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.
I’m making this recipe again because I loved it so much! I used walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. The flavor and texture combination are fantastic. I love eating this straight out of the container for a quick snack or sprinkled on my plain Greek yogurt and fresh blueberries. It tastes heavenly!
I’ve made this about 4 times. LOVE it! The times that my kids are involved something’s off In the end result, like the granola isn’t as crunchy so I’m not sure if they added extra liquid when I wasn’t looking of if my forgetting to set the timer and taking it out before the true 20ish mins was the problem. Can I rebake it at a lower temp to crisp it up further?
Hi Sana! Hmm, I’m not sure. You could try rebaking it for a few minutes at a lower temp. Sometimes even slight variances in measured ingredients can make a difference.
I’ve been trying to make a sugar free nut free granola for soooo long!! This is amazing so yummy and the salt tinge is the best part for me…. I’ve had a couple of spoons with some natural Greek yogurt and sugar free maple syrup which I made it with…..
how would I turn this into bars????? Any help would be awesome
Hi Sue, so glad to hear it! I’m not sure this recipe is suited for bars, but I love my recipe for no-bake granola bars if you’d like to give that a shot.
Hi Kate, made mine half the portion with almond, pumpkin seed and apricots. I guess I still need to work on getting the crispy and the big chunk. Other than that, the sweetness and savoury balance are perfect! Tasty
Incredible! I eat this almost every morning on Greek yogurt with banana slices or frozen blueberries and I immediately make another batch when gone! One batch lasts a good 10+ days (when one person eating it) in sealed container. It is so good even to just snack on, like an oatmeal cookie that’s broken apart : ) At first, I was hesitant to use olive oil thinking it would overwhelm the taste. It doesn’t! Use it! And it’s healthier than coconut oil. I like to use chopped almonds and a generous teaspoon of almond extract instead of vanilla. Also, go for a full tsp of cinnamon. You won’t regret it. And if you live near a Trader Joe’s, mix in a heaping cup of their organic unsweetened coconut chips before you bake. They toast up nicely. I had been adding chopped dates, but left out this time because they do get a bit chewy as time goes on in storage. Don’t forget to stir around halfway through baking. Hoping all these oats are helping cholesterol, too!
Love love love this granola! It’s a staple recipe in our house. It really is the very best granola.
The first time I made it I was worried that it wouldn’t stick together when I stirred halfway through baking. But I made sure to let it sit a few hours when done and it definitely stuck together. Love clumpy granola!
Hi there! Made this recipe and while it tasted ok – it didn’t stick together at all. I wonder if putting just a natural almond or peanut butter wouldn’t be preferred to the coconut oil and help make it stickier.
Hi Dawn, I’m sorry to hear that! Did you let it cool completely before storing or eating? How long did you bake it for?
What a great recipe!! So easy to do and really, amazing taste!!! As a tip, I didn’t put it in the oven for 21 to 24 minutes but only 15 minutes because they were already golden and toasted. Loved it!
This is absolutely amazing!!! I could eat the whole pan!!! Too bad I can’t upload my picture because it turned out beautifully!!
I made this exactly to the recipe, and it was extremely salty. I didn’t use a tablespoon accidentally instead of a teaspoon either! Anyone know what I did wrong? Also my granola was just oats. It did not clump together.
Hi Maggie, sorry to hear it! Did you replace the nuts with additional oats, or just leave them out? If you reduce the ingredients, I can definitely see it tasting too salty. Next time, you could reduce the salt by half.
Hi~ I love this recipe so much !but I always burn my granola,can’t control the temperature
My oven is whirlpool 18L WTOM181B
,should I turn down the temperature or just cut the time ?
Thank you
Abi
Hi Abi, sorry to hear about your oven troubles! Either turning down the temp or cutting the time should work. If your oven runs hot, maybe reduce the temp to 325 and keep a close eye on the granola after the halfway point when you stir it.
I made this granola for the first time last week. I have made it FOUR more times since then because it is that good and my family loves it. Wish I had made it sooner because I won’t buy store brand ever again! Also, it makes your house smell amazing while baking :-)
Yes, it does make the house smell amazing! Thank you for commenting, Laura.
I make this recipe all the time and my whole family is obsessed. I use pepitas, almond slivers and pecans halves, garam masala spice instead of just cinnamon, olive oil, maple syrup, and golden raisins. Love it! Thank you!
Hi Katie! This came out wonderfully. Thank you.
You’re welcome! I’m happy you loved it.
Looks amazing! How will the bake time change if I halve the recipe? :) Thanks!
Hi Melissa! Your granola will likely bake more quickly (I’d guess maybe five minutes sooner). If you want the granola to clump, don’t spread it across a full-sized pan (concentrate it more in the middle to match the density shown in the pictures).
Hi Melissa! Make sure you don’t use too large of pan if you halve the recipe. This does last awhile in the freezer if you don’t want to eat the original recipe right away. You could try halving the recipe time, but I’m not sure without trying it as I usually just make a full recipe. Let me know how it works for you!
Your recipes look wonderful. I just found them, haven’t had a chance yet to use them.
I hope you enjoy them! Be sure to let me know what you think when you them.
This is really easy to make and my boyfriend just loves it. I wonder though, how can I make this into bars?
Hi Debi! I’m happy you love it. Check out my granola bar recipe. I hope this helps!
Excellent! I added salted pistachios half way through. Dried cherries and pistachios are a match made in heaven. Thanks!
We mixed honey and melted coconut oil together in a pot before we added them but they wouldn’t mix. Why?
Hi Susan! Sometimes honey doesn’t like to mix into other ingredients, but it will if you keep on whisking! Another trick would be to very gently warm up the mixture a bit more.
Hi, I have made this granola several times we love it. Its good for snacking or with almond milk. I will make it in the future instead of buying it from the store. Thanks
This is exactly the kind of granola recipe I have been wanting to find. It’s not only fast and easy with minimal dishes/clean up, it tastes phenomenal and the recipe calls for ingredients I almost always keep on hand. I added a little bit of unsweetened coconut too because it’s a favorite. Added bonus: my kitchen smells absolutely amazing whenever I make it. This is my new go-to, no more store bought granola for me. Thanks Kate!
Made the Granola this evening…it turned out excellent…a very easy recipe and just want to say thank you!
Hi Kate,
I tried your recipe a couple of weeks ago and it was a great success at home and with friends, so much so that I’ve been asked to make it again and it’s in the oven now!
I especially like that its so versatile. I split my first batch into half and added dark chocolate to one half and dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds to the other.
That’s wonderful to hear, Aanisah! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Hi There – Love this recipe. I made a double batch several days ago and realized after the fact, that one of the batches was undercooked. If I took out the dried fruit pieces, could I cook it a little longer after the fact??
Hi Amy! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you cook the batches at the same time? Since everything has cured, cooking again wouldn’t provide the same result. Sorry!
I love this recipe. I make a batch every other week. My sister and niece both love granola but are hesitant to eat it because it is so fattening. Do you have the nutritional value for this? Calories, fat, fiber, etc.
Hi Gail! Thank you for your comment. The nutritional information can be found below the notes section of the recipe. You will need to click to expand. Let me know if you have any issues!
Listen, I made another granola on Friday morning. Recipe said to cook in 20 min. Increments for 1 hr., & 20 min. Didn’t say anything about lining pan. It wasn’t what I wanted, didn’t clump, & was so brown, & dry, & had to really scrape my pan, it was like hard glue! Well,on Friday evening I found your recipe for Healthy Granola. I followed the recipe, & after it cooled about 3 hours, I took a bit from the edge. Then took another bit, then another! I put in ziplock bags to store. The house smelled wonderful. I woke up the next morning dreaming of how soon I could eat some! This Granola is “THE BOMB!!” It’s screaming, I kid you not. I only added pecans, as I’m not a dried fruit or seed person. I used honey, & table salt (3/4 teaspoon.) Thank you so much! 5 stars are not enough!!!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you tried it and loved it. I appreciate your review, Waunice.
I got your book today and made the granola. So simple and soooo good.
Such a simple and tasty recipe! I’m officially addicted and make this almost every week!
Hello! I was wondering if canola oil would work as well?
Hi there! Yes, I believe so.
We are oil free. I substituted it for aquafaba and it turned out great. My kids said it tasted store bought. I think that’s a compliment
I made this using cashews, maple syrup, and the coconut oil. Followed the recipe exactly and unfortunately my granola didn’t come out crumbly. It’s all separated. I spread the layer evenly like suggested. Did I do something wrong?
It came out delicious! I just love chunky granola.
Hi Samantha! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you let it cool completely?
I’ve made this recipe numerous times now and have varied the toppings; it’s always so good!! Thank you so much for all your easy to follow and delicious recipes.
You’re welcome, Cassandra!
Very delicious. Thank you for posting this!
Exactly the granola recipe we were hoping to find! So delicious…this will be our second time making it. Perfectly written recipe. Thank you for sharing your talents Kate!!
I agree with others…this is so addicting! I also luuuuurrve chunky granola (mainly because it’s so much easier to eat straight out of the container that way, haha!). I’d been trying other ways to keep it clumped, without much success, so I really appreciate your Chunky Granola Tips! They worked perfectly. My whole family loves this and I’ll make it again and again. Thank you!!
“Just let it room to warm temperature.”
In addition to being a chef, I was an English Major. So, typos always jump out at me.
I’m going to be making granola for a chef job at a ranch in Wyoming this summer and I’ll put your recipe to good use. Thank you for sharing!
Warm regards. Be well and be happy.
Chris
Aha! Thank you for pointing out that word slip, Chris. The funny part is that I had to read the sentence three times to notice. I just fixed it. Hope you love the granola!
Darn you…this is so delicious (and addicting)! Made my first batch using coconut oil and syrup. So delish, thank you! I added almonds, pepitas, dried cherries and chocolate chips. Love your site, you are saving my family during this time with your wonderful fun healthy recipes. Thank you!
This is a FANTASTIC recipe! My friend,Carol, shared it with me. It is a new “staple” in my pantry! I highly recommend it!
This granola is the best. I used pecans, walnuts and almonds. Delicious, easy, what can I say?
I have been doing this granola for three weeks in a row, and we (husband and I) can’t get enough of it. Today he even said “this granola is so good it tastes like a desert” . Thank you for all the heart and soul you put in these recipes!
I make this granola (and the orange cranberry one) over and over again. Always a big hit! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Have shared this recipe with many friends. I make a berry compote to serve on top of granola and yogurt as well. Thank you for this recipe!
I just made this. I was out of coconut oil and honey (!) and used walnut oil and replaced the honey with brown rice syrup and added candied pecans. Absolutely delicious! Very buttery flavor with the walnut oil and lovely crunch. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
So easy and best granola I’ve ever made or eaten by a land slide.
Hi Kate, if I half all the ingredients, will that work? I’ve made it and it tastes great but it’s not in chunks, can you advise? Thanks!
Hi! It will work, but yes not as clumpy. It may need less time, just keep an eye on it. If you have a smaller pan, I would suggest that.
Way too much salt, it’s all I can taste and I used half the amount stated!
Love this granola! I’ve been making it at least twice a month for the last few months. My husband and I love eating it with yogurt, soo good!
This is the only granola recipe I use. I have made this tons of times already, and each time it is amazing. Thank you so much.
You’re welcome, Yuka!
I have made this granola soooo many times! Mixed and matched fruits and nuts! Whatever is in the pantry! Always a hit. Thanks for the great recipe ❤
You’re welcome, Rita! I’m happy you have really loved it.
This is so good! Not sugary and heavy like the store bought granolas but just the right sweetness. We added dried cherries and cranberries, a tiny bit more nuts, and seeds a pinch of nutmeg too. Halfway through baking we sprinkled with a tiny bit of coconut flakes then stirred and finished baking. This tastes as wonderful as it smells when baking! Thank You Kate!
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your experience, Trish.
Just made the granola for second time! The first time turned amazing! Now I burned it a little, 2 min more and it was a little black:(
But it’s okay I will continue to make and refine the recipe! thank u Kate<3