7 February, 2014
Homemade Granola
One of the first posts I did was on What is in Your Breakfast? Boxed cereals can be loaded with processed sugar and refined grains not to mention that they are so expensive. This homemade granola is my absolute favorite recipe! It is so easy to make, it’s vegan, it’s gluten free, it’s healthy, it contains no refined sugar and contains healthy protein and fats that will keep you going all morning (or whenever).
I can’t even tell you the last time I bought a box of cereal. Fortunately, making your own granola is so easy…all you have to do is mix and bake. All you really need is a technique and you can add whatever ingredients you like. My suggestion…keep it simple.
Granola can be made to fit any tastes or lifestyle. Allergic to nuts…leave them out. Grain free…skip the oats and add extra nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or coconut. Trying to go sugar free…use date paste to bind instead of maple syrup. Don’t like oats…use quinoa flakes. The possibilities are endless.
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Rolled Oats make sure they are gluten free if you need
- 1 1/2 Cups Nuts chopped (I used walnuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds)
- 1/2 cup dried fruit I used raisins and chopped apricots
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup maple syrup honey or date paste would work well too
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
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Line a sheet pan (I love silicone baking sheets for this).
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Mix all the ingredients together until the maple syrup has coated everything.
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Put mixture into one even layer on the sheet pan.
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Bake in the oven for 30 minutes mixing around the granola every 10 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes.
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Store in a airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Other ideas for this recipe:
Valentines gifts- use dried cherries and cranberries in the mix. Add freeze dried strawberries after cooking.
Christmas gifts- use pistachios and dried cranberries in the mix. Add white chocolate chips after cooking.
Add couple tablespoons of peanut butter to the maple syrup before baking. Mix in chocolate chips or cocoa nibs after cooking.
5 Comments
Flippin’ Fantastic! I tried this recipe this morning. I chose chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, and then honey instead of pure maple syrup (as suggested in recipe). I went without dried fruit because I rather enjoy fresh fruit with yogurt and granola without dried fruit added to it. I also happened to have pineapple juice from my container of fresh pineapple. I added that to the mix (approx. 1/4 cup or so?) This recipe is so easy to follow and so wonderfully delicious!!!
In the past with store bought granola (even the “healthy” brands), I have added raw honey to the fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola. I always thought that because of the yogurt being plain/unsweetened, the fruit fresh/unsweetened, and the granola without much added sugar that honey helped boost the sweet factor a bit.
With this homemade granola recipe, NO EXTRA SWEETENING/HONEY NEEDED! It stood on its own very well and I am very impressed with the lovely flavor of it all!
So glad you enjoy this recipe. I love the idea of adding the pineapple juice!
P.S.- I warmed the honey slightly before adding it to the mix to make it easier to handle.
I made this recipe tonight with my two-year old and had a blast! I make this recipe without dried fruit and this time we added little less than 1/4 cup cocoa powder to a double batch for a special treat. We’re going to package some to give away as gifts to a few friends. I think it will be a hit!
That is so awesome! thank you for sharing.