Want a deliciously hearty whole-grain snack that will fill you up and satisfy your sweet tooth without the guilt? This recipe for rustic, whole-grain granola should do the trick!
Growing up, I never liked cereal — unless it was hot (oatmeal or cream of wheat).
Fast-forward a few decades… and my children aren’t big on cereal either, BUT, our whole family enjoys my rustic whole-grain granola as a special treat, either with milk, on yogurt, or just as a crunchy snack.
This recipe (like all my other recipes) is super simple and uses basic ingredients you probably already have in the house.
You can easily change up the flavor by switching up the mix-ins based on your preference (or whatever you have in the pantry). Whatever you decide, this recipe is much cheaper and more nutritious than almost any store-bought granola around.
Win win!
Homemade granola makes a great gift (it’s gluten-free) and it’s freezer-friendly — so feel free to make a double batch!
Rustic Whole Grain Granola
Ingredients
- 5 c. old fashioned oats (uncooked)
- 2 c. chopped nuts (I use one cup each of pecans and almonds)
- 2 c. dried fruit (I use one cup each of raisins and chopped apricots)
- 1 c. shredded coconut (optional)
- 1/2. c. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 c. maple syrup or honey (12 oz.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF.
- Grease 2 large baking sheets with butter or oil and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.
- Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes (stirring at 20 minutes).
- Let cool in pans and store in air-tight containers.
- Serve with milk, yogurt, fruit, or just eat plain as a hearty snack.
Notes
Feel free to mix in whatever nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, or anything else that you enjoy eating with granola. There is no "right way" to make this recipe!
Also, this makes a great gift if packaged in a cute mason jar or cellophane bag.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1/2 cupAmount Per Serving Calories 307Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 0mgSodium 116mgCarbohydrates 52gFiber 5gSugar 31gProtein 6g
Nutritional information is approximate and does not account for additional ingredients or added toppings.
This rustic whole-grain granola is one of my favorite quick and easy snacks.
One added bonus… baking this recipe makes your whole house smell amazingly delicious!
Related Recipes:
- Homemade Granola Bars
- Hearty Whole Grain Oatmeal
- Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Homemade Yogurt
- Yogurt Parfaits with Berry Compote
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Chris says
I enjoy homemade granola. I make a coconut granola, a peanut butter granola, and a chocolate granola that is good with yogurt, chocolate chips, fresh strawberries, and honey (it’s not very sweet).
Andrea says
yum — that sounds amazing!
Sharon says
Oh wow! This looks and sounds amazing! I will definitely have to try this! I also really appreciate that you provided nutritional values (calories per serving, etc.). I know this varies depending on what ingredients you use, but this estimation is very helpful nonetheless. Ty so much Andrea!! 😀
Andrea says
you’re welcome, Sharon — hope you like the granola!
Margaret says
If, like me, you need to eat lower-carb you can substitute oil for most of the honey or syrup. I use about a cup for this amount of oats, with no sweetening. This doesn’t really eliminate calories, just carbs.
I love it with yogurt.
Andrea says
good to know — thanks for sharing, Margaret!
michelle says
looks so good!! I like to add a cup of Rice Krispies in mine. it gives a special crunch and kind of lightens things up at the same time. homemade granola is the best!!
Andrea says
that’s a great idea! We rarely have that cereal in the house, but it might be reason to buy it 🙂
Michelle says
Is quick-cooking oats acceptable for this recipe? I have lots of quick-cooking on hand and no old-fashioned oats. Thanks for this recipe. Making homemade granola has been on my to-do list for several weeks and needed a recipe with ingredients my family would eat.
Andrea says
yes, it will be fine — it will be a little less “rustic” in terms of a finer consistency but the taste will be the same!
Ann says
My only comment after making a similar recipe for decades is to stir in the fruits after baking so tehy aren’t so hard and dried out!
michelle says
yes, I agree!! it really helps especially with raisins
Jill says
I was just about to ask if the fruit gets too hard. Thanks, I’ll stir them in after baking.
heather dilios says
Just wanted to thank you for this recipe. I make this all the time for my family and my office and it’s just a favorite of everyone. I change up a couple of things to make the batch even bigger and stretch the ingredients a bit. I don’t bake the fruit in the oven but instead, add more pecans, more almonds and increase the oatmeal to 5 or 5.5 cups, keeping all the other measurements as listed. Back only nuts and oatmeal for 40-45 minutes and then pour the hot granola on top of the fruit. The heat from the fruit softens it and releases the flavors. Depending how much fruit you use (I generally use raisins, craisins and coconut), I usually get an extra 4-8 servings from a batch. The granola is quite crunchy and sweet. Love, love, love. Thanks so much for sharing.
Andrea says
wow — that sounds awesome! thanks for sharing Heather!
jennifer says
mine nearly burned this long 🙁 but still good!
Steve says
Hi, have been making this recipe for quite awhile now…what do you think the calorie count per cup might be? I know it can vary with ingedients however.
Thanks
Krista says
How long will the granola stay fresh in the pantry?
Nora says
Do you use dried apricots or fresh?
Andrea says
I use all dried fruit in my granola.
Jen Swaringen says
Found your site recently and have been pinning like crazy! Do you have a printable version of this granola recipe?
Andrea says
Jen, I just added the printable recipe {under the ingredients heading}. And here’s the link… just in case!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f_2ZE7skPpFOelUxm9SOolJqa1ScaNOvgHKPs5jW57E/edit
Crystal says
Just curious…..did you freeze the granola in the jars shown? thanks
Andrea says
yes Crystal, I freeze the granola in mason jars. However, any container with a tight-fitting lid would work.
Andrea says
HELP!! I made this granola … LOVED the smell as it was cooking … Ate a bit as I stirred it halfway through …
THEN …
After finished baking I went to scrape it off after it cooled and it was as hard a cement! I went out back to scrape it and I believe the birds will be enjoying more than I will as it flew everywhere! OH WHAT DID I DO WRONG? I am not a baker. Surprise, huh? But I really thought I could do this! I used Crisco on my baking sheets … Any help so I can try this again would be much appreciated! Scrapping Granola in PA!
Andrea says
Hmmm…. I’ve made this exact recipe more times than I can count and it has NEVER gotten hard. Did you use real maple syrup?? That is important… so if not, I would definitely try it again with the real stuff!
Also, is is possible that you cooked it too long? All ovens are different so maybe your oven cooks faster.
Sorry i can’t be of more help, but I’ve honestly never had it harden up like what you’ve described. This recipe is so delicious… you should definitely try it again 🙂
Ann says
I wonder if you made a single batch? I always double it but still only spread it on 2 plans and just stir it more often. Maybe that would make a difference?
Also, I have used cheap store bought (fake) maple syrup and it still works great.
Joy says
I hate maple syrup so I always use honey! HTH Katie!
Katie says
This looks very yummy! Do you think honey could be substituted for the maple syrup?
Andrea says
Hmm…I’m not sure, but you could always try it.
I probably would only substitute 1/2 of the maple syrup for honey — b/c there is a good amount of syrup in this recipe and I think the honey could be over-powering. However, you won’t know until you try it 🙂
Tami says
I tried this recipe today and loved it! There isn’t too much cinnamon at all. I wasn’t watching closely enough on the first batch (I had to cook it in a toaster oven because my oven isn’t working) and ended up cooking it a little much. Then I tried cooking the next batch for 40 minutes and that was perfect.
Thanks for the recipe Andrea!
Andrea says
Excellent! I’m so glad it worked out for you…it’s certainly one of our favorite recipes!
That’s too bad your oven isn’t working. And I would guess that a toaster oven would cook faster (at least it always does for me).
Thanks for stopping by!
Betsy (Eco-novice) says
I make homemade granola too (and have posted the recipe). I also love the flavor from maple syrup. That’s a lot of cinnamon! I may have to try that. Now I’m going to look at the homemade yogurt pot. Homemade yogurt is one of my many unfulfilled aspirations. Hope you get the book soon.
Andrea says
Yes, it is a lot of cinnamon…but it always turns out great. And who could go wrong with too much cinnamon!!
I’ll let you know when I get the book in the mail.
Laura says
My dad got me a yogurt maker for Christmas, and I love it! It’s so easy, and I make 2 quarts of organic yogurt for about $3.00!