Homemade granola is my new obsession. At least it is a healthy obsession. Unless I eat the entire batch in one day as I have wanted to do each time I have made it.
The key to awesome healthy granola is in the ratio
- 3 cups of plain oatmeal (old fashioned or quick)
- 2 cups of nuts or seeds
- 1 cup of dried fruit
- ½ cup of liquid sweetener
- ⅓ cup of oil
You really need the sweetener and oil, especially if you want small clusters. This makes at least 6 bowls of cereal, so you aren't eating a ½ cup of maple syrup in one sitting. Unless you eat the whole batch at once... I am not judging.
There are so many combinations possible, so I made a little mix and match suggestion chart (feel free to pin it!)
I have been experimenting with different combinations mostly depending on what I have in the house. Some combinations I still want to try:
- tropical: macadamia nuts, coconut, pineapple and mango with coconut oil
- caramel apple: walnuts, apple chips, butter and brown sugar with some vanilla and cinnamon
- almond joy: almonds, coconut, chocolate (instead of fruit) with cocoa butter for the fat
What combination would you like to try? Let me know in the comments below.
Homemade Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups uncooked oats (old fashioned or quick)
- 2 cups nuts (roughly chopped)
- 1 cup dried fruit (cut in pieces if needed)
- ½ cup liquid sweetener (honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, etc.)
- ⅓ cup fat (canola oil, sunflower oils, coconut oil, cocoa butter, butter)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Combine oats and nuts in a large bowl.
- In a small saucepan heat, sweetener and fat until warm.
- Pour over oats and nuts and stir until everything is coated.
- Spread mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
- To make "clusters", immediately press down firmly on the mixture with a paper towel. Let cool. Break into smaller pieces.
- When cool, combine granola with dried fruit. Store in an air tight container.
More Healthy Breakfast
Until next time, happy eating.
~Audrey
Mother of 3
I love that your recipe has a whole list of possible ingredients and substitutions. I keep meaning to make my own granola to add to my plain yogurt in the morning but never remember to buy all the ingredients to the recipes; but I'm betting I can go through yours and find at least one thing from each category in my pantry right now. Thanks for sharing and for hosting.
Audrey
Mine has been a pantry mix every time I have made it, and it has been delicious. But I am going to try the tropical or almond joy next time.
Tammy
I love how flexible this is -- that I can pick my favorite sweetener, etc. Thanks for sharing it.
Audrey
The original recipe uses a mix of maple and honey (which is wonderful) but might not be as good with some flavor combinations.
MPM
Hi! How long would you say homemade granola can last at room temperature? Should it be refrigerated? Thank you! 🙂
Audrey
I store mine in a mason jar or zip to lock bag. If it starts to get soft you can re-toast it to crunch it up again.