The Very Best Granola
This delicious healthy granola recipe is the best! It's naturally sweetened with maple syrup (or honey). Just add oats, coconut oil, nuts and dried fruit.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Do you love granola? Me, too! Today, I’m sharing my “basic” granola recipe, which is also the best granola recipe. Granted, I’m partial, but it really is the best and I use that term sparingly. Over two hundred five-star reviews agree!
In fact, I love this recipe so much that I shared it in my cookbook, Love Real Food. This granola makes a wonderful snack or breakfast (add your milk of choice and maybe some fresh fruit). It also stores beautifully, so it makes a great homemade gift.
Once you try homemade granola, you won’t go back to store-bought granola. It’s so much better!
This granola recipe is also a far more healthy granola option, since it’s made with whole grains, unrefined oil and naturally sweetened. You just can’t beat freshly baked granola packed with delicious and good-for-you ingredients.
Plus, homemade granola is super easy to make. You’ll only need one bowl and some basic pantry ingredients. Ready to make some?
Watch How to Make Healthy Granola
Now that you have my base recipe, you can play around with the mix-ins and spices to make it your favorite granola.
By the way, you can preserve that freshly baked flavor by storing this granola in the freezer. Just let it warm to room temperature for a few minutes, and enjoy.
Healthy Granola Ingredients
Oats
Heart-healthy, hearty, whole-grain old-fashioned oats keep their shape during baking. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you need gluten-free granola.
Nuts and/or Seeds
I used pecans and pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) to make this batch. Other options include walnuts, which are rich in Omega-3s, whole or slivered almonds, cashews, peanuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts and sunflower seeds.
Unrefined Oil
Oil helps make this granola crisp and irresistible. I prefer unrefined coconut oil, which is delicious (you can barely taste the coconut, if at all) and produces the perfect texture.
You can use extra-virgin olive oil instead, if you’d like your granola to be a little more on the savory side. If you’re watching your saturated fat intake, olive oil is a better choice!
Natural Sweetener
I love using real maple syrup in my granola. Honey works great, too. As a bonus, these natural sweeteners infuse your granola extra-delicious flavor that sugar would not.
Salt and Spice
For flavorful granola, don’t skip the salt! Too little and your flavors won’t sing. I prefer using fine-grain sea salt in this one (I always cook with fine-grain sea salt), but regular salt will do, too (just use a little less).
I added cinnamon to this batch for some subtle warming spice. Ground ginger (use half as much) and pumpkin spice blends are other options.
Dried Fruit
Dried fruit lends some extra sweetness, chewy texture and irresistible fruity flavor. I used dried cranberries for this batch. I also love tart dried cherries, raisins and chopped dried apricots.
Optional Mix-Ins
For fresh citrus flavor, stir fresh citrus zest (up to 2 teaspoons) into the mixture before baking. I love adding orange zest, in particular.
You can add chocolate chips after the granola has completely cooled (otherwise, they’ll melt).
If you’d like to add unsweetened coconut flakes, you can add it halfway through baking for perfectly toasted results (see recipe note).
Chunky Granola Tips
Some of you, like me, love big clumps in your granola. Here are my tips to achieving the best clumps:
- Your oats need to be a little crowded in the pan so they can stick together, but not so crowded that they don’t toast evenly. I recommend using a basic half sheet pan (affiliate link) for this granola recipe. It’s the perfect size and the rimmed edges make sure no granola falls overboard.
- Be sure to line the pan with parchment paper so the sweetener sticks to your oats rather than the pan.
- For maximum clumps, gently press down on the granola with the back of a spatula after stirring the mixture at the half-way baking point. Then put the pan back into the oven to finish baking.
- Don’t bake the granola too long—just until it’s lightly golden on top, as described. It might not seem like it’s done yet, but it will continue to crisp up as it cools. Over-baking the granola seems to break the sugar bonds.
- Lastly, let the granola cool completely before breaking it up. I’ve even left it on the pan overnight, covered.
Even with all those techniques in place, I occasionally end up with a batch of granola that isn’t as clumpy as my others, for reasons that I can’t explain. It’s always delicious, though!
Granola Variations
This recipe is my favorite, go-to granola recipe. Over the years, I’ve played around with it to create a bunch of fun variations. Here they are for inspiration:
- Orange and Almond Granola: This recipe includes orange zest (2 teaspoons), whole almonds and golden raisins.
- Triple Coconut Granola: This recipe calls for coconut oil, large coconut flakes and shredded coconut.
- Cranberry Orange Granola: This recipe is quite similar to this one, but a little sweeter and full of vibrant orange flavor.
- Honey Almond Granola: Just what it sounds like, plus chopped dried apricots! Delightful.
- Gingerbread Granola: This granola includes molasses and extra warming spices, plus coconut flakes, dried cranberries and chopped candied ginger.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! I love hearing from you and hope this granola recipe becomes your new favorite.
Healthy Granola
This delicious healthy granola recipe is naturally sweetened with maple syrup (or honey). It’s made with oats, coconut oil and your favorite nuts and fruit. Make it your own! Recipe yields about 8 cups granola, enough for about 16 half-cup servings.
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free granola)
- 1 ½ cup raw nuts and/or seeds (I used 1 cup pecans and ½ cup pepitas)
- 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (if you’re using standard table salt, scale back to ¾ teaspoon)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup dried fruit, chopped if large (I used dried cranberries)
- Totally optional additional mix-ins: ½ cup chocolate chips or coconut flakes*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir to blend.
- Pour in the oil, maple syrup and/or honey and vanilla. Mix well, until every oat and nut is lightly coated. Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer.
- Bake until lightly golden, about 21 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway (for extra-clumpy granola, press the stirred granola down with your spatula to create a more even layer). The granola will further crisp up as it cools.
- Let the granola cool completely, undisturbed (at least 45 minutes). Top with the dried fruit (and optional chocolate chips, if using). Break the granola into pieces with your hands if you want to retain big chunks, or stir it around with a spoon if you don’t want extra-clumpy granola.
- Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks, or in a sealed freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. The dried fruit can freeze solid, so let it warm to room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe adapted Meg Gordan’s granola, which I’ve tweaked over the years.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
Make it nut free: Use seeds, like pepitas or sunflower seeds, instead of nuts.
*If you want toasted coconut in your granola: Stir the coconut flakes into the granola halfway through baking. They’ll get nice and toasty that way.
Serving suggestions: This granola is awesome on its own, with milk or yogurt and fresh fruit, and you can even throw a couple handfuls into a salad for granola “croutons.”
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Thanks, this makes such a nice granola! Can anyone suggest a low-sugar alternative to the honey/maple syrup? I’d like to make some for a diabetic but I don’t think Splenda etc would make it stick together properly.
I use sugar free syrup instead of honey, regular syrup
This recipe is awesome as is, and also works well with some tweaks. I’ve been making it weekly for a month or so and my family loves it. I use coconut oil every time, as well as mixed dried fruit and real maple syrup. I have tried a variety of nuts and they are all great. 350 for 28 minutes is perfect in my oven! The key is to let it completely cool in the pan. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Perfect granola. I followed the recipe and sweetened with maple syrup. For the nuts and seeds I used about a cup of local hazelnuts and a combined half cup of pepitas and sunflower seeds. I also added a half cup of unsweetened flaked coconut. I also made your fruit compote recipe made with peaches from our local farmers’ market and cannot stop eating both! Yours is my favourite food blog as you always seem to nail the flavour balance perfectly, without any fuss. I don’t know how many people I have referred to your blog after getting rave reviews on meals I have made with your recipes (and I am an experienced home cook). Thanks again for another 5-star recipe!
Awesome recipe! Thank you for sharing it. Made it with almonds, dried cherries, and chocolate chips. My husband couldn’t stop eating it! Would the recipe still work if I use less coconut oil and honey?
I’m glad you love it! I’m not sure you will get the same ‘clump’ result. Both oil and the sweetener help this.
This recipe is excellent, best granola ever. Followed recipe exactly, with coconut oil and maple syrup, but added walnuts and stirred in goji berries once cooled. Delicious and so easy. Directions are excellent as well. Great with fruit and yogurt or coconut whip.
Thank you!
This granola is delicious. I made this with gluten-free oats because I recently found out that I have celiac. Was buying a packaged granola, but this has so much more flavor. I used cashews, pecans and sunflower seeds as well as dried cherries and some cranberries. I love nuts and this is by far the best granola I have ever eaten. First time I have ever made homemade granola and it turned out perfect. Thank you. I love your recipes.
I’m sorry to hear that! I know that can be hard. I do try to provide gluten-free substitutions when I can! Make sure to try my gluten free oat waffles!
My family absolutely loves this granola recipe!! It took me a few days or weeks – ha! to actually make it once it was posted but I have made it at least 10 times since then. This is the BEST GRANOLA recipe!! And my son actually makes it. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Karen! I love that your son makes it.
Tried your granola recipe for the first time and it’s delicious. Made it with some olive oil and plenty of honey. Next time, and yes, I will definitely make it again, :-) I will maybe try to make it with coconut oil and less honey as I need to watch my sugar intake and with coconut flakes as I only had powdered coconut and I doubt the powdered version would work well. Thank you!
What a lovely easy recipe! I don’t think I’ll ever go back to store bought granola. I love knowing exactly what I’m eating. Next time I’ll scale back the maple syrup by a third, because I’m not really used to American levels of sweetness and I don’t want to get addicted to all that sugar in the morning. The oats came out perfectly crispy and the pecans and pumpkin seeds have a lovely roasted flavor. I split the batch in 2: the first half I baked and added coconut slivers to halfway through baking. After cooling down I added some dark chocolate chunks and freeze dried raspberries. Absolutely delicious and indulgent. For the other half of the batch I stirred in a healthy dose of homemade pumpkin spice blend and added organic minneola zest (I couldn’t get my hands on an organic orange and like my fruits to be organic when I plan on using their zest). After baking I added dried cranberries. The result is a warming and delicious autumn granola blend.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and explaining why you made certain choices. It will certainly remain a staple in this household! (and gosh does it make me feel like a good homemaker to have glass jars of homemade granola in my cupboard. Never mind the piled up laundry and dusty cabinet tops ;)).
Thank you, Nathalie!
Love this granola. Have made it 3 different way changing out mix ins and all have been fantastic. Just don’t over cook. We like it in clusters so do not stir until it has cooled, like she recommends.
I’m glad you love it, Mindie!
Thanks for the recipe hon just made a huge batch this morning it tastes delicious! Some pecans came out just a bit burnt but it must be because of my fan oven! Adjusting the temperature next time for granola perfection! xxx
Thanks for sharing, Valeria!
Wow!! This is literally the best homemade granola recipe I have found yet. I have tried your recipe several different ways; using different ingredients each time and the granola is to die for. Thank you so much for sharing this!! Truly amazing!!!
Hi! Want to make this and I have everything except I only have quick oats, which I’m assuming might not work. What do you think about using quick oats?
Quick oats won’t give you the same result as they don’t hold-up as well. Sorry!
My entire family have basically had this granola for breakfast everyday for the last 12 months. It’s hard to find a breakfast cereal that fits all of our dietary needs, that can be easily varied, and that a 2 year old enjoys. This checks all the boxes (and the 2 year old usually helps bake it too!) Our only reflection is that it is far too sweet for our taste, so we usually half the sweet stuff!
I’m glad you all can love this one, Tomas! Thanks for your review.
I made this recipe and follow it to t . But mine is not clumpy but it taste good. Thank you
Fantastic recipe, great starting point to add mix ins. Perfect just as is.
Fantastic recipe. I really like how you can change ingredients in granola to suit your tastes & cravings. It came out perfect! I did half cranberries & dates. I replaced the maple syrup with date syrup. I love nuts so I mixed pecans, sunflower seeds & walnuts. Also added some little dark chocolate chunks. I had a bowl of it with kefir milk for breakfast. So glad I came across this posting first no need to save any others.
Thank you!
Thanks for your review, Karen!
I love this recipe and have made four double batches for my family of two. Best topping ever for yogurt and berries and a bowl full last me all day. I do find that it takes longer than the suggested time to get it truly crunchy. More like 30to 35 minutes
This IS the best granola ever! Thank you!
It si such an easy recipe to follow and the granola is super tasty!
Thank you for this recipe! My second batch is already in the oven. I used walnuts, almonds, many seeds (pepitas, sunflower, sesame, flax, hemp and chia), dried cranberries and dates. (I chopped the nuts and added a little more coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon to accommodate all of the seeds.) Love it. Wonderfully clumped. And, freezes/unfreezes beautifully. Gratefully submitted :)
You’re welcome, Ines! I like your combination.
Delicious–I will never buy granola again! I used Agave syrup instead of honey or maple syrup. Agave has a lower glycemic index, also less expensive than real maple syrup. It was yummy!
Hooray! I love it, Liz.
Can confirm…this is the best granola
i have try it.. 5/5 starts for it..thank you for sharing
Delicious!!
I have made this granola recipe 2 times, and am about to go in for a third! My husband taught me to mix my cereals 17 years ago, and now our kids do too. We try to limit sugar, so we start with whole grain cereals, and this one adds just the right amount of sweet to the mix. We all love it!! THANK YOU for the great recipe!!!
Looking for a healthy granola for breakfast this week and came across this recipe. Made this today and it came out AMAZING! I tweaked it slightly by increasing the cinnamon because I like the flavor , omitting the berries and adding in one of the options listed… unsweetened coconut flakes. I also threw in 2 Tbsp chia seeds, because why not, LOL. My nuts were a mix of cashews and raw almonds. I added in sunflower seeds too. This granola is so good its hard to stay out of!! I followed the tips for chunky pieces and it worked perfect. Made some almond milk to go along with this and now I have breakfast for all week.
THANK YOU for your excellent recipes that help me on my journey to health.
I’m so glad you loved it, Kara! I love your mix, this is great with a different variation for sure.
Thank you for sharing this recipe… my home smells amazing right now as it bakes. Can’t wait to try it!
I love this recipe and my family does too – the best ever! For the nuts I use pecans and hazelnuts and omit the pipitas and cranberries. I add 1/2 cup of finely chopped dark chocolate chips after I take it out of the oven. The chocolate melts and coats the oats and it is out of this world. Sometimes I use about 1/2 the amount of agave which is slightly sweeter than honey. Thank you for this yummy recipe!!!
You’re welcome, Brenda!
It’s really is absolutely delicious. I’ve been obsessed with it on top of my açaí bowls that I’ve been into lately. I added chopped almonds. So good
Finally caved in and tried making granola at home. I resisted forever since it’s so easy to buy, but it’s overpriced and always seems to taste like it’s been sitting in a bunker for 20 years. Now that I’ve had fresh granola, I have seen the light. The flavors in your recipe are balanced perfectly, and it’s a great base recipe to try lots of variations. Thanks for the wake-up and for a great recipe. :-)
Thank you, Katie!
I LOVE this granola! I use Pepitas and raw sunflower seeds, raw honey and no mix ins….all else the same. I put it in my homemade yogurt every day plus a little handful right into my mouth! New batch every 2 weeks…it’s that DELICIOUS!
This is a great one to have on hand, Nancy! Thanks for sharing.
Hello Kate!
I just made the granola and it is delicious! I didn’t have parchment paper so used some foil and lightly coated with oil. It worked just fine. I’m gonna let it cool and then add some cranberries.
My next job is to make the carrot/apple muffins. Wish me luck!
Best,
Lu
I’ve made three batches and will continue to have it on hand. Love it. I’ve shared the recipe with family and friends. I always over measure on the nuts.
Thank you for the great recipe!
This is my new “go to” granola. I added pecans, walnuts and whole almonds for nuts. Also added unsweetened coconut halfway through the bake time. Along with raisins and dried cherries AWESOME!!
Made this for my preschooler’s teachers and they requested the recipe because they loved it so much. It is delicious. I like to add a little less maple syrup than it calls for. And definitely add the coconut! It is so good.
I made this granola tonight and it’s delicious! The hint of salt with golden raisins and chocolate chips is good. Thank you!
Denise
You’re welcome, Denise!
This is super easy and really delicious! Lasted only a few days before I had to make a second batch. Caught my kids snaking on it instead of biscuits! Happy days! Thank you for sharing it ❤
Mine came out dry and a bit bland.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it! Granola is suppose to be dry, that’s how you get the clumpy result.
Hi!
Thanks for the recipe.
My granola turned out bitter. Why is that?
Hi! You might have cooked it a little long. You could try adding a little more salt next time too.
Made it tonight and not yet had it for breakfast but had a taste and it tastes amazing, looking forward to breakfast tomorrow!!!! Added honey instead of maple syrup, used extra virgin coconut oil, added mixed fruit, seeds and nuts, and a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg. Thanks for the recepi!
Thanks for letting me know what you did, Danielle!
This is amazing. Threw in some ground flax seed with the oats and used pecans and sunflower seeds and maple syrup and olive oil. Mixed in dried cranberries and dark chocolate morsels. Clumped beautifully. Ate it mixed into greek yogurt. Cannot get enough…hiding it from my husband so I get it all…lol. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Donna!
Absolutely the BEST granola I’ve ever made. My son who is deployed asked if I could make him granola and send to him and his guys. Now I’ve got to make another batch so I’ll have plenty for my husband and me. This is a recipe I’ll make for YEARS to come. Never buy store bought again!!!!!
Thank you, Christy!
I’d never made granola before, but wanted to have something less sugar-laden than the store bought granolas. So I read through a thousand recipes (well, a lot of them) and saw yours was simple with natural sweetners, so I tried it. It was *so delicious* with just the right amount of sweetness.
Making it for the second time this morning: this time no almonds; trying walnuts and sunflower seeds instead.
Thank you, Kate, for the deliciousness!
I’m so glad you came to this recipe and loved it! I have a few others on the blog you might love, too.
I like this recipe, however, I only add 1/2tsp of salt as I find it too salty with the 1tsp and 3/4tsp options.
Otherwise, my family and I thoroughly enjoy this healthy option!
Great way to adjust to your tastes, Ray!
I was done buying granola at the Grocery. I’m a type 1 Diabetic and the added sugar was not good (though it tastes good!). I found your recipe and I made it this morning. I added your ingredients plus hemp seeds, tahini and a little nut butter. I may have gone overboard but it smells great in the oven
I’m happy it worked so well for you! Thank you for your review.
Mine definitely did not clump up, at all. I did not use honey or high sugar mix-in’s. If anyone had theirs burned, it could be because you used honey or high sugar mix-ins which cooks faster and could risk burning. Definitely do less time on those and watch them.
Nonetheless, it was good on my greek yogurt and didn’t want to add more sugar content than I did already with the maple syrup. I will finish the batch, regardless
Hi Renee, so you didn’t use honey or maple syrup?
I’ve made many various granola recipes, and this is by FAR my favorite! I’ve made it to gift to others, and they all love it too!
I used honey as my sweetener, and pecans, walnuts and sliced almonds, sunflower seeds and coconut slivers. I also tossed in flaxseed meal and chia seeds. So good!
Hooray! Thanks for sharing, Jennifer.
Hi Kate, I did use maple syrup as stated in my original comment. I did not use honey, which I believe would give more of a clumpy texture, but didn’t want to further increase the sugar/sweetness value.
Thank you for commenting back, Renee. Sorry you didn’t get a great result. I’m puzzled.
Thanks! This is one of the easiest yet most awesome granola recipe on the internet. I have a feeling I’ll be cooking this for the rest of my life!