This Granola Recipe is the perfect way to start your day. Loaded with oats, nuts, maple syrup & brown sugar, you’ll love every sweet and crunchy bite!
This is the only granola recipe you’ll ever need. Easily adaptable, incredibly delicious, and ready to brighten your mornings. Serve it with milk, sprinkle it over yogurt, or eat it straight off the warm baking sheet. It’s also great as a mid-day or afterschool snack your kids will love as much as these Granola Breakfast Cookies!
GRANOLA RECIPE
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It’s easy to get excited about breakfast when it’s something over the top like a Cinnamon Roll Cake or Apple Dumplings, but I’m telling you, this granola is something to get excited about, too. It is worlds better than store-bought granola, and it can be made with all your favorite ingredients. No boring granola around here!
Homemade Granola is made by combining dry ingredients with a mixture of wet ingredients, then baking until crisp and golden. This recipe is super adaptable. See below for options and suggestions to create YOUR perfect granola.
Easy Granola Recipe Ingredients
- Oats: The base of granola is old fashioned rolled oats. Do not use quick/instant oats or steel cut oats here. Regular rolled oats create the perfect texture and bake up beautifully.
- Nuts: I use 2 cups of mixed nuts in this recipe. I usually throw in whatever I have on hand. My favorites include a combination of walnuts, pecans, and sliced almonds. Chop the larger nuts into bite-sized pieces.
- Seeds: Pepitas add a nutty flavor and boost nutrition. Feel free to swap for sunflower seeds or leave out the seeds completely.
- Coconut: Thick cut unsweetened coconut chips give a buttery-coconut flavor to every bite. The coconut chips crisp up and create a texture that makes the granola addicting. If you aren’t a fan of coconut, feel free to leave this out.
- Maple syrup and brown sugar: This combination makes for the best tasting granola. It’s sweet (but not overly sweet), with a deep, caramelized flavor from the combo of pure maple syrup and brown sugar.
- Oil: I prefer extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil for this granola. It helps the oats bake up golden and crisp, and adds a bit of richness that can’t be beat.
- Flavoring: I flavor this granola with pure vanilla extract. You can also add cinnamon, pie spice, nutmeg, cardamom, or any other spice of your choice.
- Dried fruit (optional): After the granola has baked, stir in your favorite dried fruit. Dried cherries, dried cranberries, raisins, or dried apricots are my favorites.
My two favorite tips for baking and preparing the best granola recipe:
ONE: Use your hands to mix the granola. After adding the wet ingredients to the dry, stir it a few times with a spoon, then get in there with your hands and really work the wet ingredients into the oats. This ensures that the flavors of maple, vanilla and brown sugar get all the way into the oats.
TWO: After mixing up the granola, press it into a flat, even layer on your baking sheet (I press it down with the back of a spatula). Let it bake undisturbed for the first 25 minutes. This allows some clumps to form as the granola begins to bake and brown. After that, toss it every 5-10 minutes, until you reach your desired level of doneness. If you want it extra crisp, bake a little longer.
Play around with this recipe to create a healthy granola recipe that your family will love. I recommend keeping somewhat close to the portions of dry ingredients to wet ingredients, but granola is quite fool-proof, so you shouldn’t have any trouble making a few adaptations. I’d love to hear your favorite flavor varieties!
Complete your breakfast or brunch spread with some of my other favorite morning recipes!
- Eggs in a Basket
- Chocolate Chip Scones
- Home Fries
- Blueberry Muffins
- Bell Pepper Bacon Onion Frittata
- More breakfast recipes…
Tools used to make this Granola Recipe
Mixing Bowl: These mixing bowls get used just about every day at my house. The grip handle makes them easy to hold and the pour spout makes them perfect for batters!
Rubber Spatula: Rubber spatulas are one of those kitchen tools you don’t realize how much you use until they’re all dirty. This set of three spatulas in various sizes and shapes will make cooking everything from dinner to dessert a breeze.
Baking Sheet: A nice big baking sheet is a must-have for any kitchen. This half pan sheet is large than a regular cookie and works great for anything you’re baking.
Parchment Paper: Your baked goods will never stick again! I love using parchment paper for everything from cookies to pizzas!
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups chopped nuts (see notes)
- ⅓ cup pepitas or sunflower seeds
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut chips
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried fruit optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts, seeds, coconut and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk syrup, oil, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. Pour the wet mixture over the oats and stir until mostly combined. Use your hands to continue mixing, making sure that the oats and nuts are well coated.
- Dump the mixture onto prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer (I like to flatten it with the back of a spatula). Bake for 25 minutes, then use a spatula to mix around the granola. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, toss again, then return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes until evenly golden brown. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool. Add dried fruit after cooling, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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