If you want to try crickets or any other edible insects, this homemade cricket granola recipe is a great way to introduce insects into the menu. It’s also really delicious.
I’ve been reading a lot about how crickets are the new prawns and how eating insects might actually help save the planet. In addition, they’re supposedly really good for us and contain loads of protein and vitamins, and I thought I’d give crickets a try. So, I scoured my local supermarket’s aisles with no success, then of course went online where I found them on that treasure trove of fascinating things: Amazon.
Image by Henryk Niestrój from Pixabay
My order arrived a week later and contained two bags: one of cricket powder and the other of whole roasted crickets. I quickly opened the whole crickets bag and dared my husband to eat one. He casually took one out, held it in his fingers, examined it closely and without much fanfare, ate it. I looked at him in awe and mustered the courage to follow suit. I must say, it wasn’t easy and I hesitated while staring at the cricket’s spindly little legs. But I finally put it in my mouth and crunched on its lightly toasted body.
In my opinion, roast cricket tastes a bit nutty, it reminded me a bit of toasted pumpkin seeds, but not as pleasant. I didn’t really like the flavour of whole roasted crickets on their own, so I tried sprinkling them on top of salad, still they didn’t quite do it for me. Then a couple of days ago it hit me! I’ll add them to homemade granola! And that is how this recipe was born. I think it was a great success.
In terms of time, this recipe takes 10 minutes of preparing; that’s how easy it is. You just basically mix everything together and bake it in an oven, and you have breakfast for a week. I personally like it with plain yogurt in the morning. This is also a great way to add some extra protein to your breakfasts, and the cricket crunch goes very well with the other crunchy, nutty ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup whole roasted crickets
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup dried sour cherries (or any other dried fruit of your choice)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Method
- Preheat your oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit
- Mix the oats, seeds, nuts, crickets, cinnamon in a large bowl
- Mix the canola oil and maple syrup in a small bowl, add the vanilla extract
- Pour the oil and maple syrup mix into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly with a spoon or spatula.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Spread the granola mix onto the parchment-lined baking sheet into a 1 cm layer
- Bake for 30 minutes, gently stir the mixture halfway through to make sure everything browns evenly
- Remove from oven and let cool. Mix in the dried fruit.
- Store in an airtight container up to a week at room temperature, or several weeks in the fridge.
Hope you enjoy this recipe! Have you ever tried crickets before, or any other type of insect? Did you like them? How did you make them? Let me know in the comments!
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