Homemade Healthy Granola
A wholesome, customizable baked granola with oats, nuts/seeds and a natural sweetener—perfect for breakfasts, snacks or topping yogurt.
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup nuts and/or seeds (pecans, almonds, pepitas etc.)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp sea salt or fine-grain salt
Wet ingredients & mix-ins
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- ½ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil for healthier option
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup dried fruit (cranberries, cherries either/or) added after baking or at end
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to about 350 °F (≈175 °C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the oats, nuts/seeds, salt and cinnamon; stir to blend.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the maple syrup (or honey), melted oil and vanilla extract. Pour over the oat mixture and stir until everything is lightly coated.
- Spread the mixture in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through (for chunkier clusters, press the mixture down gently after stirring). Remove when lightly golden.
- Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet (this helps it crisp up) then stir in the dried fruit. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1–2 weeks.
Notes
Feel free to customize with your favourite nuts/seeds/dried fruit; for nut-free use seeds like sunflower or pumpkin. Add chocolate chips only after cooling for best texture.