How to make the best granola following a simple formula with endless variations. Perfect for customizing to your flavor, texture, and dietary requirements and enjoying with yogurt, fruit, smoothies, and more!
Preheat the oven to 385ºC/195ºC (or to 350ºF/175ºC fan-assisted).Roughly chop the nuts and blend 1/3 of the rolled oats into a floury consistency.
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.I added the dried fruit as well this time. However, you may prefer to mix that in after the granola has baked and cooled to avoid it burning or becoming too dry/chewy.
Melt the coconut oil and combine it with maple syrup and vanilla extract.Then pour that over the dry ingredients. Mix well!
Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Add the granola mixture to the prepared baking sheet, pressing it down well into an even layer.This is important to create an even layer but also helps form granola clumps/ clusters.
Bake the homemade granola in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring it halfway. Then, remove the tray from the oven and allow it to cool completely before gently breaking it into clumps (this will happen fairly naturally).
How to Store Homemade Granola
Room temp/fridge: Store the healthy granola in an airtight container (like a jar or Ziplock bag) for up to a month at room temperature or slightly longer in the fridge.Freezer: Ensure the granola is entirely cool and in an airtight container (to avoid moisture), then freeze for 3-4 months. It only takes a few minutes to thaw before it's ready to use again.
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Notes
Don't under or overcrowd the pan: The granola mixture needs to be crowded to form clumps, but not too much that they don’t toast evenly/become crunchy evenly.
For maximum granola clusters: Press down on the granola mixture with a spatula after stirring it while it bakes. The more you stir, the smaller the clusters.
Be careful not to overbake it: It should be slightly golden on top and may not even look ready. However, it will continue to firm up and become crunchier as it cools.
Allow it to cool completely: Always allow the homemade granola to cool entirely before breaking it into smaller clumps, so it’s sturdy and won’t fall apart. This can take several hours (or even overnight).
Granola variations: there are plenty of other ingredients you could add to the easy granola recipe to make it your own.
Nuts (or seeds): most nuts will work (cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, etc.). For nut-free granola, you could use seeds instead, like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, or an omega seed combination.