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This really is the best healthy granola recipe! It’s quick and easy to make, naturally sweetened with (just a little) maple syrup, and always so flavorful and delicious.
Alright, time to pin, print, save, tag, or bookmark this recipe however in the world you prefer. Because I’m telling you, this one is a total keeper.
Friends…meet my all-time favorite homemade granola recipe! ♡
As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, our little household has a borderline out-of-control granola obsession. We’re constantly whipping up various kinds of granola (or granola bars) to keep on hand for easy breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and — let’s be real — our fair share of lazy weeknight dinners cozied up on the couch with a bowl and a side of Netflix. We love it plain, we love it drowning in almond milk, we love mixing it with fresh fruit and Greek yogurt into parfaits, we love sprinkling it on everything from desserts to mashed potatoes to salads (<– yes, surprisingly good). We just freaking love granola.
And while I have shared over a dozen kinds of fun and quirky granola recipes here on the blog over the years, I will be the first to admit that the vast majority of the time, we usually keep things simple and default to this classic healthy granola recipe right here.
In my granola-obsessed opinion, it’s simply the best.
Partly because it’s super quick and easy to make, with ingredients you probably already keep in your pantry. Partly because it’s full of feel-good ingredients, including lots of protein and omega-3s. Partly because it isn’t overly sweet, just lightly tossed with a bit of honey or maple syrup. Partly because it’s perfectly crunchy, and easy to customize with whatever ingredients you love most. But mainly, I just love this granola recipe because it is downright delicious.
So if you’re on the search for a back-pocket, tried-and-true, perfectly-crunchy, all-kinds-of-flavorful, feel-good granola recipe of your own, I highly recommend giving this one a try. I think you’re going to love it!
The Best Healthy Granola Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Homemade Granola Ingredients:
To make this homemade granola recipe, you will need:
Old-fashioned oats: Also known as rolled oats. If making this recipe gluten-free, be sure to double-check that the brand you buy is certified GF.
Nuts: I almost always use slivered almonds in my granola. But feel free to replace them with your favorite nuts or seeds (like pepitas or sunflower seeds).
Chia seeds: I like sprinkling these in for extra omega-3s, but feel free to omit them if you prefer.
Melted coconut oil: Or your preferred kind of oil.
Honey: Or maple syrup.
Ground cinnamon, fine sea salt and vanilla extract: To flavor the granola.
Flaky coconut: Or you can use shredded coconut, or omit the coconut altogether.
How To Make Granola:
Alright, let’s talk about how to make granola! Simply:
Toss together (most of) the dry ingredients. Oats, almonds, chia seeds, cinnamon and salt, that is. We’ll save the coconut and any extra add-ins for later.
Add the wet ingredients. Whisk together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Then drizzle it over the dry ingredients and give everything a good toss until it’s evenly mixed. Spread the mixture out evenly on a large parchment-covered baking sheet.
Bake. Let the mixture bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Then remove from the oven and give the mixture a thorough stir.
Add coconut. Then sprinkle the coconut evenly on top of the granola. (We’re doing this so that it’s just lightly toasted and doesn’t overcook.) And pop the baking sheet back in the oven for another 5 minutes, keeping a close eye on the coconut so that it doesn’t burn. Then remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack.
Let the granola cool. Wait for about 20-30 minutes, or until the granola has completely cooled to room temperature. Then use a spoon (or your fingers) to break it up into your desired size of clumps.
(Optional) Add your mix-ins. Then at this point, if you plan to add any chocolate chips, dried fruit, or other add-ins, go ahead and stir them in. And finally…
Enjoy! You can either serve the granola right away. Or transfer it to a sealed container, and it should keep for up to 1 month.
Possible Variations:
Want to customize your granola a bit more? Feel free to add in extra:
Dried fruit: Any kind of chopped dried fruit would be delicious here.
Chocolate chips: As would, of course, your favorite kind of chocolate chips.
Peanut butter: Feel free to stir in 1/4 cup natural peanut butter (stir it into the melted coconut mixture) if you would like.
Warming spices: I’ve kept the recipe simple below with just using ground cinnamon. But feel free to add in any other additional warming spices that you love, such as ground nutmeg, cloves, ginger and/or allspice.
More Favorite Granola Recipes:
Be sure to check out some of my other favorite granola recipes too!
This truly is the BEST healthy granola recipe! It’s quick and easy to make, it’s naturally sweetened with (just a little) maple syrup, and so flavorful and delicious. See above for more ideas on how to customize your granola too.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together oats, almonds, chia seeds, cinnamon and sea salt until evenly combined.
In a separate measuring cup, stir together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract until combined. Pour the coconut oil mixture into the oats mixture, and stir until evenly combined.
Spread the granola out evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Then remove from the oven, add the coconut, and give the mixture a good stir. Bake for 5 more minutes, until the granola is lightly toasted and golden.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire baking rack. Let cool until the granola reaches room temperature. Then stir in the dried fruit, chocolate chips or any other optional add-ins you might prefer.
Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
I made this last night and I LOVE it. I really love granola but really don’t want all of the sugar. I pecans on hand so I used those instead of almonds and it was *chefs fingers kiss*.This was the perfect add in to my yogurt today! Thank you:)
What is the amount of sugar per serving in this receipe?
Alicia —
I’ve made this granola numerous times, now, and always tweak it,in some way. I swap sugar-free pancake syrup for the maple or honey, as my husband is diabetic. I use quite a few seeds, mixed – chia, flax, sunflower and pumpkin, and pecans or walnuts. Love adding the coconut, and usually add some chopped dried apricot.
So good i’ve made this several times and it’s perfect every time. This time i added in some ground flax seed for some extra fiber and i use honey instead of maple syrup. So yummy!
Is this safe to eat without milk? I wasn’t sure becaus of the chia seeds if I could eat this just by itself or if it needs to be in liquid to make chia seeds safe?
Christina —
Chia seeds are safe to eat, they do not need to be in liquid to be safe.
This tasted great before I put it in the oven. Unfortunately mine burned. The only reason I can think of, is that I halved the recipe. Very bummed. I don’t really want to risk making it again wasting all those ingredients. Any ideas?
Megan —
Mine did at first too. I started baking in smaller increments to prevent burning. So I bake 7 mins, stir, bake 7 more mins. Then if it’s not quite crispy yet I put it in maybe 2-3 mins more.
This is THE BEST granola! I’m not a big fan of coconuts, so I replaced that with pecans. I also use a little less maple syrup. So good! Sometimes I just pour some milk on top and eat like cereal. Love to always have a stash of this in the pantry.
Megan —
I also add a little flax and reduce to about 16-17 mins to prevent burning. If using pecans, I added those in after 7 minutes because they were burning when they were in for the full time.
For those wanting nutritional information, it’s really hard to standardize as almost everyone tinkers with granola in some way. I put the recipe as written into the VeryWellFit.com recipe calculator and got 292 calories for a 1/2 cup serving WITHOUT CHOCOLATE CHIPS OR DRIED FRUIT because I forgot them. This website also gives you fat content, carbs, protein, etc but y’all can obviously work teh inter webs.
Overall I love this recipe. It’s very flexible; the liquids are just a binder and sweetener so don’t overthink it. Toss extra stuff in, leave stuff out, whatever. Just watch it carefully and stir often til you get a feel for how long it takes.
I would recommend NOT using slivered almonds. I’ve made this recipe often, but today when I used slivered almonds in the recipe I ended up with burnt pieces. I think they are too thin so they burned. This recipe is very good and my husband loves this granola with his yogurt.
This has been my family’s fave granola for the last two years (since the onset of COVID). Thank you for sharing this easy, nutritious recipe. My only question: Will baking compromise the Omega oils in the Chia? I’ve been adding the chia after the granola completely cools. . . but I wonder if I need to worry. Thoughts? Thank you again for all your good content!
This recipe is so fun to make because I can create what flavors I want. This recipe fits my eating plan and very delicious. Smelling it bake in the oven is such a wonderful, comfort smell on a winters day. I know what I am giving for Christmas and birthdays for co-workers. Thanks for sharing!
This is one delicious recipe! Packed with so much protein and healthy ingredients, would definitely love to try this using True Elements Rolled Oats and Chia Seeds and I know it’d be delicious. Thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe.
Made this the other day, and am really pleased with it. I used pepitas in place of the slivered almonds and added 1 teaspoon of ginger, and about ½ teaspoon of allspice. Also used a bit more coconut oil and a granulated sugar substitute to lower the carbs. Definitely a winner, definitely a keeper.
This recipe has been an amazing help. I’m gluten free and have hashimotos and hypothyroidism so I’ve become quite a fussy eater. This has made breakfast so easy. Thank you for this.
I have made this granola many times. It is delicious..I eat it for breakfast about 4 times per week. I’ll add raisins or cranberries whatever I have on hand.
I have made this recipe at least a dozen times so I thought it was time to comment. It is so simple and delicious! Easy to adjust for what I have on hand. It is my go-to for new moms with a tub if yogurt and some fresh baked muffins. It is great by the handful for those busy new moms, too!
This is so delicious! I didn’t even want to add anything!
This is the most delicious granola I have ever tasted! Thank you!!
I made this last night and I LOVE it. I really love granola but really don’t want all of the sugar. I pecans on hand so I used those instead of almonds and it was *chefs fingers kiss*.This was the perfect add in to my yogurt today! Thank you:)
What is the amount of sugar per serving in this receipe?
I’ve made this granola numerous times, now, and always tweak it,in some way. I swap sugar-free pancake syrup for the maple or honey, as my husband is diabetic. I use quite a few seeds, mixed – chia, flax, sunflower and pumpkin, and pecans or walnuts. Love adding the coconut, and usually add some chopped dried apricot.
I love it, but how do I know how many calories it is?
So good i’ve made this several times and it’s perfect every time. This time i added in some ground flax seed for some extra fiber and i use honey instead of maple syrup. So yummy!
This was so, so good! I love that it isn’t too sweet.
Is this safe to eat without milk? I wasn’t sure becaus of the chia seeds if I could eat this just by itself or if it needs to be in liquid to make chia seeds safe?
Chia seeds are safe to eat, they do not need to be in liquid to be safe.
Chia seeds are safe to eat raw :)
Hi there what’s the calorie count on this!
Word of advice, don’t burn it. But if you do, just add more chocolate chips!
I’m looking for the nutritional information before I make this. Could you please provide that?
This tasted great before I put it in the oven. Unfortunately mine burned. The only reason I can think of, is that I halved the recipe. Very bummed. I don’t really want to risk making it again wasting all those ingredients. Any ideas?
Mine did at first too. I started baking in smaller increments to prevent burning. So I bake 7 mins, stir, bake 7 more mins. Then if it’s not quite crispy yet I put it in maybe 2-3 mins more.
This is THE BEST granola! I’m not a big fan of coconuts, so I replaced that with pecans. I also use a little less maple syrup. So good! Sometimes I just pour some milk on top and eat like cereal. Love to always have a stash of this in the pantry.
I also add a little flax and reduce to about 16-17 mins to prevent burning. If using pecans, I added those in after 7 minutes because they were burning when they were in for the full time.
If I leave out the coconut (I dislike it intensely) would I need to change the amount of the other ingredients?
For those wanting nutritional information, it’s really hard to standardize as almost everyone tinkers with granola in some way. I put the recipe as written into the VeryWellFit.com recipe calculator and got 292 calories for a 1/2 cup serving WITHOUT CHOCOLATE CHIPS OR DRIED FRUIT because I forgot them. This website also gives you fat content, carbs, protein, etc but y’all can obviously work teh inter webs.
Overall I love this recipe. It’s very flexible; the liquids are just a binder and sweetener so don’t overthink it. Toss extra stuff in, leave stuff out, whatever. Just watch it carefully and stir often til you get a feel for how long it takes.
Delicious Granola!
Thank you SoMuch!!
🍁🧡🍁
👏👏👏♥️♥️♥️👏👏👏
This is a great recipe. Super simple to make and delicious to eat.
What can you substitute for the coconut oil?
I would recommend NOT using slivered almonds. I’ve made this recipe often, but today when I used slivered almonds in the recipe I ended up with burnt pieces. I think they are too thin so they burned. This recipe is very good and my husband loves this granola with his yogurt.
This has been my family’s fave granola for the last two years (since the onset of COVID). Thank you for sharing this easy, nutritious recipe. My only question: Will baking compromise the Omega oils in the Chia? I’ve been adding the chia after the granola completely cools. . . but I wonder if I need to worry. Thoughts? Thank you again for all your good content!
This recipe is so fun to make because I can create what flavors I want. This recipe fits my eating plan and very delicious. Smelling it bake in the oven is such a wonderful, comfort smell on a winters day. I know what I am giving for Christmas and birthdays for co-workers. Thanks for sharing!
Such a good base recipe! I added chopped dried mango, walnuts, pecans, currants, and chopped dates. Soooo good!
This is one delicious recipe! Packed with so much protein and healthy ingredients, would definitely love to try this using True Elements Rolled Oats and Chia Seeds and I know it’d be delicious. Thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe.
Made this the other day, and am really pleased with it. I used pepitas in place of the slivered almonds and added 1 teaspoon of ginger, and about ½ teaspoon of allspice. Also used a bit more coconut oil and a granulated sugar substitute to lower the carbs. Definitely a winner, definitely a keeper.
Amazing!! I just made this today and it is my new favorite granola recipe!
How many grams of sugar in this recipe without dried fruit or chocolate chips? I would like to know for a diabetic.
Can I omit the coconut oil? I’m no oil plant-based vegan. If so, do I need to increase the maple syrup or substitute some other liquid?
This recipe has been an amazing help. I’m gluten free and have hashimotos and hypothyroidism so I’ve become quite a fussy eater. This has made breakfast so easy. Thank you for this.
I have made this granola many times. It is delicious..I eat it for breakfast about 4 times per week. I’ll add raisins or cranberries whatever I have on hand.
I have made this recipe at least a dozen times so I thought it was time to comment. It is so simple and delicious! Easy to adjust for what I have on hand. It is my go-to for new moms with a tub if yogurt and some fresh baked muffins. It is great by the handful for those busy new moms, too!
Awesome recipe!! Any idea what the calorie count is?
Really good recipe!
I made it and it was perfect. This is my first time making granola in years and I wanted a recipe I really liked! I will keep making this one!