This homemade granola recipe is easy! Combine rolled oats, a sweetener, oil, and your favorite mix-ins for a healthy whole-grain breakfast or snack. Then bake until crispy clusters form. That’s it!
Recipe Science
- The sugar in the maple syrup caramelizes with deep candied flavors, creating that sought-out crunch as the granola cools.
- Press the oat mixture firmly together on the pan for larger clusters. Avoid stirring the granola to maintain clusters.
- Let the granola cool completely for crispness. The residual heat drives off moisture while the concentrated sugar solids harden.
Jump To a Section
Featured Comment 28
“Yummy and so easy to throw together. I’ve been wasting money on bad tasting store-bought granola. Not anymore!”—Sandy
Why It Works
I love having a stash of granola to grab as a snack. Store-bought versions may be convenient but often pricey for the amount in the bag. The ingredients you need are all shelf-stable, so loading up on oats, sweetener, and oil in bulk allows you to make large batches of granola at home anytime. You’ll get way more yield for your hard-earned dollar.
This baked method does not involve stirring. Combine the ingredients, press them into a sheet pan, and let the oven do its magic. I use whole almonds, sweet cranberries, and salty roasted pepitas for various textures and tastes. Once you learn the base ratio of essential ingredients, you can customize the recipe any way you like.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sweetener: Coating the oats with maple syrup makes for a naturally sweetened granola and adds crispness. I like maple for its deep molasses notes. The sugar solids remain as the water in the sweetener gets driven off in the hot oven.
- Flavoring: Warm spices like ground cinnamon and nutmeg boost the aroma, while salt enhances the oats’ neutral taste.
- Oil: Fat is needed to ensure the granola becomes crispy but not dry, brittle, or burnt. My top pick is avocado oil, which has a high smoke point and neutral flavor.
- Oats: Rolled oats are ideal for granola because their flat, uniform shape ensures even toasting, creating a consistent texture. Rolled oats don’t get immediately soggy when added to milk or yogurt.
- Mix-ins: To add interesting flavor and texture, add whole almonds, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), or dried cranberries.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This homemade granola recipe is easy to customize! Try these tasty options:
- Nuts: Almonds (raw, roasted, sliced, slivered), pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, pistachios, unsweetened coconut flakes (toasted is delicious!). Use 1 to 1 ½ cups total of any combination. You can even add peanut butter or almond butter.
- Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, curry powder, turmeric, black pepper, or chili powder. Use ½ to 1 teaspoon of the spice mix.
- Seeds: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds. Use ½ cup of the bulkier seeds and 1 to 4 tablespoons of flax or chia.
- Dried fruit: Dried cherries, raisins, apricot, pineapple, papaya, banana chips. Use ½ to 1 cup of dried fruit.
- Chocolate: Chocolate chips (Dark, bittersweet, semi-sweet, white, mini chips), cocoa nibs, or cocoa powder. Use about ¼ to ½ cup chips and nibs and ¼ to ⅓ cup powder.
- Sweetener Swaps: The type you choose is based on your flavor preference. Try honey, brown sugar, granulated sugar, or coconut sugar.
- Flavoring: Try ginger, cardamom, allspice, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice. Add vanilla extract, bourbon, or other liqueurs to flavor the granola.
- Fat: Any type of cooking oil that’s neutral-tasting can be selected with a moderate smoke point above 325ºF. Try melted coconut oil, light olive oil, and vegetable oil. If you enjoy the taste of butter, use clarified butter or ghee. The milk solids in the butter will potentially burn when making granola.
- Oats: Use gluten-free roll oats for dietary restrictions.
How to Make Homemade Granola
Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Position the oven rack in the upper-middle slot to promote even heat distribution. Preheat to 325ºF (163ºC) for slow caramelization and crisping without burning. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure easy cleanup.
Step 2: Whisk the Sweetener and Spices
Mix maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to distribute the spices evenly. Gradually add the oil and whisk until emulsified, creating a slightly thickened mixture that will coat the oats.
Experimentation Encouraged: To increase the base sweetness level, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, granulated sugar, or coconut sugar to the mix.
Step 3: Add the Oats and Nuts
Add the rolled oats, almonds, and pepitas to the bowl, stirring thoroughly to ensure the dry ingredients are evenly coated with the wet ingredients. This step is crucial for achieving uniform flavor distribution and promoting even toasting during baking.
Step 4: Spread onto Baking Sheet
Making homemade granola allows you to control the size and shape of the oat clusters. Compressing the oats on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, similar to making granola bars, makes the grains pack closer and stick together with the sugar in the maple syrup.
Step 5: Bake the Granola
Bake the granola until golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the sheet pan halfway through to ensure even toasting. When finished, it should feel dry to the touch but will not be fully crisp until it cools. As the granola rests, residual heat from the pan evaporates moisture, enhancing its crunch and final texture.
Expert Tip: Do not stir during baking unless you want the mixture to be more separate and pourable.
Step 6: Let it Cool
Place the tray on a wire rack to help circulate air under and around so the oats can gradually cool completely at room temperature. After about an hour, they’ll become super crunchy. Patience is important!
Step 7: Finish and Store
Wait until the granola cools before breaking it apart so the sugars can bind, harden, and hold the oats together. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. It’s perfect for sprinkling on yogurt and served with fresh fruit.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend that the only type of oats that should be used for granola is old-fashioned rolled oats. There are instant and quick-cooking options, but when mixed with liquid, they hydrate too much and can become mushy if not baked immediately.
Sweeteners like maple syrup or honey make granola stick together. For tackiness, you can also use egg whites or nut butter.
Granola may not turn out crunchy if there’s too much moisture or the oven temperature is too high. Excess moisture from ingredients like honey or maple syrup creates steam, softening the oats instead of crisping them. Baking at a high temperature can cause the granola to brown quickly on the outside while remaining soft in the center. To fix this, bake at a lower temperature, 325°F, for a longer time. Cool completely before storing—the sugar hardens and crisps up.
The only ingredients to make granola are old-fashioned rolled oats, a sweetener, and some oil or fat. I like to follow a ratio of 5 cups oats, ½ cup sweetener, and ½ cup oil for the base. Keeping the balance of 1 part sweetener to 1 part oil allows you to scale the recipe up or down. Make sure there’s enough to coat the oats and add-ins.
Serve This With
If you tried this Homemade Granola, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Homemade Granola
Ingredients
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups almonds, raw or roasted
- ½ cup roasted pepitas, (roasted pumpkin seeds)
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven – Set the oven rack to the upper-middle position. Preheat to 325ºF (163ºC). Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk the Sweetener and Spices – In a large bowl, whisk together maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the oil and whisk together until combined and slightly thickened.
- Add the Oats and Nuts – Add the rolled oats, almonds, and pepitas, and stir to thoroughly coat the dried ingredients with the maple syrup mixture.
- Spread onto Baking Sheet – Evenly spread the granola mixture onto the sheet pan. Use the bottom of a spatula to firmly press down on the mixture until the layer is about ½-inch thick. This will create granola clusters after baking and cooling.
- Bake the Granola – Bake until golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the sheet pan halfway through. The granola should feel dry but won't be completely crunchy when removed from the oven.
- Let it Cool – Place the sheet pan on a wire cooling rack. Allow it to cool completely, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The granola will dry and harden during this time.
- Finish and Store – Break the granola into clusters, then add in dried cranberries, and stir to combine. Transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Recipe Yield: 9 cups
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Storing: Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 1 month.
- Oil Substitute: Coconut oil, light olive oil, or vegetable oil can be substituted for avocado oil.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
c says
good
Sarah says
Should have checked, 40 minutes was too long and my almonds burnt. Otherwise tastes great. Will only do 30 mins next time
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks for your feedback, Sarah! Feel free to adjust the baking time as needed for your oven.