Homemade Granola

Growing up we didn’t really eat Homemade Granola in our household, or any granola really. I’m not sure why we didn’t, it just wasn’t something we had around. It wasn’t until I got to college that my granola consumption skyrocketed! I started stirring some into my morning yogurts and carrying bags of it around to all my classes as my go-to snack.

After buying dozens of different brands of granola I finally started making my own and LOVED IT! It was great being able to mix and match different ingredients based on my likes and dislikes. I was also able to cut out white and brown sugar (like lots of store-bought granolas use) and swap it our for honey instead (pure maple syrup works great too!). I also love adding our homemade granola to different recipes like our Blood Orange and Beet Salad over Honeyed Yogurt. It’s SO good!

How to Make Homemade Granola

Ingredients

Process

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl combine oats, almonds, pepitas, coconut, and flaxseeds.

3. Stir together.
4. Add honey, coconut oil, vanilla, salt, and ground cinnamon. Stir together until granola is completely mixed together and evenly coated.

5. Pour granola mixture onto baking sheet in an even layer.
6. Bake for about 22 minutes, turn pan and continue to bake for an additional 5 to 8minutes (watching out for any burning). Remove granola from oven and immediately top with dried fruit.

7. Cool granola completely before lifting and breaking into pieces (the granola with crisp more as it cools). Store homemade granola in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or in a sealed freezer bag for up to 2 months.

Tips and Tricks for Success

• Cool the granola completely before breaking it into pieces to achieve big, crunchy, clumpy granola chunks! Don’t stir the granola while it’s baking or right when it comes out of the oven.
• Don’t deviate from the dry ingredients to and wet ingredients ratio, even if you swap out ingredients (for different nuts and dried fruit).This will ensure everything toasts nicely and sticks together well.
• Add the dried fruit once the granola is done baking. This will prevent the dried fruit from burning.
• Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment. This is to prevent the granola from sticking to the baking sheet.

Homemade Granola Variations

My favorite thing about making my own granola is the endless ingredient combinations!

• Replace the almonds and/or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) with other nut like pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, pistachios, and sunflower seeds.
• Use equal amounts of maple syrup instead of honey!
• Swap out the dried cranberries for dried cherries, raisins, dried blueberries, or dried apricots.
• Add chocolate chips, cacao nibs, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips(once the granola comes out of the oven) to the mix!
• Swap the flaxseed out with hemp hearts or use a mixture of both!

Storing Instructions

Our homemade granola recipe can be stored in an airtight container, in a cool dry place for up to 2 weeks. Cool granola completely before transferring to an airtight container.

Our granola recipe can also be frozen in an airtight container, with as little air as possible, for up to 2 months. Thaw for a few minutes at room temperature before enjoying.

Why We Love Our Homemade Granola

We love our easy granola recipe for many reasons:

• We use a natural sweetener (honey) rather than a processed sugar.
• It has great crunch, texture and flavor from a good balance of oats, nuts, fruit, oil, and sweetener.
• It’s much healthier than most store-bought versions.
• It’s very easy to make and lasts for a couple weeks in the pantry.

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