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.
Question:
When adding orange zest, is it done before or after baking the granola?
Thanks for ALL of your delicious recipes!
Hi Helen! See my Orange & Almond Granola
This was amazing! By far the tastiest granola I’ve made – added my own spin if a ton of cinnamon, pumpkin spice, and some ground flax, coconut flakes :) loved it! Thank you!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Sarah!
Such an easy and tasty recipe and as an extra bonus my house smells fantastic. I have a feeling I’ll be making a double batch quite soon!
Thanks Kate!
Delicious and versatile. This recipe is the reason I fell in love with your blog!
This is an amazing recipe. I live in Mexico so the honey is from the area and powerful. My friend has his container, slightly brown, while I have my own container, toasted, of this delicious granola. Simple but powerful! Thank you, Maria Roncarati
I was just about to make this (excited to add big coconut flakes halfway through baking) when I realized that I only have 1-minute oatmeal, not old fashioned. Will it make a difference? Guess I should just wait until I can buy some more!
Hi, it won’t likely need as long or as clump as well.
I like playing around with the ingredients. This recipe is great for knowing quantities and timing.
I added brown puffed rice and coconut instead of nuts and seeds and substituted pumpkin spice for cinnamon.
So tasty! It’s nice and crunchy in my yogurt.
Love this recipe…so easy too.
Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Ann! Thank you for your review.
Have been making a similar recipe for a couple months now and really love it. Every time I tweak it a little differently thus far. Came here mostly to get an idea of how much maple syrup to put in (as I had been using simple syrup made by heating 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar, but trying to get away from granulated sugar). I put in 7 TBL of maple syrup, which is just 1 TBL short of 1/2 cup.
I have been getting all the clump I have wanted with 1/4 cup (4 TBL) light olive oil so I stuck with that, and added a cup of sunflower seeds that had been soaking for just about 45 min and then drained. And added a few dry TBL of chia seeds (because I didn’t even think to soak them first), 1/2 c. raw almonds I chopped myself and 1/2 cup organic raisins, 1-2 TBL Ceylon cinnamon (the kind of cinnamon that is good for you; the common cinnamon used in the U.S. for the past 70 years is a cassia variety that can harm the liver if one consumes more than about a teaspoon daily). Added 1/2 tsp. of salt — (I’m supposed to cut down on my salt) — and poured in about a teaspoon of vanilla extract (although I hear that the maple syrup flavor kind of cancels out the vanilla taste).
I keep forgetting to, but plan to add white sesame seeds next time.
And like in the past, I’ve been baking the granola at a very low temperature — 200 to 225°F — for a few hours. But since someone here said it gets crisper while cooling, I’ll probably go for 2 1/2 hours this time and see how that goes. As someone who lived on a raw food diet for almost 2 years, I have a tendency to cook at low temperatures whenever I can get away with it.
HOW CAN SOMETHING SO HEALTHFUL BE SO GOOD AND SO EASY TO FIX…???!!!
Not sure what I did wrong looking at the other comments/reviews but mine was black and burnt after 18 minutes at 175c Will try again another day.
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you have it placed in the center of the oven? Does your oven tend to run hot?
Honestly this exact thing happened to me the first time as well, checked it after about 17 minutes and all the sides were burnt. Had to throw away most of it, but second batch I just made sure to check after 14-15 ish minutes and it came out perfect!
Did you toss half way? So around 10-11 min?
When I’ve baked this recipe on a metal baking sheet at 350 for 12 min., flip it, then bake12 minutes more, it browns too fast, but when I’ve baked it in my 9 x 13 glass pyrex dish (using parchment paper with either method), it comes out perfectly every time!
Been using and loving this recipe for a few years now. As you mentioned and as I have experienced, the desired clumping seems to not always happen. For the last couple of batches I’ve made, I’ve taken the mixtures and squeezed it like I’m making a snowball. I then put it on the baking tray and give it a few taps with a wooden spoon to break it up a little. I combine these with smaller clumps and generally just rough it up in the tray. I let it bake for a while and them stir it around and break up the bigger pieces and bake some more. I don’t press down on it anymore. Basically, I make clumps instead of hoping for them. It seems to work really well.
Love you Kate!!
I’m sorry it hasn’t been consistent, but glad you are still enjoying it and getting creative with this recipe!
Hey bill, can be beneficial to add an egg white or two (beaten) to the wet mix for a more efficient bind. Might save some trouble.
I must add my voice to the hallelujah chorus over this recipe. It’s a huge hit and we love it. Thank you!
Hi Kate,
Can’t wait to try this recipe! I did have one question for you, the only pepitas I found at my local market were roasted and salted (I usually only go for seeds when they are raw), do you still recommend trying the recipe with roasted/salted pepitas or should I swap them with something else? Would love your advice!
Thank you!
Sincerely,
Lauren
Hi! You can still use them. You may just want to adjust your salt since there will be some in there. Tell me what you think!
Tried and inhaled! It was amazing. Your instructions were great. Making it again today. Thank you.
I’ve used this recipe several times and always turns out delicious. I brought it up an extra notch by using maple syrup directly tapped from a maple tree. Absolutely divine!!!
Thank you for sharing, Katherine! I’m glad you like it.
So delicious!!! Will make this again fore sure!
Wowzer! This is absolutely the BEST granola recipe! I rehydrated blueberries & orange zest with fresh OJ to soften them and added them halfway through. Yummy! Thanks for this amazing and versatile recipe.
THE BEST! I made a few times and we all loved it…now my daughter makes a double batch about once a week! She’s tried different mix ins but my favorite is as is w a combo of almonds and pecans. Can’t imagine buying granola ever again. Thank you for great recipes!
Sounds delicious, Stephanie! Thank you for sharing.
I have been using this recipe since lockdown started in 2020 and never looked back. I now make this recipe monthly. It is amazing!! Thanks for sharing
FIVE STARS ***** MADE THIS HOMEMADE GRANOLA MIX just now – so easy and fresh – delicious- I added it into Pineapple Yogurt and added shredded coconut and mandarin oranges WOW
Thank you for your review, Dee!
Ah this is the longest 45 minutes! So I’m just going over the recipe and comments. I was making pickled watermelon rinds sort of at the same time as i made your granola and i messed up a bit. I added the dried cranberries at the beginning. Does that diminish the nutritional value or skew the cooking process somehow? I also forgot the salt so i just sprinkled a tiny bit on just now. I used the basic ingredients and also used about half of all the ingredients because it was my first time and if i messed up, or didn’t like it, i wouldn’t feel as bad about wasting food. Plus i only wanted to use one jar to store it. After the vinegar from pickling, this smelled like heaven! I’m still sitting here a little euphoric from the aroma. Anyhow, thanks for sharing. P.s. 45 min up and it tastes forgiving and wonderful. I should have made the full recipe :-D
Hi, Adding the cranberries to start could impact the results.
It came out pretty good. I took a picture because it looks really beautiful! It was more crumbly with only some clumps. The warm cranberries tasted great though and Ive since added some to yogurt and its better than store bought. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll definitely be making more.
Your recipes for granola looked so awesome, but I almost set my 1st attempt on fire! About five minutes in, it was burnt and smoking. So glad I hadn’t left the room. I’m at 7000 altitude which means I have to cook most things longer and hotter. Baked it at 350 on a small baking sheet on parchment but no clumps occurred, it was like loose oats although it was plenty wet before baking. What did I do wrong?! I used gluten free oats, honey, coconut oil, cinnamon, salt and no nuts. Was going to stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chips after it cooled. Any ideas where I goofed? My oven is 2 years old and not the problem.
Hi Cal, I’m sorry you had issues. Did you adjust for the nuts you omitted?
This is delicious and very addicting! I have never made home made granola but I don’t ever plan on buying it again. This was super easy to make and all the ingredients were in my pantry. So so good! Thank you
I make this every Sunday ready for weekday breakfasts. So delicious. I swap from cashews to almonds. Love all your recipes! Thank you so much.
You’re welcome, Gemma!
Second time making this! Such a good base to play around with adding whatever happens to be in the pantry. Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad you loved it!
Our favorite granola recipe, I have it memorized. Sometimes I add a dash of nutmeg and a little extra cinnamon too
Hi, this recipe looks awesome. I’m going to try it when my daughter visits. One question, will the dried fruit stick if you top it with it when it comes out of the oven? Or do I mix it in before cooking? I’m using Craisens. Thanks so much.
Hi! You will mix it in once cooled. It won’t clump with the rest, but will be nice in the mixture. I hope that helps!
I love this receipe have made it many times it comes out lovely
Mary Callinan
Made this twice . First with maple syrup (real) second with half maple syrup and half honey . Used pecans and pumpkin seeds. Second batch clumped better . Used half solid coconut oil and half olive oil. It is delicious though I wished it clumped more . Thanks
I’ve made this a couple times now. Once with maple syrup and once with local honey! Both very good but the third time I mixed the honey and the syrup! My favorite by far! I also mixed chopped pecans and almonds so good! Thanks for sharing this versatile recipe!
You’re welcome Darlene! Thank you for your review.
I was looking for a granola recipe to make home-made Playa Bowls (since we don’t have them here yet.) This is an excellent recipe that I will make again and again. I did make a half recipe and used canola oil because that is what I had on hand. Rave reviews from the whole family.
Wonderful to hear, Megan! Thank you for your review.
This is absolutely the best granola recipe out there! I make it at least twice a month and I double it each time. It is my breakfast go to, my snack go to, my yogurt topping go to, etc. It is so easy to change it up with any type of nut, dried fruits, or whatever you want to put into it. It can be different each time you make it if you want it to be. Absolutely love it! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us all!
“Oh my gosh Mom. This is so good!” Thank you for this super simple and fabulous recipe. We have made it several times and have added more and different nuts, seeds, and dried fruits and man, it is so good. We haven’t used store bought granola since finding this. Thank you!
That’s great, EJ! Thank you for sharing.
Hi is it possible to use quick oats? I have a ton in the pantry but don’t want to attempt it in fear of it being ruined
Hi, you can but it won’t quite clump the same and you may need to adjust the timing so they don’t burn. I recommend rolled oats if you can!
I have been making the granola for many years as a lady friend of mine made but she didn’t use are recipe and no measuring cups. I need the measuring to balance the list. So, if you say, can use one item I use them all whether it is the liquid portion, the nuts, the dried somethings, I just do them all. It has been fun and tastes great. Thanks for sharing. I misplaced the list so I am back on line getting started again from a new location.
I made this yesterday, it was easy and delicious! Thanks you for sharing your recipe.
You’re welcome, Maryliz! I appreciate your review.
Have made this 2x now and it’s great! Always comes out so much better than the store kind. I froze some of the first batch and defrosted and it was still perfect.
Made substitutions with seeds and nuts I had around – used Date syrup instead of maple and it’s delicious!
I chose your recipe this time when I decided to make my husband his favorite snack for work and I’m so excited that I did. I used 6 cups of oats, 2 cups walnuts,.5 cup olive oil,.5 cup honey & .25 cup of white corn syrup, plus i threw in brown sugar with the spices! Its so yummy and I also rubbed egg whites on top to help it clump together. Am adding dried blueberries, cranberries, and raisins!
Made this granola today. It’s delicious. I used walnuts & pumpkin seeds ,canola oil & maple syrup. Followed the instructions and it turned out perfect . I will never use store bought again.
I love to hear that, Cheryl! Thank you for your review.
So good. I am not even a huge granola fan but tried this recipe in an effort to add more fiber and nuts to my diet. I’m making a second batch already! The salt and flavors are great. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Grace! I appreciate your review.
It’s great in all it’s iterations.
Thank you, Alana!
Love this recipe! Lately I have made it with cashews, almonds, pepitas, sunflower seeds, flax seed, and chia seeds. I subbed agave for the syrup and it came out wonderful! So many options for a healthy treat!
This is really good granola. I’ve made it several times, following the recipe to the letter. It took a couple of tries to get the cook temperature/time just right. Instead of a sheet pan, I’m using two cookie sheets, baking one at a time at 325 degrees for 20 minutes each. Takes twice as long, but no need to stir halfway through. Comes out perfect every time!
Going to try a batch this afternoon with orange flavored cranberries (Trader Joe’s).
This granola is absolutely delicious. First time I’ve ever made granola. You make it so easy. I’m making another batch this weekend as I’ve only got 1 cup of this delicious granola left! Thanks so much Kate
It’s my first attempt making granola and all thanks to your basic recipe, I think it tastes super yummy! Will definitely make it again
That’s great to hear, Kayleigh! Thank you for your review.
I use this recipe everytime – absolute fail safe! I work in a nut-free environment so for breakfast at work I up the amount of seeds to 2 cups, sunflower and pumpkin seeds are my favourites. I tried adding flaxseeds and chia seeds one time but they were just too small and crunchy for my liking!
Hi.
I make granola with maple syrup and olive oil for maximum healthy. Don’t add dried fruit until finished baking as it burns.
In using toasted nuts and seeds, add either after cooking or at last third of cook time so no over cooking.
Overcooking brings on a rancid taste.
I have made this yummy stuff several times, and all I can say is thank you, it’s perfect on plain yogurt…….love it.
Made this for my 10 year old as I was fed up with commercial cereals. She loved it. We added toasted coconut flakes, dried cranberries and dried strawberries.
Sounds delicious, Lindsay! I appreciate your review.
Loved this! and my son said it was the best.
You rock my world… best granola ever. THANK YOU!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Hanna!
I bought granola at our farmers market a week or so ago, and it was so good that I googled recipes with the same ingredients, and yours was the one that sounded more like what I got. I just made it, and it is divine. I used your recipe exactly, using the olive oil/maple syrup combination. And since others wrote that theirs burned, I checked mine and stirred every 8 minutes, and it cooked the full 24 minutes. Additionally I used the apricots. I could not be more pleased and am a new member of your blog.
I’m glad you loved it! Thank you for your review, Sallie.