Homemade Granola is perfectly sweet and crunchy. Lightly sweetened with vanilla and brown sugar this recipe is full of tart craisins, flakey coconut and crunchy pecans. This granola is delicious as is or can be easily customized with your favorite additions instead.
This homemade granola has easily become my go-to, quick breakfast. It is also ideal for snacking or used as a crispy topping for fruit, yogurt or ice-cream.
This granola recipe is the same one my mom made growing up. Despite years and years of testing other recipes, I always seem to come back to this one.
I love that this homemade granola is so easy. It comes together in just a few minutes and tastes so gosh darn good. Plus, making my own granola is like 1000 times more cost effective.
Additionally, it means we can avoid all the extra sweeteners and preservatives that the store bought brands contain. Plus, I get to completely cater what add-ins are in each batch, to my heart’s desire.
Likewise if you are searching for other simple and easy breakfast dishes these breakfast recipes need to be at the top of your try list! Sheet Pan Breakfast Pizza, Baked Oatmeal Casserole, German Pancakes or Bran Muffins are just a few of our favorites.
🥘 Ingredients
Without a doubt, you will find that the ingredients for making homemade granola are simple! Even simple enough that you most likely have them lurking in the back of your pantry right now!
- Rolled Oats
- Chopped Pecans, optional
- Craisins, optional
- Coconut Flakes, optional
- Brown Sugar
- Salt
- Oil - vegetable, canola, or coconut all work
- Water
- Vanilla
🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions
Firstly, to make our homemade granola we must mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then in a second bowl mix together the wet ingredients. Add your wet mixture to the bowl of the dry ingredients and stir till they are evenly mixed.
Secondly, spread the granola mixture evenly across a large baking sheet in a thin layer. Depending on how large the baking sheet is that you use, you may have to do the following steps in batches in order to get a good crisp.
With this in mind, let us begin baking or drying the homemade granola by placing the tray in the oven at 250° F and allowing it to bake for 30 minutes.
Then pull your tray carefully from the oven and stir or move the granola around on the sheet with a spatula so the other side can crisp.
Then again place the large baking sheet in the oven and allow it to bake for an additional 15 minutes and remove from the oven.
Keep in mind that when you pull your tray from the oven at the end of the 45 minutes your granola will not appear to be super crispy. In light of this don't panic, it will continue to crisp up as it cools.
Allow your granola to cool and dry on the baking sheet before transferring it to your desired storage container. If stored in an air tight container your homemade granola will keep for two weeks or more!
👩🏻🍳 Make it Your Own
When it comes to making this snack your own there really is no easier recipe to tailor to your liking!
You can always choose to leave your granola plain if you prefer, or you can add in two cups of something or another. My favorite add-ins these days seem to be craisins and coconut flakes.
In like manner, other homemade granola mix-ins you can consider adding are chocolate chips, different types of nuts, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, raisins, or other dried or freeze-dried fruits.
Or try adding in a teaspoon or two of seasonings like cinnamon, apple pie spice or pumpkin spice for fun granola variations. Maple syrup, honey and peanut butter also make for a delicious binder if wanting large clusters.
🍽 How to Serve
Enjoy a bowl of this granola served with cold milk over the top, or my favorite way microwaved for a just a minute or two with milk for a really yummy and simple oatmeal!
Eat your granola with a bowl of your favorite ice-cream or sprinkled on top of fresh fruit or yogurt. Use your homemade granola to make your own granola bars for easy on the go snacking.
📋 FAQ's
What kind of oats are best for making granola?
Old Fashioned Rolled Oats make for the best kind of granola. Using a hearty oat allows homemade granola to crisp up nicely, giving it a good crunchy texture. If really wanting to use a quick oat you can.
But I would suggest using a mixture of an old fashioned oat and quick oat, with no more than half of the oat being a quick oat. Using too much of a quick oat will cause your granola to be soggy and limp.
What oil is best to use when baking?
Vegetable and Canola oil can both be used interchangeably in recipes. Canola oil is actually a type of vegetable oil extracted from the canola plant specifically. Both oils have a neutral flavor and really only differ in the types and amounts of fat in each oil.
When baking you can also generally use Coconut Oil if preferred. It will offer a nice coconut flavor and a little added sweetness to the recipe. If you do choose to use coconut oil you just need to be sure to melt the oil first.
Can you freeze granola?
Homemade granola freezes beautifully! All it takes to freeze homemade granola is a little patience. On a parchment lined baking sheet spread out the granola.
Place the baking sheet in the freezer and allow to chill for 2 hours. Collect your granola and transfer to a freezer safe storage bag doing your best to remove any excess air.
Once sealed place the granola in the freezer and it will keep for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy remove from the freezer and allow to thaw or come to room temperature.
You may notice that the granola is a little chewy. If you prefer it crispy spread it into a thin layer and pop in the oven for 5 minutes to crisp up again.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Granola
Lightly sweetened with vanilla and brown sugar this homemade granola is full of tart craisins, flakey coconut and crunchy pecans.
Ingredients
- 7¾ cups rolled oats
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 cup craisins
- 1 cup coconut flakes
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ cup oil, (vegetable, canola or coconut)
- ⅓ cup water
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a second bowl mix together the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet mixture to the bowl of the dry ingredients and stir till evenly mixed.
- Spread the granola mixture evenly across a baking sheet in a thin layer. (Depending on how large the baking sheet is you may have to do the following steps in batches).
- Place the tray in the oven at 250° F and allow to bake for 30 minutes.
- Pull your tray carefully from the oven at the 30 minute mark and stir or move the granola around the sheet pan with a spatula.
- Place the baking sheet back in the oven and allow to bake for an additional 15 minutes and then remove from the oven.
- Allow your granola to cool and dry on the baking sheet before transferring to your desired storage container.
Notes
- You can choose to leave your granola plain if you prefer or you can add 1 to 3 cups of additional add-ins like chopped nuts, craisins or coconut flakes. For other ideas look above to the Make it Your Own section.
- You can use any kind of oil you prefer. Vegetable and Canola oils are interchangeable or Coconut Oil also works great and will add extra flavor and sweetness.
- Keep in mind that when you pull your tray from the oven at the end of the 45 minutes baking time the granola will not appear to be super crispy. Don't panic, it will continue to crisp up as it cools.
- If you find granola to be a little chewy after removing from the freezer just pop it back in the oven in a thin layer to bake for 5 minutes. It should crisp right back up!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 457Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 292mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 8gSugar: 24gProtein: 8g