The Very Best Homemade Granola

recipes›breakfast›granola›The Very Best Homemade Granola

This dreamy, wholesome granola recipe is simply the best! It’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup (or honey). Just toss together oats, coconut oil, nuts, and dried fruit.

Updated byKathryne Tayloron August 29, 2024

Do you love granola? Me, too! Today, I’m sharing my “basic” granola recipe, which also happens to be the best granola recipe. Granted, I’m a little partial, but it really is the best—and I don’t use that word lightly. Over two hundred five-star reviews agree!

In fact, I love this recipe so deeply that I featured it in my cookbook, Love Real Food. This granola makes a glorious snack or breakfast (pour over your milk of choice and maybe some fresh fruit). It also stores beautifully, so it makes a thoughtful homemade gift.

Once you try homemade granola, you’ll never go back to the store-bought stuff. It’s so vastly better!

This granola recipe is also a far more wholesome option, since it’s made with whole grains, unrefined oil, and natural sweeteners. You simply can’t beat freshly baked granola loaded with delicious, good-for-you ingredients.

Plus, homemade granola is wonderfully easy to make. You’ll only need one bowl and a handful of pantry staples. Ready to get baking?

Watch How to Make Wholesome Granola

Now that you have my base recipe, you can play with the mix-ins and spices until it becomes your very own favorite granola.

By the way, you can lock in that freshly baked flavor by storing this granola in the freezer. Just let it warm to room temperature for a few minutes, then enjoy.

Wholesome Granola Ingredients

Oats

Heart-healthy, hearty, whole-grain old-fashioned oats hold their lovely 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) for this batch. Other delicious 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 utterly irresistible. I prefer unrefined coconut oil, which is delicious (you can barely taste the coconut, if at all) and yields the most perfect golden texture.

You can use extra-virgin olive oil instead, if you’d like your granola to lean a little more savory. If you’re watching your saturated fat intake, olive oil is the better choice!

Natural Sweetener

I love using real maple syrup in my granola. Honey works beautifully, too. As a bonus, these natural sweeteners infuse your granola with a depth of flavor that plain sugar simply can’t.

Salt and Spice

For flavorful granola, don’t skip the salt! Too little and your flavors won’t sing. I prefer fine-grain sea salt here (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 a subtle warming spice. Ground ginger (use half as much) and pumpkin spice blends are lovely alternatives.

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit lends extra sweetness, chewy texture, and irresistible fruity flavor. I used dried cranberries for this batch. I also adore tart dried cherries, raisins, and chopped dried apricots.

Optional Mix-Ins

For a bright hit of citrus, stir fresh citrus zest (up to 2 teaspoons) into the mixture before baking. I especially love adding orange zest.

You can add chocolate chips after the granola has completely cooled (otherwise, they’ll melt into a messy puddle).

If you’d like to add unsweetened coconut flakes, stir them in halfway through baking for perfectly toasted results (see recipe note).

Tips for Irresistibly Chunky Granola

Some of you, like me, live for those big, satisfying clumps in your granola. Here are my tips for achieving the best clumps:

Even with all those techniques in place, I occasionally end up with a batch that isn’t quite as clumpy as the others, for reasons I can’t fully explain. It’s always delicious, though!

Delicious Granola Variations

This is my forever favorite, go-to granola recipe. Over the years, I’ve played with it to create a bunch of fun variations. Here they are for inspiration:

Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! I love hearing from you and hope this granola becomes your new favorite.

Wholesome Maple-Sweetened Granola

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.9from3457reviews

This dreamy, wholesome granola 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

Instructions

Notes

Recipe adapted from Meg Gordan’s granola, which I’ve lovingly 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, in place of the nuts.

*If you want toasted coconut in your granola: Stir the coconut flakes into the granola halfway through baking. They’ll get perfectly golden and toasty that way.

Serving suggestions: This granola is glorious on its own, with milk or yogurt and fresh fruit, and you can even toss a couple handfuls into a salad for granola “croutons.”

NutritionShow NutritionHide 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.