Homemade granola is simply better than store-bought granola—it just is. Why? Because you can control the ingredients, and there are no preservatives (which you don’t need) since its shelf life is long.
Nuts in granola
This is one of my favorite snacks, and I enjoy a mix of oats and nuts (with unsalted almonds and pecans being my favorites). If you prefer a nut-free granola, simply leave them out.
Oil-free granola
You will notice that there is no oil in this granola. Typically, oil is used to achieve crunchiness, but I prefer to omit it to keep the recipe on the healthier side. If you wish to incorporate healthy fats, melted coconut oil or avocado oil are excellent choices. Baking the granola at a low temperature, combined with the sweetener of your choice, provides sufficient crunchiness, in my opinion.
Granola dry ingredients
When it comes to the dry ingredients, quick oats are typically the most commonly used base ingredient, as they bake quickly. Rolled oats or old-fashioned are what I specify in the recipe, but if you use quick cooking oats, cooking time may be shorter.
Best sugar to use for granola
Brown sugar, date sugar or coconut sugar.
Non sugar/natural sweeteners for granola
Real maple syrup, honey. Use half the amount than sugar. Mix-it-up. I sometimes use a combination of half brown sugar and half pure maple syrup. You can also make this a homemade healthy granola recipe by using a non-blood spiking sweetener like monk fruit syrup or sugar.
Optional additions to granola
Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, coconut flakes, vanilla extract, fresh fruit, dried fruit (I added dried cranberries).
Best pan to use for baking granola
A large non-stick baking pan/sheet pan is best. I also like to add a layer of parchment paper to help with cleanup.
Crunchy granola
If, like me you love a good granola crunch there are a few tips to follow. Make sure the granola is in an even layer so the heat can distribute around it and also baking low and slow. Baking at a low temperature means you can bake it longer to achieve the crunch you like and a delicious granola.
Chunky granola
I personally like clumpy granola, a mix of larger clumps and crumbles. If you like it all smaller you can simply break it up before the granola cools.
Granola serving suggestions
A great snack right out the container. My favorite is topping for fruit on the bottom yogurt (pictured below) Greek yogurt (yogurt parfaits with fresh berries) or a crunchy topping for a smoothie bowl. I also like to eat it like a cereal in a bowl with milk or milk alternative like my homemade oat milk, almond milk, cashew milk or soy.
Storing homemade granola
It is always best stored in an airtight container at room temperature (around 68-75°F/20-24°C) and will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks, refrigerated up to 1 month and frozen for 3 months. *Light or dark brown sugar, maple syrup or honey. If using maple syrup or honey use half the amount of sugar. ** You can also use quick cooking oats, but they may bake faster than rolled.
