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 made this but slightly varied the ingredients. i want to know, it seems the oil to oats ratio as well as temp/time are very important. i usually tend to overcook mine, how can this be avoided and still get a nice crunchy granola.
I love this. Make it with coconut oil, and half honey/maple syrup. Add puffed rice to add crunch and lighten a bit. Some ginger as well as the cinnamon. Use whatever raw nuts I have. Will never need another recipe!
That’s great, Anne! Thank you for your review.
Puffed rice is a great idea! as is ginger. I usually add cardamom, and substitute kasha (buckwheat groats) for about 25% of the oats, which makes it very crunchy. It’s a very flexible recipe.
I’ve been making this recipe for the last 4-5 months now instead of buying store bought granola and I’m loving it, so is my husband. We are big granola eaters in our house so I make a full batch about every two weeks. I’ve done a few variations but always include dried cranberries and some additional warm spices like ginger and nutmeg! This recipe is a winner for sure and so easy to switch up!
And because I’ve had the opportunity to test this, here’s what my experiments have yielded in terms of chunks of granola:
Honey + coconut oil = amazing chunks. Chunk City. This is the winner.
Honey + grapeseed oil = some chunks but not as much as using coconut oil
Maple + coconut oil = very minimal chunks
Maple + grapeseed oil = unable to form chunks at all, which is great if you’re into unchunked granola but that’s not how we roll in our house.
I’ve also noticed that placing the pan on the bottom rack in the second half of baking helps carmelize the sugars in my granola from the bottom of the sheet pan up, and helps form those chunks.
Thank you for sharing how you have tired this, Kirstie. I appreciate your review!
Gosh I wish I read the comments before making! I have a pan full of un-chunky granola *insert crying face here* and we are NOT an un-chunk house. Better luck to me next time!
This is so so helpful, thank you so much for this detailed comment.
This is my first granola recipe and I haven’t searched for another one. The recipe is so versatile and I have tried multiple additions. Dates, in particular works really well. I used a combination of coconut oil and honey. However, I have found that I need to bake longer (close to 40 minutes) for them to be nice and crispy. And of course, they clump so beautifully. Thank you for sharing.
Now we can’t live without it!!! Thank you very much for your great job!!
Great to hear, Monica!
I have tried several recipes for healthy Granola! This’ not just the best, but also fool proof recipe I have ever made. I even take it as gifts for my friends and they love it! I have it for breakfast, snack on them, use it as toppings for my cheesecake… the list is endless. Thank you so much, Kate!
You’re welcome! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it.
This is an outstanding recipe. We’re working to eliminate as many processed foods as possible. Healthy freals are very expensive. I’ll probably never buy cereal again. Or certainly far less.
Wow I love this granola recipe!! The first time I made it, I accidentally stirred in the dried fruit to the nuts and oats, cooking them through with everything else and I think I prefer it that way. This time, I’m trying to find a way to make these into granola bars. Will reply w/ how if I figure it out!
I’m so happy to read this comment. I come back to this recipe time and time again but this time I accidentally threw in the dried cranberries with everything else first. Oops. I’m glad it’s okay to do it this way.
That is what I did the first 3x baking and I prefer cuz the fruit plumps up and the juices go into other stuff. I add chia seeds when it’s cooling
Hi!! For me, the secret is letting the pan cool for a full hour. Then, the granola literally breaks off in granola bar sized chunks! That’s how I serve it to my toddler and he loves :)
I have made this granola several times. I LOVE it.
I’m glad you love it, Candice!
I have made this recipe the last two Decembers and I used the cranberries, pecans and pepitas. It turned out wonderful and I also added the coconut half way through and followed the directions on making sure I had big clumps of granola. It all worked both times.
So I’m doing it again. It’s an addicting snack!!
Delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
You’re welcome, Fedora! I appreciate your comment and review.
I love this recipe but I adding only half the maple syrup as I prefer mine less sweet. Doubled the walnuts and golden raisins
This really is the best granola. It’s quick and easy, not overly sweet and I love that there’s so many ways to vary the ingredients. I make it almost every week because my boyfriend inhales it (well, so do I).
I’m happy to hear you enjoy it, Christine! I appreciate your review.
I love this. I am so hooked now. Making my second batch. My favorite store bought tastes like cardboard now. Love how I can mix and match whatever I want in. Almonds are amazing. Adding pecans and the pumpkin seeds this time. Plus some sunflower seeds. Have cranberry and a little mango to go on after.
That’s great to hear, Lisa! Thank you for sharing.
This is my first time making this recipe. I have made others, but I liked this one. I follow the directions and it all worked out. Having family in for a visit and thought this would be nice to have for breakfast. Thanks for sharing your recipe !!!
You’re welcome, Kay! I appreciate your review.
I have a batch of this made at all times! It is easy, fool proof, versatile and makes the house smell incredible while it’s baking.
I’m glad you loved it, Sarah! I appreciate your review.
I love it! I make it once every few weeks. I made it last December for a friend as a bday gift. She told me that her husband asked for it again for Christmas but she told him he’s not allowed to ask for a gift– which was a not-so-subtle way of asking for more.
So, surprise! They’re now getting granola for every bday & Christmas.
Made this tonight as a gift for a family member with a heart issue. Wonderful flavor, and a healthier alternative to the cookies he prefers. His cardiologist will thank me. :-)
This truly is the very best granola recipe ever! SO good. I made a batch with dried blueberries, almonds, honey, and coconut oil and drizzled a little extra honey over the top after baking and before cooling. I had to make four more batches as gifts and will put a QR code to your recipe in my Christmas letter this year so my peeps can find your site :) Thank you for all my future granola breakfasts :)
I’m glad you love it, Ann! Thank you for your review.
Very good!! I had no nuts or dried fruit, so I skipped the add-ins. I only had ¾ cup of oats to use, so I only used 3T of honey and 3T of olive oil. I also used a splash of almond extract, which made it smell and taste amazing. I only baked for 15 minutes for this reduced amount.
This is delicious and so easy! Fixing this for the second time. I will never purchase granola after this. I’m giving a batch to my health-conscious neighbor as a Christmas gift. Thank you for the recipe.
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Linda.
I made this using dried cherries, craisins, pepitas and sliced almonds-so easy and SOOO delicious!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Kimberly! I appreciate your review.
I love to gift homemade goodies to friends and neighbors especially at Christmas and just finished making the healthy granola and gingerbread version and this is by far the best granola recipe out there BUT I am one of those people who loves lots of add ins. I doubled up on the pecans, pepitas, dried fruit and unsweetened coconut chips BUT kept all other wet and dry ingredients per recipe and it turned out awesome! My wet ingredients were honey and light olive oil and there was plenty of wet ingredient to handle the extras. I added dried fruit prebake and that got a nice chew to it and did need to bake a titch longer to develop that beautiful golden brown. I feel the gingerbread version needs a blend of spices to convince me it’s gingerbread so a combo of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg was used-still not the taste I was hoping for but I will work on that. Thank you so much for providing these recipes I know the gift recipients are going to love it!
Great recipe. Don’t have picture because we ate it all. Will definately make again.
I have been using this recipe every Christmas for gifts to neighbors and friends. It is always a big hit! I love it best with maple syrup and coconut oil. Thank you Kate for all the wonderful food through the years!
You’re welcome, Brandy! I appreciate your review.
This granola is delicious! I did the recipe wrong (oops!) because I didn’t read it through first, so I accidentally added the raisins and coconut flakes with all the other ingredients. I realized after I had already put it in the oven, but luckily it still turned out great, the raisins are just a little chewy. I bet it’s even better if you actually follow directions lol
I’m glad it still turned out well, Julie! I appreciate your review.
I just made this, and forgot to stir it halfway through. Do you think it’s going to be ok or undercooked in some areas?
It may be more brown on top. How did it turn out?
Howdy, from Brazil!
While living in Texas for my PhD, we learned how to make granolas, and kept doing it once in a while after moving back. Lately, I got interested in it again, and decided to add more nuts and dried fruits. “My” recipe now is very close to yours, but with Brazil nuts (of course), cashew nuts, almonds and peanuts, raisins, cranberries and crumbed apricots, oats, pepitas, and sunflower seeds. For gluing everything I just use honey. Baking for 30 minutes, and the result is spetacular: my friends and relatives keep asking me for more! It is great to have found your recipe, and to see that I’m following on the steps of a masterpiece! And thanks for sharing it.
I cut the recipe in half tweaked it by adding the fruit and some chocolate chips before baking.
It’s Perfect!
Great recipe!
Great recipe! It’s part of my routine now to have granola on my yogurt in the morning. A great start to the day with fiber. I like to add dried cranberries and dateS for more fiber. I’ve made this recipe six or seven times now and it always turns out excellent. I’m going to try orange zest next. Thank you! Kim
This recipe is a favorite. It has become my granola recipe. Date syrup can be substituted for maple syrup. We love the taste of maple syrup but the date syrup/silan makes better chunks.
I purchased some really delicious granola at a Christmas fair but it was too expensive for everyday use. When I saw this recipe it looked like it was close so I tried it. It is amazingly good, and a good base recipe for future variations. Putting in some grated orange peel takes it to the next level!
I made this and added some wheat germ for extra protein and to get more clumps. It was delicious!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I tired it for the first time ever and it was perfection♥️
Love this recipe. I used maple syrup + coconut oil and added unsweetened coconut flakes and craisins. My favorite granola!
Great to hear, Pam! Thank you for your review.
Extra crunchy and absolutely delicious! Husband and I loved this granola :)
Just came out of the oven, smells amazing! My husband wanted to know what I was making, it smells delicious . Can’t wait to taste it!
I thought it was great! This was the first attempt at homemade granola. I prefer chunky for snacking, but I loved it!
Wondered how many calories? It replaces cookies for me.
Hi Fran! The nutrition information is below the notes section. I’m glad you enjoyed it, Fran.
Turned out absolutely perfect! I dropped the heat a bit as my oven runs hot. Beautiful color, nice chunks mixed in, tastes as good as it smells! I used 1/2 honey and 1/2 maple syrup and didn’t change a thing. Great way to use leftover holiday ingredients!!
Love this recipe! I use pecans and pumpkin seeds, a good olive oil instead of coconut oil, pure maple syrup, a dab of fresh-ground cinnamon, fine sea salt, and good vanilla extract. I find that cooking it for 30 minutes, stirring once half way through, makes for a crunchy, clumpy result. Delicious with yogurt, and its great for sprinkling over vanilla ice cream!
the best granola we have tried. Now made by all the family. Thank you!
I’m sure this recipe is good, but mine burned. Not sure if it was the pan, oven temp, or cook time. I followed the recipe to the letter. I used coconut oil and maple syrup in mine. Stirred halfway thru like the directions said. When I smelled it burning, my oven timer still had 3 minutes left. The edges were completely burned. I let it cool, thinking I could save the rest. Even though it was a darker brown color, it still couldn’t be salvaged due to the taste. This was very frustrating and disappointing due to the amount of wasted ingredients. Hopefully my next attempt is successful. I won’t leave a rating at this time.
Hmm. Mine burned too! I’m reading through the comments now to see if anyone had the same situation and a solution. Might have to try again for a much shorter timeframe.
This is absolutely delicious!
My store used to sell granola in bulk but stopped when the pandemic hit. The store stuff wasn’t even close to this.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I love this Granola so much that I made it as gifts for six members of my family for Christmas. So far, rave reviews from them also!
Thank you, Kira! I’m excited you love it.
Hi, do you happen to have a version similar to the Bear Naked Vanilla Almond granola? That one is the only one I have really ever had, so I’ll definitely be stepping out of my comfort zone here :)
I plan to try this recipe for the first time!
I hope you try this recipe! I have an Orange & Almond Granola that is a delicious one as well.
This granola recipe is so easy and so satisfying. Thank you for a great recipe that’s also easy to customize. So good!
LOVE this recipe. The only thing that would make it better is if there was an option to translate into grams instead of ounces.
Great to hear, Pam! Thank you for your review.
Oh my this was out of the world amazing. I have always been so nervous to attempt. I did purchase a bag of ore mixed nuts and seeds just do to cost. Also can milled oats be replaced with the Quaker Oats? Super easy to make. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Melissa! I appreciate your review.
Oh man, this granola is to die for!! I make this frequently and throw whatever I have in there and it always turns out fantastic! I have really loved adding about 1/3 tsp ground cardamom into it. Such a fabulous recipe and makes great gifts!
And for what it’s worth, her cookbook is wonderful as well! Every recipe thus far has been A++!
That’s great to hear, Tiana! I appreciate your review.
This is the granola I remember from the 70’s. Wonderful! I used sliced almonds, dried cranberries and orange zest and it is so delicious and crunchy.
This was easy to make and worth the effort over store bought granola. The maple and coconut oil make it feel like an indulgence but the clean ingredients allow it to be a healthier choice. Will make over and over again! Added a little more cinnamon and coconut flakes at the end. I needed to bake the granola for a little longer than the recipe called – roughly 35 mins. Definitely don’t wait! Try this one out!