I’ve been making this vegan granola and eating it instead of cereal for a few months now. Its tasty and filling, and contains none of the additives that cereal contains. It really is a great alternative. Give it a try! (For more plastic-free breakfast ideas, click here.)

Here are the ingredients I used for my granola:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 6 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup flax seeds (I used golden flax seeds this time, but I’ve used brown too)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups raisins
• 1 cup dried coconut chips or dried shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)

You can add any dried fruit, nuts or seeds that you like. Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the oats. Stir to combine.

Toast the walnuts in a skillet. To do this, put a skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts and shake the pan until the walnuts smell fragrant. (Here’s another recipe that uses walnuts.)

Add them to the oats along with the flax seeds and raisins.

Next, toast the coconut and the pumpkin seeds. Be careful not to burn the coconut. I ended up with a couple burned flakes.

Add the coconut and pumpkin seeds to the pot.

Mix in the maple syrup if using. Wait for it to cool, then put it in a storage container. I use a big glass jar.

That’s it! Simple, healthy and garbage free.* You can eat this granola with almond milk, milk from a glass bottle, fresh fruit, kefir, yogurt… the possibilities are endlessly tasty.

*If you buy the oats, nuts, seeds, raisins and coconut flakes in bulk and reuse the maple syrup bottle and the coconut oil jar. I store bulk items in old glass jars and containers, as you can see here.