This homemade granola is loved by everyone who tries it, with hundreds of 4 and 5 star reviews – its so much better than granola you’ll get from the store. We will show you how easy it is to make, and so easy to customize too!
Did you know you can make granola at home with only 6 ingredients, and about 5 minutes of work. You’re going to want to print this recipe out to make it every week or two because you’ll never go back to buying granola from the store again.
Why you’ll love this Simple Granola Recipe
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 is Granola Made of?
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Easy Granola Recipe. Specific measurements and the full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- brown sugar
- honey
- canola oil – can substitute vegetable oil, or coconut oil
- old fashioned oats
- ground cinnamon – you can leave this out if you don’t like the flavor
- salt
What oats are best for this Easy Granola Recipe
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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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 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!
Homemade Granola Recipe Mix-Ins
- 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)
Granola Recipe Easy 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 this Easy 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.
Storing this Simple Granola Recipe
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.
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Simple Granola Recipe
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 the 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 the 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.
Video
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:
Mikala says
Best granola I’ve made yet! (And I have tried many different recipes!) This recipe was easy to follow, easy to make, had simple ingredients, and came out perfectly. I am so happy with it! This will definitely be my go-to granola recipe from now on. I used coconut oil in mine and greased the baking sheet with coconut oil as well, and everything tasted and went great. Thanks for this awesome recipe!
Aimee says
Yay that makes me so happy to hear! So glad you loved it!
Melissa Beaird says
Hello I made your recipe and it was amazing so Good and sweet. Also because of my crohn’s perfect without the nuts. The only problem I had when making it was after it had cooled on the pan it was so stuck to the pan that not all of it would come off the pan and it was a chore to get the rest of it off. I did spray the pan first. Could I use a silicone mat to bake it on or what would you suggest?
Aimee says
Yeah, you should be okay using a silicone liner or parchment! Sorry it stuck so much!
pom says
it is sooooooo good
Katy says
It came out very tasty but it was very loose and there were no no clumps.
Aimee says
You could try stirring it less then you may get more clumps.
Carole Wilson says
My granddaughter asked if I would make her granola like I had for gifts for her father in the past. So I thought it’s a great idea for family Christmas gifts-granola in a pretty jar. But because of a change in circumstances, I have to give it out to everyone a month before Christmas. Will it keep in a airtight jar for that long?
Aimee says
I’m not sure! There is nothing in it that should go bad. Will you be giving it to people and telling them to wait till Christmas to open it? I probably wouldn’t store it longer than 2 weeks to be safe, but you could try freezing it to store longer
o.h says
I did not understand if it is 166 calories per 100 grams or per unit ??
Aimee says
It’s per serving, which would be about 1/4 cup
Erin says
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe! I’ve developed a small reaction to almonds and so many store bought granolas contains traces of them. I’m curious, what is the shelf life of your granola. I’d like to make a double batch. Thanks!
Ellen says
I have kept my granola in an airtight container in the cupboard easily up to 1 or 2 weeks. There is nothing in them that should go bad. I hope you love the granola recipe, we really like eating homemade granola.
Erin says
Thanks Ellen!
Zorra says
This has become my go-to basic granola recipe. I reduce the brown sugar slightly (maybe 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons) since my husband likes it a bit less sweet. I use a total of 1 tsp cinnamon, and stir in 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans with the oats. It’s delicious with slivered almonds and dried cranberries too (stir about 1/2 tsp almond extract into the liquids instead of using cinnamon). Thanks for this great recipe!
Allison says
Warming the wet ingredients and dissolving the sugar makes a difference in how well each oat is coated. This extra step has significantly improved my homemade granola. Thanks!
Aimee says
Yay! I’m so glad!
Emily L. says
Yum!! I tried this after my sister in law shared the recipe with me. Very crunchy and delicious. Followed the recipe and instructions exactly. Kid approved as well 🙂
Aimee says
I’m so glad it was loved by all!!
Brandi says
This recipe was awesome! Simple, quick, versatile and most of those ingredients you probably already have on hand. I’ll be making this again very soon and very often and I can’t wait youI try it with different ad ins. Thank you for sharing!
Rebecca says
This has become my go to granola recipe – thanks so much for sharing! I use golden syrup instead of honey and it is really yummy! I eat this every morning for breakfast with raisins and fat free plain yoghurt 🙂
Ellen says
That sounds like my kind of breakfast. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Jessie says
My family has nut allergies and we all love granola parfait. But we cannot take a chance getting them anywhere also finding granola without cinnamon and nuts is almost impossible. I tried this recipe adjusted it to the way I needed without cinnamon it was absolutely the easiest recipe to make. Tasted great I made a double batch attempted to put it in jars and it was gone within a couple of days. 😁 Everyone enjoyed. Thanks
Ellen says
I’m so glad you made this recipe work for your family. That is a great review. Sorry about your allergies.
Samantha says
I made this recipe even tho i only had quick oats and it was delicious. Next I’ll try cutting out the brown sugar since I am curing out all sugar cane products and maybe sub it with a little maple syrup.
Aimee says
I’m so glad it still worked with steel cut oats! I think you could definitely it the brown sugar and add maple syrup instead
Samantha says
I ended up mixing 3 different types of oats to use up what I have. I used a mix of coconut sugar with a little maple syrup instead of the brown sugar and at the last second I threw in some flax meal for extra nutrients and it turned out amazing. Thank you for this amazing base that has made it simple and easy to customize.
Lee says
Excellent recipe! I made this a number of times. It became a family favorite.
Thank you for sharing your recipe!!
Ellen says
Isn’t it wonderful to find a recipe and it becomes a favorite. We are so glad for you and us.
yasmeen says
hi, is it 250 degrees fahrenheit or celsius ?
Aimee says
250 Fahrenheit, you want it to cook low and slow for a long time to dry it out
Kay says
I don’t normally leave reviews for online recipes, but this was really tasty. It’s sweet, it’s crunchy, it tastes really good in a bowl with milk (and on its own), and it’s made with stuff I usually have in my pantry. Nice!
Lindi says
Could I use golden syrup instead of honey?
Aimee says
I haven’t tried it, but it should work!
Rebecca says
I use golden syrup instead of honey and it’s delicious 🙂
Ellen says
YUM!
Hellen S. says
Delicious!!!
Easy & simple to make.
Just what I was looking for.
Ellen says
We are so glad! We love that it was delicious for you.
Jessica Ross says
Can I add some Isolate Whey Protein Powder to the simple granola recipe to ramp up the protein content?
Aimee says
I’m not sure if you can add protein powder to the mixture, you may need to add a little extra honey or oil if that makes it too dry
J.M.D says
Not sure why so many recipes call for so much sugar. You really don’t need that much. I like to warm the oil and honey/maple sugar together then toss with the rolled oats. I also add my fruit and nut or seeds when I’m about to eat. Many thanks.
JMD
Shell says
Can I substitute quick cooking oats for old fashioned oats?
Aimee says
Quick oats are pressed thinner and the pieces are much smaller than old fashioned oats, so I personally wouldn’t recommend it. If you’re going to try it just know that you might not get as good of clumps, and the baking time will most likely be shorter, but I’m not sure by how much.
Iqra says
Can I use instant oats for making granola?
Aimee says
Quick oats, or instant oats like in oatmeal packets? If you try using either the granola will most likely cook faster because they are pressed then. I don’t know exactly how fast, or if it will clump as well.
Morgan says
What is the serving size, please?
Ellen says
A typical serving size of granola is 1/2 cup. But they range from 1/4 cup to 1 cup. This simple granola recipe seems to be at the 1/2 cup mark.
Monique Evans says
Do I toss the seeds and mini chocolate chips in after the granola comes out of the oven and still hot?
Aimee says
You could probably add the seeds to the mix or into the last few minutes of baking so they toast a little. I’d add the chocolate chips at the end or a few minutes after baking so they don’t melt too much
Susan Kiss says
Made the recipe substituting real maple syrup for the brown sugar since I didn’t have brown sugar. Added walnuts and unsweetened coconut — absolutely delicious.