Homemade Granola Recipe

Ingredients needed

• Oats: The base of granola is old fashioned rolled oats. Do not use quick/instant oats or steel cut oats here. Regular rolled oats create the perfect texture and bake up beautifully.
• Nuts: I use 2 cups of mixed nuts in this recipe. I usually throw in whatever I have on hand. My favorites include a combination of walnuts, pecans and sliced almonds. Chop the larger nuts into bite-sized pieces.
• Seeds: Pepitas add a nutty flavor and boost the nutrition. Feel free to swap for sunflower seeds or leave out the seeds completely.
• Coconut: Thick-cut unsweetened coconut chips give a buttery-coconut flavor to every bite. The coconut chips crisp up and create a texture that makes the granola addicting. If you aren’t a fan of coconut, feel free to leave this out.
• Maple Syrup and Brown Sugar: This combination makes for the best tasting granola. It’s sweet (but not overly sweet), with a deep, caramelized flavor from the combo of pure maple syrup and brown sugar.
• Oil: I prefer extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil for this granola. It helps the oats bake up golden and crisp, and adds a bit of richness that can’t be beat.
• Flavoring: I flavor this granola with pure vanilla extract. You can also add cinnamon, pie spice, nutmeg, cardamom, or any other spice of your choice.
• Dried Fruit (optional): After the granola has baked, stir in your favorite dried fruit. Dried cherries, dried cranberries, raisins, or dried apricots are my favorites.

Recipe overview

• Combine dry ingredients (oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, salt) in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, syrup, oil, and vanilla.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
• Spread onto a baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden, mixing twice during bake time to ensure even baking.

Recipe tips

1. Use your hands to mix the granola. After adding the wet ingredients to the dry, stir it a few times with a spoon, then get in there with your hands and really work the wet ingredients into the oats. This ensures that the flavors of maple, vanilla and brown sugar get all the way into the oats.
2. After mixing up the granola, press it into a flat, even layer on your baking sheet (I press it down with the back of a spatula). Let it bake undisturbed for the first 25 minutes. This allows some clumps to form as the granola begins to bake and brown. After that, toss it every 5-10 minutes, until you reach your desired level of doneness. If you want it extra crisp, bake a little longer.
3. Play around with this recipe to create your favorite granola. I recommend keeping somewhat close to the portions of dry ingredients to wet ingredients, but granola is quite fool-proof, so you shouldn’t have any trouble making a few adaptations.

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