Believe me when I tell you that once you have homemade granola, you can never go back to store-bought stuff. It is so stinking delicious and WAY cheaper than having to buy it pre-made. Good thing that it’s also pretty easy and relatively quick! I love putting this granola over yogurt, adding it to bland breakfast cereal, or just eating it straight. When I was in college and working to put myself through it, I would make this and homemade yogurt on the weekends as a quick way to give myself a grab-and-go meal. It’s cheap, simple, and delicious!
This recipe is based on the Healthy Granola Recipe from Cookie & Kate. Some of the changes I made: no coconut oil or olive oil. Olive oil has a very distinct flavor that I didn’t feel like belongs anywhere near granola. Coconut oil would probably taste delicious, BUT it’s a mega-saturated fat. No shame to saturated fats; I love them, but coconut oil is just too heavy for my taste. I went for the less flavorful (and cheaper) vegetable or canola oil. If you want the extra health factor, the best oil to use is canola since it is monounsaturated (just like olive oil), meaning it can help your body with cholesterol management. That said, vegetable oil won’t hurt you, so use what you have on hand!
I also determined that it needed more flavor, so I added more cinnamon and a dash of cloves. This recipe makes a whole large sheet pan of granola, so check the recipe notes for details on storage. With all that said, I hope you enjoy the granola!
Delicious Homemade Granola
Ingredients
The Granola Base
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats *For gluten-free granola use gluten-free oats
- 1 ½ cup raw nuts and/or seeds *I use 1 cup pecans and ½ cup almonds
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon *you could even add a pinch of clove if you wanted to!
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fruit *Recommended*
- ⅔ cup dried fruit chopped if large (I usually do dried cranberries or raisins)
Optional Add-Ins
- ½ cup chocolate chips or shredded unsweetened coconut * I usually add coconut. See recipe notes if you want to do that!
Instructions
The Granola Base
- Prehete the oven to 350 ℉ and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt, and cinnamon and stir to combine.
- Using a liquid measuring cup that holds at least 1 cup, pour the oil into the cup to the ½ cup line. Then add the honey/maple syrup up to the 1 cup line (this is a lazy way of saving time and making sure your honey/syrup won't stick to the cup). Then pour the contents into the oat mixture.
- Add the vanilla and stir until the oats and nuts/seeds appear lightly coated. Then pour the granola onto the baking sheet and spread it into an even layer.
Baking & Toppings
- Bake until golden, about 23-30 minutes (your preference), stirring about halfway through (be sure to flatten it out again after stirring). The granola will crisp up a bit more as it cools, so it doesn't need to be a deep golden to be cooked.
- Let the granola cool completely (about 45 minutes if you use a cooling rack under the pan) before topping with dried fruit (or chocolate chips if you're into that). If you want big chunks, break the granola into pieces with your hands. If you want smaller pieces, use a spoon to stir it around a bit.
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