There's a lot to love about this homemade granola recipe. It's easy to make, it's healthy, it's delicious, and it will make your kitchen smell amazing!
If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent hours in the granola aisle at the grocery store, trying to find just the right kind. You know the one – it has lots of fun mix-ins like nuts and dried fruit, it’s sweet, but not too sweet, it’s spiced with cinnamon, and it’s filled with big clusters of oats and nuts. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve come to realize that it’s nearly impossible to find the perfect granola at the store.
Enter: my homemade granola recipe! Instead of using white or brown sugar, I sweeten it naturally with a modest amount of maple syrup, so it’s just the right amount of sweet. I spice it generously with cinnamon, and I add a scoop of almond butter to form lots of nutty clusters. It’s also customizable, a yummy template for whatever dried fruits and nuts I (or you) might be craving.
But best of all, it’s easy to make! Just stir together the dry ingredients, drizzle in the wet ingredients, and mix it all together. Bake for 30 minutes, and it’s ready to go. Healthy, simple, and totally delicious, this recipe is guaranteed to make you a homemade granola convert!
Granola Recipe Ingredients (+Variations!)
My healthy granola recipe starts with four basic ingredients: whole rolled oats, maple syrup, cinnamon, and coconut oil. Then, I add these mix-ins for extra flavor and texture:
- Almond butter – The key ingredient for creating delicious nutty clusters! Plus, it packs this granola recipe with protein.
- Chopped walnuts – They add crunch, protein, and healthy fats! Walnuts are my go-to here, but I often swap them for another nut or seed or use a mix. Chopped or slivered almonds, pecans, pistachios, cashews, and sunflower seeds are some of my favorites.
- Unsweetened coconut flakes – If you’re not a coconut person, feel free to leave these out, but I love their toasty, buttery flavor and crispy texture in this recipe.
- Dried cranberries – For a pop of sweetness and yummy chewy texture! I’m a cranberry fan, but goji berries, raisins, chopped dried apricots, dried currants, tart cherries, and blueberries would all be great. And if you prefer your granola without dried fruit, go ahead and skip it!
Let me know what variations you try!
Homemade Granola Tips
- More nutty clusters = better granola. Big clusters of oats and nuts are hands down the best part of granola. To encourage these clumps to form, press the oats mixture into a 1-inch thick oval for the first 15 minutes of baking. Then, remove the pan from the oven and use a fork to gently break the oval apart. Bake for 15 minutes more, and you’ll end up with lots of delicious clusters!
- Let it cool before diving in. Your homemade granola will continue to crisp up as it cools. It’s tempting to start eating it as soon as it comes out of the oven, but if you let it rest for 15 minutes on the sheet pan, it’ll be extra crisp and toasty – totally worth the wait!
- Add the dried fruit at the end. You don’t want to run the risk of burning your dried fruit in the oven, so stir it into the granola after it cools. That way, you know any dried fruit you add will be soft and chewy, not crisp. (P.S. It doesn’t hurt to add a handful of chocolate chips at this stage, either!)
Store your granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Enjoy it on its own as a snack, add it to a yogurt parfait, or eat it like cereal with a splash of milk! I love granola with my homemade maple vanilla oat milk.
More Favorite Breakfast Recipes
If you love this homemade granola recipe, find more healthy breakfast ideas here and more brunch ideas here. Then, try making one of these oat-y breakfasts next:
Homemade Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, (or almonds, or a mix of both)
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes, optional
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons creamy almond butter
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the oats, walnuts, coconut flakes, if using, cinnamon, and salt. Drizzle in the coconut oil and maple syrup and add the almond butter. Stir until combined. Scoop the granola onto the baking sheet and press the mixture into a 1-inch-thick oval. This will encourage clumping.
- Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the pan halfway, and use a fork to gently break the granola apart just a bit. Bake for 15 minutes more, or until golden brown. Sprinkle with dried cranberries, if desired. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
HELLO! may i ask how much is 1/4 cup of maple syrup in grams or ml? Thank u so much!
32 Grams
This is the best granola recipe that I have tried!!!!!!! It’s sweet. It’s salty. It’s crunchy. It’s perfect if you want to add your own twist to it. Love, love, love this! Thank you!
Would sesame oil work?
Hello! I love this recipe! It is the only granola we’re making at home! Just a question, will it be okay if I leave out the peanut butter? Thank you
Hi Klara, I’m glad you love it! The nut butter is what makes it clumpy. It could work without but the bits won’t stick together. I’d also watch it in the oven, you may want to bake it less.
I made this today and OH MY GOD! I’m not sure how I’m going to keep from eating it all tonight. Haha. I used sliced almonds instead of walnuts, and threw in chopped up dates at the end instead of dried fruit. Sooooo good. I’m going to make this all the time. Great, tasty alternative to boring oatmeal every day. Thank you!!
This was so delicious! I used natural peanut butter and added butterscotch chips once the granola was cooled. Giving as holiday gifts. Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe!
I tried this today for the first time and it’s delicious! My husband loves it! I can see so many variations in the future.
Great recipe and super easy! I added flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds and used peanut butter instead of almond.
For a twist in my granola version, I add cardamom and a bit of ground red pepper to taste. It’s zippy!
ooh yum! Delicious sounding combo.
Super easy to make and yummy! I used peanut butter instead of almond butter. The taste reminded me of Elizabeth’s granola, but this is so much cheaper to make!
I’m so glad you loved it!
After trying a bunch of different granola recipes, this one is by far my favorite! I made the first batch out of your cookbook. And now I make this all the time. I made a batch two days ago, and I’m going to have to start hiding it because my husband and I go through is so fast!
I’m so glad you loved it! I have to hide my granola too 🙂
loved it!
Didnt have maple syrup so I used honey and melted it for a bit in the microwage to make it more runny.
Great recipe, maybe would add a tiny bit more honey or maple syrup, but that’s just personal taste.
Hi! Could I sub honey for maple syrup?
yes!!! I did and it worked out just as fine. Just remember to melt down the honey (i put it in the microwave for a tiny bit) so that it gets more of a maple syrup-like consistency. Hope it helps!
I have been making this granola for a couple of weeks now. It’s so much tastier than store-bought varieties and very easy to make! I have tried using different types of nuts and dried fruit—it always comes out perfect! Just made another batch with dried mango and banana chips. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Hi- this granola is amazing. I’ve always wanted to make my own and am really happy I finally did it. I don’t get many crunchy clusters though so I thought maybe need to add more sticky ingredients? Either way, I find it hard to stop eating it
I’m so glad you loved it! When you break it apart in step 3, try to just break it a little bit so that some of the chunks stay together. If it’s not crispy enough, you could bake it a little longer. Or you could try adding a bit more almond butter, but also make sure your nut butter is smooth. Hope that helps!
This was delicious! my first attempt at granola and everyone loved it! I used it to top apple crumble too because I had a bit more than could fit into the jar and it was amazing! Thank you so much!
Made this fabulous easy granola tonight! I love this stuff! Finally, a crunchie granola recipe with chunks that’s not too crunchie. Not too sweet either. I made it exactly per recipe. but the possibilities are endless as you say! I put a small amount in a bowl with almond milk and it is awesome! Thank you!
PS, I rarely buy cookbooks, in fact I really don’t. But since I’ve tried and loved so many recipes on your blog, I ordered both your cookbooks! So glad I did! Your first one arrived but the order was cancelled for Love & Lemons Every Day, not in stock or something. I plan to re-order it. This cookbook is the best I’ve ever seen! I love the layout!! As soon as I opened it, I started reading right from the front cover. Those charts in the back are fantastic! I’m so glad I got it. I’ll write a review on the site that I got the book from. Thank you!!!
Hi Terri,
Oh my gosh, you’re so sweet. I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes (including the granola!). Such a bummer that Every Day didn’t go through – I know you’re going to love it once it’s shipping regularly again :). Thank you for taking time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! xoxo
Super good! I added some pumpkin seeds and it was fabulous!
Hi Julia, I’m so glad you loved it!
I did too 😋
Could u use peanut butter
yep, you can, just make sure it’s kind of smooth (and not super chunky), otherwise mix it with the coconut oil, before combining.
Can I se olive oil instead of coconut oil?
yep! I use olive oil all the time.