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.
This is delicious. I made it twice.
Sending this recipe to my friends.
Hi – I love this granola recipe! So easy to make and so delicious. I have been having it with yogurt and fruit for breakfast every day since I made it! I made a batch up for my daughter who also loved it – so yummy and delicious were her comments! I intend to print the recipe for myself and a copy for her so she can make it herself!
Perfect every time, thank you!
I’m making this right now and I accidentally mixed in the fruit (raisins) before baking. Do I need to pick them all out? I haven’t added any of the wet ingredients yet.
BEST homemade granola ever!
I figured out a way to get chunkier bites! Once I removed the granola from the oven I pressed it all down in the baking sheet (I used my cutting board because it was the first thing I saw, but anything hard will work… like a rolling pin! ♀️). I did this a few times during cooling and was able to break the sheet into bigger or crumbly as desired.
Easy and delicious!
What a great recipe. Using maple syrup only and pecans, almonds, macadamia, and sunflower seeds, this was simple perfect for a 50g portion. Lasted for ages and took no time to make. I enjoyed it with 5% Greek yogurt and haven’t looked back. Thank you
Can’t wait to try this. It looks and sounds great.
Thank you for a fantastic granola recipe!! I have made it at least 20 times, and have altered it only slightly over time to include a little less than a t. of salt (since we eat it with unsweetened yogurt,) a little more than 1/2 cinnamon (since we love cinnamon), no dried fruit, and an extra half cup of nuts. So we use 1 cup toasted pecans chopped into large pieces, 1/2 cup toasted whole almonds, chopped into large pieces, and 1/2 cup pepitas. I have made it mostly with old-fashioned oats, but have made a few batches using quick cooking oats, and it worked perfectly fine. The oats were just in smaller pieces due to the way it’s cut, and it definitely got crispy. I have this granola almost every morning with yogurt and fresh berries.
I love this recipe. I use pecans and almonds and love it straight from the freezer. Trying to lower my cholesterol and this is a delicious way.
I made this as a Christmas gift for friends and family. Everybody loved it! Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I love eating it too!
Love this recipe . Every body in the house from 80 years old to 15 years uses the granola it’s great by itself as a snack or add as a cereal topper or with yogurt. Have shared it with few friends and they love it to
Love this recipe. I add flax and chia seeds to my granola. Do you happen to know the nutrition breakdown for counting macros? Also, do you have any tips to create bars out of this? Thanks!!
I may have done something wrong but I found the recipe to be very salty when using 3/4 teaspoon of table salt. I made a 2nd batch with no salt and mixed the 2 batches together. That worked for me – so next time I’ll reduce salt to 1/2 teaspoon of table salt.
I have made this over and over for the kids and I! We love this and it is especially yummy with honey. If you like large clumps of granola like me, line bottom of pan with parchment paper and top with another parchment paper and a pan. Remove top paper and pan after baking and allow to cool for a couple hours.
Made this time and time again for our family. Amazing!
So delicious, I’ve made several times and I enjoy adding different things each time. Today, pepitas, slivered almonds, walnuts, raw cashews, coconut flakes, dates and cranberries after cool. I have lots of seeds and nuts in my freezer from various uses, this is a good way to clear some of those. Many thanks for this recipe!
So so good! I followed the recipe exactly and it’s cooling now, but I can’t help myself from eating bits around the edge lol. Perfect amount of sweetness and crunch. Thank you!
Thank you Kate for all these amazing recipes they are so delicious I die to make them I’ve always wanted to meet you and see how you can make these recipes you taught me how to cook i baked with you about 10 years if any day I could meet you I would be so grateful I cry to make your recipes i don’t buy any desserts I just follow you you always have a great special spot in my heart ♥️ ♥️♥️love you
I’ve made this 4 times! The last time turned out the best. I put all my favorite additions in. Lots of slivered almonds, 1/2 honey, 1/2 maple syrup. Along with chia seeds and flax seeds for a health boost.
Do you recommend bake or fan bake?
This is a great base recipe for granola. I don’t like coconut so I use olive oil and honey. I’m always trying different mixtures of nuts and seeds. So far my favorite combo is either hazelnuts or macadamia along with pepitas, sunflower seeds, chia, and sometimes sesame or poppy seeds. I also use steel cut oats instead of rolled oats so my texture is more my style.
I’ve made this about 6 times now and so far, I have gotten nice clumpy granola.
This really is the VERY BEST granola! I’ve made it so many times in the past six months that I don’t need the recipe. It is highly requested from friends & family. I add a touch more salt & cinnamon. I made five batches during the holidays, bagged it, & gifted it! Thank you so much!
Good morning!
Recently I attended a 4-day retreat/workshop in Faber, Va. where all meals were included and breakfast always featured an amazing homemade granola. On the last day of the retreat, I asked the chef for the recipe and he suggested that I search “healthy granola, it’s only recipe I use and I follow it to a T”. Well, that search brought me here and I knew that I’d landed in the right place. My kitchen smells amazing as my batch cools and I cannot wait to recreate those delicious breakfast experiences which will include your granola. Thank you!
I’m in love! No more store bought granola for me! Used to make granola years ago and didn’t realize how much I’ve missed it homemade! This is my go to and keeper!!! So easy and so flexible!
First time making granola, used your recipe. It was so good & easy! Gave my mother-in-law some, she loved it too! Just made another batch with different nuts & dried cranberries, cooling right now. Thanks so much for a great recipe, so much better than store bought . Bonnie
I concur..this is the very best (and easiest). I easily can double the batch and then divide the cooked granola and add any yummy additions. The finished granola then is labeled and placed into a mason jar for either pantry or freezer storage.
I just made it. Halfed the amount of Maple syrup and it has the perfect sweetness for me. Thanks for providing awesome content on this platform!
Love this recipe! I use more cinnamon and add cardamon and diced candied ginger, delicious!
Love this recipe so much but really want to try a peanut butter version but unsure how to alter the recipe to keep the texture and consistency. Thankyou.
Absolutely love this granola recipe. It has become my favorite. Made it with maple syrup, sultanas and pecans. Delicious
I made this granola recipe as gifts for close friends. They loved it! I think it’s one of the best I’ve ever made. I love to snack on it in the afternoons.
It will be a regular in my recipe box!
This is my go-to granola recipe! The ingredients are so simple, it mixes up quickly in just one bowl, and it’s so customizable. I use pumpkin pie spice instead of plain cinnamon for a little extra. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!
Definitely my favourite recipe…the only one I use now!
Me too! :)
I make this granola every week and it’s the BEST! I add 2 tsp of cinnamon because I’m obsessed but otherwise it’s the perfect recipe!
I’m not gonna lie, I’ve made this a lot (DELICIOUS!) and stored it in an airtight container (mason jar) for longer than 1-2 weeks. I do not add any fruit…is there any health concern with storing longer?
Question aside, this is my favorite granola recipe. I make it as directed (besides omitting fruit), using olive oil, honey, and coconut flakes. I usually eat it with Greek yogurt sweetened with honey, with some fresh fruit (generally raspberries) and chocolate chips – love it!!!
A tip for granola that clumps: combine wet ingredients with 2 egg whites that have been slightly whipped to frothy to break them up so they mix in better with the wet ingredients, bake as directed.
I love that this is such a versatile recipe. I use portions of this recipe with another that I love. Because it is so versatile, you can easily reduce the oil to 1/4c, especially if you are using the egg whites. I’d also recommend if you aren’t a fan of coconuts, do not go out and purchase the unrefined coconut oil because it can impart a coconut flavor, instead use a neutral oil like avocado oil or olive oil (not extra virgin olive oil for a the sweet version) recommended in the recipe and note grass fed butter is also tasty. Lastly, depending who I’m making this for, I have swapped brown sugar for all or part of the sweetener. I realize this recipe is for a healthier version, and there is a lot of debate about if one sweetener is better than another, but know that this change works if you don’t like the flavor of syrup or honey. Again, thanks for posting this recipe and letting me share my experience.
I made the recipe exactly as written. My house smelled incredible as it was cooking. I made a double batch. I froze the extra in mason jars and when I defrosted it it tasted just like I had just made it. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
I made your granola many times, different varietes and they are easy to make. Love the recepies
Thank your fore sharing.
Perfect recipe in my opinion and I’m pretty particular about how I like my food
I followed this exactly and it was burnt in 18 minutes. So sad!
Same! It was mainly the pecans. Will try again, low and slow.
The flavor is delicious, but mine didn’t get crispy or chunky. I left it in the oven for 35 minutes, and pulled it out b/c the nuts were beginning to burn. Would you suggest more maple syrup/ honey to bind it? I’ll definitely make it again, so open to suggestions. Thanks!
I have made this granola recipe so many times. I hate eaten it as a cereal or on my protein yogurt. I love it so much. I have changed the nuts a few times. I’ve made it with pecans, walnuts or almonds and it still comes out the same. DELICIOUS!!
5* Kate. Just a bit mad at myself for waiting this long to make it, and despite owning your cookbook for many years. I was buying the Nature’s Path pumpkin hemp version for years and finally decided the cost is crazy, for such a small portion that I’d try my own version.
Made my 2nd batch today, trying to improve on the 1st go round. I read many of the comments and the one I think worked best was using a rolling pin to flatten before the 2nd 1/2 of the baking time. This batch has a lot more clumps the way I prefer, and I also added the orange zest to this one, which is divine. Its so close to the store bought version but EVEN BETTER.
Love love love! I used the pecans, pepitas, golden raisins, honey and I add extra cinnamon. My 4 year old grandson loves it too! Delicious as a topper to my A2 yogurt, cottage cheese, collagen peptides and fruit mixture breakfast. I’ve also used it as an ice cream topper.
The granola is DE-LISH!
I made it this evening and my family is devouring it now!
Thank you for the recipe!
I love this recipe and have made it several times. When both of my daughters visit, they both love it too! I try to make sure I have it when they visit.
Hi Kate,
… love your granola recipe … have made it a few times … first time as recommended for temperature and time and it was delicious however I tried a few methods for time and temperature as I like my granola chunky so have found the best method is to reduce the heat to 300 and bake for 50-60 minutes and don’t stir it at all … it bakes perfectly on top as well and once cooled you will have chunky pieces … thanks for a great recipe
Great tip- thank you!
I like it chunky too;)
Great recipe!!
This recipe is totally worth all the positive reviews. Just sayings it’s delicious doesn’t do it justice. I did something wrong and mine didn’t clump, but the flavor is insanely good either way!