For many years we bought granola from the store, and it wasn’t until recently that we decided to make our own. It was relatively inexpensive and lasted us a long while. It also gave us the opportunity to adjust what we wanted to include, and tailor it to our own liking. For us, going forward making our own granola is a win for our family.

Options

This recipe is really versatile, so you are free to add whatever you would like. Simply start with a good base of oats, honey, and a few spices and you are well on you way to making homemade granola.

• Berries – Dried cherries, cranberries, blueberries, bananas, apricots, and even raisins. We dehydrate lots of fruits and vegetables, so we always have some extra on hand. Buying fresh berries and fruits from the farmer’s market, or picking your own at a local orchard, is a great money saving option. Dehydrate them and store them in an air-tight mason jar until you are ready to make granola. Grab them while they are in season and you can enjoy them all year round.

• Nuts – Pecans, almonds, slivered almonds, or cashews are all popular options for granola. You can even toast the nuts ahead of time to add an extra level of flavor. We always purchase them around the holidays and store them in an airtight mason jar to use all year.

• Seeds – Pumpkin seeds, pepita seeds, and chia seeds are all great additions to homemade granola. You can pick one or incorporate all three.

• Peanut butter – For this recipe we included peanut butter to give it a softer and chewier consistency, but you can leave that out if you want to increase the crunch factor. You can also add any other nut butter of your choice.

Easy, Simple Granola from Scratch

A simple easy homemade granola recipe, that's very versatile likely cheaper than what you are paying for at the store. Plus, you can add almost any ingredient that you want.

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Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: breakfast, snacks

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Addition Time Depending on thickness: 10 minutes minutes

Calories:

Equipment

• 1 Large sheet pan
• Parchment paper or wax paper to cover the pan.
• 1 Spatula
• 1 Small saucepan
• 1 Large Mixing Bowl
• 1 Good sturdy spoon wooden spoon is best, or a stainless steel.

Ingredients

• 4 Cups Old fashioned oats
• 1 Cup Almonds
• 1 Cup Coconut flakes
• ½ Cup Coconut oil, or oil of your choice
• ¾ tsp Salt
• 1 Cup Banana chips
• 1 Cup Dried cranberries
• 1 Cup Pepitas and/or pumpkin seeds Aldi's is a good place to start for these.

Sauce

• ⅓ Cup Packed brown sugar
• ⅓ Cup Honey (Local if you can).
• ¼ Cup Maple syrup
• 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• ¼ Cup Peanut butter Or nut butter of your choice. Creamy works best!

Instructions

• Gather all of your ingredients together and preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
• Mix all of the ingredients together (except sauce ingredients) into a large mixing bowl.

Sauce Instructions

• Mix all of the "sauce ingredients" (brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, peanut butter) into a small saucepan over medium heat and continue to stir until well melted and combined. Not too long, or it will burn. It should only take about 5-7 minutes. 10 at the most.
• Once completely melted, combine the mixture with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until everything is well combined.
• Lay out parchment paper or wax paper enough to cover the sheet pan all the way to the edges.
• It you want large chunks, take the back of the spatula, and firmly press down across the entire pan. If you would like smaller grain-like granola, simply spread it around without pressing down.
• Place the sheet pan into the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or a little longer depending on the thickness of the granola. Keep an eye on anything over 30 minutes so it doesn't burn.
• Once complete remove from the oven and let chill for an additional 20-30 minutes. Once cooled, break into small chunks. Store in an airtight mason jar or zip-lock bag.

Notes

**Oats are really versatile, and you can buy them in bulk at most any club store.  They are great for cookies, desserts, granola, and even things like meatloaf or breaded porkchops. If you purchase them in bulk, vacuum seal them in a mason jar, and they will keep pretty extensively.  

**Dehydrating fruits and vegetables are a great practice to get into.  

Tips

If you want a more grain-like granola (above), spread around evenly over the baking sheet. If you are looking for a bigger chunkier granola, use the back of a spatula, and press down firmly all across the pan. The bigger chunks are great to eat in a bowl of milk, just like a cereal. Or sprinkle it over a scoop of vanilla yogurt or even on ice cream. This recipe will last a good two weeks in a sealed mason jar, airtight container, or Ziplock bag. You can still purchase store-bought granola if you wish, but if you are needing another little weekend snack, have a look at Banana Parfait, or Banana Roll Ups. All winners in our house.

Check out Vacuum Sealer, and Dehydrating Frozen Jalapenos for some additional information.

Ingredients you will need for this recipe

• Old fashioned oats 

• Almonds

• Coconut flakes

• Coconut oil, (or oil of your choice)

• Salt

• Banana chips

• Dried cranberries

• Pepitas and/or pumpkin seeds

• Brown sugar

• Honey

• Maple syrup

• Ground cinnamon

• Vanilla

• Peanut butter or nut butter of your choice. Creamy works best!

We would love to know if you have any additional tips, tricks, or even if you have tried this. Please leave us a comment, feedback, or give it a rating! It’s much appreciated. WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!