Homemade Granola

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!

Best granola

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!

Oats, nuts, coconut, and cinnamon in a bowl

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!

How to make granola

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!)

Homemade granola recipe

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.

Homemade granola

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:

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Homemade Granola

rate this recipe:
4.95 from 231 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
Love granola? Learn how to make your own! Feel free to customize this recipe with your favorite nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.

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.

 

205 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Naomi Paula Lichtner
    12.06.2021

    I just the recipe in half because I didn’t have that itch oats. Like all my other grandiose attempts, it didn’t really stick together…it’s just like warmed up dry oats…:/ do we need to add more fat to make it stick?

  2. Angie
    12.02.2021

    5 stars
    This is now my go-to granola recipe. I’ve made it several times and it always comes out perfectly! Easy to customize with different nuts, nut butters, dried fruit, etc.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.02.2021

      I’m so glad you’ve loved it so much!

  3. Robert Thornburg
    11.30.2021

    4 stars
    I just tried this recipe and was quite pleased with the almond butter. The granola tasted great but was not as crunchy as I would like. Guess I’ll need to keep it in a little bit longer

  4. Eshara Neermul
    11.23.2021

    5 stars
    I would love to make these recipes they look and sound delicious

  5. Kristen
    11.21.2021

    I’m not normally one to post comments, but I felt I had to say that this is hands down the best granola recipe I’ve ever tried!!!! Never trying another one again. I used peanut butter instead of almond, and avocado oil instead of coconut oil, but still so so good!

  6. Brandy
    11.12.2021

    5 stars
    Sooooo much better than the store-bought granola!

  7. Cyndi
    11.11.2021

    I can’t wait to try this!

  8. Melissa
    10.20.2021

    5 stars
    Great recipe! I omitted the almond butter. And used whole almonds instead of walnuts! Yummy!!

  9. Jen
    10.17.2021

    5 stars
    So yummy! I added pepitas, chia seeds, macadamias and almonds, sooo much better than store bought snd very easy to make.

  10. Sweet Tea
    09.21.2021

    5 stars
    Great base recipe! We have made it various ways … all good. The one our family and friends request the most is when we add peanut butter, honey, maple syrup heat wet ingredients in microwave for 20 seconds, stir well and pour over the dry. Just perfect!

  11. Jacquie
    09.01.2021

    Wondering if anyone has tried honey instead of maple syrup?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.03.2021

      Hi Jacquie, I think it might just get more sticky in the oven.

    • Sara
      09.19.2021

      5 stars
      I’ve made this both as written and substituting 1/4c honey for the recipe. While both are great I liked it with the honey and had more clusters that way. I prefer more clusters.

  12. Carla
    08.11.2021

    Hi there, does peanut butter work as an almond butter substitute?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.12.2021

      yes, I think natural peanut butter would be fine.

  13. Jo
    06.25.2021

    5 stars
    This turned out amazing!! I used mixed nuts and added chocolate chips at the end and super tasty!

  14. Ana
    05.31.2021

    5 stars
    That recipe is awesome 🤩

  15. Mike Hawk
    05.04.2021

    5 stars
    Recipe was great kind of did my own thing but the inspiration form ingrediants used came from here.
    PS. Read my name out loud luv 😉

  16. Ciera F.
    04.15.2021

    This was the best granola I’ve ever made HANDS DOWN!! Others I’ve made tasted burned, too salty or too oily! I love the tip to make clusters too! Makes it like true granola. It’ll be my new go to recipe for sure! I threw in the coconut at the end to toast for 5 minutes to make sure they didn’t burn but everything else was perfect!

  17. Dandy Babb
    04.13.2021

    Nutrition facts?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.14.2021

      I’m sorry, we don’t calculate nutrition facts.

  18. Lisa C Covert
    04.01.2021

    5 stars
    Love this Recipe!! Thanks So Much for an Easy & Delicious flexible recipe!! I read all the comments & saw that y’all said to add more almond butter to achieve a dryer, crunchier texture. I did. We love it with my yogurt Parfaits & love eating it on its own! Next time I’ll omit sea salt bcuz my almond butter was salty enuf.. Look forward to making again!

  19. Sylvia
    03.19.2021

    5 stars
    When it first came out of the oven I thought it was going to be limp. I left it in the pan and left the room. A little later I heard my husband saying, “OMG this is the best granola you have ever made.” It was full of wonderful clumps, crisp, and outrageously delicious. It is the best I have made or purchased. I recommend a Danish whisk for mixing it. Thank you for the brilliant idea of using almond butter.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.19.2021

      Hi Sylvia, I’m so glad you loved it!

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.