Forget store-bought! This Homemade Granola is so delicious you’ll never want to have store-bought granola again. You can totally customize it with all your favorite granola add-ins and anything you have at home in the pantry!
Let’s make granola! Granola was invented in New York in the late-1800s and served at the Jackson Sanitarium, a popular health spa. It wasn’t made and sold on the mass market until the 1970s, though. These days there’s a huge market for granola and it comes in many different forms and flavors! Our favorite way to enjoy it? Make Homemade Granola! This way it’s totally customizable and so yummy. The best part is that it’s extremely easy to make. Let’s get cooking!
How to Eat Granola
One of the reasons so many people love granola is because it’s versatile. You can eat granola for breakfast in a bowl with milk like cereal, sprinkled over yogurt or parfaits, on a smoothie bowl in oatmeal, as an ice cream topping, or eat it by the handful by itself as a snack! You can even make Spiced Savory Granola to top your soup.
Ingredients in Homemade Granola
Here’s why we love homemade granola: it’s flexible and so easy to make at home. You can swap ingredients based on your preferences or to adapt to what you already have in your pantry!
- Oats (use old-fashioned, not quick oats!)
- A liquid sweetener such as maple syrup, agave, or honey
- Fat - a neutral-tasting vegetable oil such as avocado or grapeseed work great for granola. You may also use extra virgin coconut oil if you want a coconut taste, tahini, or any nut or seed butter for a nuttier taste. In our cookbook Tahini and Turmeric, we use tahini for our granola
- Vanilla extract for that freshly baked taste plus your house will smell amazing
- A pinch of salt or spices such as cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, cardamom, pumpkin spice, etc
That’s your base. Here’s where you can start customizing! Our favorite granola add-ins…
Variations on your basic homemade granola recipe
- Nuts: Use raw nuts like pecans, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios or hazelnuts.
- Flax seeds: Use regular or golden or a combination of the two
- Dried fruit: cranberries, raisins, pineapple, mango, or blueberries are all tasty. Just add them after the granola is cooked so they don’t burn in the oven.
- For a nut-free granola use seeds like sunflower, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), or chia
- Coconut: Use shredded unsweetened coconut or coconut flakes
- Chocolate chips: use dark, milk or white chocolate chips, just make sure you added them once the granola is cooked and has cooled
Tips On How To Male Great Granola At Home:
- Start by using the same amount of fat as sweetener and then adjust it to your taste. We sometimes use more fat than sweetener.
- Use old fashioned oats, not quick oats.
- Use a liquid fat like vegetable oil we like grapeseed, avocado, or melted coconut oil. You may also use a combination of oil and nut/seed butter and even tahini.
- Use a liquid sweetener like honey, maple syrup, agave, etc. Using a liquid sweetener allows the oats to get evenly coated.
- Use raw nuts, like pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, etc. Make sure you use raw nuts since they will roast in the oven.
- If you want to make nut-free granola use seeds like sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, flax, chia, etc instead of nuts.
- Always add dried fruit after the granola is cooked, if not they will get tough and possibly burn.
- Bake granola at a low temperature (275F) for 45-55 minutes stirring every 15 minutes so it cooks evenly and doesn't burn.
- Watch your granola carefully while in the oven, it can go from done to burnt in a couple of minutes.
- Store in an airtight container, we love to use glass jars.
- Granola freezes really well, it can be kept in the fridge or on the counter if planning to finish it within a week or less
How to Make Granola at Home
- Start with a large mixing bowl and add oats, sweetener, fat, vanilla, salt, and spices (if using).
- We like to use clean hands for this step! Just get in there! Squeeze everything together so all the oats are evenly coated.
- Add nuts or seeds, then mix well one more time before spreading the mixture evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You might need two sheets since you want it in a thin, even layer!
- Bake at 275 Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Peek in every 10-15 minutes and give it a stir so it cooks evenly.
- Let it cool a bit, then add the dried fruit. Now leave it to cool completely before storing it in a sealed container. This is necessary so your granola keeps fresh longer. Enjoy!
Storing Homemade Granola
Once baked and cooled, your homemade granola can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week. We like using glass jars for storing granola! If you aren’t going to eat it within a week, pop your granola in the freezer until you’re ready to devour.
More Granola Recipes
- Nut-Free Chocolate Coconut Granola
- Quinoa, Pistachio, & Apricot Granola
- Spiced Savory Granola
- Chocolate Chip Coconut Granola Bites
- Tahini, Turmeric, & Date Vegan Granola Bars
- Cinnamon Raisin Quinoa Granola
- Gluten-Free Passover Pina Colada Granola
- Homemade Granola
Did you like our homemade granola recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
PrintHome Made Granola
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Forget store-bought! This Homemade Granola is so delicious you’ll never want to have store-bought granola again. You can totally customize it with all your favorite granola add-ins and anything you have at home in the pantry!
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups old fashioned oats
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut flakes (you can also use shredded coconut)
- ⅓ cup raw pecans, chopped
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (you can also use two medium-sized ones)
- Mix the oats, coconut, and pecans in a large bowl. Add the maple syrup, oil, vanilla, and salt
- Mix well, so all the ingredients are evenly coated with the oil and maple syrup
- Spread evenly on the baking sheet to form one single, thin layer ( you might need to bake it in two baking sheets)
- Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes so the granola cooks evenly
- Let it cool slightly and add the cranberries. Let it cool completely and store in an airtight container
Notes
How to customize your granola:
- Nuts: Use raw nuts like pecans, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios or hazelnuts.
- Seeds: Flax seeds (use regular or golden or a combination of the two), chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
- Dried fruit: cranberries, raisins, pineapple, mango, or blueberries are all tasty. Just add them after the granola is cooked so they don’t burn in the oven.
- For a nut-free granola use seeds like sunflower, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), or chia
- Coconut: Use shredded unsweetened coconut or coconut flakes
- Chocolate chips: use dark, milk or white chocolate chips, just make sure you added them once the granola is cooked and has cooled
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ cup
- Calories: 154
- Sugar: 3.3
- Sodium: 4.6
- Fat: 7.4
- Saturated Fat: 2.8
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 18.7
- Fiber: 2.2
- Protein: 2.3
- Cholesterol: 0
Miriam says
I totally understand your “never ending milk-cereal vicious cycle” beacuse it happens to me all the time! I love granola so i cant wait to try this and hopefully end this vicious cycle! Thanks 🙂
Mira Crisp says
Yogurt and cereal is actually my favorite breakfast and I just happen to have a photo of it on my blog if you would like to check it out. 🙂 I never thought of switching to granola, and I think I am going to try it. I am hosting a food photography linky party and I would love you to join if you get a moment to check it out. Have a great Friday!
Raquel says
My mom asked me to make this last night and i thought i was going to mess it up and end up bruning it...but i didnt!! It came out very good! Everyone loved it so much they had it for breakfast and now there is barely any left...guess i will have to be making more soon!
Daniella P. says
Cereal is one of my favorite snacks and I find myself munching on it many times a day. Can't wait to try this delicious recipe as an alternative! Thanks
-Dani P.
(So glad Raquel introduced me to this blog :))
mayihavethatrecipe says
This granola actually disappears in a couple of days at Raquel's house. It's soooo good!! And remember you can use any nut/fruit combination you like! We hope you love it as much as Raquel does!
JuleeZee says
Made this yesterday with maple syrup and dried wild blueberries and it is a winner! It was easy to prep and make and filled the house with an enticing aroma while baking and cooling. I seriously doubt that it will last one week in our house, it is that good.
Vicky and Ruth says
Thank you! The amazing house smell is a great bonus of this granola recipe!
Rebeca says
Excellent recipe! I love it!
Vicky and Ruth says
Thank you so much!