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.
I love it!!! It reminds me of the granola I used to eat in the 1970’s! Filled with flavor but not sweet. My husband, who is NOT a granola fan at all, loves it too. I gave some to my neighbor and she really likes it too.
I used sliced almonds instead of pecans because I didn’t want it to be too sweet. May try with pecans next time
Reading the comments below, I personally like the fact that it is not in clumps.
If I don’t eat it for breakfast with almond milk and fruit, I will eat 1/4 cup of it dry along with slices of apple or grapes. A great afternoon snack! Thank you.
I just made this granola and it is the most delicious granola I have ever eaten!! I used pecans and pumpkin seeds, coconut oil and honey & when completely cool I’ll add craisins and dark chocolate chips. This granola has the perfect blend of sweet and salty, I am truly blown away at the deliciousness!!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Came looking for a granola recipe that I could incorporate some seeds and nuts into, to give me some of the extra nutrients I need on a largely plant-based diet.
This recipe is so good I had to increase the quantities a bit so it would last the week. I also scaled back the sweetener, because I don’t like too much sweetness, bumped up the oil a bit to compensate, and discovered that I needed to reduce the salt since it’s no longer masked by the sweetener.
I ended up at:
5 cups wholegrain oats
2 cups raw nuts and/or seeds, including hemp seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, 2 tbsp ground LSA
¼ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon (more cinnamon is good)
½ cup melted coconut oil
½ cup olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 cup dried fruit
citrus juice (lime, lemon, orange) to soak into the dried fruit – about 2 tbsp
Thank you for sharing, Mike! Happy you were able to use this as inspiration.
Can you sub agave for the maple syrup? Thanks!
Hi Amanda, I haven’t tried it and don’t tend to use it often so I can’t speak to if it will provide the same result.
I love this recipe!!
Thank you, Laura!
I’ve been making batches of this granola every four days since I found this recipe last month. My kids LOVE it!
Wondering if there is a way to make a batch of it that is more chewy (sticks together?) I’m wanting to send it as snacks for my kids at school, but don’t want it to crumble everywhere. Thoughts?
Thank you!! A wonderful recipe!
Hi Katie! I’m glad you love it. I’m not sure about making it more chewy without changing the recipe more as this one was designed to be more crunchy.
Can the dried fruit be baked in with it or should it be added after? I have a bag of fruit and nut mix but I don’t know if I should separate the fruit from the nuts?
Hi! Dried fruit should be added after.
I will never buy granola again!!
I used sliced almonds & walnuts & raisins.
So good! I’ve eaten it plain, in yogurt, and as a topping on my homemade Acai bowl. Going to try dried cranberries & pecans next
Excellent. I did a combo of maple syrup and honey. I added flax meal to mine and did a combo of walnuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. finished it off with some cranberries. Love it. Not too sweet. Thanks, this one is a keeper!!
Mine burnt! 350F is 180C and it burnt by the half way mark. I also used less honey so it wasnt the sugar content. Dont take your eyes off it and check every 3-4 minutes is my advice. I salvaged as much as I could but I expect there will be a smokey tinge to it. Oh well.
Hi Ruby! I’m sorry to hear that. Do you find your oven runs warmer? What rack did you have it on? Cutting the liquid may have also played a part.
You have to use a really sturdy sheet pan. I used one that wasn’t as sturdy o the bottom and burned. The next one, I used a heavier sheet pan and it worked perfectly!
Thank you for getting back to me!
Mine burnt too, but the smoky tinge added to it !! J think I left it too long
I love this granola recipe! I made it for the first time 1 week ago and today I’m about to make it a THIRD TIME! This time I’m trying your suggestion with walnuts:)))) Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Me and my family lovvvvvee this recipe! Is there any way I can make it into a bar? Please let me know thanks!
Hi Nina! I’m happy you loved it! I would suggest one of my granola bars.
Thank you so much!!! I absolutely LOVE this recipe!! If I had known granola was so easy to make, I would have never spent so much money buying it at the supermarket. I added coconut flakes, craisins, yellow raisins, and dried cherries, along with whole almonds and quarter walnuts. For a sweetener, I mostly used honey, but added a bit of maple for that yummy flavor!! I’m hooked!
You’re welcome! Thank you for sharing.
Hey there,
I tried the Gluten free granola with pecans and coconut variation.
It turned out amazing, I’m so excited and even ate it for dinner
Thank you so much.
Joanne
Very good! I used 1 cup slivered almonds & 1/2 cup pecans which gives plenty of great crunch. I will add a few dried cherries to my cooled granola. I will prepare this again!
LOVE THIS
Granola is so weirdly expensive for what it is…and then they just pack it full of sugar. This is perfect. I keep a big bag of frozen berries on hand, put some in my bowl and warm for 30 seconds in the microwave. They release all of their yummy juices and then mix in with plain greek yogurt and top with this granola!
I agree with you! I’m happy you loved this one.
Any suggestions to make it clumpier? I mixed mine and patted it down halfway through and it seems like it isn’t sticking together (the oatmeal just seems like it is dry). It does smell great! Thank you!
Hi Ali! Did you leave it untouched to cool?
Can I use quick oats?
Hi! You can, you just won’t likely get the same clumpy result.
Great recipe! Tried granola for the first time. Used pista instead of pecans and also used almond slivers with pumpkin seeds. Used combo of brown sugar and honey. Used butter instead of oil. Turned out so good, it got over in two days! Thanks.
This granola really is the BEST! It’s so easy to make and very addictive. Already plan on making another batch this week! Thanks for another great recipe.
Added 1 1/2 cups of dates and apricots but still came out a little too salty for my liking (& I love salt). Used 1tsp of Himalayan salt. Would probably cut back on the salt or add a little more honey next time. Apart from that, great recipe.
Once again, a perfect recipe. I used pecans broken up slightly, sunflower seeds, coconut and unsweetened cranberries. So good, so much better than store bought and most importantly the family approves. Thanks Kate!
This is the best granola recipe I’ve used it’s fantastic. I put some dark chocolate chips on top before I put it in the oven it’s sooooo amazing thank you
You’re welcome, Shelly. I’m happy you enjoy it.
Have just made my 2nd batch of this. I used almonds & walnuts. I also added 2-3 handfuls each of coconut & dried cranberries, added them in @ the beginning with everything else. My husband & I love it, especially mixed with yogurt for breakfast. YUMMM!!
Hooray! I’m glad it was a hit.
Hi,Made this granola for the first time,and its supper delicious.Thank you.
I have made many granola recipes and this one is by far the best! It was also super easy and used ingredients I already had.
This recipe is amazing! I’m going to be making it all the time now! How long are you able to store this granola in the fridge for?
Hi! I haven’t stored this in the refrigerator. See step 5 for my storage recommendations.
Loved it!! In browsing granola recipes, I saw orange zest so I included it….a little extra flavor kick! I have my granola with Greek yogurt. Thanks for a great new tradition!
I would’ve love to know the metric measurements since no one uses cups outside of the us. It turns baking and cooking into a math class. I haven’t made this recipe yet but I really want to. Do you perhaps have the metric measurements?
Hi, I’m sorry to hear you are frustrated. This is a great resource for conversions.
By far the BEST granola ever! I add raisins and cranberries as the dry fruit. I mix it all together at the beginning and add coconut half way through. I also added about half cup more nuts. Turns out great!
This Granola is so Good!! I recently became Wheat, Sugar and Dairy free and I was very happy to come upon you website! I can’t wait to make this again! So easy and delicious!
Just made this tonight and I’m already loving it even before I add my dried fruit. Would love to know what your thoughts on how to tweak it just a bit though as I’d like to make it with more protein and I’m thinking adding protein powder to do it.
I have tried so many granola recipes and none of them were up to scratch. This is absolutely delicious thank you!!
Used this as a base to make some granola this morning and finally got the ratios right! Delicious and a household hit!
2 cups rolled oat
1/2 cup roughly chopped hazelnuts
1/4 cup pepitas
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp salt1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup EVOO
1 egg white
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
Me too! Do you reduce baking time?
This granola is just perfection!
Thanks to you I have never bought a store-bought granula again.
The recipe is perfectly explained, it’s so simple.
I make my granola with canola oil and replace the cinnamon with (lots of) Pumpkin spices.
It’s so delicious!
I’m going to make a few bags of Gingerbread granola as a homemade gift for the holidays, it will be perfect!
Thank you for sharing.
This has been a game changer for me- even my three boys eat it. Literally, perfect granola! X
I am hooked on your granola! Absolutely delicious!. Question: can I make a batch using both honey and maple syrup – like a 1/4 cup of each? Would that work?
Hi! Split it equally. Let me know how it goes!
This is a delicious recipe! I’ve made it several times. Instead of maple syrup or honey, I make a syrup out of 2/3 cup coconut sugar and 1/4 cup water, then combine with the coconut oil. It’s lower glycemic and still enough sweetness. Amazing. Thanks so much!
This is AMAZING! Thanks so much for sharing. I only had the basic ingredients but next time I go shopping I’ll buy all the extras to jazz it up. I’m even considering giving jars of this as Christmas presents!
Followed recipe using honey and extra virgin olive oil. For seeds/raw nuts added 1/4 cup each of the following; walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds and ground flaxseed. Also added 1/2 cup of Rice Krispy cereal, good addition. Used 3/4 teaspoon of table salt as directed, way too salty. Next time will cut the salt in half, use a little more vanilla and 1/4 cup more honey.
After being fed up with the very high cost of cereal at the grocery store, I decided to make my own granola. I found this recipe and tried it. I will never buy store granola ever again. This turned out so very good.
I’m excited you enjoyed it, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
This granola is fantastic! I make a very similar recipe, but using the coconut oil, and half honey,half maple syrup makes this combo just outstanding!
Absolutely super delicious Granola. Thank you Kate for sharing a family recipe. This is the first time, I have ever made my own breakfast cereal. Followed the recipe and added chocolate chips and cranberries after cooled. Will definitely be making again. Yummmm.
I love this recipe! I use half the oil and half the honey/maple syrup and it still turns out beautifully, although not as clumpy. I add coconut half way through, and raisins at the end as the first time I didn’t listen to your advice and burnt the raisins Thanks for the detailed instructions and tip on not overcooking it.
This recipe is amazing! It’s my go to for granola, so quick and easy, and a bonus that it’s healthy too.
Might I recommend, when it’s hot out of the oven, put a large spoonful on top of some vanilla ice cream. You can thank me later :)
This granola is absolutely amazing! I used maple syrup, pecans, hemp hearts, and raisins. So quick and easy to make, and it turned out delicious. Bonus: it made my house smell wonderful.
That’s great to hear, Joni! I appreciate your review.
We absolutely love this! I make it once every 5 days because my husband and I go through it so fast. I use a full teaspoon of cinnamon and cut the salt back a bit. I was using coconut oil but ran out and now I use olive oil. Delicious!!
I bought some cute jars for Christmas that I will lovingly fill with your granola, tie the recipe on a string around the neck with full credit to you!!
Yum!!
Can I use quick oats?
Hi Bette! You can, it just won’t clump together the same.
Wow thanks! This is so good, great comfort food. I used walnuts, raisins and unsweetened coconut. Yummy and crunchy and sweet but not too sweet! Thank you for sharring.
You’re welcome, Deb!
This recipe was so good. It smelled wonderful in the oven while it was roasting. Yummy.
I even added some to my regular oatmeal for a little extra crunch. I used raw almonds and added dried fruit of cranberries, cherries and dates.
Thank you.
I’m excited you loved it, Helen! Thank you for taking the time to review.
May I use liquid coconut oil instead of solid coconut oil?
Hi! Yes, you want to make sure it’s liquid to use it.
This granola is delicious. I tried the basic recipe, but just now noticed the variations and will try one of them next. Thank you so much for all the great recipes on your site. I also have your cookbook. Are you going to do another cookbook?
Excellent recipe. I make 4 batches at a time and use 2 large roasting pans (2 batches per pan.) It’s a crowd pleaser. I always add coconut and, reduce the amount of oil to lower the calories. The amount of salt seems high. Make it once and then tweak it to your tastes. When I eat it, I put it in the bowl as the base for other cereals. So delicious.
Thank you for sharing, Kathy! I appreciate your review.