There’s nothing quite like the spiced crunch of a great granola recipe. The sweetness of the oats, the lightly fruity notes of hidden coconut, the gems of sweet raisin or cranberry…it’s both cozy and fresh, all once. Of course, the store-bought stuff can’t compare to homemade. Here’s our favorite homemade granola recipe: it’s sweet, perfectly spiced and ultra crispy, baked a low temperature until it’s got just the right fluffy texture. Want a quick granola? Go to Peanut Butter Granola instead. Want a healthy granola? Go to Healthy Granola.
Ingredients in homemade granola
Sure, you can put just about anything in homemade granola. (And we’ll get to the variations. Trust us!) But we wanted to make ultra crispy granola: the kind that tastes luxuriously light and crunchy. Here’s what we found was the best combination of ingredients and flavors:
Neutral oil (or olive oil)Maple syrup (or honey)Peanut butter (or any nut butter; use sunflower butter or tahini for nut free)Brown sugarVanillaCinnamonOld Fashioned rolled oatsSlivered almondsShredded coconut (unsweetened)Raisins
Not a coconut fan? The coconut is barely perceptible here: it just adds a nice nuance to the background flavor. We recommend giving it a try! (We tested without it and it wasn’t nearly as tasty.)
How to make granola
Many granola recipes use an oven heat you’d use for baking cakes or cookies: around 350 degrees Fahrenheit. But the crispiest homemade granola recipe is baked at low heat for longer. Here’s how we make ours (or jump to the recipe below):
Preheat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Low oven temp makes extra crispy granola.Mix the wet ingredients, then the dries. Mix until fully combined. (See below for the ingredient list!)Bake 1 ½ hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet and give a little stir at 30 minutes and 1 hour. Cool completely! This is the important part. This extra step dries out the granola and takes it from damp to crispy. Don’t skip this!
Flavor variations & alternate methods
There are a few other ways to make homemade granola: and of course, you can swap in all sorts of ingredients for the nuts and fruit! Here are a few ideas for other methods and additional flavor combinations:
Quick, clumpy granola: Try this Peanut Butter Granola if you’re into bigger clumps; it bakes in 20 minutesHealthy granola: Want a healthier option? Try Healthy Maple Pecan Granola.Dried fruits can stand in for raisins, like cranberries, cherries, apricots, blueberries, and so forth (you can also add additional fruit)Other nuts like pecans, sliced almonds, hazelnuts, or cashews work wellSeeds like pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or chia seeds also workChocolate chips are a great addition!
Homemade granola storage
How long can you store homemade granola? First, make sure it’s cooled fully before you store it. You’ll want at least 45 minutes once it’s out of the oven. Then place it in a jar and store for up to 1 month. However, you’ll likely eat it much faster than that!
Ways to serve homemade granola
There are so many ways to serve granola: most of which you already know! But here are a few fun ways:
Yogurt parfait: Layer it with Greek yogurt and berries in a Yogurt ParfaitSmoothie bowls: Sprinkle it on an Acai Bowl or Easy Smoothie BowlProtein bowls: Add it to post-workout Protein Bowls or Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowls
More granola recipes
Once you’ve made homemade granola…you’ve got to try granola bars! These aren’t made with granola, by the way: so you can skip making this recipe first. Here are a few more must-make granola recipes:
Try clumpy Peanut Butter GranolaGo for crunchy Healthy GranolaTry Homemade Granola BarsOpt for Crispy Quinoa Granola
This homemade granola recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free. 5 from 1 review
