“Morning person” is not exactly a term that I would use to describe myself. I am admittedly a cranky, and sluggish individual until I have at least two cups of coffee, ok maybe it’s more like three cups. So the last thing I want to do when I wake up is to spend my time cooking a typical breakfast like eggs and bacon. That’s why I love quick and easy breakfasts like granola.
You just have to pour some granola into a bowl with either some milk or yogurt and dig in. And since it’s calorie dense just a little bit of the stuff can get you through the morning slog.
That being said, I prefer to make my own granola instead of using store-bought, for two main reasons
- It’s really easy to make: Trust me, even the most inexperienced home cooks can make granola at home. You just mix the granola ingredients in a bowl. Lay it all out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. And bake for roughly 20 minutes. That’s it!
- You can customize it however you want: Now this is the real reason why you should make your own granola. For starters, you can use any combination of fruits and nuts that you want! Like raisins & pecan, cranberries & almonds, currants & walnuts, or coconut & macadamia. You can sweeten it with ingredients like honey, maple syrup, molasses, or even agave nectar. And you can also experiment with different spices like ground ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, or just use our Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend. As long as you keep the amounts for each ingredient similar to our recipe there’s really no wrong way to customize it.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- You can store this granola at room temperature in an air-tight container for at least 1 week and up to 2. It can also be stored in a plastic bag in your freezer for at least 3 months.
- Do you want big chunks of granola? Then make sure that it cools down completely after baking before you start breaking it apart.
- Check out some of our other easy breakfast recipes like Apple Cranberry Oatmeal, Coconut Overnight Oats, and Blueberry & Banana Overnight Oats.
Homemade Granola Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 Cups of granola
Ingredients
2 Cups of rolled oats
½ Cup of raw nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, or a combination)
¼ Cup of pepitas
1 Teaspoon of ground cinnamon
½ Teaspoon of salt, fine grain
¼ Cup of vegetable oil
¼ Cup of honey or maple syrup
½ Teaspoon of vanilla extract
½ Cup of dried fruit (raisins, craisins, apricots, currants)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉, 177℃
- Mix: Get out a medium-sized mixing bowl and toss in the rolled oats, raw nuts, pepitas, cinnamon, and salt. Stir these ingredients together with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. Pour in the oil, honey/maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir this all together until everything is coated.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the granola mixture over top. Use your wooden spoon to press the mixture down into the baking sheet so that it forms an even layer.
- Bake the granola: Place the granola into your heated oven and let it bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes take the granola out of the oven and use a fork to gently stir the granola mixture. Return the granola to your oven and let it bake for another 10 minutes or until lightly golden in color.
- Take the granola out of your oven and let it cool for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Finish the granola: Pour the dried fruit over the baked granola mixture. Then use either your hands or a fork to stir and break up the granola mixture into medium-sized chunks.
- Store the finished granola in an airtight container and enjoy it when needed!
Homemade Granola Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Cups of rolled oats
- ½ Cup of raw nuts pecans, walnuts, almonds, or a combination
- ¼ Cup of pepitas
- 1 Teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon of salt fine grain
- ¼ Cup of vegetable oil
- ¼ Cup of honey or maple syrup
- ½ Teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ½ Cup of dried fruit raisins, craisins, apricots, currants
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉, 177℃
- Mix: Get out a medium-sized mixing bowl and toss in the rolled oats, raw nuts, pepitas, cinnamon, and salt. Stir these ingredients together with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. Pour in the oil, honey/maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir this all together until everything is coated.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the granola mixture over top. Use your wooden spoon to press the granola down into the baking sheet so that it forms an even layer.
- Bake the granola: Place the granola into your heated oven and let it bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes take the granola out of the oven and use a fork to gently stir the granola mixture. Return the granola to your oven and let it bake for another 10 minutes or until lightly golden in color.
- Take the granola out of your oven and let it cool for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Finish the granola: Pour the dried fruit over the baked granola mixture. Then use either your hands or a fork to stir and break up the granola mixture into medium-sized chunks.
- Store the finished granola in an airtight container and enjoy it when needed!
