Improve your mornings with this easy healthy homemade granola. It's crispy, crunchy, nutty, diary-free, gluten-free, and has the perfect amount of sweetness. Use your favorite dried fruits, nuts, seeds, and sweeteners to customize it to your liking!
Why this recipe works
- This easy granola has just the right amount of sweet, crispy, crunchy goodness you're looking for
- Easily adaptable - you choose the dried fruits, nuts, seeds, and sweeteners you like
- Granola is naturally dairy-free and gluten-free, and can be made vegan if desired
Granola is one of those “Goldilocks” foods. It can be plywood hard or leather soft, neither of which are what I want in my morning yogurt parfait. Instead, I want nuggets and texture, something to contrast with the creamy yogurt and soft fruit. Something to chew on.
My easy homemade granola has a texture that is the perfect crispy crunch of a granola bar, yet still crumbles into pieces of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and toasted oats.
Even better, this healthy homemade granola recipe is dairy-free and gluten-free, so folks with those dietary requirements can share in granola goodness!
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What you need
Making granola is simple. Rolled oats forms the basis of this homemade granola recipe. It's also flavored with brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Canola oil helps to add moisture.
The rest of the granola ingredients are adaptable to what's in your pantry. Here we're using almonds, chia and sesame seeds, dried fruit, and almond meal. Whatever you have on hand can work - see the Pro Tip below for some suggestions.
The egg white is crucial, though not strictly required. That’s what binds the mixture and gives that wonderful crispy texture. You can even use egg whites from a carton so you won't have a yolk to mess with.
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How to make homemade granola
Step 1: Make a sweetened syrup
Combine the maple syrup, light brown sugar, water, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt (photo 1). Remove the saucepan from heat and let the mixture cool to lukewarm.
Step 2: Make the base
Combine the rolled oats, chopped almonds, dried fruit, chia seeds, sesame seeds, and almond meal in a large bowl (photo 2).
Once the maple syrup mixture has cooled, whisk in the canola oil. Whisk the egg white (if using) in a small bowl until it's frothy. Stir it into the syrup mixture (photo 3).
Pour the syrup mixture over the rolled oats mixture and stir well (photo 4).
Step 4: Bake the granola
Spread the mixture evenly across a half-sheet baking pan lined with a Silpat silicone pan or parchment paper. Press down firmly to compact it before baking using the bottom of another pot (photo 5).
Bake at 325°F for 40 to 50 minutes until dark golden brown, rotating the baking pan every 15 minutes to promote even browning (photo 6). Set the baking pan on a cooling rack until surface of the granola is crisp. Leave the oven on while the granola cools.
If the granola's surface is still tacky to the touch once cooled, return the baking pan to the oven and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes. Don’t let the granola get too dark or it will taste bitter.
Once the granola is totally cool, break it into pieces. I usually nibble a bit, purely for quality control purposes, of course.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
Not only is it cheaper to make granola, it will be healthy (no additives or preservatives) and you can make it to suit your taste. And it doesn't have to be the same way twice!
The egg white acts as glue while the granola is baking, as well as adding crispiness and crunch. However, the sweetened syrup also helps because it will melt in the oven and then stick to the other ingredients as it cools.
Since quick oats are just rolled oats (what are called porridge oats in the UK) that have been steamed, they should be fine in this recipe. I wouldn't use steel-cut oats (UK's pinhead oats) since they won't be cooked (and softened) in the oven.
Pro Tip: Choose your preferred ingredients
As I said above, the beauty of granola is it's adaptability. Use a single type of dried fruit (like raisins, cranberries, blueberries, or cherries), or mix up a medley. Use pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for the sesame seeds, or add in ¼ cup of shredded coconut. Feel free to substitute for or leave out the dried fruit, nuts, seeds, etc.
You can add ¼ teaspoon of almond extract or Fiori di Sicilia (an orange vanilla extract) with the vanilla for more depth of flavor. You can also use ¼ cup of cornmeal for some of the almond meal.
Substitute as the whim strikes - that's what makes this such an easy granola recipe!
Granola is for breakfast and snacking
I do have to caution you, this crunchy homemade granola recipe is highly addictive! I can and do eat it out of hand, either as I'm breaking it up or straight from the refrigerator. It’s hard to stop, it’s that good!
Consider yourself warned…
Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge up to 1 month (if it lasts that long!). It freezes well, too!
This homemade granola recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free, and can be made vegan if the egg white is omitted. However, if you leave out the egg white, the granola won't be as crispy and won't hold together as well.
I suggest you make a batch of granola right now. Make it your way, to your liking. Breakfast will never be the same!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
Tammy
Related Recipes
There are many ways to enjoy a treat if you're on a special diet. Here are a few ideas that are all gluten-free, and I have many more. Have a go!
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Recipe
Easy Healthy Homemade Granola
Ingredients
- ½ cup pure maple syrup, honey, or golden syrup
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, see Recipe Notes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups rolled oats, not quick-cooking
- 1¼ cups almonds, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup dried fruit, see Recipe Notes
- ½ cup chia seeds, or flax seeds, whole or ground, see Recipe Notes
- ¼ cup sesame seeds, see Recipe Notes
- ½ cup almond meal, see Recipe Notes
- ⅓ cup canola oil, olive oil, or coconut oil
- 1 large egg white, at room temperature, optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325 °F. Line a half-sheet baking pan with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Combine the maple syrup, light brown sugar, water, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove the saucepan from heat and let the mixture cool to lukewarm.
- Meanwhile combine the rolled oats, chopped almonds, dried fruit, chia seeds, sesame seeds, and almond meal in a large bowl.
- Once the maple syrup mixture has cooled, whisk in the canola oil. Whisk the egg white (if using) in a small bowl until it's frothy. Stir it into the syrup mixture.
- Pour the syrup mixture over the rolled oats mixture and stir well.
- Spread the granola evenly over the prepared baking pan. Press down firmly to compact it before baking using the bottom of another pot.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until dark golden brown, rotating the baking pan every 15 minutes to promote even browning.
- Set the baking pan on a cooling rack until surface of the granola is crisp. Leave the oven on while the granola cools.
- If the granola's surface is still tacky to the touch once cooled, return the baking pan to the oven and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes. Don’t let the granola get too dark or it will taste bitter.
- Once the granola is totally cool, break it into pieces (and try to resist eating it all at once).
- Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge up to 1 month (if it lasts that long!). It freezes well, too!
Sharon says
Sounds great! Can’t wait to try this!
Debbie says
I saw this on Friday AM, I had planned to make gronola with my class that day! The kids really like cinnamon, maple syrup and sunflower seeds, we can’t add nuts at school. I leave out the additional sugar and the recipe works well. This is a great recipe to make with young kids. Thanks Tammy!
Debbie
Jamie says
Hello, this recipe looks great! I know you mentioned this granola stores for 2 weeks in an airtight container. Could this granola last longer and stay fresh, do you know how the egg white impacts the shelf life?
Tammy says
Hi Jamie, Thanks for the question! I've stored the granola in my refrigerator for a month or more, and frozen even longer. It doesn't effect the quality, and I haven't had any issues with the egg whites. I wouldn't store it much past 2 weeks at room temperature more because of it getting stale than going bad (I like it crunchy!). I hope this helps. 😉