Once you try homemade granola, you won’t go back to store-bought granola. It’s so much better! Homemade granola is super easy to make. You’ll only need one bowl and some basic pantry ingredients. Ready to make some?
You can preserve that freshly baked flavor by storing this granola in the freezer. Just let it warm to room temperature for a few minutes, and enjoy.
SHOPPING LIST:
- Whole-grain old-fashioned oats
- Pecans (alternatives: walnuts, cashews, macadamia, sunflower seeds)
- Pepitas (green pumpkins seeds)
- Almond slivers
- Unrefined oil aka coconut oil (alt. extra virgin olive oil which makes the granola more savory)
- Maple syrup (alt. honey)
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Ginger (ground)
- Dried cranberries or cherries, or blueberries, or raisins, or dried chopped apricots
OPTIONAL MIX-INS
- Fresh organic orange, lemon, or lime zest (before baking)
- Chocolate chips (after the granola has cooled so they don't melt)
- unsweetened coconut flakes (add halfway through baking for toasted results)
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (400g)
- 1 ½ cup raw nuts and/or seeds (I used 1 cup pecans and ½ cup pepitas)
- 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (with standard table salt, scale back to ¾ teaspoon)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or one packet of vanilla sugar
- ⅔ cup dried fruit, chopped if large (I use dried cranberries most often)
- optional mix-ins (see above)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 180ºC / 350ºF degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir to blend.
- Pour in the oil, maple syrup and/or honey and vanilla. Mix well, until every oat and nut is lightly coated. Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer.
- Bake 12 minutes (half-time) to add raisins and coconut flakes, almond flakes etc then stir. For extra-clumpy granola, press the stirred granola down with your spatula to create a more even layer.
- Bake 10-12 more minutes until lightly golden. The granola will further crisp up as it cools.
- Let the granola cool completely, undisturbed (at least 45 minutes). Top with the dried fruit (and optional chocolate chips, if using). Break the granola into pieces with your hands if you want to retain big chunks, or stir it around with a spoon if you don’t want extra-clumpy granola.
- Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks, or in a sealed freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. The dried fruit can freeze solid, so let it warm to room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
TIPS:
Some of you, like me, love big clumps in your granola. Here are my tips to getting the best clumpy granola:
Your oats need to be huddled in the pan so they can stick together, but not so crowded that they don’t toast evenly. Use a baking pan with rimmed edges to be sure no granola falls overboard. Line the pan with parchment paper so the sweetener sticks to your oats rather than the pan. For maximum clumpiness, gently press down on the granola with the back of a spatula after stirring the mixture at the halfway baking point. Then put the pan back into the oven to finish baking. Don’t bake the granola too long—just until it’s lightly golden on top. It might not seem like it’s done yet, but it will continue to crisp up as it cools. Over-baking the granola seems to break the sugar bonds. Lastly, let the granola cool completely before breaking it up. I’ve even left it on the pan overnight, covered.
FAVORITE MIXES:
- Almond flakes, orange zest, and raisins
- Coconut oil, flakes, and shredded coconut
- Cranberry orange zest
- Honey almond apricots
- Gingerbread which is speculaas bits, coconut flakes, dried cranberries, chopped candied ginger