Granola is the perfect yogurt topper. Photo Raul Taborda | IST.
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STEPHANIE ZONIS is a contributing editor.
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January 2012 |
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Page 6g: Granola Cereal Brands
The Best Granola Cereal Brands: P To R
This is Page 6g of a seven-page-plus article on granola cereal, and reviews of 44 granola cereal brands and nine muesli brands. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
Article Index
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Granola Reviews
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Pure Bliss Organics (Certified Organic)
Certified organic. Dried cranberries and cashews pair well in the Captain Cranberry Granola (per 1/2 cup: 220 calories, 70 fat calories, 12 g sugars, 10 mg sodium). This is light-textured and somewhat sweet, with a crunchy oat base. Good. The Banana Gorilla Granola (per 1/2 cup: 180 calories, 40 fat calories, 13 g sugars, 35 mg sodium) wasn’t my favorite, although you can taste the banana in here (it’s incorporated into the oat base, evidently, as there aren’t any banana chips or dried banana in the blend). Chewier than the other varieties here was the Old School Granola (per 1/2 cup: 180 calories, 35 fat calories, 6 g sugars, 15 mg sodium). This granola was also quite dry and seemed to have been baked/toasted longer than the others. The Açaí Blues Granola (per 1/2 cup: 190 calories, 40 fat calories, 11 g sugars, 15 mg sodium) is supposed to be vanilla flavored, but to my mind the strong açaí flavor overwhelms the other tastes here. I’d prefer to see more blueberries, as well. My preference was the Naughty But Nice Granola (per 1/2 cup: 210 calories, 60 fat calories, 11 g sugars, 45 mg sodium). This contained larger granola chunks and no fruit. There was a modest chocolate presence but a definite taste of peanut butter. Good. Finally, the Gingerbread Flax Granola (per 1/2 cup: 190 calories, 70 fat calories, 7 g sugars, 80 mg sodium) did have some spice flavor, but it also tasted rather flat. Website.
Purely Elizabeth Ancient Grain Granola Cereal (Gluten-Free)
Certified gluten-free. These cereals use quinoa, amaranth, and chia seeds. The coconut palm sugar, coconut oil, quinoa flakes and chia seeds are organic. The Original (serving size listed as 1/3 cup. Per 1/2 cup: 195 calories, 75 fat calories, 9 g sugars, 172.5 mg sodium) is crisp, crunchy and cinnamon-y, though the cinnamon is a bit too heavy for me. No fruit. Surprisingly, I don’t taste the sodium here. Website.
Quaker Natural Granola (Runner Up, Certified Kosher)
Certified kosher by The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations. Small clusters of a crisp, rather sweet oat mixture form the base of the Oats & Honey (per 1/2 cup: 200 calories, 50 fat calories, 10 g sugars, 25 mg sodium). This blend has sliced almonds, but no fruit. The Oats & Honey & Raisins (per 1/2 cup: 210 calories, 45 fat calories, 13 g sugars, 30 mg sodium) has larger and smaller clusters of the oat base, with raisins and almonds scattered throughout. Good. Website.
Red Truck Bakery (Runner Up)
No nutrition information provided. The Blueberry Granola and Cranberry Granola were the first products I tried for this article, and both were a revelation to me. Large clusters of an oat-based mix that weren’t the typical desert-dry, interspersed with plenty of good-quality, moist dried fruit and big chunks of nuts. Open the bag, and the first aroma that hits you is from the local honey used. Both products would have zoomed to the top of my “favorites” list instantly were it not for the fact that, in addition to their other flavors, they taste of salt. Website.
Rustic Bakery (Runner Up)
The serving size for the Vanilla Pecan Granola (the only variety available at this writing) is one ounce. I can’t translate that into a cup measurement; per one ounce: 110 calories, 80 fat calories, 5 g sugars, 0 mg sodium. There’s no fruit in this mix. Whole almonds and pecan halves are here, along with large and small clusters of an oat-based mixture that includes sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and coconut. Good.
Website. EDITOR’S NOTE: The cookies and flatbreads from this bakery are superb, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.
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