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This Homemade Granola is full of oats, nuts, and dried fruit. It is much better than store-bought granola. Serve it with milk or yogurt for a delicious breakfast.
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This is a MUST-make granola recipe that can be made ahead of time, stored, and even bulked up with more delicious ingredients to make the best homemade granola. Save money by making your own homemade granola that tastes SO much better and has all the healthy add-ins that you love. Mix together all the ingredients to make a sweet and savory snack that your family will love!
Take this homemade granola and add it to yogurt, milk, or ice cream, or just eat it by the handful. This granola is perfect for snacking or adding to all your favorite breakfast or snack recipes. Double or triple your batch and share it with your friends and family! It is quick and easy to make with limited ingredients that still blend and taste amazing together!
Recipe Ingredients
This is a delicious granola that mixes dry ingredients combined with wet ingredients, then baked. It is that simple!
- Oats – Old-fashioned oats are perfect for this recipe. You don’t want to use quick oats, but rolled oats are best.
- Almonds – Sliced almonds give it a sweet and soft crunch.
- Brown sugar – Adds sweetness as well as some light texture to the almonds and oats.
- Salt – Balances out all the ingredients and helps with flavor.
- Cinnamon – Perfect for adding a hint of spice to give it a savory, comforting flavor.
- Craisins – Soften the crunch with a sweet and chewy texture from dried cranberries!
- Oil – A lighter oil like canola oil or coconut oil works best!
- Honey – Combines the granola and gives extra sweetness to each piece, for a natural sweetener.
- Vanilla extract – Always adds a splash of flavor!
Substitutions and Add-Ins To Try
Even though this is an amazing recipe for homemade granola all on its own, there are several great substitutions to try. Most of these ideas came from reader comments. Some wanted a gluten-free granola or had sensitivities to be aware of. Others wanted to bulk up the recipe a bit. So if you have another suggestion, feel free to share!
- Nuts – Add in more or substitute your favorite nuts like pecans, walnuts, or cashews. If you can find them sliced or chopped, that would be a great way to get the crunch and flavor but also not be overly big in the granola mixture.
- Wheat germ – Try oat bran, flax seed, or poppy seeds!
- Substitute oil – Take out the oil and use apple sauce or half and a half mixture to help balance the flavors.
- Maple syrup – If you don’t have honey on hand or want another sweetness to boil in, try maple syrup!
- Fruits – Dried fruits are great for adding in like apricots, raisins, cherries, and bananas.
- Add-ins – Coconut flakes, dry cereal, chocolate chips, or marshmallows for a more fun and sweet granola.
Tips for the Best Granola Recipe
You will love how much flavor this granola has! Here are a few ways and ideas to help make your granola even better!
- Parchment paper – Cover your baking pan with parchment paper to help it from sticking to the pan. This will help eliminate extra scrubbing on your baking sheets.
- Bags – Be prepared for your day, lunches, or kids’ snacks by placing ¼ of a cup to ½ a cup into small baggies. A healthy snack is ready to go on hikes, walks, or shopping at the mall.
- Yogurt parfaits – Make a quick breakfast ahead of time layered with yogurt and granola in a cup. It works great for an on-the-go breakfast or snacks throughout the day.
- Clusters – If you are wanting to make your homemade granola into clusters, then combine the granola with a cookie scoop and bake on a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
“I discovered this recipe a few years ago and I cannot tell you how much I have loved it! I use the 8 cups of oats as my base and then I usually use a combination of almonds, flax seed, wheat germ, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. And I always use coconut oil. Everyone that has ever eaten this at my house always asks for this recipe and I think they are always glad to find this blog if they don’t already know about it. This granola is so good on its own but goes to a whole other level with some greek goddess honey yogurt and fresh berries, or with homemade applesauce it is like a dessert for breakfast or a snack! Thanks for sharing so many great recipes!”
-Hannah
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Absolutely. This recipe was originally posted before the whole coconut oil trend really took off. But it would be a great switch if you want to give it a try.
Feel free to try all kinds of additions to this delicious granola. One reader suggested flax seeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. The possibilities are endless!
If you want to make bars, you can blend up dates and maybe a little peanut butter and add it to the recipe until it holds its shape, you can try using this recipe here and adding the vanilla granola ingredients that you like.
Follow the directions on the recipe, but instead of spreading the granola on baking sheets, pour the granola into a 5-6 quart slow cooker sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Cook on the high setting for 2 hours stirring well every 20 minutes (this is important so that granola doesn’t burn on the sides of the slow cooker).
Storing and Making Ahead
This is truly the best granola recipe! You can make it ahead, store it, and even eat it the day of, or enjoy it for up to 30 days. Once your granola has cooled to room temperature, store your homemade granola in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag.
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More Great Breakfast Ideas
Looking for a way to mix up your breakfast routine? After you’re done making Homemade Granola, here are some more delicious breakfast ideas to consider.
How To Make Homemade Granola
Elise’s Homemade Vanilla Granola
Equipment
- Sauce pan
Ingredients
- 8 cups oats
- 2 cups sliced almonds
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup craisins or raisins
- 3/4 cup canola oil or coconut oil
- 1 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300-degrees. Combine first 6 ingredients (dry ingredients) in a large bowl.
- Combine oil, honey, and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute.
- Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture. Mix until all ingredients are moistened.
- Divide and spread mixture over 2 large cookie sheets and bake for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven. Use a spatula to stir the granola on the pan. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- For chewy granola: While the granola is still slightly warm and soft, transfer to an airtight container or bag it in large resealable plastic bags.For crunchy granola: Allow granola to cool completely. Break up granola and transfer it to an airtight container or bag it in large resealable plastic bags.
- Serve plain, with yogurt, or with milk.
I make granola often and the first time I used raisins and they were like little rocks; I think it would be better to add them after baking.