Recipe For Homemade Granola
This recipe for homemade granola is easy to make, mildly sweetened, and totally delicious with any additions you’d like to add.
I have to be honest. I’ve never much cared for store-bought granola. It’s too sickeningly sweet for me, and the flavor is usually blah. I like to be in more control over how sweet my breakfast is, as well as the level of flavor.
This recipe specifically addresses those issues. It’s a very versatile recipe that allows you to be in control over what your morning granola ends up tasting like.
About This Granola Recipe
- Mildly sweet – This is purposely under-sweetened. I like this because then I can adjust the final sweetness when I add sweetener to my morning bowl of granola.
- Basic spices – This recipe calls for cinnamon and nothing more. Use this to your advantage. You can double up on the cinnamon for a true cinnamon flavor, or you can add additional spices (see list below), in addition to the cinnamon called for in the recipe. This will really round out the spices.
- Additions – This recipe calls for (optional) walnuts. However, you can omit them or opt to use something else (see list below).
Granola Additions
Nuts
- Cashews
- Almonds
- Pecans
- Peanuts
Dried Fruits
(added for baking with the oats)
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries
- Dried Acai berries
Spices
(added for baking with the oats)
- Gingerbread spice
- Apple pie spice
- Pumpkin pie spice
Other Additions
- Coconut shreds (added for baking with the oats)
- Dark chocolate chips (add after baking and cooling completely.)
- Any fresh fruit (add after baking and cooling completely.)
Tips For Making The Best Homemade Granola
- Watch your first batch carefully. Every oven bakes differently. You may need more or less baking time.
- Keep the temperature low. It’s tempting to raise the temperature to bake it faster, but don’t. Granola needs to essentially dry out. This means baking it low and slow.
- Any nuts you use should be raw. Using roasted nuts will leave you with little pieces of charcoal in your finished granola.
- Stir, stir, stir! It’s important to stir your granola every 10-15 minutes during baking. This is a not something you can walk away from. Set your timer to remind you. Forgetting to stir will leave you with burned granola.
Why Is My Homemade Granola Not Crunchy?
If you have finished your granola and it still feels soft instead of crunchy, you haven’t baked it long enough. Remember, making granola is essentially a process of drying it out in the oven.
Can You Freeze Granola?
Yes! However, you need to store it in an air-tight, freezer-safe container. Keep this in the freezer for no longer than 3 months.
How Long Will Homemade Granola Last?
While store-bought granolas can last on your pantry shelf for a long while, homemade granola is a little different.
This particular recipe is best kept in the fridge and will last for about a week.
Is Homemade Granola Bad For You?
As with most things, granola can be healthy or unhealthy, depending on how you make it. It’s pretty safe to say that this particular recipe is pretty darn healthy as far as granola goes.
However, healthy is a subjective term. If you eat low carb, you probably wouldn’t consider this healthy on any level. So your particular style of eating will dictate whether this is healthy for you or not.
Is It Cheaper To Make Your Own Granola?
In most cases, yes! Unless you get a great price on store-bought granola, homemade is most often cheaper.
What You’ll Need For This Recipe For Homemade Granola
Traditional oats – Do not use quick oats or steel-cut oats. Traditional ( or old fashion) oats are the only oats that will work here.
Walnuts – These are optional and can be omitted or substituted with something else. See the list above.
Unsweetened apple sauce – Don’t use sweetened apple sauce or your oats will end up too sweet. And if you eat clean, the added sugar won’t work.
Honey – You can use maple syrup as well. But the finished granola will be less sweet. Honey adds a bit more sweetness to the finished granola.
Ground cinnamon – You can omit this if you wish, but if it’s a different flavor you’re after, it’s better to add other spices in addition to this cinnamon.
How Do You Make Granola From Scratch?
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Put all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Spread over a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes so it doesn’t burn. Baking times may vary by oven.
Allow to cool before serving. It will harden more as it cools.
Transfer to a storage container and keep it in the fridge.
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Ingredients
- 3 cups traditional oats (old fashioned)
- ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional, but tasty)
- ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Put all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Spread over a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes so it doesn't burn. Baking times may vary by oven.
- Allow to cool before serving. It will harden more as it cools.
- Transfer to a storage container and keep in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted 5/13/10.
at what temp do you bake it at? i have a bad habit of burning granola 😉
Hi Christina!
Sorry, I guess I better updat the recipe with the oven temp, eh?
I did it at 350 degrees F., but you can go as low as 300, you just have to bake it longer.
Let me know how it works out for you!
Just wondering what kind of grains I can use, besides the oatmeal. I have some quinoa, millet, steel-cut oats, Red River cereal – would love to use these but don’t know if they would end up being too crunchy and hard on the teeth. What are your thoughts?
Chrystal – Not sure what Red River has in it, but most of the ones you mentioned seem like they may be a bit to hard on the teeth. You can always try a small amount the next time you bake something just to see how they turn out. Sorry, wish I could be more help on that one. Maybe somebody else here will know?
Just made it and it tastes great! How long will it keep and could I add raisins?
Linda – It’s never lasted long enough for me to figure out an exact time, but I’d say no more than 4 weeks. I would last longer if you keep it in the freezer. You could certainly add raisins, but I would do so after everything has been made and cooled.
Just made this delicious recipe! It was wonderful, and will be a fantastic, healthy and easy option to take to university with me for between classes! I just retweeted this link to my followers as well. Keep up the great work! I look forward to trying out more of your recipes.
Byr – Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! And thanks for the tweet!
I LOVE this. We just made it and it’s almost all eaten. So good!! I’ve never seen a granola recipe without oil. FAB.
Meredith – So happy you like it!
I am so excited about this recipe! I want to make Granola Bread but the recipe in the book is filled with stuff I don’t want to eat! This looks SO easy, I’m off to make it right now!
Tracee – That’s wonderful! Let me know how you like it!
Do you store it air tight and in the fridge?
Connie – That’s probably the best way, yes. Enjoy!
on this recipe is it quick oats or regular oats?
Yvette – I believe they were the 3 minute variety.
So nice, I’ve made this twice! I love that there are a hundred ways to customize this. I made the original recipe first. Very good! Next time, I omitted the walnuts and made it with almonds, dried cherries and a 1/2 tsp of almond extract. Also yummy! Can’t wait to taste what’s next!
Thank you for all your hard work on these fabulous recipes, Tiffany. 🙂
I made this today and it was tasty! I wanted to make a healthy granola to mix with greek yogurt and blueberries and this was perfect. I had two kids try it and they said it tasted healthy with funny faces and then they kept taking handfuls as they walked by. I really liked it and sent the recipe to my trainer which is saying a lot!
Nikki – LOL!!! I love it when kids to that. Heck, I love it when anybody does that! LOL!!
Bette – Haha!! Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying the granola! I really need to do a few more recipes. I love granola too!
FSU – That’s wonderful! I’m honored!
Nicole – What a great idea to keep it in the freezer!
Ashley – I would purchase an oven thermometer (about $5) to keep in your oven. Sounds like your oven may be having some issues. The thermometer will tell you if the oven is really at the temp it says it is. I would turn the heat down and just cook longer. You may not have cooked it long enough at the lower temp to cook out the moisture.
This looks like a great, easy recipe! I have seen other recipes and wanted to try making it but never have. I am with you on the never being a big fan of granola thing but have recently started to enjoy with fruit and yogurt as breakfast or dessert. Also, thank you for posting all the nutrition info! That is the one thing that drives me crazy about blog recipes is that you never have the stats which is something I always look for (I’m working on becoming an RD). I’m going to have to bookmark your blog now!
Diana – I hope you’ll give this one a try. It really is very easy to make. Enjoy!
I do not see nutrition info, Where is it located?
Shirley – You would have to enter the recipe into an online recipe calculator. MyFitnessPal.com makes it super easy to do that.
I was craving cereal and milk (something I don’t have hardly at all anymore–not many clean ones out there!), so I gave this a go. I couldn’t wait for it to cool down all the way, so I ended up with cereal and WARM milk! I didn’t care–it was just what I was needing!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
You can leave it out if you choose. You don’t have to add it.
Hello, I love this recipe, but I don’t have an oven? Could I make this on the stovetop with successful results? Could you please help?
I’m not sure this can be done without an oven. Sorry!
I love making red river cereal and letting the kids snack on it, especially during the fall. I grew up with my mother making us homemade granola and I will pass it on to my kids. It brings back some great memories.
That’s what I love most about the kitchen. The memories. 🙂
Sounds wonderful! 🙂