can try covering in foil to continue drying it out without charring. You can also try again with a lower temperature so it has time to dry out before burning.
If you have ingredient or troubleshooting questions, you can drop a comment below or join my free Facebook group. There are nearly 10,000 people there to help you out!
Butterfinger Granola
Ingredients
- 1 C 80g Rolled Oats
- 2 C 34g Puffed Rice Cereal
- 1 1/2 scoop, 47g PEScience Protein Powder, vanilla
- 2 Tbsp 16g Sugar Free Butterscotch Pudding Mix
- 1/3 C 87g Creamy Peanut Butter
- 2 Tbsp 42g Honey
- 1/3 C 81g Liquid Egg Whites
- 1/4 C 56g Mini Chocolate Chips, I used Lakanto Sugar Free
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick spray.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl before adding in the peanut butter and honey. Fold together until no lumps of peanut butter remain before adding the egg whites. Continue folding together until evenly mixed.
- Transfer the mixture to the baking sheet. Use a spatula to spread it evenly across the entire baking sheet. Be sure to break up any large clumps and aim to have as many holes or spaces as possible in the mixture.
- Bake for 15 minutes before removing from the oven to break up and flip on the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6-10 minutes, shaking every 2-3 minutes until the granola is crispy. (The honey can burn so keep your eyes and nose peeled. It will continue to dry out/crisp once it’s out of the oven so don’t be afraid to pull it a little early.)
- Once the granola has slightly cooled and is as crispy as you like, add the chocolate chips and stir. They'll melt a bit and stick to the granola. Fully cool before storing in an airtight container (mason jars work great).
Absolutely delicious! I made a double batch because I needed a sweet, chocolately snack. It only lasted 2 days! 10/10 will make again!
Five stars! This has been a go to for me for at least a year. I use it with fresh berries in my yogurt every day. It’s my favorite mid morning treat! I double the recipe and it stores just fine for weeks in the pantry.
I am kind of a granola snob and had yet to find a recipe that was macro friendly I liked.. until this one! It is seriously so delicious and easy to make, and I love the puffed rice addition. It taste like a little butterfinger dessert! I maaay hide a jar in the back of the pantry from my husband every time I make it ;D he will literally eat the whole batch in 2 days if I don’t!
This granola came out so crunchy and delicious! I just have to be careful because the whole pan can very easily disappear. The crunch is just so SATISFYING. Perfect alternative to the processed options in the grocery store.
Puffed rice in granola is a game changer. Good texture and definitely cuts down on the carbs. Heavenly with some Greek yogurt.
I love everything butter finger. Anything that is butterfinger I must have. I no longer buy granola. SO easy and flavorful!