Homemade Granola

Wholesome, tasty, easy to make, homemade granola recipe with goodness of rolled oats, almonds, mixed seeds & dried berries. It is vegan, gluten free, great as snack or can be paired with yoghurt or milk for breakfast.

This vanilla-almond-berry granola has all nourishing ingredients and is made without white sugar or flour. The recipe is absolutely customisable as you can use any nuts, seeds of your choice or even add raisins for the burst of sweetness.

Scented with cosy flavours like vanilla & cinnamon, it is so satisfying to eat and can even be added over desserts like ice cream, caramelised banana or apples for added texture & flavour.

The homemade granola recipe shared here is:

• Egg free
• Dairy free
• Gluten free
• No white sugar / No brown sugar used

What is Granola?

Granola is basically a mixture of rolled oats, nuts, dried fruits, raisins, mixed seeds; sweetened using sweeteners like maple syrup, brown sugar or honey and flavoured with aromatics like vanilla, nutmeg or cinnamon.

I personally love homemade granola over the packaged ones as it gives the scope of customising the ingredients, along with the quantity of sweetener that goes in it. It is not only cost efficient but also saves you from added preservatives or chemicals. People often buy it from market assuming that it is difficult to make but you will be pleasantly surprised how effortlessly it can be made at home with the easily available ingredients in your pantry.

Generally we either find it difficult or forget to consume nuts & seeds everyday but with this granola you can easily include them in everyday diet by adding it in breakfast or mid-day snack.

To make granola, we will need few ingredients like-

Oats: Use old fashioned rolled oats to get perfect crunchy-chewy texture in granola. Always check the packaging to make sure it is gluten-free. Please do not use instant or steel cut oats as they will not give you the same result.

Nuts & Seeds: I have used almonds, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds but feel free to use any nuts or seeds of your choice like walnuts, pecans, pistachios, cashews, peanuts, flaxseeds or sunflower seeds. Even a pack of trail mix can be used for making granola.

Dried Fruits: Golden raisins, dried apricots, dried cherries or dried berries like cranberries, blueberries, strawberries add a lovely sweet-tart flavour to granola. If you like fruity flavours in granola, then pick any dried fruit as per your liking.

Sweetener: I love to pair this vanilla-almond with honey. You can always adjust its amount depending on how sweet you want your granola to be. For vegan granola, use maple syrup.

Oil: Use any oil like sunflower, canola, avocado, olive or coconut oil. The fat helps in making the granola crunchy while baking. Along with oil, you can also add peanut butter for nutty flavour.

Flavouring: Choose any flavouring of your choice like vanilla, nutmeg powder, cinnamon powder, ginger powder etc. Some apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice also goes great in granola.

Optional Mix-Ins: Coconut flakes, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, dried rose petals, or finely chopped candied fruits are some mix-ins that you can add to your granola once it is baked and cooled completely.

Serving Suggestions:

1. You can sprinkle it over fruits / fruit salad, ice creams or caramelised fruits for crunchy texture.
2. Add it to smoothie bowls, overnight oats, parfaits or chia seed pudding to make them more filling & satisfying to eat. I love adding it to my oats porridge.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• Rolled Oats – 2 cups
• Almonds – 3/4 cup
• Sunflower seeds – 3 tbsp
• Chia Seeds – 2 tbsp
• Dried cranberries / Raisins – 1/4 cup
• Honey / Maple syrup – 3 tbsp
• Olive Oil / Coconut oil (melted) – 1/4 cup
• Cinnamon powder – 1/2 tsp
• Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
• Salt – 1/8 tsp

(Note: Feel free to use any mixed nuts or seeds of choice. If you like more sweet granola then along with honey, also use brown sugar as sweetener.)

Directions:

Step 1:
Roughly chop the almonds or cut them in slivers. Take rolled oats, almonds (or any nuts), seeds, cinnamon powder in a large bowl. Mix & keep aside.

Step 2:
To another bowl, add oil, honey / maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt. (If you are using coconut oil, melt it before using). Mix well.

Step 3:
Pour wet ingredients on oats-nuts mixture and mix using a spatula or spoon.

Step 4:
Set the oven for preheating at 160°C (320°F). By the time it is preheating, line a baking tray with parchment paper. Lightly brush or spray oil on it.

Step 5:
Transfer the granola mixture on lined tray and spread in single layer (avoid overlapping). Press it with back of spoon. Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 15 minutes first.

Step 6:
Bring it out oven, stir the mixture well with a spoon or spatula. Press it back in single layer. Bake for another 15 minutes. Keep an eye on last 5 minutes to prevent the mixture from burning.

Step 7:
Bring the granola tray out of oven and let it cool completely. It will become crunchier as it cools down.

Step 8: Use a spoon and break it into small pieces or clusters as per your liking. Add in dried berries (or chocolate chips) and mix gently once again. Delicious crunchy homemade granola is ready. Enjoy as snack or breakfast with yogurt, smoothies or oats.

Storage Instruction: You can easily store it in an airtight container for upto 2 weeks. Please use a clean dry spoon to avoid getting any moisture or contaminants in granola. You can store it in fridge for upto a month.

Tips:

1. If after few days you are not finding the granola to be crunchy as before, then pop it back in the oven and bake again for 10-15 minutes.

2. To make granola with big clusters, while pressing the mixture on baking tray do not leave any gap between them. This way nuts-oats-seeds will slightly stick together while baking.

3. Avoid baking on high temperature to prevent the nuts & seeds from burning. It is always better to bake at lower temp for longer time.

4. I prefer to add any kind of dried fruits or dried berries after the granola cools completely as they can otherwise can turn chewy or too hard while baking. Instead of berries, you can also add handful of dark or white choco-chips.

5. Feel free to experiment by creating different flavour combinations of your choice like-

• pistachios + dried cranberries + white chocolate chips
• walnuts + dried cherries + dark chocolate chips
• coconut oil + coconut flakes + dried pineapple bits

More eggless oats recipes you might like:

• Oats Pancakes
• Blended Baked Oats
• Banana Oatmeal Bars
• Oats Peanut Butter Bites
• Chocolate Oats Granola Bar

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(P.S: The post was originally published on 24 Feb’2019 and has been updated with better images, tips & tricks.)