This healthy homemade granola recipe is packed with oats, coconut, pecans and spices. Delicious crunchy granola clusters are the best for snacking or breakfast!
Table of Contents
Easy Granola Recipe
This healthy homemade granola recipe is one I enjoy every day. Made with simple pantry staples like oats, nuts, seeds, and natural sweeteners, it’s an easy recipe just like my oatmeal breakfast bars, homemade granola bars and no-bake breakfast cookies.
Granola is one of my favorite healthy snacks. It tastes amazing for breakfast in a yogurt bowl, smoothies, oatmeal or overnight oats and even plain. It’s perfectly crunchy with lots of clusters, just the right amount of sweet taste and way better than store-bought!
Why I Love This Healthy Granola
- Healthier. After purchasing many bags of store-bought granola, I found that making a homemade healthy granola recipe is much better as I can control the ingredients and added sugar.
- Stays fresh for a long. Granola will stay good up to a month. Top baked apples or peaches for a snack or add to breakfast popsicles!
Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Basic granola recipe: Simple ingredients including old-fashioned whole rolled oats (not quick-cooking oats), canola oil (or melted coconut oil), honey (or maple syrup), vanilla extract and cinnamon.
- Brown sugar: This adds natural sweetness to my easy homemade granola recipe. Feel free to omit for a less sweet version.
- Coconut: Unsweetened coconut flakes are always delicious and give a light and tasty texture and flavor.
- Pecans: I love adding hearty nuts that can add in protein as well.
How to Make Homemade Granola
Mix ingredients together. In a large mixing bowl, stir all dry ingredients together until combined. Spread granola mixture in an even layer onto the parchment paper lined jelly roll pan or baking sheet.
Bake granola. Bake the granola at 300°F for 7 minutes, then remove it from the oven and stir. Place back in the oven and bake for 7-8 more minutes. Remove, stir and let cool.
Recipe Variations and Healthy Substitutions
- Chocolate: Make it little sweeter ingredient with white or chocolate chips. Even peanut butter chips are delicious! Add after removing from the oven.
- Dried fruit: Dried apricots, dried cranberries, golden raisins, or dried cherries are chewy and delicious. Add after baking to avoid burning in oven.
- Different nuts: Try almonds, peanuts, or walnuts for classic nuts. If you are more adventurous try it with sunflower seeds, pistachios, or pumpkin seeds.
- Small seeds: Chia seeds and flax seeds not only add crunch but are rich in omega-3’s, healthy fats and fiber.
- Low sugar: Omit or decrease the added brown sugar.
- Vegan: Use real maple syrup in equal amounts for the honey.
- Gluten free: Use certified gluten-free oats. They will still need to be rolled oats.
- Seasoning: Cinnamon or ground ginger, or pumpkin spice will add warm flavor.
Best Granola Recipe Tips
If you love crunchy clusters in your homemade granola, follow these tips!
- Press down evenly into the pan for the first 7 minutes of cooking. This encourages clusters to form. After stirring, press down again to make clumpy granola.
- Stir granola halfway through baking time. This helps distribute the middle to the edges so they get crisp without any soft spots.
- Cool completely before breaking into pieces. As it cools it will continue to get crisp.
- Add dried fruit after it has cooled. You want the dried fruit to stay soft and chewy.
- Combine cooled granola with fresh fruit or fresh berries and Greek yogurt to make a yogurt parfait (my favorite for a healthy breakfast!).
- To store, add granola to an airtight container, bag or mason jar for up to 1 month at room temperature or store frozen up to 2 months.
More healthy snack ideas include: Honey nut cheerios peanut butter bars, baked oatmeal, or kale smoothie.
More Snack Recipes
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Homemade Granola
Video
Ingredients
- 5 cups rolled old fashioned oats
- ⅔ cup melted coconut oil , or canola oil
- ½ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup coconut
- ½ cup chopped nuts (I prefer a mix of cashews, almonds or pecans)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Optional mix in's: Additional nuts, seeds or craisins (I love adding in 1/2 cup golden berry blend from TJ)
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line or grease a 15×18 jelly roll pan and set aside.
- Combine. Mix 5 cups old-fashioned oats, melted coconut oil, honey, vanilla extract, salt, brown sugar, coconut, nuts and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir until combined. Spread granola mixture out evenly onto a greased jelly roll pan.
- Bake. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Put back in the oven for 7-10 more minutes or until it reaches desired crunchiness. It will harden more as it cools, so be careful not to burn. Remove from oven, stir and let cool.
- Store. Store granola in an airtight container.
Notes
- chocolate chips (wait to add until after baking)
- chopped dried fruit
- extra nuts such as macadmia nuts or walnuts
- chia seeds, cinnamon
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Breakfast, Dairy-Free, Meal Prep, Snacks, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Just made this stuff! Delicious!! I did cook it at 325 second time around so it was more crisp!
This is in my oven right now! It was the only recipe I found with ingredients I actually had on hand :) I’m so excited to try it.
Awesome! Let me know how you like it. :)
Love this. Looks so simple and easy…but yummy. I’ve been looking for a great granola recipe to go with my morning yogurt…think I found it! *PINNED*
This granola recipe is great! I think I will add this to the menu of my Health & Fitness Vacation I am hosting this Nov. in St. Augustine, FL! Take a look!
This makes a great breakfast. Sounds like a fun vacation! :)
Thank you for this simple recipe for granola – I always hesitate to make the more involved ones as they require so many ingredients and money. This is a keeper.
this sounds similar to what I have made in the past. I used to put crushed up flax seed in just for added bonus :)
Mmm, been dying to make granola lately…totally keeping this recipe!
This is a yummy and simple granola recipe, so I’ll have to try it. I like to put granola with my yogurt and blueberries!
That looks wonderful!! I love making granola too, so good and healthy, plus you know exactly what you put in it!!!
Thanks Maria! I love homemade granola too! Have a good weekend! xo
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I love granola and have been contemplating trying to make my own for some time now. I even bought old fashioned oats the other day just to be ready. I am so excited now! Thanks again!
Oh yay! You’ll have to let me know how you like it. Have a good weekend! xo
Thanks for this. I was just thinking today that I need to get on Pinterest to find me a good homemade granola recipe. So yummy!
Jamielyn! I love this recipe! Thank you
Thanks for sharing! SO good!
YUMMY!!! Thank you for posting.
I love homemade granola and i shall be making some more real soon, like you it beats boring cereal for breakfast. Nearly got watery eyed reading your post. Keep well x
YUMMY! I love granola! One of my favorite kinds of granola is pumpkin granola made with pumpkin pie spice. I could eat it all day, every day. LOL!
I want the recipe, too! Looks yummy!
Did I miss the recipe? HELP!