Homemade granola is so much better than store-bought granola. Not only is this simple recipe for homemade granola naturally sweetened, vegan-friendly, and completely customizable, but it also tastes incredible!

Enjoy this granola served as a cold cereal or as a topping for Instant Pot Yogurt or Instant Pot Cold Start Yogurt.

Homemade granola in jar with bowl of granola in background.

why homemade granola is better

Quality Ingredients. Store-bought granola is often filled with added sugars, sodium, palm oil, and preservatives. This recipe for homemade granola is naturally sweetened, low in sodium, and preservative-free.
Economical. You only need four simple ingredients, to make granola. Most of which, you likely have on hand in your pantry already! Making homemade granola much more affordable than store-bought.
Allergy-Friendly. The base recipe for homemade granola is gluten-free, vegan-friendly, dairy-free, soy-free, and nut-free.
Customizable. Start with the base recipe for granola that is delicious on its own. Then you can add in dried fruit, nuts, coconut, chia seeds, chocolate chips, really anything YOU like in your granola. This is the perfect recipe to use when you want to make a healthy version of granola at home.

Ingredients Needed to Make Granola

To make delicious, yet basic granola you only need a handful of ingredients. From there you can opt to add additional ingredients for flavor or keep it simple. Either way, this homemade granola is delicious.

Oats cinnamon, coconut oil, and maple syrup on counter.

Oats: It is best to use old-fashioned or rolled oats instead of quick-cooking oats when making granola. It gives the granola a better texture. Be sure to NOT use steel-cut oats. You also want to ensure that your oats are certified gluten-free if needed.
Coconut Oil: I love the earthy flavor the melted coconut oil gives to the granola. However, you can opt to use canola oil or even melted butter if you don't care to use coconut oil.
Maple Syrup: The maple syrup sweetens the granola while giving it a rich flavor as well. I highly recommend using maple syrup over honey when making homemade granola as it really adds the best flavor to granola.
Cinnamon & Salt: A pinch of cinnamon and salt for flavor.

Ideas for Flavoring Granola

There are endless options for adding additional ingredients to change up the flavor and add nutrients to homemade granola. I recommend using up to 1 cup of additions to the base recipe. I have shared a few of my favorite ideas below.

Nuts: Chopped pecans, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, or cashews are all delicious when added to granola. If your nuts are raw, add them prior to baking the granola. If your nuts are already toasted, add them to the granola after baking.
Chia Seeds: Chia seeds add omega-3s, fiber, and texture. If using, I recommend using no more than ⅓ of a cup and adding them to the oat mixture before baking.
Shredded Coconut: If you like the flavor of coconut, add up to ½ cup of raw, unsweetened coconut flakes to the oat mixture before baking the granola.
Dried Fruit: Raisins, dried cherries, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, or even chopped dried dates are a delicious burst of flavor and sweetness in granola. Regardless of what dried fruit, you add, wait until after the granola has baked and cooled before adding the fruit to the mixture.
Chocolate Chips: If you want a decadent treat, chocolate chips make a delicious addition to granola. Just be sure to add the chocolate chips to the granola after it has baked and cooled, or your chocolate chips will melt. I love the combination of dark chocolate chips and dried cherries or white chocolate chips with dried cranberries.

Tips for Making Homemade Granola

Bake low and slow. You want to bake the granola at a low temperature. This will allow the oats to slowly toast, not burn, absorb the oil and maple syrup, and turn into crispy, crunchy granola.
Stir well. It is important to ensure that the oats are evenly coated with maple syrup, oil, salt, and cinnamon. To do this, I recommend combining the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stirring really well.
Add untoasted ingredients to the granola before baking. If you are adding raw nuts, chia seeds, or untoasted shredded coconut to your granola, add to the oat mixture before baking the granola, as those ingredients will develop additional flavor as they toast in the oven.

Stir the granola often during the baking process. Every 10 minutes, remove the granola from the oven and give it a stir. This will help it to brown evenly.

Toasted Granola on sheet pan with parchment paper.

Add dried fruit, toasted nuts, and/or chocolate after baking. Once the granola has been baked and fully cooled, add any additional ingredients and evenly toss to distribute through the homemade granola.

How to Store Granola

Once the granola has thoroughly cooled, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in a cool, dark pantry for up to 1 month.

Granola Serving Suggestions

Use homemade granola to top Instant Pot Yogurt.
Add to Instant Pot Oatmeal for crunch and flavor.
Add to the oat topping in Apple Crisp or Berry Crisp for additional crunch and texture.
After dipping French Toast in egg custard, dip in granola for a crispy texture.
Serve with milk of any variety for a quick breakfast.

More Money-Saving Homemade Staples

If you tried this recipe for homemade granola, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

Homemade Granola

This is a simple recipe for homemade granola that is naturally sweetened, vegan-friendly, and completely customizable. It is a great base recipe to use to create your favorite version of granola.

5 from 12 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 40

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 129kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

▢ 3 cups old-fashioned oats
▢ ¼ cup maple syrup
▢ ¼ cup coconut oil melted
▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
▢ 1 cup optional add-ins (nuts, dried fruit, coconut, chia seeds, chocolate chips, etc)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, cinnamon, and salt together until well combined. At this point feel free to add in raw nuts, chia seeds, or shredded coconut if using and give it another stir.
Spread the oat mixture out onto the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring the mixture every 10 minutes, or until the granola is nice and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool fully to room temperature. Once cooled, stir in any toasted nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate chips.
Store the granola in an airtight container in a cool, dark pantry for up to 1 month.

Equipment Needed

Notes

Oats: Use Old-Fashioned or Rolled Oats, not quick oats for granola. And do not use steel-cut oats. Be sure your oats are certified gluten-free if you need this granola to be gluten-free.

Oil: Feel free to use canola oil or melted butter in place of melted coconut oil.

Additions: Use 1 cup TOTAL of any combination of additional mix-ins you desire. I recommend using only up to ⅓ cup of chia seeds and ½ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut, but any amount of nuts or dried fruits work well. See instructions for when to add what.

Nutrition

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