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:
Homemade Granola Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (320g)
- 1 cup whole almonds¹ (125g)
- 1 cup dried cranberries² (160g)
- 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed optional
- ⅓ cup honey (110g)
- ⅓ cup oil may use avocado, canola, vegetable, or melted coconut oil (80ml)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar firmly packed (may substitute an equal amount of coconut sugar) (67g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg white
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275F (135C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together oats, almonds, cranberries, and flax seed (if using).4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 cup whole almonds¹, 1 cup dried cranberries², 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed
- In a separate bowl, whisk together honey, oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt.⅓ cup honey, ⅓ cup oil, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk egg white until frothy (about 30 seconds) then stir into the honey mixture.1 large egg white
- Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and use a spatula to stir well until all dry ingredients are completely coated.
- Evenly spread ingredients over prepared baking sheet. Transfer to 275F (135C) preheated oven and bake for 45-55 minutes. Granola should have slightly darkened in color and should appear dry.
- Remove from oven and do not stir, allow to sit undisturbed until completely cooled.
- Once granola has cooled, use your hands or a wooden spoon to break up into pieces. Use as desired.
Notes
How to Store
Homemade granola should be stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place and will keep for at least a month.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
ines andre
I love granola I have made a few other recipes, but I was never happy with any of them. Your is honestly the best!!! I will definitely be making this again!!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for the review, Ines! So happy you enjoyed the granola ❤️