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.
Could I store it in the fridge ina container?
I would recommend either at room temperature in an air tight container or in a freezer bag. These methods will allow the granola to maintain its crunch. Hope this helps!
I loved this recipe. I mix it up .
I mix honey, golden syrup and maple syrup. With the bulk being honey.
I used sunflower seeds this time not almonds
The fruit was dried cranberry,
raisins and chopped dried apricots..last time I used goji berries.
Not sure if it is type 2 diabetic friendly.
One of my favorite things about this granola, adding in the extras you want! I am not sure on the diabetic question since this is not an area I am knowledgeable in. Thanks for your comment, Jo!
Too salty! But otherwise a great recipe. I’d say, just skip the salt.
This is the best granola recipe I’ve found and it meets low FODMAP diet restrictions! Thank you!
You’re welcome Amanda!
I made this as gifts with enough left over for me. I added some dates, craisins and flaked coconut because I like that in my granola. I use a mix of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds and I made one batch with almonds and one batch with cashews. I am a new beekeeper and was excited to use some of the honey I was able to harvest this year. It turned out fabulously.
What a great idea! The variation sounds wonderful. Thanks so much for the review, Emily!
So easy and absolutely delicious!
Thank you!
This is my favorite granola ever! This tastes so much better than store bought granola, and has much better ingredients. My whole family loves it, and we’re all addicted to it. I’ve added several different things: almonds, pecans, walnuts, coconut chips, raisins, chocolate chips, and craisins, all of which are fantastic. I usually make a 1/2 batch and that fits perfectly into a large mason jar and stays fresh for weeks (although it normally doesn’t stay around for that long).
Wonderful! Thank you, Jessica for sharing and for your review.
Truly is the BEST! I used half honey, half maple syrup, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and added juice sweetened cranberries and chia seeds after it came out of the oven. Amazing. My boyfriend and I ate almost the entire tray that night. This recipe is a keeper and I can see coming up with many more tasty combinations in the future.
Thank you, Jamie for sharing! One of my favorite things about this granola is how you can change things to your liking. I’m loving the changes you made. Enjoy!
Made this a few times now and it’s always fantastic!
Great! Thank you, Kat for your review.
Thank you for posting this recipe! Just making it now, cannot wait to try it! (smells wonderful) quick question: better to bake it, or use the convect feature in the oven…
I prefer baking. Let me know what you think!! Thank you, Maria for the review.
Delighted with this recipe My first time making my own granola and absolutely delighted with result.
I’m happy you did! Try the orange and almond, I think you will like that one too. :)
The clump-age is incredible. The whole sheet broke into about six huge pieces (and I uses honey).
I haven’t tried it yet but what is not to like about granola.
Thanks for your review, Dominika!
This is our new go to granola recipe!! We have tried a lot of different combinations of nuts and love them all!! I’ve been adding coconut at the beginning (instead of the middle as you suggest…one less step ;) ) and it turns out great!!! Thank you for such a great, healthy recipe!!
Hooray! Thank you, Laura.
Kate, I made this Granola with Coconut Oil and Maple Syrup and added dried cherries at the end of cooling. It came out great and smelled fantastic while backing. And it was super easy! Can’t wait to try it in the morning for breakfast with my favorite yogurt.
Thank you, for sharing your take. How did you like it?! I appreciate the review, Suzanne.
Made this granola over the weekend and it is very good! I didn’t achieve any clumps, which I was a little sad about, but it is still so delicious!! My usual granola recipe was becoming too annoying for me – I’m so glad I tried this one! Will definitely make this again!
Thank you, Brianna for the review! The key to getting the clumps is letting it cool fully once you take it out of the oven. It continues to get a little crispy even after it comes out of the oven!
I love this granola! Seriously the best ever. One question; I’m doing a 30 day no sugar challenge and that includes honey and maple syrup etc. Would this still work just without the sweetener? Thanks!
Good for you! The sweetener actually acts as a binder too, so it would’t hold together and get as crisp. Thanks for the review and good luck on your challenge.
I just made your Granola and i can’t wait until i can taste it.. “it still warm☺”
Best regards
Aniseh /Sweden
Thanks for the star review, Aniseh! How was the granola?
It was delicious just little salty.
I can now say that i finally found my favorite granola recept. I’ll try some other recept from you.
Thanks ☺
Hello! Thanks so much for this. A question: if I wanted to up the nuts & seeds — say, from 1.5 cups to 2 or even 2.5 — how much extra olive oil & sweetener would you recommend? (Or perhaps it might be better to reduce the oats and keep the oil & sweetener the same?)
Hey Brandon! I think reducing the oats by an equal amount would work best. Hope you enjoy the results!
This was delicious!!! I used 1/2 cup pecans, 1/2 cup slivered almonds, and 1/2 cup walnuts. I sweetened with maple syrup and omitted the dried fruit because I didn’t have any. I used coconut too. Next time (and there will be a next time lol) I will decrease the salt a bit. I used fine pink Himalayan salt and while it wasn’t too salty at all, I would prefer a bit less. My kids loved it too!
Great way to make it your own, Kina! Yes, be careful if you aren’t using fine ground salt because it can get too salty. Thanks so much for sharing and for your review!
This recipe is very good! I used honey and had nice clumps in it. The only issue though was it stuck like crazy to the parchment paper. I spent a long time scraping paper pieces off the granola. I followed the recipe exactly and did let it cool completely.
Hi Aaisha, That is interesting. I haven’t had that happen. What oil did you use? Thanks for sharing and for the review!
I used coconut oil. Next time I think I will skip the parchment and use an oil spray.
My daughter made this. We couldn’t stop eating it! Thankfully, she made it again. We STILL couldn’t stop eating it. Then I made it. It’s so easy and so good. I’m about to make another batch! I like to just grab a few clumps here and there. She eats it on yogurt, on oatmeal, adds it to cereal, and just plain with almond milk. Thanks!!!
That is easy to do that with this granola that is for sure! Thank you for sharing, Sylvia. I really appreciate the review.
Making this tonight’s, it smells AMAZING! Used half maple syrup, half raw honey. Husband and I are trying to eat healthier, nice to be able to put this much healthier granola on our homemade yogurt!
Thanks so much for the recipe and inspiration!
You’re welcome! What did you think, Cindy?!
We loved it, had to hide the bag from hubs so he didn’t eat it all in one sitting!
This is the best granola EVER!
We love this recipe! Easy to make and customize. Our go-to each and every day!
I made the granola and it turned out pretty well, except I was out of syrup so used honey. Next time I will try the syrup and see if it will be more clumpy. Tastes delicious:-)
Thanks for sharing with us Kate!!
Thanks, Jenny!
This granola is phenomenal! I’ve become slightly obsessed.
My fourth batch is in the oven as I type. I use almond extract, and brown rice syrup. It comes out perfect every time!
Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Yummm. Thanks for the comment and review, Elizabeth! Happy to hear you love the granola!
I will never buy granola again! Why did it take me so long to make my own?!?!?
I used honey in mine, dried cherries and walnuts. Definitely will experiment with different ingredients in my future batches.
Love that!! Thanks for trying and commenting. So many great ways to change it up. :)
I have tried so many granola recipes & this is by far the best! It is not overly sweet & I love it with coconut flakes.
I couldn’t agree more. And, so many ways you can change it up too!
Best granola recipe ever! I used sunflower seeds and walnuts and added the coconut. Perfect amount of sweetness.
I’m glad you think so too, Adina! Thank you for your review.
5 stars!!!
Made this today and its delicious! Simple to make and the whole house smelled heavenly! Just as good, maybe better than the boutique brands I have bought in the past. No more! can’t wait to mix it up a bit too!
Thank you!!
Awesome granola! I love that you can customize it to your liking of nuts and seeds. It’s quick and easy to make. And it makes the house smell delicious!
Thank you! I like that about this granola too. You can change it up with what you have or to make it different each time. I appreciate the review, Amber!
I love this recipe. I make it regularly and vary ingredients according to what i have. Sometimes it’s clumpy and granola-y and other times more like muesli. It’s always fabulous Thank you.
It is fun to try different things with this one! I agree. Thanks for the review.
This is the best granola recipe ever. I make it every 2 weeks and it has become a staple in my house. Thanks so much for sharing!!
You’re welcome!
It is indeed the very best !! My first time trying granola from scratch. I just got it a little extra crunchy than I like it but I know to take it out from the oven soon. Also I used rolled oats – that could be the cause. In any case it was delicious . Thank you !!
Thank you, AD!
how many calories contains this granola?
Thank you
Love this granola recipe. Have been making it regularly for the past year. Delicious eaten with Greek yogurt and fresh blueberries. I use dried cranberries in the granola.
I love the combination, Karen! Thanks for sharing.
Just made this for breakfast this week and I couldn’t be happier. I added a little flax seed in mine as well. Using this granola on almond yogurt is a perfect treat!
Again, your recipe is spot on in every way, and it clumped up PERFECTLY. I like it cooked for 24 min, the pecans crisp up so nicely. I’ll be off, dreaming of other mix-in possibilities!
:)
That’s great! The mix-ins are almost endless. Enjoy! Thanks for the review.
Fantastic! I include lots of nuts for protein (new vegetarian). This is superb with organic yogurt Thank You!
You’re welcome, Tamara!
Didn’t clump at all :( but it smells wonderful!
That’s interesting! Did you let it cool all the way on the pan? Sometimes it can need some extra time to set, depending on if the oil was distributed evenly. Let me know!
Hahah oh my goodness…I let it cool and it worked! It was my very first time making granola so I didn’t know what to expect, sorry! My kids LOVED it and I will definitely make it again! Thank you so much for your reply and I’m glad I was wrong!! Awesome recipe!
Made the granola this a.m.! Dewicious, and husband-approved, too! Thank you so much!
You’re very welcome!
Yum Yum Yum. Just on my second batch – delicious. It’s so easy to make and so delightful to eat. Glad I found your recipe.
Am going to try to make into granola bars… I need this for a snack on the go :)
Thank you!
Perfect! Thank you.
This is very yummy! The first time I made it, I didn’t have large flake oats and looked for a comment that might answer the question of whether quick oats would work instead but didn’t see one, so: quick oats technically did work, but now that I’ve made it again with large flake oats, I can say that they’re definitely better. So, if you need granola RIGHT NOW and only have quick oats, you can use them in a pinch, but if you can wait till you get to the grocery store, you’ll likely be happier with the results. ;)
Thank you, Allene for sharing your experience. Yes, rolled oats are the best. :) I’m happy you like it so much!
I make this almost every week. My husband loves it. I had some granola bars not hold up once and just mixed the broken bits in. They happened to contain crisped rice cereal. He loved that addition so now I sub 1 cup of the oatmeal with crisped rice cereal.
Thanks, Rise for sharing!
The perfect granola! I’ve used this recipe for years now and wanted to say thank you. In terms of clumping (which is key), your instructions about pressing down with a spatula and waiting (not easy) are so helpful. Occasionally, I use an egg white too. I like to cook the granola with dried fruit for a couple minutes, but maybe I’m the only one who likes very chewy raisins.
Well, thank you for commenting and reviewing! I’m glad you like it.
I have never made granola (and frankly don’t like to cook or bake anymore), but a friend left some of this with me in Mexico. I wrote to her for the recipe and she sent me here. I just finished letting it cool and I cannot keep my hands off the pan! Used local coconut oil, maple syrup and pecans as well as a teeny bit more cinnamon and vanilla cause I love it. Well oh my!!! I haven’t even added the raisins, and it is clumpy as can be, and tastes like candy. I couldn’t find parchment paper, so I sprayed the old heavy pan and it was perfect. Altitude here is 5000 feet and I used about 170 degrees celsius for 26 minutes. I hope I have some left to have for breakfast :-).
Thanks for sharing, Martha! Sounds great. I hope you had some left for breakfast!
I wanted a low fat low sugar granola and this was it. I came out beautiful and crunchy. I used orange blood oil and it works well.
Great, Deborah!
Excellent. I love this recipe and use it every time. Even our little boys love this! Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thanks for the review, Chantal.
Tried this today – really happy with how it turned out! Great recipe and very easy to follow!
That’s great, Jamie! Thanks so much for your review.
My entire family loves. I have made this several times already. It never lasts more than a few days!!!
Wonderful! Thanks, Joanna for sharing.
I have made this so many times I almost know the recipe by heart. It is my standard for breakfast at my desk with a serving of vanilla Greek yogurt. I double the cinnamon and add more dried fruit along with chia and flax seed. I used to make a different recipe but this is so much healthier with no sugar and no butter. Love, Love Love it. Thanks.
What a great idea! Thank you, Linda for sharing and for your review.