This simple granola recipe is the perfect base recipe for a delicious granola. Great on its own, or with nuts or dried fruit mixed in! Enjoy with yogurt, milk, or plain!
When I was in Vienna on my study abroad, my most favorite breakfast was yogurt with muesli on top. Muesli is basically uncooked granola (also known as rolled oats) with lots of fruits and nuts in it. My favorites usually had dried strawberries or banana and chocolate pieces tossed throughout. From there I grew to love the crunchy texture of the cereal on top of my morning yogurt.
Well, fast forward a couple years, and now I love granola on top of my yogurt with some fresh fruit. I also love just grabbing a handful of granola for a great snack on, or eating it like cereal in a bowl with milk.
I decided that it would be easier to make my own granola at home. And this granola recipe could not be any easier! This granola is only 6 ingredients and its so delicious! It’s such a great granola recipe on its own, but its also amazing with dried fruit or nuts added in to the mix.
What type of oats should I use?
For this granola recipe you’ll want to use rolled oats, which are also called old fashioned oats, or whole oats. Rolled oats are pieces of whole grains of oats that are steamed till they’re soft and then pressed to flatten.
Quick oats, or instant oats are precooked and pressed thinner than rolled oats, so you may be able to use them instead, but they will cook much faster because of their thinner shape, so you’ll need to adjust your baking time. I’ve never tried making granola with steel cut oats. There are recipes using steel cut oats and I would recommend using one of those instead as the nature of the oats are a lot different than rolled oats. But if you try it with this recipe, please let me know!
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What can I mix in with the granola?
- Raisins or Craisins
- Other Dried Fruit (dried pineapple, bananas, apricots, blueberries, coconut flakes, cherries, mango, etc)
- Your Favorite Nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc)
- Seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, etc)
- Chocolate or White Chocolate Pieces (Add these after the granola is baked or they will become a melty mess)
This simple granola turned out so delicious. I’m thrilled to be able to eat it on top of my daily yogurt or with milk! I’ve also used it to make homemade granola bars, and yogurt parfaits.
Ps. Nate even loves it too (which is always a good sign!), he was hungry last night and had a bowl of my homemade granola with milk.
How to make homemade granola?
Combine the wet ingredients; brown sugar, honey, and canola oil in a small sauce pan and heat over medium until the sugar is dissolved.
Add the oats to a large bowl, and pour the sugar mixture over the oats. Stir in the cinnamon and salt too until the oats are evenly coated.
Spread the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet pan, or a pan lined in parchment paper in an even layer. Bake it up for 1 hour, stirring about 2 to 3 times until it’s nicely golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the granola cool completely. Then break it into pieces. Enjoy however you want!
Tips and Tricks:
- Try adding melted coconut oil, vegetable oil, or extra virgin olive oil to your granola mixture instead of canola oil. The flavor will be a little different depending on which you add.
- Use real maple syrup instead of honey in the wet ingredients for the sweetener.
- Add in 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the wet ingredients for this granola.
Ways to use homemade granola?
- Eat it instead of breakfast cereal in a small bowl with a little milk.
- Add some nuts, pretzels, dark chocolate chips, dried fruit, or m&ms to the granola after it’s baked and cooled, and enjoy it like trail mix.
- Add some granola crumbled on top of some greek yogurt, or other low-fat yogurt.
- Add a couple tablespoons on top of your favorite ice cream for a nice crunch.
How long does homemade granola last?
Although it never lasts that long for us, this homemade granola should stay fresh in an airtight container or zip-top plastic bag for 3-4 weeks.
This granola can also be frozen in small ziplock freezer safe bags for up to 3 months. Remove as much air from the bags as you can, or use vacuum sealed bags and a vacuum sealer for best results. Let the granola thaw on the counter at room temperature over night before serving.
Looking for more homemade granola recipes:
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Simple Granola
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup canola oil**
- 4 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine brown sugar, honey and canola oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
- Cook, stirring often until sugar is dissolved.
- Pour brown sugar mixture over oats and add cinnamon and salt. Stir until oats are evenly coated.
- Spread granola mixture over a cookie sheet (sprayed with pam) and press mixture down.
- Place in oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before breaking apart and into pieces.
- Store in a ziplock bag or other air tight container.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was first shared on May 24, 2013. Photos and text updated on August 24, 2018.
GET READY TO MAKE THIS SIMPLE GRANOLA BASE WITH THESE GREAT KITCHEN TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS:
Jason says
Excellent. Our go-to granola recipe. Would it be possible to include the serving size (volume or weight) that goes along with the nutritional info?
Aimee says
It should be about 1/4 cup
Jay says
If you were in a hurry how long would these need to cook in the microwave
Aimee says
Unfortunately I don’t think this is one that can be baked in the microwave.
Caroline says
The brown sugar is a very good addition to this recipe!
Char says
This is my favorite recipe. I’ve made it several times. I add a little vanilla, as I am a fan. It’s a great added crunch to my yogurt in the morning.
Aimee says
Yay, I’m so glad to hear that!
Thayse says
I just made it. Amazing. I substituted brown sugar for coconut sugar and cinnamon for cardamom. Thank you so much for this recipe. I wish I could send you a picture. That looks so beautiful.
Aimee says
Aww I’m so glad you loved it! You can tag me on instagram @lmldfood or email me a photo lmldfood@gmail.com if you’re interested <3
Berkley White says
Absolutely amazing! It’s a snack or a dessert or a topper with a really nice meal. I used mine on a smoothie bowl and it was amazing!
Michaela Babb says
Hello. I was just wondering how much 0.76 cups was?
Aimee says
I’m not sure where you’re getting that amount from, as that isn’t an amount on this recipe. It’s almost .75 which would be 3/4 a cup
Pearl says
When you bake it, is it supposed to harden in the oven? Or does it harden after you take it out of the oven and let it cool?
Aimee says
It should start to harden, but will harden the rest of the way as it cools down.
Nancy Eddins says
Excellent recipe ! We added dried cranberries. Next time we will add raisins and coconut. No more store bought granola!!
Aimee says
So glad you loved it!
DEE White says
My mom made this and let me try it. It was so delicious and made with really simple yet great ingredients that I decided to make me some, too! Thank you so much for this!
Lauren says
Easy recipe for someone who’s never made granola before! It was too sweet for my taste though. Next time I’d reduce the sugar and honey involved and maybe up the cinnamon a little. Good starting place though!
Holly says
Just made homemade granola for the first time with this recipe! Wow so easy and so delish. We will never go back to store bought so many options with this. Ok I want to add. I was thinking it was not “done enough” because it still felt soft while it was hot, I let it stay another 40 minutes, still soft. So I took out and let cook amd realized it get crunchy as it cools so an hour would have done it just let it cool. So good highly recommend will be making again and adding lots of healthy add ins. For my 12 month old I just processed in a blender and added to his yogurt!
Aimee says
So glad you guys loved it!!!
Carla says
I made this today and it is so simple and delicious! I’m just wondering what serving size the nutrition information is based on? I’m trying to figure out how much sugar per serving. Thanks!
Aimee says
A little more than 1/4 cup per serving.
Jane says
I have made this recipe many times and it’s always great!
VR says
250C or 250F?
Aimee says
Sorry, Fahrenheit
Gi says
It’s a very good recipe. Unfortunately I had to throw the first batch in the trash because the oven was too high and they burned horribly in less than 15 minutes. I don’t know if apart from being a bit hotter than my oats needed it also happened because the mix was too dry. On my second attempt I added a bit of extra humidity to my mixture. They turned out very good finally. Thank you.
Faye says
Really good recipe. Made it once with regular sized old fashoined rolled oats, but (if your in the U.K.) I also tried quakers jumbo sized rolled oats and i feel the granola turned out more like the recipe shown. For a bit of a twist i used rowse chocobee (honey and cocoa) instead of plain honey, turned out great.
Sophia says
Hello , I’ve always purchased granola but after trying this recipe I will never again get store bought . It’s so good and easy to make . I know this recipe makes 16 servings. But do you know exactly what size that serving is cup wise?
Aimee says
It would be approximately 1/4 cup serving size. So glad you love it! <3
Anonymous says
Absolutely delicious. I make this about 2 times a week and never fails to impress me. Delicious with yogurt, milk or by itself😋