Quick & Easy Homemade Granola: Your Ultimate Guide to a Healthier, Happier Breakfast
Homemade granola is more than just a delicious breakfast; it’s a wholesome, customizable snack that brings joy to your table. In just minutes, you can mix and bake a batch that far surpasses anything you’d find in stores, giving you complete control over every ingredient. Say goodbye to excessive sugars and unknown additives, and embrace the simple goodness of making your own!
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This is a Pantry Basics recipe – fundamental recipes for items we traditionally bought but are much simpler, more affordable, and healthier to prepare right in your own kitchen! Explore all our Pantry Basics recipes here.
At our home, homemade granola is a daily staple, transforming routine breakfasts into something special. It’s not just for the morning meal; my daughter frequently enjoys it as a satisfying, healthy snack throughout the day. And for me, there’s immense peace of mind in knowing precisely what goes into every bite she takes. This recipe empowers you to create a truly nourishing option for your family.
Many store-bought granolas have earned a less-than-stellar reputation due to their high sugar content and often unhealthy fats. This recipe offers a fantastic solution, allowing you to significantly reduce the added sugar while still achieving incredible flavor and satisfying crunch. Plus, making your own granola is surprisingly budget-friendly, proving that wholesome eating doesn’t have to break the bank. You’ll be amazed at how much you save compared to premium store brands.
Say Goodbye to 2-Hour Granola!
When I first ventured into the world of homemade granola years ago, I was met with recipes that demanded a low-temperature bake for a staggering two hours. On top of that, these recipes often required constant stirring, turning the baking process into a babysitting chore. The thought of my oven running for such a long period, coupled with the interruption of stirring every half hour, was enough to deter me from making it more than once. It simply felt too time-consuming and inefficient for my busy schedule.
Thankfully, my granola journey took a delightful turn when I discovered a game-changing recipe in one of the Tightwad Gazette books. This recipe boldly proclaimed that granola could be baked in just 20 minutes! It was a revelation. It turns out, that extended baking time isn’t necessary to achieve perfectly golden, crunchy granola. This discovery completely transformed my approach to granola making, making it an accessible and enjoyable activity rather than a burdensome task.
Over the years, I’ve lovingly adapted that foundational recipe, fine-tuning it to better suit our family’s tastes and to enhance its nutritional profile. Through experimentation, it evolved into the beloved homemade granola that graces our breakfast table almost every day. It’s not just a recipe; it’s a testament to how simple tweaks can lead to a healthier, more enjoyable routine.
Update: While this recipe is fantastic and quick, my culinary explorations led me to this even easier maple-honey homemade granola recipe. It uses even less sweetener and bakes in an even shorter amount of time, offering another brilliant option for your homemade granola adventures.
Crafting Your Own Homemade Granola: A Simple Process
Making granola at home is a wonderfully rewarding experience. It’s a chance to get creative in the kitchen, experimenting with different ingredients and flavors to create a snack that’s perfectly tailored to your preferences. The beauty of this recipe lies in its adaptability, allowing you to use what you have on hand and customize it to your heart’s content. Let’s delve into the components that make this granola so special.
Essential Ingredients for Your Perfect Granola
This recipe is incredibly versatile, inviting you to experiment with what you have in your pantry. The core elements are simple, but the possibilities for customization are endless. Here’s a breakdown:
- Oil: Provides richness and helps achieve that desirable crisp texture.
- Sweeteners: Honey or maple syrup, combined with brown sugar, offer a balanced sweetness and help bind the granola.
- Vanilla Extract: A touch of vanilla elevates the flavor profile.
- Rolled Grains: The foundation of your granola – typically oats, but other rolled grains can be used.
- Nuts & Seeds: Sunflower seeds, various nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts), and other seeds add healthy fats, protein, and crunch.
- Nutritional Boosters: Flax seeds, ground flax, and oat bran for added fiber and omega-3s.
- Optional Flour: A secret ingredient for those coveted granola clusters.
- Optional Dried Fruit: Adds bursts of sweetness and chewiness, stirred in after baking.
Feel free to make it your own! Don’t have any nuts? No problem, simply omit them or increase the amount of seeds. Have a half-eaten bag of dried apricots or cherries lingering in the cupboard? Chop them up and toss them in for an instant flavor upgrade. The concept is simple: if you like it, add it! Just remember the core ratio for your dry ingredients. Aim for a total of 10 cups of dry ingredients, with 8 cups dedicated to rolled grains to maintain the right balance and texture.
The Secret to Granola Chunks: What’s with the Flour?
Have you ever wondered how commercial granolas achieve those delightful, satisfying chunks? I did! After noticing flour consistently listed in the ingredients of boxed granolas, I decided to incorporate a mere 1/4 cup into my recipe. The result was exactly what I was hoping for: more significant, satisfying clusters that elevate the granola experience. Any type of flour will work here – all-purpose, whole wheat, or even gluten-free flour – as its primary role is to contribute to the “clumpiness” factor rather than flavor or structure. However, it’s entirely optional; if you prefer a looser granola, feel free to leave it out.
Shop this recipe:
- For variety, I often enjoy using The 5-Grain Rolled Cereal Mix.
- My preferred choice for classic granola is this brand of rolled oats.
- I find that this oil offers a neutral flavor that complements the other ingredients beautifully.
- To boost the nutritional value, I frequently incorporate Flax Seed (for its fiber benefits), Ground Flax (for heart health support), and Oat Bran.
Simple Steps to Your Delicious Homemade Granola
Making this granola is a straightforward process, designed for efficiency without compromising on flavor or quality. Follow these steps for perfect results every time:
- Prepare the Wet Ingredients: In a medium saucepan, combine the oil, honey (or maple syrup), and brown sugar. Heat this mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally. You can let it gently simmer while you prepare your dry ingredients. Once the sugar has fully dissolved and the mixture is smooth, remove it from the heat. Carefully stir in the vanilla extract; it might bubble up slightly, but a quick stir will settle it down.
- Prepare the Dry Ingredients: In a very large bowl or a lightly oiled roasting pan (a large rimmed cookie sheet works well if you desire a crunchier granola with more spread), thoroughly combine your rolled oats (or other grains), sunflower seeds/nuts, flax seeds/oat bran, cinnamon, and the optional flour. Ensure everything is well distributed.
- Combine Wet and Dry: This is where the magic happens! Pour the hot sugar mixture evenly over the dry ingredients. Now, grab a large, sturdy spoon – I highly recommend stainless steel due to the heat and stickiness of the mixture. Begin mixing everything together. It might initially seem like there isn’t enough wet mixture to coat all the dry ingredients, but don’t be discouraged! Continue stirring diligently, scraping the edges and pressing with the back of the spoon. Within just a few minutes, you’ll find that all the dry ingredients are beautifully and evenly coated. I speak from experience: using your hands for this step is not advised as the mixture is very hot and incredibly sticky!
- Bake to Perfection: Spread the coated granola mixture evenly across your prepared baking sheet or roasting pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for just 20 minutes, or a little longer (up to 30 minutes total) if you prefer an extra-crispy texture. This short baking time is one of the best features of this recipe – a stark contrast to those laborious 2-hour methods, wouldn’t you agree?
- Cool and Store: Once baked to a light golden brown, remove the granola from the oven. If you’re adding dried fruit, stir it in now. For those who love generous clumps, allow the granola to cool for about 20 minutes without stirring. This initial undisturbed cooling period helps the clusters form beautifully. After 20 minutes, you’ll need to gently stir the granola from the outside edges inwards a couple of times to prevent it from sticking firmly to the pan as it continues to cool completely. Should it ever stick aggressively (perhaps you got distracted in the garden – it happens!), simply place it back into a warm oven for a few minutes, and it should release without issue. Store your cooled granola in a large, airtight container. It will be a popular item, so keep it accessible!
Tip for Clump-Lovers: The key to achieving those delightful granola clusters lies in how you cool it. After removing it from the oven, resist the urge to stir for the first 20 minutes. This allows the hot sugar mixture to set, creating larger, satisfying chunks that many families adore. If you prefer a more finely textured granola with fewer clumps, simply stir it more frequently as it cools.
Storing Your Homemade Granola
Once your glorious homemade granola has completely cooled, transfer it to a large, airtight container. A big glass jar with a tight-fitting lid is ideal, not just for preservation but also because it looks appealing on the counter! Stored properly, your granola will remain fresh and crunchy for up to two weeks. For longer storage, you can even freeze portions in freezer-safe bags or containers for up to a month, though it’s so good, it rarely lasts that long!
Serving Suggestions for Granola
Homemade granola is incredibly versatile. Enjoy it in a bowl with milk (dairy or non-dairy), sprinkle it over Greek yogurt with fresh berries for a protein-packed breakfast, or layer it into a beautiful parfait. It also makes a fantastic topping for smoothie bowls, a crunchy addition to baked apples, or simply a satisfying snack straight from the jar. Get creative and find your favorite way to enjoy this wholesome treat!
Easy Homemade Granola FAQs
These ingredients are purely for their incredible health benefits. Flax seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, while oat bran provides additional soluble fiber. They boost the nutritional value, making your granola even healthier. Absolutely, you can leave them out if you prefer or don’t have them on hand. Simply replace them with an equal amount of additional rolled oats or another preferred dry ingredient to maintain the overall volume.
Yes, chia seeds are a fantastic addition! You can stir them in with the other dry ingredients before baking to give them a slightly toasted flavor and texture. Alternatively, for a softer bite and maximum nutritional impact, you can sprinkle them directly onto your granola in the bowl just before eating.
This recipe typically yields a delightful balance of both – a satisfying chewy-crunchy texture. If you’re a true fan of extra-crispy, all-out crunchy granola, there’s a simple trick: spread the unbaked mixture out thinner on a very large cookie sheet and extend the baking time by an extra 5 to 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on it to prevent burning, and you’ll achieve that extra snap!
This recipe uses a total of 1-1/4 cups of sweetener (honey/maple syrup and brown sugar combined) for 10 cups of dry ingredients. This translates to roughly 2 tablespoons of sugar per 1 cup of finished granola (not including any optional added dried fruit). Given that a typical serving size is about 1/4 to 1/3 cup, each serving contains approximately 1.5 teaspoons of added sugar, significantly less than many commercial varieties.
Absolutely! To make this recipe completely gluten-free, simply ensure you use certified gluten-free rolled oats. All other primary ingredients (oil, honey/maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, most nuts and seeds) are naturally gluten-free. If you opt to use the optional flour for clumps, choose a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend.
The best oils are those with a neutral flavor and a high smoke point. Cold-pressed sunflower oil is an excellent choice, as is a light or neutral-flavored olive oil. Melted coconut oil also works beautifully and can add a subtle tropical note. Avoid strong-flavored oils that might overpower the granola’s natural taste.
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30 Minute Homemade Granola Recipe (Pantry Basic)
10 minutes
20 minutes
30 minutes
10
cups
Jami Boys
Ingredients
-
1/2
cup
oil
(cold-pressed sunflower, neutral olive oil, or melted coconut oil) -
3/4
cup
honey or maple syrup* -
1/2
cup
brown sugar -
1
tablespoon
vanilla -
8
cups
rolled oats
(or other rolled grains) -
1
cup
sunflower seeds and/or other nuts -
1
cup
total of any of the following: ground flax seed,
whole flax seed, or oat bran, etc.** -
2
teaspoons
cinnamon -
1/4
cup
flour
(optional to increase clumps) -
1
cup
dried fruit of choice
(optional – add after baking)
Instructions
-
Heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
-
Combine oil, brown sugar, and honey/maple syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
-
Meanwhile, in a large, lightly oiled roasting pan or a large rimmed baking sheet (for crunchier results), mix all the dry ingredients: rolled oats, sunflower seeds/nuts, flax seeds/oat bran, cinnamon, and optional flour. Exclude dried fruit at this stage.
-
Remove the sugar-oil mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla. The mixture may bubble briefly; just stir until it settles. Pour this warm liquid mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix everything thoroughly with a large spoon until all the dry ingredients are evenly coated. Don’t be discouraged if it takes a few minutes; consistent stirring will achieve an even coating.
-
Spread the granola mixture evenly across the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until it’s lightly golden brown. For an extra-crunchy granola, you can bake it for an additional 10 minutes (total 30 minutes). Note: If you prefer less clumpy granola, gently stir it once at the halfway point of baking.
-
Remove the pan from the oven. If using dried fruit, stir it in now. Allow the granola to cool undisturbed for about 20 minutes to encourage clusters to form. After 20 minutes, stir it once or twice, then let it cool completely in the pan. If it ever sticks, place it back in a warm oven for a few minutes to loosen.
-
Once fully cooled, transfer your homemade granola to an airtight container for storage.
Notes
**The flax seed, ground flax, and oat bran are optional healthy add-ins. You can substitute these with an additional cup of rolled oats if you don’t have them available.
Nutrition
Serving:
1
/2 cup
|
Calories:
275
kcal
|
Carbohydrates:
40.1
g
|
Protein:
5.9
g
|
Fat:
10.3
g
|
Saturated Fat:
1.4
g
|
Cholesterol:
0
mg
|
Sodium:
5
mg
|
Fiber:
5.4
g
|
Sugar:
14.7
g
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More Easy Breakfast Recipes To Fuel Your Day
If you love the simplicity and health benefits of this homemade granola, be sure to explore these other fantastic breakfast options:
- Healthy, Quick Maple-Honey Granola {with Bark-Like Clusters}
- Simple Healthy Buckwheat Oat Granola Bark with Nuts & Seeds
- Convenient Freezer Mediterranean Breakfast Wraps
This recipe has been thoughtfully updated for clarity and improved experience; it was originally published in April of 2009.
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