Homemade granola

This is so easy, delicious, and economical that once you have your recipe dialed in you’ll never buy granola again.

Personalized for you

You can tweak the recipe to suit your fancy. Don’t like pecans? Substitute in hazelnuts or cashews. Can’t stand pumpkin seeds? Maybe you prefer sesame seeds instead. Really it’s more about the ratio of oats, nuts/seeds, oil, sweetener and fruit.

Coconut

Personally, I love coconut in my granola and so I include both large coconut flakes and finely shredded coconut. But you could omit the coconut all together if it doesn’t suit you. This recipe calls for unsweetened coconut. If all you can find is the shredded, sweetened variety I would cut the sweetener by at least half.

Which oats?

This recipe calls for old fashioned rolled oats. This recipe will not work with steel cut oats or instant oats.

Which nuts?

I like a mix of halved walnuts, halved pecans, slivered almonds and shelled hazelnuts. But as long as you keep your ratio of nuts to oats about the same, you can mix up your own nut combo. Other delicious options include cashews and macadamia nuts. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of peanuts in my granola, but you do you!

Seeds?

Again, you can configure your seed mix to your liking. I prefer a mix of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and sesame seeds. But you can omit any seeds you don’t like, and honestly, if you really don’t like seeds in your granola, you can just leave them out. Your call.

Sweetners

I keep this simple and just use Brown sugar. But a combination of brown sugar and maple syrup or honey would be equally delicious. if you use honey, I recommend stirring your granola more frequently as it will have a tendency to burn faster.

Mixed fruit

After the granola has cooled, the mixed dried fruit can be added. The fruit is optional, and if you’re looking for a lower-sugar option, you can omit the fruit, or decrease the quantity. I prefer a mix of black and golden raisins, dried apricots which I have cut into quarter inch thick slices), and dried cranberries. You can always modify this combination to include other favorite dried fruits such as dried cherries. You could even include some crystallized ginger or dried pineapple if you wish.

Don’t let it burn!

I cook this granola at a relatively low temperature over 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Although it doesn’t take much elbow grease to make this recipe, you do need to stir it at least every 15 to 30 minutes. The bottom and sides of the granola mixture will cook more quickly than the center, and it’s important to keep rotating the more cooked portions to the center of your baking dish to ensure even browning and avoid scorching the outside oats. once the outsiders get burned, this whole batch is rendered inedible. If you’re anything like me, and you tend to immediately forget things that you stick into the oven, I recommend setting a timer for every 20–30 minutes to remind you to stir your granola. That said, after about an hour, your whole house will smell delicious and it’ll be harder to forget. At that point, your biggest problem will likely be fending off anyone else who smells your granola and repeatedly asks you if it’s ready for consumption. Enjoy!