This easy homemade granola recipe is made with simple ingredients found in your pantry. It comes together quickly, and after it bakes, you are left with big, crunchy granola clusters that stay nice and crisp. This recipe is perfect to eat as cereal, keep as a snack, or layer in yogurt parfaits.

Overhead of baking pan of homemade granola with wooden spoon.

PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER!

Reader Review

It tasted just like store bought granola! My family loves it! They usually don’t care for my homemade granola – delicious!

Why This Granola Recipe Works

Big crunchy clusters: Pressing the granola firmly into the pan and not stirring it while it bakes allows large clusters to form.
Perfectly crisp: Oil helps the oats crisp as they bake, while cooling the granola completely gives it its final crunchy texture.
Easy to customize: Change the nuts, dried fruit, spices, or sweetener to make it your own.

Granola Ingredients

This is a pretty standard formula that is easy to follow and easy to customize depending on what you are craving.

Old Fashioned Oats: Make sure you buy old fashioned oats, not quick cooking.
Honey: Not only does this bring some sweetness to the recipe, it also helps hold the granola together.
Vegetable Oil: This is what helps crisp up the granola as it bakes and gives it that great crunch. See the note in the recipe card about lessening the oil. I haven’t tried this with other oils, but given the low cooking temperature here, they should work fine.
Nuts: These help add protein to the granola, and you can use so many different varieties. I prefer pecans or almonds. If you are serving someone with a nut allergy, consider swapping these for seeds like pumpkin or sunflower.
Dried Fruit: Add this after baking. Raisins, dried cranberries, and dried pineapple are all great choices!
Seasonings: For added flavor, I like to add cinnamon and vanilla extract. You could try other great flavor combinations, though, like a little less cinnamon mixed with a pinch of ginger and allspice! Or swapping the vanilla for almond extract.

How to Make Homemade Granola

Stir together the oats and nuts.

Overhead of bowl of granola ingredients with wooden spoon

Whisk together the honey, oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon. Pour this mixture into the oats and nuts and stir to combine.

Overhead of glass bowl of granola ingredients

Overhead of glass bowl of granola ingredients with whisk for stirring

Glass bowl of granola ingredients pouring into another glass bowl granola ingredients

Spread the mixture onto the rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. To get big granola clusters, press the mixture into the baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Don’t stir the granola.

Overhead of baking sheet of granola ingredients

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow it to cool for an hour. Break apart the granola into big crunchy clusters.

Mix in the dried fruit. This granola recipe stays crunchy when stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Overhead of baking sheet of homemade granola recipe ingredients

Variations and Substitutions

Swap the honey. You can replace the honey with agave nectar or maple syrup.
Reduce or swap the oil. Instead of vegetable oil, you can use grapeseed or coconut oil. Again, see the note in the recipe card about cutting back on the oil.
Change up the nuts and seeds. Replace the pecans with almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds, or use a combination.
Replace the dried cranberries. Any dried fruit would be fantastic in this. Raisins, dried pineapple, dried cherries, and dried apricots would all be delicious.
Add in some chocolate. Leave out half of the fruit, and after the granola has completely cooled, throw in half a cup of mini chocolate chips for an extra special granola.

Eating Granola

Over yogurt: A small handful of granola over yogurt makes for a great breakfast.
Parfaits: Typically made with layers of granola, yogurt, and fresh berries, a yogurt parfait is a great way to start the day.
Smoothie Bowl: Just what it sounds like, a smoothie bowl is a smoothie served in a bowl often topped with fresh fruit and enjoyed with a pop of granola.
With milk: The most common way to enjoy this great recipe, it makes for an easy breakfast.

Tips for Perfect Homemade Granola

Don’t use quick cooking oats. The pieces are too small and won’t work well to give you the big granola clusters we are looking for.
Don’t stir the granola while it is baking. This allows it to bake evenly and will give you those big, crunchy clusters.
Watch it closely toward the end: Granola can go from perfectly golden brown to burnt quickly. Starting around the 15 minute mark, watch it closely. You are looking for the edges to look golden brown. (You can reference my before and after photo in step 3 above.)
Let the granola cool. If you stir it or remove it from the baking sheet before it has cooled, you won’t get as many big clusters.

Storing and Freezing

This recipe for granola makes 9 cups and will last in an air tight container in your pantry for up to two weeks. Allow the granola to cool completely before storing so that it stays crisp.

This granola recipe is also great for freezing. I suggest freezing it in single servings so that you can pull out just the amount you plan on eating. Allow it to thaw on the counter top overnight before eating.

Small mason jar of granola with clusters of granola sitting beside

More Easy Breakfast Recipes

If you make this granola or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Recipe Video

4.93 from 27 votes

Homemade Granola Recipe

Author: Lisa Longley

Serves: servings

(tap # to scale)

Prep: 5

Cook: 30

Total: 35

This easy homemade granola recipe makes big, crunchy clusters with simple pantry ingredients. Customize it with your favorite nuts and dried fruit.

print pin it rate

Ingredients

1/3 cup honey 78.86 ml (or agave or maple syrup)
1/2 cup vegetable oil 118.29 ml (see note 1)
1/3 cup brown sugar 71 grams (packed)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 cups old fashioned oats 445 grams (not quick cooking oats, see note 2)
2 cups chopped pecans 228 grams (any roughly chopped nut would be great here – especially walnuts or almonds)
1 cup dried cranberries 114 grams (or any dried fruit)
1 cup raisins 149 grams (or any dried fruit, not packed)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a large rimmed sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the oats and the nuts. Set aside.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together honey, oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon. Pour the mixture over the nuts and oats and stir to combine.
1/3 cup honey, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon table salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet in a single layer. To get large clusters, press the mixture into the baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.
5 cups old fashioned oats, 2 cups chopped pecans
Starting from when you rotate the pan (around 15 minutes), keep a very close eye on your granola. Check on it every few minutes, especially as you start to smell it more. It can burn very quickly. As it starts to turn golden around the edges, it will need only a few minutes more.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Allow it to cool for an hour. Break apart the granola and mix in the dried fruit. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
1 cup raisins, 1 cup dried cranberries

Notes

I tried this without the oil, and it was also very delicious, but obviously not as crisp. If you are looking to lessen the calories, you could cut back on the oil or eliminate it. You could also use coconut or grape seed oil.
Oats are naturally gluten-free. That being said, it is always wise to ensure that your oats are verified gluten-free before serving this to someone with a gluten allergy.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 0.5cup Calories: 304kcal (15%) Carbohydrates: 38g (13%) Protein: 4g (8%) Fat: 16g (25%) Saturated Fat: 2g (13%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g Monounsaturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0.04g Sodium: 70mg (3%) Potassium: 211mg (6%) Fiber: 4g (17%) Sugar: 15g (17%) Vitamin A: 7IU Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) Calcium: 28mg (3%) Iron: 2mg (11%)

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American