Homemade Healthy Granola Recipe

Looking for a nutritious breakfast on a busy morning? This healthy granola recipe is for you. It’s easy to make ahead, absolutely delicious, and made with real, nourishing ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Cooling Time: 1

Total Time: 1 25

Servings: servings

Calories: 303kcal

Author: Carolyn Thomas

Cost: varies

Equipment

Large Mixing Bowl
Small Sauce Pan
wooden spoon or spatula
Baking Sheet
Mason Jar and Lid for storing

Ingredients

4 cups rolled oats freshly rolled or store-bought
1 cup pecans chopped, or other nut or seed of choice
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter or coconut oil
¼ cup honey we like this spiced infused honey
2 teaspoons cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon allspice
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 300°F so it’s ready to go.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine your oats, chopped pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Mix well to distribute the spices evenly.
Note: Set the dried fruit aside; you’ll add that after baking to keep it nice and chewy (unless your goal is chunky granola – see tips below).
Step 3: In a small saucepan, melt together the butter and spiced honey over low heat. Stir until smooth.
Step 4: Pour the melted mixture over the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly until every oat and nut is coated in that delicious buttery honey goodness.
Step 5: Spread the granola mixture evenly on a cookie sheet.
Step 6: Bake for a total of 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through at the 10-minute mark to help it bake evenly and get that perfect golden brown crunch. (Check tips for chunky granola below.)
Step 7: Once baked, pour the granola into a large bowl and let it cool (or leave it on the tray for larger chunks).
Step 8: Once granola is completely cooled, stir in your dried fruit.

Notes

Recipe Variations:

If you have special dietary requirements in your family, here are some of our favorite recipe variations:

Gluten Free – Simply swap your oats for certified gluten-free oats and you’re good to go!
Dairy-Free – For those who want a dairy-free option, swap the butter for coconut oil.
Honey Alternative – If you need to avoid honey, you can substitute maple syrup or agave nectar.
Nut-Free – Have a nut allergy or sensitivity? Just omit them altogether (or substitute seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds).

Tips for Chunky Granola

If you’re looking for a chunkier granola (filled with big clumps of granola), follow these tips:

Add Mix-Ins First – Instead of stirring in the dried fruit (or other mix-ins) at the end, add them at the beginning and bake them. Adding mix-ins after the granola has been baked can break up the desired clumps.
Add Extra Sweetener – Because it’s the sweeteners that tend to do the majority of the “clumping,” you may find increasing the amount of honey or brown sugar slightly helps. Play around with the quantities until you reach your desired sweetness and chunkiness.
Crowd the Pan – When spreading the granola onto the baking sheet, make it a little extra thick so the clumps have a chance to stick together. It’s like Goldilocks here, not too thick so the bottom half is underbaked, but not too thin that you don’t get clumps.
Line or Grease the Pan – Secondly, you’ll want to grease the pan with butter or oil (or cooking spray) or use parchment paper to line it so you don’t break up those clumps when removing the granola from the pan (the sweetener tends to stick to the pan a bit otherwise).
Press Firmly – After the halfway point when you stir your granola, use your wooden spoon or spatula to gently press the granola back together. This will help those clumps stick for the second half of baking.
Don’t Overbake – Baking the granola too long results in crispier (albeit delicious) granola that doesn’t stick as well. Depending on your oven, this may take a batch or two to dial in perfectly. Aim for golden-brown granola and you should be good to go!
Cool Completely – Once granola is done baking, remove it from the oven and, carefully (it will be hot!), press the granola firmly again. Allow it to cool completely on the baking tray before breaking into pieces.

Following the above tips should get you to that desired chunky granola we all love!

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?We want to see! Tag @homesteadingfamily on Instagram.