This Easy Homemade Granola recipe is made with oats, nuts, fruit, coconut oil and sweetened with honey or maple syrup. It makes the perfect after school snack and works perfectly as cereal. You can also use it as a topping for yogurt, ice cream and more! Truly versatile and delicious! Love oats? Me too! Try this Pear Ginger Cinnamon Oat Smoothie, Breakfast Cookies and Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Pie Oatmeal!Â
Homemade Granola
You guys, homemade granola is about as easy as it gets and the variations and options are endless. Truly. My 10 year old can make this. I’m confident you can too ?
If you’ve ever thought about making granola at home, this is the recipe for you!
If you’ve ever bought store bought granola and had a little sticker shock, this granola recipe is for you!
Why Should I Make My Own?
If you’ve never made your own granola before, you’re in for a treat today! Granola is one of the easiest things to make and the possible variations are endless. If you’ve ever made homemade granola bars before, the ingredients will look and sound familiar. If you prefer to make granola bars instead of this granola recipe, check out these favorites:
- Monster Trail Mix Granola Bars (No-Bake)
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- Mocha No Bake Granola Bars
- Cherry Almond Granola Bars
Today I’m sharing a Cranberry Almond Granola that my family adores. It is crunchy and sweet and we put it on almost everything including yogurt and ice cream.
It’s a great snack on it’s own and can be a tasty granola cereal in the mornings. The granola is sweetened with honey and brown sugar and spiced slightly with cinnamon – it’s divine!
It takes all of 5 minutes to throw together and then a little bit of time in the oven. Hardly any work at all and you’ve got this gorgeousness on your hands!
Homemade Granola Ingredients
This recipe is a starting point. A jumping off point. A starter recipe that I encourage you to play with and adjust and customize with your favorites.
So, here are the basic ingredients that you’re going to need and we’ll talk more in a minute about how to customize the granola.
- old fashioned oats – not quick oats, they won’t give you the right texture
- sliced almonds – or any other nuts you prefer (pecans, walnuts, etc.) You can also add seeds such as sunflower and pepitas
- honey or real maple syrup – these natural sweeteners will add a lovely, light sweetness to the recipe
- brown sugar – just the smallest amount! The molasses flavor from the brown sugar adds SO much to the recipe
- coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil – using unrefined oils is essential in this healthy granola recipe
- cinnamon – for a touch of warmth and it goes so well with the oats (think oatmeal cookies!)
- salt – yep, salt! Super necessary for bringing out the flavor of the rest of the ingredients so don’t omit!
- dried cranberries or other dried fruit – raisins, apricots, cherries, etc. Pick your favorite!
- shredded coconut
How To Make Granola
Granola is one of my favorite “quick” recipes. No special tools required. You just need a bowl and a sheet pan (rimmed preferably).
- Start by combing the oats, almonds and coconut in bowl. Give them a good stir.
- Next, combine the honey, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon and salt. Microwave for a few seconds to get the honey (or maple syrup if that’s what your using) warm so it distributes more evenly with the rest of the ingredients. It’s this combination that will create that lovely sweet crunch.
- Combine the oat mixture with the honey mixture and spread on a baking sheet.
- Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want it to “clump up” somewhat but not too much.
- Let the granola cool completely before stirring in the dried cranberries or other dried fruit.
- Store in an airtight container.
What Substitutions Can I Make?
This healthy granola recipe is a great starting point for designing your own granola recipe. If you’re not a fan of almonds, feel free to substitute in your favorite nut. Don’t like cranberries? No worries! Any dried fruit will work and if you’re not excited by dried fruit, you can omit entirely.
A quick way to turn this healthy snack into a decadent treat is to omit the cranberries and stir in some mini chocolate chips and small candies like M&M’s. Yum!
Here are some substitution ideas:
- Maple syrup and honey are interchangeable. Use your favorite or what you have on hand.
- Almonds can be swapped out for any other nuts or seeds: pecans, walnuts, pistachios, pepitas, sunflower seeds, etc.
- Dried cranberries can be replaced with other dried fruit: cherries, apricots, raisins, etc.
- Coconut oil is my oil of choice but extra virgin olive oil works just as well.
- Cinnamon and coconut can be omitted from the recipe if you prefer.
I truly hope you give this granola recipe a try. Once you’ve made your own homemade granola, you’ll never go back to store-bought again. Enjoy!
More Yummy Snack Ideas
- Blueberry Pistachio Oatmeal Cookies
- Breakfast Trail Mix
- Zucchini Spice Cake
- Dark Chocolate Toffee Almond Clusters
- Zucchini Banana Cake
How To Make Granola
Easy Homemade Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats not quick oats
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup sliced almonds or any other nut you prefer (pecans, walnuts, etc.)
- 3 tbsp honey or real maple syrup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup dried cranberries or other dried fruit (raisins, apricots, cherries, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Combine the oats, shredded coconut, and almonds in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine the honey, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, and salt.
- Microwave on high heat for 30 seconds. Stir to combine.
- Add honey mixture to the oat mixture and stir to combine. You may need to use your hands to evenly distribute.
- Spread on prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or golden brown, stirring every 7 to 8 minutes.
- Let the granola cool completely, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in dried cranberries.
- Store granola in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks
Nutrition
Love granola? Try this Chunky Monkey Granola!
For all appetizer recipes, go HERE.
For all dessert recipes, go HERE.
Sign up to get emails when I post new recipes!
For even more great ideas follow me on Facebook – Pinterest – Instagram – Twitter – Bloglovin’.
Lourdes says
If I wasn’t for the quarantine situation, I don’t think I’ll ever had tried making homemade granola! I customized it to the ingredients I had at hand: omitted the shredded coconut, used EVOO instead of coconut oil, finely diced dried fruits instead of cranberries, and chopped almonds and pistachoes instead of sliced almonds! And it was so worth it! Thank you for providing such an easy guide! And you were right: once you’ve made your own homemade granola, you’ll never go back to store-bought again!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Isn’t it fantastic? And so darn easy!