How to Make Granola – Simple small batch recipe
This simple small batch granola recipe is so easy to make and even easier to adapt. Use the ingredients you have on hand and enjoy delicious homemade granola, whenever you want it, ready in less than half an hour!
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I’ve been buying granola for years but recently switched to making it at home and I’ve been amazed by how much better it is when you make it from scratch!
Try filling pretty jars with your homemade granola, add a little label and you’ve got a great homemade gift for friends and family! Or just store it jars and have it with yogurt and fresh fruit for breakfast!
Why make this Simple Granola Recipe?
Easy: This is probably the easiest recipe I have on this blog. You can make the whole thing in one bowl in less than 5 minutes, which is perfect for when you’re a bit short on time!
Forgiving: Don’t have walnuts? Throw in some pecans! Running low on olive oil? Use canola oil! Accidentally added an extra half cup of oats? Don’t worry about it! This recipe is so forgiving that it really doesn’t matter if you add a little too much of something, or you change up the ingredients a bit. Just try to stick to the general ratios, and you’ll be fine!
Delicious: Crispy, nutty, nicely toasted and slightly sweet, this granola is so delicious!
Not to sweet: Sugar helps your granola get nice and crispy, but too much sugar can result in overly sweet granola. This recipe strikes the perfect balance in my opinion!
What Do I Need to Make this Recipe?
Oats: Ideally use original rolled oats instead of quick cooking oats because they’ll retain their texture better.
Nuts: You can use whatever nuts you like, or even a combination. Just make sure that if you are using harder nuts like almonds or hazelnuts, you give them a quick chop to break them up a bit. You can also skip the nuts completely if you want nut free granola.
Seeds: Seeds are totally optional, but I like to use a mixture of flax seeds and sunflower seeds in my granola!
Oil: You’ll want some kind of oil in your granola. I like to use olive oil, but canola or sunflower work well too!
Sweetener: Some type of liquid sweetener gives the granola a great flavor and helps it crisp up! Personally, I love maple syrup, but honey is great too. If you choose to use syrup, make sure it’s real pure maple syrup and not the cheaper Waffle house style syrup.
Dried fruit: If you’d like, you can add dried fruit such as dried cherries and raisins to the granola.
Chocolate: Feel free to toss in some chocolate chips at the end if you like. White chocolate and cherries go particularly well together!
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Stir together all of your ingredients.
Just grab a large bowl and stir everything except the chocolate and dried fruit together. Make sure the oats are well coated in the liquid ingredients!
Step 2: Bake the granola
You want to bake granola on a low temperature for about 25 minutes. This will ensure you have crispy granola that isn’t burnt. It’s a good idea to stir the granola during baking to make sure the oats toast evenly.
Step 3: Add the chocolate and dried fruit and let cool
Sprinkle the optional chocolate and dried fruit over the hot granola, give it a quick stir and the press it down onto the pan. Allow it to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.
Expert Tips
Press the granola down
Before letting the granola cool press it down into the pan so that it forms little clumps as it cools.
Get creative with your ingredients
Granola is such a forgiving recipe that you can really get creative with what you put in it. Avoid wet fruits but get creative with whatever dry ingredients you’re in the mood for!
Recipe FAQs
It normally is, just be sure to use gluten-free oats in your granola, and then it will be gluten-free.
Yes, simply leave out the nuts. If you’d like, you can add an extra quarter cup of other ingredients such as seeds or dried fruit depending on what you like and your allergies.
Granola is best consumed within the first month, but is safe to eat for another month after that. The main issue is that it will start to go stale!
Other recipes you might like:
- SAME DAY SOURDOUGH RECIPE – A lovely addition to any brunch, this sourdough bread is easy to make and tastes delicious!
- AIR FRYER DONUTS WITH GRAPEFRUIT CURD – If you want to balance out the healthy granola and yogurt with something sweet trying making these air fryer donuts!
- GRAPEFRUIT CURD – And finally, this grapefruit curd is delicious with yogurt, fresh fruit and a healthy spoonful of your homemade granola!
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How to Make Granola – Simple small batch recipe
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Baking tray
Ingredients
- 2 cups oats
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup nuts
- 1/4 cup seeds flax, sunflower, etc. optional
- 1/4 cup chocolate or dried fruit optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the nuts, oats, seeds and salt. Pour in the oil and sweetener and stir well.
- Spread the mixture out on the baking sheet and press down firmly. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes to make sure the granola toasts evenly.
- While the granola is still hot from the oven, sprinkle over the chocolate or dried fruit if using and then press the mixture down firmly using a spatula to help it clump together. Let it cool completely before transferring to an airtight container for storage.