I love cereal of some sort in the morning. Lately, my husband and I have been eating oatmeal in the morning and one of our favorite things to add to the oatmeal is granola. We just sprinkle it on top to get an extra boost of flavor, sweetness, and crunch. And the best part is, it’s homemade granola!
Despite the long name of the blog, this recipe is simple and results in a sweet, crunchy, an oh-so-satisfying morning (or afternoon, or evening) treat! It’s so perfect by itself as a quick snack or with milk, mixed with yogurt, or even sprinkled over ice cream!
This recipe is the very basic building blocks of granola. From here, you can add almost anything you want to change up the flavor! You can choose how sweet your granola is, how toasted it gets, etc. More on that below.
Why Homemade Granola?
There are so many reasons granola made at home can be better than store-bought:
- It’s cheaper
- It tastes just as good
- You can control exactly what goes in to your granola
- You can make it exactly as sweet as you want
And, you can make homemade granola in the time it takes to get in your car, drive to the store, pick up a box of granola, and drive home. It’s uncomplicated, takes very little effort, and most of the work is done by your oven! And once you have all the basics in your pantry, it’s even faster.
So, enough of extolling the virtues of homemade granola. On to the recipe!
Homemade Granola Recipe
For the very basic granola recipe, you’ll need:
- 3 Cups of rolled oats (gluten free if you need to)
- ¼ – ½ cup of melted coconut oil (less will produce a drier, toastier granola)
- ¼ – ½ cup of honey or maple syrup
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp. of salt
I added to my granola (the granola you see in the pictures):
- ½ cup of raisins
- ½ cup candied pecans
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup of flaked coconut
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
Once you’ve readied all of your ingredients, stir them all together in a big bowl (minus the raisins): and spread out over a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Stick the pan in an oven preheated to 325°. I’ve found that any lower a temperature and the granola doesn’t cook. Any higher and it burns. However, that’s just in my oven. You may have to play around with temperature until you find the perfect one for your granola tastes, but it probably won’t stray too far from the 325° region.
Stir the granola every 20-ish minutes to mix everything up so you’ll get a more even finish. It should take anywhere from half an hour to 50 minutes, depending on your oven and your tastes. Just start watching the granola closely after 30 minutes because it goes from perfectly golden to burnt really quickly.
Once it’s done, add the raisins (if you want them) and you have granola!
Just a note: I put my raisins in before I bake the granola. I kind of like my raisins crispy. That’s a completely optional step, however.
Additions to the Basic Granola Recipe
The sky is really the limit here. Pumpkin granola, chocolate granola, tropicalgranola, trail mix granola: almost whatever you can dream up, you can do. As seen above, I added pumpkin seeds, candied walnuts, raisins, and my favorite spices. Just some ideas:
- Dried pineapple
- Dried cherries
- Dried cranberries
- Chopped dates
- Chopped figs
- Orange zest
- Canned pumpkin
- Chocolate chips
- Cocoa powder
- Cashews
- Dried mango
- Dried papaya
- Pumpkin spice
- Sunflower seeds
I’ve even seen a MOUNDS candy bar-like granola! You are completely in charge of your granola.
- 3 Cups of rolled oats (gluten free if you need to)
- ¼ – ½ cup of melted coconut oil (less will produce a drier, toastier granola)
- ¼ - ½ cup of honey or maple syrup
- ½ cup of raisins
- ½ cup candied pecans
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup of flaked coconut
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp. of salt
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Spread the mixture over a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking sheet and move into the oven.
- Stir the granola every 15 to 20 minutes.
- Cook to a deep golden brown or until desired doneness, watching closely after 30 minutes to ensure the granola doesn't burn.
- Let granola cool, then store in an air-tight container.
Check back on Friday for a Friday Bits blog all about roasting squash, since it is definitely that time of year!
‘Till next time!