Making homemade granola was never on my “to do” list. There are so many brands and varieties to choose from, it never seemed worth the effort to make my own. But then I learned how easy it was to make. And I can adjust the ingredients to my preference. Mixing a variety of nuts and seeds, using less added sugar, adding dried fruit (or not). You likely have everything you need in your pantry. Oats, brown sugar, nuts and maple syrup. It only takes about 5 minutes to mix the ingredients together. Then spread the mixture onto a baking sheet and in about 25 minutes, with a house smelling like a fabulous bakery, you’ve got delicious, crunchy, homemade granola. Another bonus, it makes a wonderful gift for the holidays!
Easy Homemade Granola
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups unsalted mixed nuts, roughly chopped, (your choice). I often use a mix of almonds, walnuts and pepitas
- 1-2 cups dried fruit (optional). I like adding dried, tart cherries
Directions
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl until combined. Fold in oats and nuts until thoroughly coated. Transfer oat mixture to prepared baking sheet and spread into a thin, even layer. Press down with spatula to make it more compact. Bake until lightly browned, about 25-30 minutes, rotating pan once halfway through baking. Remove from oven and if using dried fruit, sprinkle on top of the granola. Cool the granola on the sheet pan on a wire rack for about an hour. Break granola into pieces. Store in an airtight container.
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I’ve been looking for that ‘perfect’ granola recipe since I went to Bozeman, Montana about 20 years ago and tasted the most amazing granola at a b’nb there.
And I finally found it in your wonderful recipe! I am so grateful to you.. and so is my family. I made it exactly as you suggest, maybe adding a few more nuts here and there☺️ As you suggested, I added chocolate pieces (dark 63-72%) after it’s cooled. I buy a brick of the chocolate from a local candy company and chop it in good sized chunks. As my son said when I told him I was making another batch: “Don’t change a thing!” Many thanks from the whole family 🙏🏻😁
That’s is such a lovely comment! Thank you for letting me know your family is enjoying the granola. I make this granola once a month, changing the nuts but my favorites are almonds and walnuts. I recently reduced the oil, brown sugar and maple syrup to 1/3 cup each at the request of my daughter (who wanted it a little less sweet because she adds it to vanilla yogurt) and I like this version as well. I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Thank you for shharing this
You are very welcome. Enjoy!