The Very Best Granola
This delicious healthy granola recipe is the best! It's naturally sweetened with maple syrup (or honey). Just add oats, coconut oil, nuts and dried fruit.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Do you love granola? Me, too! Today, I’m sharing my “basic” granola recipe, which is also the best granola recipe. Granted, I’m partial, but it really is the best and I use that term sparingly. Over two hundred five-star reviews agree!
In fact, I love this recipe so much that I shared it in my cookbook, Love Real Food. This granola makes a wonderful snack or breakfast (add your milk of choice and maybe some fresh fruit). It also stores beautifully, so it makes a great homemade gift.
Once you try homemade granola, you won’t go back to store-bought granola. It’s so much better!
This granola recipe is also a far more healthy granola option, since it’s made with whole grains, unrefined oil and naturally sweetened. You just can’t beat freshly baked granola packed with delicious and good-for-you ingredients.
Plus, homemade granola is super easy to make. You’ll only need one bowl and some basic pantry ingredients. Ready to make some?
Watch How to Make Healthy Granola
Now that you have my base recipe, you can play around with the mix-ins and spices to make it your favorite granola.
By the way, you can preserve that freshly baked flavor by storing this granola in the freezer. Just let it warm to room temperature for a few minutes, and enjoy.
Healthy Granola Ingredients
Oats
Heart-healthy, hearty, whole-grain old-fashioned oats keep their shape during baking. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you need gluten-free granola.
Nuts and/or Seeds
I used pecans and pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) to make this batch. Other options include walnuts, which are rich in Omega-3s, whole or slivered almonds, cashews, peanuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts and sunflower seeds.
Unrefined Oil
Oil helps make this granola crisp and irresistible. I prefer unrefined coconut oil, which is delicious (you can barely taste the coconut, if at all) and produces the perfect texture.
You can use extra-virgin olive oil instead, if you’d like your granola to be a little more on the savory side. If you’re watching your saturated fat intake, olive oil is a better choice!
Natural Sweetener
I love using real maple syrup in my granola. Honey works great, too. As a bonus, these natural sweeteners infuse your granola extra-delicious flavor that sugar would not.
Salt and Spice
For flavorful granola, don’t skip the salt! Too little and your flavors won’t sing. I prefer using fine-grain sea salt in this one (I always cook with fine-grain sea salt), but regular salt will do, too (just use a little less).
I added cinnamon to this batch for some subtle warming spice. Ground ginger (use half as much) and pumpkin spice blends are other options.
Dried Fruit
Dried fruit lends some extra sweetness, chewy texture and irresistible fruity flavor. I used dried cranberries for this batch. I also love tart dried cherries, raisins and chopped dried apricots.
Optional Mix-Ins
For fresh citrus flavor, stir fresh citrus zest (up to 2 teaspoons) into the mixture before baking. I love adding orange zest, in particular.
You can add chocolate chips after the granola has completely cooled (otherwise, they’ll melt).
If you’d like to add unsweetened coconut flakes, you can add it halfway through baking for perfectly toasted results (see recipe note).
Chunky Granola Tips
Some of you, like me, love big clumps in your granola. Here are my tips to achieving the best clumps:
- Your oats need to be a little crowded in the pan so they can stick together, but not so crowded that they don’t toast evenly. I recommend using a basic half sheet pan (affiliate link) for this granola recipe. It’s the perfect size and the rimmed edges make sure no granola falls overboard.
- Be sure to line the pan with parchment paper so the sweetener sticks to your oats rather than the pan.
- For maximum clumps, gently press down on the granola with the back of a spatula after stirring the mixture at the half-way baking point. Then put the pan back into the oven to finish baking.
- Don’t bake the granola too long—just until it’s lightly golden on top, as described. It might not seem like it’s done yet, but it will continue to crisp up as it cools. Over-baking the granola seems to break the sugar bonds.
- Lastly, let the granola cool completely before breaking it up. I’ve even left it on the pan overnight, covered.
Even with all those techniques in place, I occasionally end up with a batch of granola that isn’t as clumpy as my others, for reasons that I can’t explain. It’s always delicious, though!
Granola Variations
This recipe is my favorite, go-to granola recipe. Over the years, I’ve played around with it to create a bunch of fun variations. Here they are for inspiration:
- Orange and Almond Granola: This recipe includes orange zest (2 teaspoons), whole almonds and golden raisins.
- Triple Coconut Granola: This recipe calls for coconut oil, large coconut flakes and shredded coconut.
- Cranberry Orange Granola: This recipe is quite similar to this one, but a little sweeter and full of vibrant orange flavor.
- Honey Almond Granola: Just what it sounds like, plus chopped dried apricots! Delightful.
- Gingerbread Granola: This granola includes molasses and extra warming spices, plus coconut flakes, dried cranberries and chopped candied ginger.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! I love hearing from you and hope this granola recipe becomes your new favorite.
Healthy Granola
This delicious healthy granola recipe is naturally sweetened with maple syrup (or honey). It’s made with oats, coconut oil and your favorite nuts and fruit. Make it your own! Recipe yields about 8 cups granola, enough for about 16 half-cup servings.
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free granola)
- 1 ½ cup raw nuts and/or seeds (I used 1 cup pecans and ½ cup pepitas)
- 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (if you’re using standard table salt, scale back to ¾ teaspoon)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup dried fruit, chopped if large (I used dried cranberries)
- Totally optional additional mix-ins: ½ cup chocolate chips or coconut flakes*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir to blend.
- Pour in the oil, maple syrup and/or honey and vanilla. Mix well, until every oat and nut is lightly coated. Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer.
- Bake until lightly golden, about 21 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway (for extra-clumpy granola, press the stirred granola down with your spatula to create a more even layer). The granola will further crisp up as it cools.
- Let the granola cool completely, undisturbed (at least 45 minutes). Top with the dried fruit (and optional chocolate chips, if using). Break the granola into pieces with your hands if you want to retain big chunks, or stir it around with a spoon if you don’t want extra-clumpy granola.
- Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks, or in a sealed freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. The dried fruit can freeze solid, so let it warm to room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe adapted Meg Gordan’s granola, which I’ve tweaked over the years.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
Make it nut free: Use seeds, like pepitas or sunflower seeds, instead of nuts.
*If you want toasted coconut in your granola: Stir the coconut flakes into the granola halfway through baking. They’ll get nice and toasty that way.
Serving suggestions: This granola is awesome on its own, with milk or yogurt and fresh fruit, and you can even throw a couple handfuls into a salad for granola “croutons.”
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Just took mine out of the oven…it smells delish in here! I didn’t have coconut oil and preferred not to use olive oil so I subbed grapeseed oil instead. Looking forward to tasting it when it cools down. Thanks for the recipe.
Can I make this recipe into a bar? The flavour is amazing, what if after tossing it half way through I then press it into a pan for the rest of the baking and then cut into bars after?
Thank you!
Hi Babs, this one isn’t designed to be made into a bar. However, I do have granola bars. Here is a link to find some: https://asset-boost.pro/search/?q=granola%20bars
really awesome. so crispy! everything in recipe is in the right proportions including baking time, works great!
Thanks for your recipe and the clumping tips, ( which worked better than others I have tried) For my taste the 1 tsp salt is a little too much if I eat the granola right from the jar, fine in milk or yogurt. Also this time I added my honey before the coconut oil and wondered if this helped achieve some better stickiness.
Delicious and easy to make. I highly recommend it! I typically eat it with some greek yogurt. Ahh so good!!
You are missing a real opportunity here Kate as the pre-diabetic (me) or actual diabetic market is huge. I have been told to avoid carbohydrates including Maple Syrup and Honey… also dried fruits.
How about making a recipe for all those people like me, who have a blood sugar problem or who are on a carbohydrate-free diet, please.
Even oats have a relatively high carb content. Thanks, Paul
Best granola recipe I’ve tried. Easy and comes out perfect. I like to add hemp seed and flax seed meal.
I tried it after reading this blog post. I used oats, chia seeds, flaxseeds and sunflower seeds. I had almonds but forgot to add them initially so I added them later with the raisins.
For the oil I used both coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil. I also added honey, molasses and cinnamon powder. It was bit burnt but it was very exciting to have made my very own granola. I’ll try it again later but bake for a shorter time.
Thanks Kate
Yummy! I love it best with homemade almond milk and sliced bananas….the perfect breakfast for me!
Can I substitute blue agave syrup for honey or maple syrup?
I think so, but haven’t tried to be 100% sure.
Hi, was wondering do i need to roast the nuts first? (Cashew,pecans,almonds) :D
Hi there, no toasting necessary! They will get nice and toasty while you’re baking the full batch.
Wow, I love this sooooo much. I use olive oil, and I do about a half-and-half mix of pepitas and slivered almonds. I like it with chopped dates, but my kids prefer it with no dried fruit. It is so fast and easy to prepare. I have never succeeded in getting it to clump though.
Can’t wait until the granola comes out of the oven! Just stirred it, now I still have to wait…
I mixed things up a little (I only made a half batch) , using half a cup of hazelnuts from our garden, 2 tbsp of coconut and 2 tbsp of flax seed.
I’m still thinking about whether to put raisins or chopped prunes in after it’s out of the oven :)
It smells heavenly in the kitchen!
Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I hope you loved it! Thanks for your review, Hanna.
Just made this and it is really good, I added what I had on hand, coconut, dried prunes, cranberries and mini choc chips and it turned out great. My nuts were pepita, walnut and pecan. Thanks for the great recipe.
This stuff is totally addictive. Not kidding. I make it using honey and coconut oil. It is absolutely wonderful. Followed directions exactly, which I hardly ever do. Great results.
I made the granola 2 times, very good. The second time I made it I added cherries and bran buds along with the oatmeal. I also added coconut chips.
Great recipe! Mine didn’t turn out as clumpy, but I did skimp on the oil a bit. Still tasted divine!
I made this today and it came out fantastic! I didn’t have parchment paper so I coated the cookie sheet with olive oil and had no problems. I used agave and honey (because I wanted to empty the bottles).
I’ll definitely be making this again.
Absolutely delicious! I have made this granola several times and it has come out perfectly each time!
I do put some of the granola in my food dehydrator to dry it out a bit more and then vacuum seal it in quart sized jars so that it “keeps” longer at room temp. It is also a great gift idea!
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you loved it, Cheri. Interesting idea of putting granola in your dehydrator. Thanks for the review.
Kate,
I am making granola yet AGAIN! Lol
I recently opened one of the jars of your granola that I had put in the food dehyrator and then vacuum sealed it in April this year. It is perfect! I think I may even place the dehydrated/vacuum sealed granola in the freezer, to further extend stability (mainly to keep the oil from going rancid. Not so much worried about the coconut oil, but the natural oils in the nuts/seeds that I add in there). I bet it would keep at least a year that way. Will let you know as my little experiment comes along. Why would I even try this, someone may ask?…ummm, the situation and availability of some of the ingredients and to have on hand to give as impromptu gifts. I have 3 friends on Chemo. So, I am trying to give gifts with power foods as ingredients. For example: Pepitas, gogi berries, dark chocolate chips, dried blueberries
and Cherries, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, chia seeds, etc. During this situation, I have had difficulty getting some of these things—
When I use these extra add-ins, I usually add a little more honey so that I will still have good clumping.
Again, this recipe is THE BEST! Every single person I have given some to loves it! Plus, your granola is perhaps helping people heal, both mentally and physically! Thanks again!
Tried this recipe yesterday. I used pecans and almonds and added raisins right when I removed it from the oven. Turned out really good. One thing. At 350 it does not get done even in 30 minutes. Had to raise the temp after 30 minutes. It is good as is but I am going to try and tweak it a bit for my taste. Will try less Syrup and perhaps a bit more nuts. Still a wonderful recipe.
Hi Adesh, that seems strange! Do you let it cool completely? It will continue to cook some as it cools. Thanks for your feedback!
Can I use quick cooking oats for this recipe? I’m afraid that’s all I have at the moment :/
Hi Landry, I haven’t had the best luck with quick cooking oats. But, you can try it.Just watch the timing so it doesn’t get over done. It should taste good in the end, but may not have the same clumpy result.
Made this now 5 times and just great. I add more fruit, craisins, papaya, gold raisins. And I add various nuts each time. Only 1/2 cup of honey and sometimes even add more oats. You can tell I don’t do exact but it is great every time!
Thank you for sharing, Cindy!
Hi! Great recipe. I just tried this for the first time. I went under on the maple syrup, but now it is not quite sweet enough. Is there some way to add in more? I’m worried if I add more and bake it again it will burn.
p.s. for anyone with a nut allergy, just skip the nuts / replace with seeds, oats, whatever else.
Hi Amma, you already baked it? If it isn’t quite sweet enough, you can always add a little extra sweetener to the serving and whatever else you are making with it. I hope that helps!
I love this recipe! My kids are begging me to make more after eating it all up.
As part of our new normal with distance learning for school I decided every day someone in the family will give the rest of us a new challenge. Yesterday’s challenge was to make granola together as a family and it was a smashing success! Thank you for this fantastic recipe. All my picky eaters gobbled it down. We added cranberries, pecans and chia seeds to the olive oil/maple syrup combo. Today my teen chose a 7 minute ab challenge to do together as a family! Wish us luck.
Delicious and easy!!! Thank you Kate
I have made this several times—my go to since it is so simple! Accidentally used almond extract instead of vanilla extract—it was awesome! Give this recipe 5 stars!
It’s delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Ok, seriously…this is the best recipe EVER. I found coconut oil and made a batch tonight. I can’t believe how easy it is to make and I agree with others that 21-24 is way too long to bake. Mine was crisp at only 15 minutes. Thank you so much.
Hooray! I love when we can agree. Thanks for your comment, Christine!
Made this recipe countless times! The absolute best. Thanks C&K xx
Love this recipe! I have made it many times creating new additives. My favorite additions have been dried apricots and unsweet coconut flakes in addition to the almonds and cranberries. I gave them as gifts last Christmas in decorative bags and they were a hit! Thank you for a no fault granola recipe! I definitely recommend this recipe!
Delicious! Second time making this yummy granola. No more store bought granola in this house.
A real crowd pleaser. I’ve made quite a few batches for family and friends. I’ve tried making it with honey and the result is very different. It’s a much sticker consistency. I definitely think maple syrup is the go. Fabulous recipe
This is the perfect granola recipe! I used coconut oil rather than olive oil and maple syrup rather than honey. I added sliced almonds and chopped dates. Yummy!
I love this so much. I’ve made it several times and I finish the entire batch in just two days haha..
This is delicious. I used pecans, sliced almonds and raw honey. I toasted the nuts in a dry frying pan. I can’t stop eating it. It’s wonderful with yogurt for a healthy dessert. Thanks for sharing.
Can’t say enough good things about this granola!! I couldn’t help myself from snacking on it as it cooled because it’s just that good. This recipe is so simple and so perfect, just absolutely delicious! I used coconut oil and maple syrup, and added walnuts, pecans, almonds, and sunflower seeds and it was divine!
Hi, it’s very delicious! I just hoped the measurements would have been in grams too…
My family’s go-to granola recipe for the past three years. It is THAT good!!! It keeps well in the freezer if you make an extra big batch. Can’t recommend it enough!
This was perfect and simply delicious! Easy to make and add too. We added chia seeds, flax seed, pumpkin spice, agave syrup with honey. It was a big hit with the kids! Thank you!!
I found this recipe a month ago and have made 5 double batches. My teen son can go through at least 8 cups week. I use half olive oil/coconut oil, and my last batch was half maple and brown sugar. I cook a double batch on one sheet, for 20 minutes per side. May not get as many chunks, but the flavor is just as good.
Great additions, Krisztina! I appreciate your review.
First time ever making granola at home and I absolutely love it!!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Just one question I’m not a huge fan of salt, do you think I could omit the salt without ruining the recipe? Also for my next batch I was going to try it with rice malt syrup as I need to use what’s in the cupboard, would this be okay?
Sure, you can omit the salt if you like. I don’t have too much familiarity with rice malt syrup, but you could try it since that is all you have on hand. Let me know how it goes!
I have made this now twice, and want you to know I am sharing with people I like (they know I am careful with clean technique). I am doing more things myself since “afforded me some time off”! I find your recipes and hints quite helpful, though I modify depending on available ingredients. Thanks for the hints – always good for ‘rookies’!
Love this recipe; gives the basics with lots of room to adjust for whatever ingredients I have on hand. Yum! Today I used coconut oil, coconut flakes, almond slivers, a bit of ground chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and homemade banana chips for the dried fruit. Loving it.
I made this and my very fussy son said it was “the best d..d granola” he’s ever eaten… l thought it was delicious with a sheep’s milk yoghurt.
I’ve made this granola three times now. Delicious!!! Thank you :)
Oh my this is the best granola ever! A couple “fresh organic stores” makes a good one, but this is even BETTER! Full of great ingredients and so easy to make. We keep ours chunky to grab a piece for a snack! I used almonds and pumpkin seeds, chopped dried cranberries and a little coconut, half honey/half maple syrup.
I’ve been a lover of granola & all things oats for as long as I can remember. Since I travel often, I make granola before long trips and keep individual Ziploc bags stashed in my roadie food supply.
I make all types of granola. It just depends on what I have on hand and what I feel like creating. I never use a recipe and the granola always comes out successful. Basically, granola’s nothing more than combining and baking a mixture of oats, oil, spices, sweetener, salt, dried fruits & nuts if you please. I do love the nuts, so more nuts please!
I especially love adding a bit of almond extract to my granola and also freshly ground nutmeg from a whole nutmeg makes a huge difference. I agree with you Kate regarding the salt. It is absolutely essential. Your recipe seems to be spot-on! I always love dried cherries or cranberries!
We seem to be on the same food wavelength when it comes to making healthy & delicious recipes. Thanks for sharing your many great recipes.