Homemade Granola Recipe: The Base Recipe to Build On
Some people are happiest in the kitchen being hands-on with the ingredients, not just reading the label on a bag. If that's you, if you want to know exactly what went into your breakfast because you put it there yourself and if feeding people well is your love language, this homemade granola recipe is for you.
There's a moment about fifteen minutes into baking a batch of granola when the whole kitchen starts to smell like toasted oats and warm maple syrup, and that's usually when someone wanders in asking what's for breakfast tomorrow. Making your own granola from scratch gives you total control over what goes in, how sweet it is and how big those clusters get, plus the particular satisfaction of handing someone a bowl of something you lovingly made yourself. This is the base recipe we come back to, the one worth saving, and it allows for customization of add-in ingredients to truly make it your own.
Makes about 6 cups. Prep time: 10 minutes. Bake time: 21 to 24 minutes. Total time, including cooling: about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
What you need
- 4 cups Nature's Path Old Fashioned Oats (use the Gluten-Free Old Fashioned Oats if you're baking for a gluten-free kitchen)
- 1½ cups raw nuts and/or seeds, roughly chopped - almonds and pecans are the classic pairing
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup dried fruit, added after baking
- Optional: ½ cup chopped dark chocolate or coconut flakes, stirred in at the end
Nature's Path oats carry USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified certification on every box, so whatever you build on top of this base starts from certified organic oats.
How to make it
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a big bowl, stir together the oats, nuts or seeds, salt and cinnamon.
- Pour in the melted oil, maple syrup or honey, and vanilla and mix until every oat is coated and nothing looks dry.
- Spread the mixture evenly across the pan, all the way to the edges.
- Bake for 21 to 24 minutes, stirring once at the halfway point. Each time you stir, press the granola firmly back down into an even layer with the back of your spatula. That compression step is the one people skip, and it's the difference between granola that clusters and granola that crumbles.
- Pull the pan from the oven when the granola is lightly golden. It will still look a little soft, and that's what you want to be looking for. The granola will keep cooking and crisping as it cools.
- Now the hardest part: leave it alone. Let the pan cool completely and undisturbed for at least 45 minutes before you touch it. Breaking it apart too early is the second most common way a good batch turns to crumbs.
- Once it's fully cool, break it into clusters by hand, then stir in your dried fruit and any optional mix-ins.
- Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks, or freeze it for up to three months.
Make it yours
This recipe is a starting formula, but it doesn't have to be the finished product. A few easy options to customize your batch of homemade granola:
- Swap out the nuts for seeds. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or a handful of both work as well as almonds or pecans.
- Change the sweetener. Honey gives a slightly different flavor and a slightly stickier cluster than maple syrup. Either works with the ratios above.
- Add chocolate. A handful of chopped dark chocolate stirred in after cooling turns this into dessert-for-breakfast territory, and Love Crunch's granola is a good reference point for how delicious that combination can be.
- Want it even simpler? Our 5-Ingredient Granola recipe trims this down to the basics and adds a crunchy cereal topping, built for a faster weeknight batch.
Frequently asked questions
Why isn't my granola clumping into clusters? The two most common causes are not pressing the mixture down firmly enough before baking and breaking it apart before it's fully cooled. The binder (maple syrup or honey in this recipe combined with the starch in the oats) needs to firm up as it cools, and that only happens if you leave the pan undisturbed for the full cooling time.
How long does homemade granola last? Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, this granola keeps for up to two weeks. For longer storage, freeze it for up to three months.
Can I make this granola gluten-free? Yes. Swap in Nature's Path Gluten-Free Old Fashioned Oats in place of the regular Old Fashioned Oats, and double-check that any nuts, seeds or dried fruit you add are labeled gluten-free, since cross-contact can happen during processing.
Can I make this granola without added oil? The oil helps the oats toast evenly and contributes to the cluster texture, so we don't recommend leaving it out entirely, but a neutral option like melted coconut oil or a mild olive oil both work well if you want to swap.
Sources cited
- Nature's Path Foods. Old Fashioned Oats nutrition and certification information. https://naturespath.com/products/old-fashioned-hot-oatmeal-np-us
About The Author
Linsey Herman