Name: Homemade Granola Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 6 cups
Ingredients: 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (320g); 1 cup whole almonds¹ (125g); 1 cup dried cranberries² (160g); 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed (optional); 1/3 cup honey (80ml); 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil (80ml); 1/3 cup brown sugar (firmly packed (100g)); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 large egg white

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Today I’m sharing an easy, customizable Homemade Granola Recipe. This granola is perfectly flavored with honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Feel free to sub in your favorite nuts or dried fruits!

Ever since I shared my recipe for homemade granola bars, I’ve been getting e-mails and comments asking whether that recipe could be turned into bar-less granola recipe instead.

While I wish it was that easy, unfortunately my granola bars skew towards the softer and chewier end of the granola spectrum, while a good standalone granola recipe should be hard and crisp.

You might recognize that this recipe has a lot (but not all) of the same key players as the bars, but the technique is a bit different and the results are pure, perfect, crisp & clumpy granola. Perfectly flavored and easily customized, this granola recipe is simple to make and much less expensive than buying a bag from the grocery store!

Ingredients for My Homemade Granola Recipe

Homemade granola is customizable and you can substitute in a few places (I’ll indicate where), but here’s what I used for today’s recipe:

Rolled oats
Almonds (whole), feel free to substitute your favorite nuts though!
Dried cranberries (or your favorite dried fruit!)
Flax seed (optional, but great for additional nutritional value)
Honey
Canola oil
Brown sugar
Vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon
Salt
Egg white

The egg white may seem like an unusual ingredient, but it is critical in helping our granola to properly clump together and get nice and crunchy. Maybe you’ll remember I used it in a similar way in both my candied walnuts and candied pecans recipes.

How to Make Homemade Granola

Combine your oats, nuts, fruit, and flax seed in a large bowl. You’ll be doing a lot of mixing, so give yourself room!
In a separate (medium-sized) bowl, whisk together honey, oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until well-combined.
In yet another bowl, vigorously whisk your egg white until it’s nice and frothy (about 15-30 seconds of whisking). Once frothy, stir this in with your other wet ingredients.
Pour honey mixture over dry ingredients and use a spatula to stir until everything is completely coated.
Spread evenly onto a parchment or Silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 50 minutes. Let granola cool completely after baking (important so you have nice clumps in your granola!), then break granola into pieces and use as desired.

How Long Does Homemade Granola Last?

Homemade granola has a great shelf-life and lasts a long time. It will keep for at least several weeks, though I know some people suggest that you can keep homemade granola for several months. Make sure that you store your granola in an airtight container in a cool dry place.

Does Granola Freeze Well?

Yes, homemade granola freezes well, but be sure to keep it tightly sealed in an airtight container. It will last upwards of 6 months frozen. Keep in mind that granola keeps for so long even at room temperature, so freezing it may not even be necessary!

Enjoy!

Other Recipes You Might Like: