Handcrafted Homemade Granola Recipe

If you are looking for delicious granola, this Handcrafted Homemade Granola Recipe. Not only is it incredibly easy to make, but also so tasty. You can eat it like it is for snacking, as a cereal, or even as part of a parfait. Whatever way you choose to eat it, you will not be disappointed.

Why make this granola?

Something me and my family love about this homemade granola recipe is that it is so easy to make.

You might think making granola on your own is time-consuming, but this recipe is going to prove you wrong. You can mix and bake this in about 30 minutes.

It is naturally sweetened with maple syrup and uses olive oil for the fat.

Another perk of this recipe is it holds really well. I like to make a huge batch of this and throw it in the freezer. When you do this, it holds for at least 3 months! Isn't that great?

This granola recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free. It really will work for just about any food lifestyle!

Ingredients

• Old Fashioned Rolled Oats- It needs to be regular, not quick cooking. These get a little mushy and don't hold up as well.
• Maple Syrup- You can also use honey, but I like maple syrup. Plus, the flavor of the maple syrup is perfect with the granola. Make sure you are using pure maple syrup when choosing a syrup. The other syrups are loaded with refined sugars and honestly don't taste that great!
• Unsweetened Coconut- You can use sweetened if you prefer, but I prefer the unsweetened.
• Olive oil- I used to use butter, but now I love to use olive oil is for this.
• Vanilla- I only use a little for this, but it is a really good addition.
• Salt- Again, just a touch, but important.
• Sliced almonds- You can use any other nuts you prefer if you aren't into sliced almonds.
• Dried Fruits- I used dried cherries, but you can use any you like, or mix several types if you like.

How To Make

1. Mix the oats, coconut, maple syrup, vanilla, and olive oil.
2. Pour it onto a baking sheet.
3. Bake until it is golden brown, mix it, and continue to bake until it is all golden brown. Make sure and watch this, nothing is worse than burned granola. It just doesn't taste good!
4. Once it is cooled, add in the other add-ins.
5. You can store it at room temp for at least 3 weeks.
6. I prefer to store it in the freezer though. It will hold well for at least 3 months.

Add-In Ideas

The recipe I shared is a basic recipe, but it can become so much more, depending on what you add to it.

Nuts and Seeds- These are great additions to your granola! Some nuts and seeds that I have used and love include almonds, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, pepitas, cashews, or anything else you can think of. I like to add the nuts in before baking to toast it with the oats.

Dried Fruit- I used cherries, but dried cranberries, apricots, raisins, and dates are all really delicious in this recipe! I add these after it is baked.

Chocolate- I also love to add dark chocolate chips to my granola. This can be added after baking.

Zest- This is to add a fun citrus flavor. You can add in lemon, orange, grapefruit, etc.

Storing The Granola

This recipe is great to store! Granola can sit at room temp for several weeks, just make sure it is in an airtight container.

My preferred method is storing this granola in the freezer. This will allow its life to extend so much longer. Like months longer. Plus I love the taste of the cold granola in cold milk.

Serving The Granola

1. With milk as a breakfast cereal. This is my most often used way. I use an unsweetened almond milk with mine, but use any milk you like!
2. On top of yogurt. This is my second favorite way to use it. There are a lot of really great yogurts out there Or you can even make your own, like I did in this Instant Pot Yogurt Recipe. I also like to add a dollop of this delicious raspberry sauce as well.
3. Plain. I mean, it is a great crunchy little snack that is slightly sweetened.
4. In a cookie. I made these Muesli Cookies, but the recipe will also work with this granola.
5. On top of ice cream. If you think it tastes good on yogurt, you have got to try it on ice cream! It is such a yummy addition.

What other sweeteners can I use?

I have only tested it with honey and maple syrup. Maple syrup is my favorite out of those 2. But you can try other liquid sweeteners if you want. If you are using a granular sweetener, I would mix it with the olive oil first to make sure it will blend well and stick to the granola for baking.

Other Whole Grain Breakfast Ideas

• Red White and Blue Overnight Oats
• Strawberries and Cream Porridge
• Whole Wheat Waffles
• Potato and Gruyere Galette
• Cranberry Orange Muffins
• Whole Wheat Popovers

• Breakfast
• Oats