Granola is a pantry staple at my house.
I love sprinkling it over fruit or yogurt for a crunchy finish to a healthy breakfast. It’s also perfect as a grab-and-go snack, and sometimes I fold a handful into cookie batter. Granola is versatile, tasty, and nutritious — so I usually keep a supply on hand.
Usually.
A GRANOLA EMERGENCY
This week the unthinkable happened: I reached for granola and the cupboard was out. Well, not entirely empty, but the granola box I wanted was gone. That called for immediate action. I washed my hands, put on a face mask, and walked to our neighborhood market.
The little store is well stocked for its size and did have granola — at $10.99 a box.
$10.99 for a twelve-ounce package? I admit the product was a gourmet, organic variety, and small stores pay different costs, but nearly a dollar an ounce for granola felt excessive.
THE STICKER SHOCK SOLUTION
One silver lining of recent months has been learning to be more self-reliant. Standing in the aisle, stunned by the price, I realized there was an easy alternative: homemade granola.
Granola is surprisingly simple to make. You combine dry ingredients, stir in wet ingredients, bake, cool, and add the finishing elements. No complex steps, no specialized equipment, and you control every ingredient.
EASY, HEALTHY, AND FLEXIBLE
Homemade granola lets you avoid additives and reduce sugar if you like. My basic recipe uses coconut oil and maple syrup, but it’s flexible: you can substitute vegetable oil or light olive oil, and honey or corn syrup will replace maple syrup if needed. Vanilla is my go-to extract, but almond or orange extract also work well.
Because you choose the ingredients, the result is wholesome and tailored to your taste. You can adjust sweetness, oils, nuts, and fruit to suit dietary needs or pantry supplies.
SEE? FLEXIBLE!
Nuts and dried fruit boost the flavor and nutrition of this granola. I used pecans and almonds, but walnuts, cashews, peanuts, pistachios or pepitas would be excellent alternatives. For dried fruit I mixed apricots, raisins, cherries, cranberries, and dried blueberries to create a layered, complex flavor — a great way to use up small leftover bags from the pantry.
CHEAPER AND TASTIER TOO!
Old-fashioned oats form the base of this granola. They are widely available and inexpensive, especially when bought in bulk. While nuts, dried fruit, and oils add cost, making granola at home still saves money. My batch yielded nearly two pounds of granola and certainly cost less than the $11 store option.
Beyond savings, homemade granola tastes fresher and can be customized to your liking. Now that I’ve remembered how easy and rewarding it is to make, I’ll likely keep making it myself rather than buying it.
Try making a batch and taste the difference — you might never go back to store-bought.
My Easy Homemade Granola
Author: Marie Bostwick
Yield: 2 lbs. 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups of old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup coconut oil (vegetable or light olive oil can be substituted)
- ½ cup real maple syrup (honey or corn syrup can be substituted)
- 1 t. vanilla extract (almond or orange extract can be substituted)
- 1 t. ground cinnamon
- 1 t. kosher salt
- 2 cups nuts of your choice, coarsely chopped *
- 1 ½ cups dried fruit of your choice **
Optional additions ***
*(I used pecans and almonds. Any combination of walnuts, cashews, peanuts, pistachios, or pepitas will also work.)
**(I used apricots, raisins, cherries, cranberries and blueberries. Any combination of apples, dates, peaches, berries, mango, banana, or papaya will also work.)
*** After the granola is completely cooled, you can stir in optional additions such as ¼ cup flaked or shredded coconut, ¼ cup chocolate or butterscotch chips, or 2 t. orange or lemon zest.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large metal baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat and set aside.
- Combine the oats, chopped nuts, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir to blend.
- Pour the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla over the oat and nut mixture. Stir thoroughly so the liquids coat everything evenly.
- Spread the granola mixture in an even layer on the prepared baking pan and place it in the preheated oven.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown, stirring once halfway through to promote even browning. Remove the pan and let the granola cool completely, at least one hour.
- Once cooled, break the granola into clusters with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula. Stir in the dried fruit and any optional additions you chose.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to two months. For longer storage, seal in a freezer-safe bag and freeze.