I love being in the kitchen. Luckily, homemade granola is easy to make (and delicious, too!). Using the granola recipe below, one batch can give my family a great breakfast all week.
Homemade granola, as a general rule, is healthier than those in grocery stores (ultimately, it depends on what you put in it). Another thing to love? Homemade granola is highly customizable. With all the add-ins and options available you can stack it with oats, whole grains, flax seed meal (fight heart disease and diabetes), dried fruits, wheat germ (fiber), raw seeds, nuts (heart health), and whatever else your heart desires. When I do my clean eating resets, I try to work this in.
I change my recipe every time I make it but usually do a hybrid of a recipe from the Baked cookbook and the Williams-Sonoma Breakfast cookbook.
There are two different ways to make granola:
- You can toast all your ingredients first then mix them with your sugars and seasonings.
- You can mix oats, nuts, etc., with brown sugar and honey first, then toast it in the oven together. The texture, consistency, and toasty warm flavor are much better this way, in my opinion.
A granola recipe to make your own homemade granola:
1. Preheat oven to 300F.
2. Take 2-2 1/2 cups of oats (old fashioned), 1 tsp of cinnamon, and a pinch of kosher salt, combine.
3. In a separate bowl stir together 3 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (I have tried this with canola oil but feel the vegetable oil leaves a much better taste), 1/4 c. honey (you can also try this with different flavored honey such as orange blossom – I have not tried this with agave nectar substitute but it is on my to-attempt list so if it works I will let you know), 1/4 c. brown sugar, and 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (I like my granola very vanilla-y so you may want to cut this back a little bit).
4. Mix the oats and honey mixture. You can use a wooden spoon or your hands but DO NOT overmix. You want some clumps. Feel free to add wheat germ here if you want (no more than 1/4 c.) to the mixture.
5. Spread your ingredients evenly on a pan (although let it be lumpy) and place in the oven.
6. Bake the granola for 10 minutes, then gently turn the granola over. At this point, you might want to add thicker nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pecans in a light layer on top. Put the granola back in the oven.
7. Bake the granola for another 5-7 minutes. Remove the granola and turn it again. You may want to add hazelnuts or other lighter nuts and seeds here such as hulled pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, or flax seeds. Return the baking sheet to the oven for another 7-10 minutes.
NOTE: granola can cook fast.  You want your mixture to be toasted but not burned. The key is to flip it often. I find that leaving the door to the oven slightly ajar helps get a nice, toasty finish. Take it out when it starts to look golden brown.
8. Take your granola out of the oven, and stir in dried fruit. I’ve used dark raisins, golden raisins, dried cherries, currants, bananas, cranberries, and mango (the dried currants and dried cranberries are our favorites). You can also try dried blueberries, apples, dates, or pineapples. Don’t add too much fruit or you get too much chewy – aim for about 1/4 c.
I know this sounds like a lot of flipping and looking in a hot oven but it is a simple process.
When you are done, serve it with milk, over Greek vanilla yogurt (my favorite), or eat it dry (like my kids).
Stored in an airtight container on the counter, it will keep for a week.
Enjoy!