Say hello to the best granola you have ever had! Made with oats, maple syrup, and coconut oil, this homemade granola recipe is incredibly simple to make and completely customizable!

Granola is for more than just cereal. Serve it on top of Instant Pot Yogurt or Instant Pot Coconut Milk Yogurt, sprinkle on Frozen Yogurt Bark before freezing, or add to the topping for Baked Apples, Apple Crisp, or Blackberry Crisp for additional crunch and texture.

Homemade granola in jar with bowl of granola in background.

Homemade Granola is Best

When it comes to granola, homemade is the way to go for several reasons.

Made with Quality Ingredients. Store-bought granola is often filled with added sugars, sodium, palm oil, and preservatives. This granola recipe is naturally sweetened, low in sodium, and preservative-free.
Economical. You only need four simple ingredients, to make granola and you likely have on hand in your pantry already!
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 homemade granola and can add in dried fruit, nuts, coconut, chia seeds, chocolate chips--really anything YOU like in your granola.
Exceptionally Easy to Make. Just like it is exceptionally easy to make granola bars and copycat Larabars, homemade granola is one of the easiest recipes to make! And the flavor is exceptional.

How to Make Granola

The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Start with Base

To make granola you technically only need a handful of ingredients. Combine old fashioned rolled oats, not quick-cooking or steel-cut oat, with maple syrup, melted coconut oil, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.

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

Add Untoasted Additions

If you are adding ingredients, such as raw nuts, chia seeds, or untoasted shredded coconut, add those ingredients NOW to the granola base, as those ingredients will develop additional flavor as they toast in the oven.

Bake Low and Slow

You want to bake the granola at a low temperature, stirring often. The low temperature will allow the oats to slowly toast while absorbing the oil and maple syrup, turning it into the crispy, crunchy granola.

Toasted Granola on sheet pan with parchment paper.

Stir in Optional Additions

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

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.

optional additions for granola

There are endless options for adding additional ingredients to change up the flavor to your homemade granola. I recommend using up to 1 cup of the following additions to the base recipe.

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.
Nuts: Chopped pecans, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, or cashews are all delicious when added to granola. If your nuts are raw, add them before 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.

More Favorite Recipes Using Oats

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 11 votes

Print Pin Rate

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℉ 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: 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 adds the best flavor to granola.

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

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan

Liked this Recipe? Tag me Today!Snap a picture and tag #amindfullmom on Instagram - I would love to see!

This recipe for homemade granola was originally published in 2016.

Comments

5 from 11 votes (4 ratings without comment)