Homemade granola is a versatile and delicious breakfast option that you can easily customize to your liking. It’s a tasty and crunchy mix of oats, nuts, and dried fruit sweetened with maple syrup. We love it with plain yogurt and fresh fruit for a healthy and flavorful breakfast!
You may also like this gingerbread granola!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this easy recipe:
- Oats – use old-fashioned oats for the best, crunchy texture.
- Melted butter or coconut oil – you need some kind of fat to make the oats delicious and crunchy. I like to use either butter or coconut oil because of their flavor. You can use less but then the granola won’t be as tasty.
- Sweetener – maple syrup is best. I don’t recommend using honey, it burns much quicker than maple syrup and produces granola that is less crunchy (honey is more sticky). The flavor of maple syrup is also better for me.
- Whole nuts of your choice – I like to use different kinds of nuts such as walnuts, pecans, pistachios, whole almonds, cashews, and coconut chips.
- Dried fruit of your choice – my favorite to use here are dried cranberries and apricots.
- Flavorings: cinnamon, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
- Chopped chocolate or chocolate chips – optional.
How to make it step-by-step
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Grease a baking sheet with some butter/oil and line with parchment paper (I used a half sheet pan).
In a large bowl, add the oats, melted butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stir until evenly coated (you can also do this directly on the baking sheet, but it’s a little easier to mix in a bowl).
(3 cups (270g) old-fashioned oats, 1/2 cup (115g) melted butter or coconut oil, 1/2 cup (120ml) maple syrup, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract)
Spread in an even layer on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven, stir everything together, and stir in the mixed nuts.
(1 1/4 cups mixed nuts (such as pecans, whole almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews), roughly chopped)
Bake for 7 minutes.
Please note: The baking time may vary depending on the oven! I have tested this recipe many times, and for me, this is really the best way to bake granola so that it’s perfectly crunchy and nicely browned. If you see that your granola is getting too dark at this point, you can bake the coconut chips alone on a separate baking sheet until toasted (browned) and then add them to the granola.
Stir in coconut chips.
(1/4 cup coconut chips)
Bake for 3 minutes.
Remove from the oven, stir in the chopped dried apricots and cranberries, and set aside to cool.
(1/4 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped)
At first, the granola won’t be very crispy, but it will crisp up as it cools.
When completely cooled, stir in the chopped chocolate (if using).
(1 ounce (30g) dark chocolate, optional, roughly chopped)
Enjoy!
Tips for clumpy granola
- Don’t stir the granola too often as called for in the recipe. I like to stir it to make sure it’s evenly browned and all the ingredients are well flavored, but if you want clumps, don’t stir after adding oats and coconut chips.
- Let the granola cool completely before breaking it into chunks.
- Make sure to use parchment paper, otherwise, granola will stick to the baking sheet.
Storage
This granola keeps very well and it’s perfectly good in crunchy even after two weeks. Keep it in a tightly closed container, preferably in a cookie tin.
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
Granola Recipe (video)
Ingredients
- 3 cups (270g) old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup (115g) melted butter or coconut oil
- 1/2 cup (120ml) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 1/4 cups mixed nuts (such as pecans, whole almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews) roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup coconut chips
- 1/4 cup dried apricots roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries roughly chopped
- 1 ounce (30g) dark chocolate optional, roughly chopped
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Instructions
- Grease a baking sheet with some butter/oil and line with parchment paper (I used a half sheet pan).
- In a large bowl, add the oats, melted butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stir until evenly coated (you can also do this directly on the baking sheet, but it's a little easier to mix in a bowl).3 cups (270g) old-fashioned oats, 1/2 cup (115g) melted butter or coconut oil, 1/2 cup (120ml) maple syrup, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Spread in an even layer on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, stir everything together, and stir in the mixed nuts. Bake for 7 minutes.1 1/4 cups mixed nuts (such as pecans, whole almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews)
- Stir in coconut chips and bake for 3 minutes.1/4 cup coconut chips
- Take out of the oven, stir in chopped dried apricots and cranberries, and set aside to cool. At first, the granola won't be very crispy but it will crisp up while it cools.1/4 cup dried apricots, 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- When completely cooled, stir in chopped chocolate (if using).1 ounce (30g) dark chocolate
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Please note: The baking time may vary depending on the oven! I have tested this recipe many times, and for me, this is really the best way to bake granola so that it’s perfectly crunchy and nicely browned. If you see that your granola is getting too dark before adding coconut chips, you can bake the coconut chips alone on a separate baking sheet until toasted (browned) and then add them to the granola.
- Calories = 1/10 of the recipe. This is only an estimate!
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