You’ll love it Granola recipe! Making your own granola is economical, easy to do, and it tastes so much better! Try all the fun variations on the recipe and you’ll never get bored.
Recipe review
Why you’ll love it: This recipe is really easy to customize, and easy to make too!
How long will it take: 10 minutes to prepare, 35 minutes in the oven
Equipment you will need: Mixing bowl, pan, oven
Dishes: Makes 5 cups (10 servings)
Were you looking for a good basic granola recipe? One that you can tweak or jazz to your heart’s content? Look no further! This recipe has become my recipe and I think it will be yours too.
Lightly sweetened with brown sugar and honey, rolled oats are joined by nuts, coconut and other goodies. With nutritious additions like ground flaxseed and wheat germ, this healthy granola will start your day off on the right foot.
Add granola to unsweetened Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and you’ve got a powerful breakfast that will stay with you for hours. For a quick breakfast, instead of eating overpriced and overly processed cereal, just drizzle some milk over granola in a bowl. Rice Krispies or Cheerios can’t hold a candle to your homemade “cereal”!
About this homemade granola
You really won’t believe how easy it is to make homemade granola. You only need a few minutes of prep, and then it’s mostly hands-off time in the oven. The granola is crunchy yet slightly chewy, delicious and full of warm cinnamon, just the way it should be.
Granola is so easy to customize too. Since making this granola, I’ve made other versions including Almond Mocha Granola, Almond Vanilla Bean Granola, Apple Crunchy Granola, Cinnamon Flax Granola, and Biscoff Granola. And of course, this easy granola recipe with pecans and cranberries!
The best thing though? You really don’t need another recipe to make your own special granola. Read on for lots of ideas on how to tweak this classic granola. Throw away the things you love. Leave the things you don’t. Rolled oats are essential but the rest is pretty much up to you!
While I say you can tweak this recipe as much as you want, there is one caveat. Try to keep the ratio of wet to dry ingredients the same for best results.
I’ll go over the basics here and give you lots of additional tips. As always, the printable recipe card is at the bottom of the post with full instructions and nutritional information.
what do you need
- Rolled oats: The base of granola, rolled oats are a must. They are sometimes called “old fashioned” oats. Please do not substitute other types of oats, such as steel cut oats, quick oats or instant oats. They just don’t work for granola. Rolled oats are pretty much the only ingredient you Hypocrisy A change to this recipe.
- Almonds and pecans: Half a cup of each gives plenty of toasted nutty flavor. However, if you are like my family who are now nut free due to severe allergies, there are many things you can substitute for nuts.
- coconut: The recipe calls for shredded unsweetened coconut. Coconut flakes are also great. Can’t find unsweetened? Sweetened coconut will work but it adds a bit more sugar.
- Wheat germ and ground flax seeds: So much added nutrition in these two ingredients! Go ahead, add some more if you want (or leave it out if you want).
- Dark brown sugar and honey: The goal is to add just a little flavor but not a lot of sugar. Most store-bought granola bars are loaded with sugar! This is another advantage of creating your own. If you want, use even less than the recipe calls for.
- canola oil: Because canola oil is a mild-flavored and widely available oil, it’s perfect for granola. Not canola lovers? Use any mild flavored oil, such as coconut, mild olive oil, grape seed or vegetable oil.
- Cinnamon, pure vanilla extract and a pinch of salt: More flavor for granola.
how to do it
It’s so easy, I promise! Here are the basic steps:
Combine oats, nuts, coconut, wheat germ, flaxseed and brown sugar in a large bowl.
Heat oil, honey, cinnamon and vanilla in the microwave and stir to combine.
Add the oil mixture to the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix well to coat.
Spread the granola in an even layer on a pan lined with baking paper (do not crowd the pan!).
Bake until golden. Stir it several times during baking so that it browns evenly.
Cool and store. That’s about all there is to it!
Chunky or not?
If you like your granola in large clumps or clusters, use your spatula to press all of the granola down onto the pan and let it cool completely without touching it. If you like smaller pieces, stir them a few times while it cools.
Common questions
Some people think granola is bad for you. Granola is not inherently bad for you. Oats are very nutritious, in fact one of the most nutritious grains you can choose (Healthline). Other additions such as wheat germ, ground flaxseed, nuts and seeds add a ton of nutritional benefit.
However, many commercial brands (and some homemade recipes) add a lot of sugar and oil to granola, making it an unhealthy choice. That’s the beauty of homemade: you can control what’s in your granola.
If you prefer to eat oats in a different way, try: Steel Pot Instant Oats, Baked Oats, Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats, or Pan Burnt Oats.
It could be cheaper. Generally, oats are pretty cheap and most of the other ingredients are as well. Adding lots of nuts or dried fruit can increase the price of making your own, but they are optional.
There could be several reasons. Maybe you didn’t add enough oats. If your granola always seems soft, not crunchy, try adding more oats to your recipe next time.
Another reason could be that you used a baking pan that is too small. Granola needs a lot of space to dry and break down. Use two pans if necessary and rotate them once or twice.
Maybe your baking time is too short. If the granola isn’t crispy and brown when you take it out of the oven, it’s probably not done baking yet. Bake it until it is dry to the touch and nicely browned.
Or maybe you’re wondering, How do you keep homemade granola crunchy? Always make sure the granola is completely cold before storing it in an airtight container. It will stay perfectly crispy. If you store it while it’s still warm, the granola will generate steam in the container, making it soft.
Granola can be much more than an addition to yogurt. Good granola with milk as a breakfast cereal. Amp up a simple bowl of oatmeal with a granola topping. For light fruit crisps, canned fruit filling or pie with granola and heated in the microwave. It’s really great on this apple pie. Granola is also delicious on ice cream. Top a salad with granola, especially a salad with fruit. Add it to your peanut butter sandwich for a really crunchy sandwich.
Make it yours
Here are some fun variations to try! Please don’t be limited by this list – I’m sure you have many ideas of your own.
- Try walnuts instead of almonds and pecans. Sliced or sliced almonds are also great.
- Looking for nut-free granola? Substitute sunflower seeds for nuts. Sunny is so good at granola and make this recipe without nuts. Chia seeds, pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sesame seeds are good choices.
- multiply the coconut. Coconut flakes are a good alternative to shredded coconut.
- If you don’t have wheat germ, use more ground flax. Omitting the wheat germ makes this recipe Gluten free.
- If you don’t have ground flax, use more wheat germ…
- Looking for more fiber? Substitute oats or wheat bran.
- If you don’t have honey or want to Make it vegan, try using maple syrup! Or just increase the brown sugar.
- Don’t have canola oil? Use a different type of oil such as coconut oil (melted), light olive oil or vegetable oil.
- Add some fun spices! I like nutmeg, cloves, cardamom. Pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice is also great. Or don’t add spices at all.
- Add dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, dried cherries, apricots, etc.) after the granola cools for added chewy texture.
- Chocolate chips are always a good idea. Add them after the Bake and cool the granola or they will melt!
- Looking for salty granola? (It’s nut-free!) Add it to salads or soups instead of croutons.
Tips for storage/Make-Ahead
Granola is perfect Prepare breakfast in advance. It keeps well in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to a month. You can freeze it for up to six months!
Make a big batch of granola, maybe even a double batch, and have it for breakfast for a week or more. Or lots of good snacks…
Leftovers of love
Although technically not leftovers, I just wanted to say that granola is perfect in a yogurt parfait. I’m sure it’s even great on ice cream. Not that I know. OK, I know. (PS with chocolate chips. Just saying!)
did you do that? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog Facebook, Instagramor Pinterest!
Dishes
Prevent your screen from going dark
You will love this granola recipe! Making your own granola is economical, easy to do, and it tastes so much better! Try all the fun variations on the recipe and you’ll never get bored.
Instructions
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Heat an oven to 300 degrees Celsius. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet (11 x 17 inches) with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper or silft.
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In a large bowl, mix together oats, almonds, pecans, coconut, chia seeds, flax seeds, cinnamon and salt.
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In a separate small microwavable bowl or large glass measuring cup, mix together honey or brown sugar, canola oil, and vanilla. Heat in the microwave for 45 seconds at 50% power. mix well.
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Pour wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until everything is well coated.
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Spread granola in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stir, then bake for 15 minutes and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until golden and dry (no longer sticky).
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Allow to cool completely, stirring occasionally to break up chunks if desired. Store in an airtight container.
Remarks
- Prepare about 5 cups of granola.
- This recipe is so flexible, see suggestions listed in the post. Making changes will change the yield as well as the nutritional information.
- The granola can be frozen in an airtight container for up to six months.
Nutritional information
dose: 0.5Goblet, Calories: 308KKL, Carbohydrates: 35G, protein: 6G, Fat: 17G, Saturated fat: 4G, Polyunsaturated fat: 5G, Unsaturated fat: 8G, trans fat: 1G, sodium: 63mg, potassium: 217mg, fiber: 6G, Sugar: 15G, vitamin: 5IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, calcium: 58mg, iron: 2mg
This site provides approximate nutritional information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutritional data is primarily collected from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or other online calculators.
