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.
Really yummy! Made it with my almost 3 year old! He loved it too! Thanks for sharing great recipes!
I love this recipe. I have been doing it for the past 2 months and would not change it for anything.
Thank you for your review, Dorienne!
Where do you store it…in a cupboard or fridge?
Hi Audrey, in an airtight container outside of the refrigerator works.
I put raisins in at the beginning by mistake. I actually like it better this way. They taste like they do in an oatmeal cookie! Great recipe. I make it every week. Love it with yogurt.
Yes I agree, and if you put them in after it has cooled they won’t be part of the granola, but will be free floating, and I don’t really like that idea.
I store it in the fridge and it lasts. Well in reality it dies not last long as we love it so much that in a week and a half it’s gone
Best granola recipe yet!
Thank you, Basit!
This is an absolute winner recipe. Easy, no fuss and delicious.
This was soooooo good! I made it super basic with GF oats, chopped macadamia nuts, coconut oil, Celtic salt, and maple syrup. No vanilla, no dried fruit. Amazing! And so easy to make!
That sounds great, Lisa!
What is the calories per servicing?
Hi Lisa, the nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe.
I made your homemade granola. WOW. It was like oatmeal cookies to me, I am using this granola ask oats when I make oatmeal cookies. It was so good I had to freeze some so my family (ME)would not eat it all within days.
I’m so proud of myself as I don’t even boil water. I can’t wait to try more healthy recipes
Bless you and yours
Kate
Jesus loves you
I’ve made this recipe 4 times now for myself and others. It’s amazing and everyone loves it. I add Walnuts, Craisens, Coconut and mini chocolate chips.
I just made it today and I think my Coconut oil was bad. I just bought a store brand today and the batch tasted rancid. Never happened before. I had to throw out the entire batch after it baked. It had an awful smell too. Had a horrible taste. I’ll have to remember which brand I used the other times and go back to the store and buy it. Is there any brand that you would recommend? I love this recipe and was so disappointed. Thanks, Rita
That’s great! I’m glad you love it. Sorry to hear about your coconut oil. I use organic when I can and haven’t run into that issue.
So u purchased the brand of coconut oil that I had used in the past and barely melted it in the microwave then stirred it the rest of the way. Granola came out delicious as usual. I went back and reread the other coconut oil I had used and it was extra virgin and had a medium heat on it. That could be why it didn’t work. Anyway, I will make note of the brand I used the 4 times I’ve made this and not buy the other one.
This is one of the best granola recipes ever.
Thanks so much!
Hi, i LOVE LOVE LOVE this granola recipe! It has become a regular staple in my pantry. When I run out I immediately make another batch because breakfast isn’t the same without it. Just one problem….I used the half sheet and I use the silicone baking mat which has worked well and the last time I made it I got great clumps. I made it again and this time i had none! . I mixed it halfway through and just left it mixed which was how I thought I’d get clumps but didn’t work. Was I supposed to mix it and then flatten out with spatula evenly on sheet? Couldn’t figure out how this would make it clump so I did it my way but obviously wasn’t the right way. Thank you for any help on the clumping technique. Can’t wait to try again. Lisa
I love it, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
Please tell me how to get clumpier granola??? Can’t get it to clump!
Thanks, Lisa
Hi Lisa, sorry I missed that part of your comment. I sent you an email this morning :)
Do you think apple sauce could work in place of oil?
HI Kelsey, applesauce isn’t a great alternative here. Sorry!
My husband could eat those EVERY DAY!!! It keep him full from 6-12 no need for a snack before lunch! BIG BIG KEEPER! Thanks for the recipe
You’re welcome, Trish!
Made this for the first time today. Followed recipe. Edges burned a little. Maybe a didn’t stir it up enough half way. Has a nice crunch. Great with homemade yogurt.
This has been my go to granola recipe since 2016. I have tried so many different recipes and played around with the ratios of oil and honey but I always end up coming to this one. Thank you so much for this.
I love it, Rajam! Thank you for your review.
Delicious, thanks for sharing! Can’t wait to try out the different variations!
You’re welcome, Anisley!
I love making granola, but had never thought about freezing it. Any tips so that it’s not soggy when it defrosts? Pop it in the oven again?
Hi Amanda, Once it’s cooled completely 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.
Hi Kate-thanks for your awesome recipe! I made it 3 months ago and our family loved it. I now have a larger container of whole grain quick oats. Can these be used instead of the rolled oats?
Thanks,
Shelly
Hi Shelly, You can, but you may need to decrease the time and it won’t likely clump together.
Thanks Kate! We’ll see what happens.
Shelly
So happy I came across this recipe. This was so easy and so delicious! I’ll never buy granola again. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Linda! Thank you for your review.
Delicious. I used pumpkin pie spice plus a bit more cinnamon. Coconut shreds at the 1/2 way point.
This granola has ruined me for all others! I’m never buying store bought again. I’ve made several variations all using this base recipe but my favorite is using date syrup as the sweetener and adding shredded coconut. So good!
Hooray! I’m glad you loved it, Jane.
Hey there guys, thanks so much for this granola recipe and especially for the ideas for the add-ons. This feels like an excellent canvas for any kind of granola I would like to make (I LOVE THAT!). Personally, I would add more honey because my hubby and boys love that comfort cooking. However, I’ve made two types from this recipe, one includes chocolate chips and the other adds lemon rind. Both are AMAZING!
Very easy, crunchy, and delicious. Although the granola still appears a little pale on top at the 24 minute mark, it’s ready to come out of the oven now. On a batch, I made the mistake of giving it an extra 3 minutes, quickly scorching the bottom.
Love it, thank you
You’re welcome, Pearl!
Thank you for this delicious recipe. Made it last night & it turned out just as I had expected it to be.
You’re welcome, Dina! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Second time making this and it is our family’s fave! I add a half cup of chia seeds and a half cup of hemp hearts for added nutrition. SO good!
Thank you!
The Sharp Family
Great recipe thanks Katie! I roughly used your quantities, incl. 1/2 cup each of coconut oil and maple syrup, and baked three batches in my smallish Breville bench top oven/airfryer. Because I added chopped dried apricots and dates before baking, I turned the mix about four times during the 22 min baking period and kept an eye out for burnt bits. (I didn’t use raisins or sultanas). I tweaked your recipe only slightly, adding ground cloves and coarse Celtics sea salt. The result — perfect!!! Thanks for a great recipe. (I also tagged you on IG).
Loved how this granola turned out! Do you have a recipe for a pumpkin spice granola?
Hi Rachel! I don’t, but you could try to replace the cinnamon for my Pumpkin Spice Blend. Let me know what you think!
Decided to make this because the store bought granola is so crazy expensive! Made a double batch and now my husband won’t eat anything else! Could you use vegetable oil if you had no olive or coconut oil?
Hi Melody! I”m glad you both love it. I prefer with the other two oils, but it may work. Let me know!
Just made this and added dried cherries. It is so good, and so easy to make! I highly recommend!
How do I print your this recipe? I don’t see a print button anywhere anymore
Hi Anita! It wasn’t working, but it’s back now. :)
Making this again today for my second time. Easy and absolutely delicious!!
It’s really good.
Really great recipe!! Love that you can make it clustery. Perfect for my breakfast yogurt :)
Kate, girrrrlll! This granola was so good. I used half maple syrup and half honey, with lower sugar Craisins. Other than that, I followed it as is. I will be making this for the 3rd time in less than 2 months. Thanks so much for this and all of your amazing recipes!
Thank you for sharing, Beverly! I’m glad you loved it.
A Keeper!!!! Sooooo yummy! Make it over and over. I use diced dried apricots and raisins for fruit. Also, I always seem to have sliced almonds for the nuts, so I use those (and add a touch of almond extract). But also use pepitas (A great idea!).
To keep the granola crisp, I add a few tablespoons of dehydrated egg white (or the real thing if I have some extra- just adjust for added moisture)
I’m glad you loved it, Martha! Thank you for your review.
Excellent granola recipe! I used honey and extra light olive oil along with sliced almonds, pepitas and dried apricots.
Highly addictive, thanks for the recipe :)
I love this recipe. No more store bought granola. I’m not finding calorie count though. Do you have a peanut butter granola recipe. I make my granola with xvoo
Absolutely delicious, I will never buy granola again. This is such a quick snd easy recipe. I will be trying all the different flavour combinations. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Julia! I’m glad you love it.
I love this granola – unfortunately so does my husband who NEVER eats granola but decided to try this because I’d made it! He ate most of the last batch!
Any chance you could put the amount in grams too as I live in England and have to convert the cups each time?
Really easy recipe and it turned out really well. I will make this again. I used a combination of mixed nuts, used honey instead of the maple syrup, olive oil instead of coconut oil and added some dried raisins and dried cranberries. Yummy!!!
Super-good! I used half the sweetener, and mango for the dried fruit.
More and more I’m coming across your recipes in my searches. I have been pleased with every one of your recipes. They are healthy, flavourful and interesting.
Thank you! You are now my go for recipes that I trust.
Lyn
You’re welcome, Lyn! I’m glad you are enjoying my recipes.
I make granola cereal all the time but unlike me this recipe gets the amounts of dry vs wet just right.
Thank you for sharing, Michelle!
I make a batch of this every week and my husband loves it! We love eating it with vanilla Greek yogurt and berries. I don’t use fruit because I love it crunchy! I also shared it with my mom and she loves the saltiness!
Just made this with dates (only because we didn’t have honey/maple syrup) – and it was delicious. I blended dates with a little water and used as per recipe. Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed your variation, Charlotte! Thank you for your review.
easy and delicious. i used what i had in the cupboard – pecans, sunflowers seeds, dates and fruit syrup instead of maple and it came out great! I was skeptical on the amount of salt, but it was perfect. can’t wait to try different variations of it. thank you!!
You’re welcome, Anya!
You’ll never want to go back to store-bought granola again.
I found this recipe because I had a hard time finding store-bought granola without palm oil and I thank god and google every day for that. I have made this recipe countless times since and it always turns out incredible. Today I made it with pecans, olive oil, honey and pumpkin seeds. I forgot to half the salt as I was doing only half a batch and it still tastes lovely. The reason I decided to finally write a review today is that I made a desert out of this granola and it truly filled every particle of my being with joy. Toast an apple until it’s soft and browned, top with some mascarpone while the apples are still hot and sprinkle with granola. The sweet and soft apple balances the crunchy, delicately savory granola and the creamy mascarpone carries you into bliss.
Can’t recommend enough.
Hello! I’ve made countless granola recipes and this is THE ONE!!! I’ve made it over 10 times in a month, haha! Perfect chew, crunch, sweetness, and texture. I’ve tried it with whole almonds, chopped almonds, with and without cinnamon. As long as the wet and dry ingredients stay the same ratios the possibilities are endless! Thank you a million times!
Hooray! I love to hear that. Thank you for your review, Raena.
I made this last night and it is very good. My problem is I can’t eat anything this sweet in the morning. I usually eat just nuts with my homemade sugarless almond milk and berries. Is there anyway to make it less sweet (I already halved the maple syrup) and still have it clump together as you explained? Otherwise I will just snack on it!
I love your version with the pecans! Thank you!
Unfortunately, you won’t get the same clumpy result if you decrease it. I’m glad you enjoyed ti!
This is a lovely recipe. I have used dried apricots and honey as I did not have anything else at home. The result is spectacular! Thank you : )
I have made your granola recipe several times and yes, it’s THE BEST! I don’t add the cranberries because I don’t like the sweetness. I add extra pepitas (yum!). I love that it’s easy to adjust to my preferences. I eat it with my yogurt usually but my husband and I will snack on it all day long if I leave it out in plain sight. I always hide half in the freezer ;)
I’m delighted you agree, Suzan! Thank you for sharing.
A great recipe. I make this continuousLy with GF oats and never let it run out!
Just took my baking sheet of granola out of the oven, can’t wait to try it!
Is it best to add the dried fruit after completely cooled?
Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Thanks.
Yes, add once it is cooled. I hope you loved it!
Thanks very much!
You’re welcome, Mary! Thank you for your review.