I enjoy this healthy homemade Granola recipe almost every morning for breakfast because it’s packed with all the good stuff, with the big granola clusters I love, and the perfect flavor and crunch.
Can’t stop, wont stop, my obsession with this Healthy Granola
Can’t stop, wont stop, my obsession with this Healthy GranolaMy relationship with this homemade Granola recipe has been healthy and strong for over a decade. I’m not exaggerating when I say I enjoy it every. single. day, usually in the form of a hearty handful on my favorite two good vanilla yogurt, with cottage cheese and fresh berries. And when I’m feeling extra, it’s an essential topping on my Pitaya smoothie bowls or my toast with peanut butter, thinly sliced apple and a sprinkle of cinnamon and granola. YUM!
More reasons to obsess over homemade granola:
Healthier: it has less sugar and is lower Calorie than anything you’ll find at the store.
Freezer Friendly: It will keep for months in the freezer, stored in a freezer safe bag.
Great for Gifting: food gifts are how I show love, and giving a little bag of homemade granola with our cute tags (see below) is fun for Christmas neighbor gifts, friends birthdays, or as a healthy snack for a new moms when I drop off dinner.
Now that we’ve established it’s the BEST, let’s make it, shall we?
How to Make Granola:
Mix Dry Ingredients in a bowl: whole grain oats, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, raw sesame seeds and raw unsweetened coconut flakes.
Make Syrup: Combine the butter, sugar, honey, salt, and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook the mixture until it boils, then remove it from heat and stir in baking soda.
Combine: Pour the syrup over the oat mixture then toss everything to evenly coat it.
Bake: Pour the mixture out onto a parchment lined or greased baking sheet and bake for about 18-20 minutes, tossing once during baking.
Serve: Allow the healthy granola to cool completely in the pan to allow it to harden up and create those clusters of granola that we love.
Recipe Variations:
- Vegan: Substitute coconut oil for butter and agave nectar for honey.
- Add Dried Fruit: Reduce oats by about ½ cup and add a heaping ½ cup raisins, craisins or dried cherries, mango or fruit of choice.
- Nut Free: Substitute seeds (like pumpkin or sunflower), or dried fruit.
- Gluten Free: Use gluten-free oats.
Give Granola as a gift!
If you’re like me and enjoy spreading love in the form of homemade goodies, I’ve got you covered with the details you need to package this granola for gift giving. these up cutely.
My TBFS amazon storefront contains all of the items needed, including the labels and bags I used.
FREE Printable Granola Labels: Front Side / Back Side
Christmas Granola Gift Labels: Front Side / Back Side
More Healthy Snack Ideas:
- Applesauce Oat Muffins
- Granola Bites
- Protein Bars
- Kale Chips
- Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- Crispy Bean and Cheese Burritos
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Recipe
Healthy Granola
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cook or steel cut)
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut (I like Bob's Red Mill)
- 1 cup sliced raw almonds
- 1/3 cup raw brown sesame seeds , or flax seeds
For the Syrup:
- 1/3 cup butter or coconut oil
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients: Add oats, sunflower seeds, coconut, almonds, and sesame seeds to a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Make Syrup by adding butter to a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, honey and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and once boiling, remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.
- Combine: Pour syrup over the dry oat mixture and mix well until everything is evenly coated.
- Bake: Pour mixture onto prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and toss mixture, then gently press down on it with your spatula to flatten it back into the pan. Bake for another 8-12 minutes until golden brown.
- Press and Cool: Remove pan from oven and use the back of a metal spatula to press the hot granola firmly down into the pan. Allow granola to cool completely in the pan before stirring or breaking it up (this will yield clusters that stick together).
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @TastesBetterFromScratch on Instagram with #TastesBetterFromScratch!
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I originally shared this recipe January 2019. Updated June 2020 and April 2024.
This recipe is adapted from a family friend from many years ago–thank you Glinda Straddeck!
This post contains affiliate links.
Thank you for this easy recipe, I’ll definitely try it out asap. One question (if you don’t mind): at which temperature would you recommend to bake granola?
Easy to make, delicious and very crunchy. Love the baking soda trick and will try that with other granola recipes I will make in the future.
So good! Nervous to try; only made granola once and it was a disaster from a woman know for “pioneering” recipes. Can’t afford to throw out food, had to keep adding more ingredients to make edible. Really made me angry! So I read all your reviews first. Love how versatile your recipe is. Hate coconut so used pecans, walnuts, almonds, dried pineapple and apricots and of course oats. Used up maple flavored margarine instead of butter, thought might be too sweet so only added 1/4 cup honey. Appreciate food science of baking soda in this. It came out fabulous even though I burned it a little, more brown than golden. Still yummy. Can’t wait to try again with other fruits, nuts. Thanks!!!
Where did you get the cute packaging bags for the granola? Would love to give
the granola for gifts. K
Here is the link for the little bags! https://amzn.to/3S367ov
Is ¼ cup really a serving?😂 Especially if you’re eating it with a bowl of milk like it says in the post, that’s barely a sprinkle it the bowl. Anyway I’m about to try this recipe and see how it goes!
Yes, the standard size on any kind of granola you buy will be between 1/4 and 1/3 cup.
This is a keeper! Some many ideas for additional things to switch out or add.
Thanks for sharing your great recipes.
I searched for lighter granola without boatloads of sugar, dried fruit, etc. Just healthier, crunchy, and versatile. This one checked all the boxes in a very delicious and gratifying way!
I’ve tried a lot of Granola recipes and this one has changed my world! I didn’t skimp on anything, added dried cherries, cranberries, and raisins. I eat this as is, with chocolate chips, and in my yogurt. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
This sounds so delicious! Do you think I could leave out the brown sugar altogether, or maybe increase honey to 9Tbs if I do (I don’t want it to be too gooey). I’m trying to cut refined sugars out of my recipes. Thanks!
Wonderful My first time making Granola. I followed the recipe, but add the last of my crunchy peanut butter to the sauce. Plus cranberries and apricots. The Smell in my kitchen!!! Amazing I did use coconut oil.
Nice recipe but watch out if you are counting calories.
I just added up the total calories for this recipe and it comes out at 5.4 calories per gram, which equals 172.8 calories per serving (1/4 cup =32g) not 104 calories per serving.
I’ve made this recipe for a couple years now and finally wanted to thank you for it. It has become my GoTo granola. My Son in law requests it for hunting trips, my college granddaughters NEED it for their dorms and my husband has it EVERY morning with berries and yogurt. Thank you again for making my family, and me very happy and I add piñon nuts, pepitas and cinnamon . Yummmm
This is our “go-to” granola recipe. We love it as a topping for peanut butter toast or smoothie bowls! Or in a bowl with milk. Thanks for the great recipe!!
How big is a serving?
1/4 cup.
I’ve made granola for years and live to experiment with new ingredients. (Crabapple sauce, molasses, peanut butter, etc.) I’ve never heard of boiling the wet ingredients (why?) and what does the baking soda do to the batch?
To dissolve the sugar and create a richer caramel-like coating for the granola. The baking soda helps the hot sugar mixture soften so it’s not tacky/sticky as it hardens.
I double this batch and make it at the very least a week… I also skip coconut but add tons of assorted nuts.. so so good!
This is the. Second time I’ve made this!! My family loves it. Thanks for the great recipe.
DELICIOUS!!!
I made this with Oats, sliced Almonds and chopped Pecans. I also used Coconut Oil instead of butter.
This was fabulous!!! And super easy!!!
This is a perfect recipe. I have made it about five times now. I’ve even doubled it because we go through it so quickly. I make it exactly as is or sometimes I add less brown sugar. I always add raisins and pumpkin seeds sometimes I add almonds, sometimes I add walnuts. I use butter and coconut oil or just butter. Basically, you can make it your own. It is the best granola recipe I’ve ever used.
Very good. What is the purpose of the soda?
It softens the sugar mixture so it’s not brittle.
I just made this recipe. I added cinnamon and changed out the nuts a little bit, based on what I had on hand and it came out great. I did add the dried fruit as well.
Best granola I’ve ever made! I used the coconut oil instead of butter, ground flax instead of whole, and maple syrup instead of honey. Just because this is what ingredients I already had.
I love this recipe. It is delicious!
This was delish!!
Not sure if it is the baking soda or using honey instead of maple syrup but, there is not much of a “flavor”.. I will try maple syrup next time.
I made it, came out great!
Hey! How many grams/cups is the 104 calories accountable for? Thanks!
Each serving is 1/4 cup.
Hello,
I’d like to know what is the purpose or reason to add baking soda.
Thank you!
It helps soften the syrup and keep it from being grainy. Baking soda helps break up the brown sugar molecules and prevent them from crystalizing.
Hi. What is the reason you call for regular rolled oats and not the quick cooking kind? I’m going to try it, but have a lot of the quick cooking kind.
Regular oats give the granola a heartier texture then the quick oats will, but you can substitute them if you like. The cook time should be reduced as well, if using quick oats.
Wow! This is the granola recipe I’ve been trying to create for years! It’s excellent and fast. Great job. Thank you for sharing!
I want to make this for my diabetic husband. What can I use in place of brown sugar?
I’m sorry I couldn’t say. I haven’t tested any other sweeteners and how they would effect the syrup for the granola.
Have just made this and it’s delicious! I baked it for longer and can not wait to have some with my yoghurt tonight 😍
I’m so glad you liked it!
Easy to make, tastes great and I love the crunch.
I didn’t pay close attention to the recipe and when making the syrupy mixture didn’t notice the part about leaving the baking soda out until the after it was removed from the heat. So I had to make the syrupy mixture a 2nd time and then poured it over the dry ingredients.
Absolutely love this granola. Easy to make. Tastes delicious!
Great recipe! Easy to make and delicious!! I found this by googling healthy granola and chose it because it also said easy. I made some substitutes (gluten free oats and added a few pistachios because I didn’t have sesame seeds). I hate to admit it, but I forgot the baking soda/aka didn’t have any…oops. The granola turned out just fine. Thank you!
Im so glad you liked it, and thanks for sharing your adaptions!
I was wondering, what is 1 serving? 🙂
1/4 cup
I saw you post this on Instagram last week and I knew I had to make it. It turned out AWESOME!
All of the ingredients were easy to find except the brown sesame seeds which I ended up finding at a natural foods store in their “bins”. I love that it made a big batch so I froze the extras, like you suggested. Thank you!
I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks for your comment. XOX