Wednesdays are the only day of the week that I have all my boys in school. After I drop them off and before I need to go back and pick them up, I have about 2 hours and 15 minutes where I am HOME ALONE. For an introverted girl like me who is rarely alone, this is GLORIOUS.
Now I feel like I need to do a little disclaimer here: Of course I love my boys to death and they are the cutest things ever, even sweeter than my Triple Layer Brownies. And yes, I know someday I will miss the noise, dirt, stinky socks, and Lego booby traps.
Okay, now can I go on with my rant?
I love my alone time, and I actually find myself in a complete state of panic when I walk into my house after returning from preschool drop-off.
The silence is so shocking.
Now what do I do?
In an effort to make the most of this precious time, I’m almost paralyzed with indecision.
- Should I clean up the house?
- Put the laundry away?
- Get some exercise?
- Organize my junk drawer?
- Test out a new recipe?
- Take a shower?
- Go grocery shopping?
- Iron that pile of shirts on the ironing board?
- Take a nap?
- Dust my ceiling fans?
- Pin some recipes?
- Read a book?
- Meet up with a friend?
- Go get a pedicure?
- Water my flowers?
- Get lost at Target?
- Listen to a podcast?
- Write my grandma a letter?
- Go to the MVD to update my driver’s license picture?
SEE WHAT I MEAN?
My time always goes by really fast, but I’m amazed at how much I can accomplish when someone else is attending to the constant needs of my children. They aren’t extra needy or anything, but kids just need a lot of attention.
So last week, I used a tiny portion of my Wednesday alone time to make this granola. Granola is very easy to make. After making this off and on for the last few years and tweaking it a little each time, this recipe is now perfection to me. My favorite thing about it is the finely ground almonds that coat each little oat. But I also like to leave some almonds chopped up more coarsely for extra crunch. It’s wonderfully sticky and clumpy.
A bowl full of this Homemade Coconut Oil Honey Almond Granola topped with juicy, sweet strawberries and a splash of ice cold whole milk is the way to go my friends. You can feel free to add your favorite granola type mix-ins, but I like mine a little on the plain side.
I hope you get a day this week to do whatever it is that makes your heart happy, whether it’s gathering with friends, watching a favorite show, or going to a nice long walk. Or maybe making granola?
- 1 cup whole almonds, divided
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a food processor or blender, pulse half of the almonds until they are very finely chopped. Pour them into a large bowl. Then chop the other half of the almonds coarsely, and pour them into the same bowl.
- Pour the oats, salt, and brown sugar into the bowl with the almonds and stir to combine.
- In a small microwaveable bowl, combine honey and coconut oil, and heat for 40 seconds. Stir to dissolve the coconut oil, and add the vanilla and almond extract.
- Pour the honey mixture over the oats, and stir so that they are evenly coated.
- Pour the oat mixture evenly onto a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet (helpful if it has sides).
- Bake for 5 minutes, and then stir and spread back to an even layer. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.
- Pour the granola and onto a piece of wax paper to cool. Spread it out into a thin layer - about 1/2 inch thick.
- After it cools completely, break the granola into clusters and store in an airtight container.
Mmm this looks good. I love homemade granola
Thanks Chloe, it’s my favorite!
What’s the calories for this home made version?
May, I don’t list nutritional information for my recipes here, but if you Google calorie calculator you can plug in the ingredients to see how many calories there are in a serving.
I just did the calories, it’s about 157 per 1/4 cup
Ps- I only had (whole grain) quick oats so not sure idols fashion oats changes the calorie count
Do you have the carb content
Oh wow, I’m in love with the idea of adding ground almonds apart from whole ones! Now, that’s brilliant – I’m so trying it soon ;–) This granola looks delicious and your pictures are incredible! xx
Thank you for your kind words Consuelo!
I love homemade granola! This coconut almond version sounds fabulous! Pinned!
Anna, thank you for the compliment, and for pinning too!
Where do I start? First, I am trying this ASAP. I make 3 to 4 batches if granola every two weeks. That with Greek is all my husband eats for breakfast. Religiously. I am ALWAYS looking for awesome bariations that he would like. I have a feeling about this one 🙂
Second, if you happened to make a post about how you managed to get so much done in the two very short hours of free time you have, I’d read it every day. Ha! I feel the same way when I have a few hours kid free. My brain gets all jumbled up and all those 101 things I want to get done so badly but can’t because of the attention my darling littles ones need, are no where to be found in my brain. Where do you start?
Love your blog, by the way!
I totally hear you Jess! I usually look at the list of things I’d like to get done, and pick out the ones that are the most difficult to do when my kids are underfoot. We can only do the best we can, right? Hope you do get to try this granola, and that you and your husband enjoy!
This looks divine-I love making homemade granola!
Thanks Jessica!
This recipe looks delicious and simple. I like that it only needs to cook for 10 minutes as opposed to the 30-60 minutes that many other recipes call for. I look forward to trying it!
Thanks Jessica! I love how quick and easy it is too.
I microwaved it for 5 minutes, stirring 3 times in-between, and it turned out chewy and delicious!
I had no idea you could microwave granola! Thanks for sharing Melinda.
I love making homemade granola! So simple, yet so delicious and satisfying. I haven’t made it in a few months, but I’ll definitely be trying your recipe soon! I love the idea of using both ground almonds and chopped almonds for extra texture. I’m sure that provides a great crunch.
It’s great that this is how you spent your alone time. Certainly beats going to the MVC to update your driver’s license picture!!!
Thanks Jamie! Happy to see you’ve had a little extra time to post some recipes again over at Milk N Cookies. You’ve been missed!
Just made this during my daughters nap, after pinning it the other day. Love how delicious and simple it was to make. Thanks, I’ll be checking out some of your other recipes now too!
Hallie, so glad you liked it! Always nice to get some baking done when the little ones are asleep!
We are making our second batch now. So So SO YUMMY.
Oh wow Melissa! So glad 🙂
This looks delicious!! How long would you say it stays fresh in the container?
Marci, I’m not sure because we eat it up so fast! I think as long as it’s completely cool before you put the lid on the container (so moisture won’t build up), it should be good for a week or so? That’s my best guess 🙂
Hi, love your granola recipe.
Thanks Hellie, so glad you like it.
My house smells delicious right now because of this granola fresh out of the oven! I couldn’t wait for it to cool completely and it is DELISH! I usually by Cascadian Farms granola to eat with my yogurt, but no more! Thank you! Never thought it would be so easy and yummy.
So glad you like it!
In the oven now! It smells so good. My three year loved helping me make it. Thanks for the recipe!
Love that you bake with your little one Shawna. Hope you two enjoy the granola!
I made this today. OMGosh! It’s delicious , easy to make AND so much cheaper then store bought! Never over paying for store bought again! Thank you for the recipe!
Krissy, so happy to hear that! Enjoy :0)
Do you use liquid or solid coconut oil?
Hi Jane, I had solid coconut oil so I melted it with the honey to make it easier to mix with the oats, etc.
I loved this granola and my boys (husband and father-in-law) finished it right off! The addition of the ground nuts added lot of flavor and natural oils to the mix. I used a combo of almonds and Texas pecans as well as a few handfuls of coconut shreds, delicious.
Thank you Kimberlee! Your version sounds amazing!
This stuff has become like crack to my famliy. Soooo good. Thanks for sharing the recipe! And the photography is gorgeous!
Thank you Cortney! So glad!
I just made this and it is so tasty. Unfortunately, mine didn’t clump up like your picture. Any suggestions?
Hi Ruth! I’m glad you liked the granola, but I’m curious why it wouldn’t be sticky like mine was… I really can’t think of why. Wish I was more helpful!
I found this recipe on Pinterest and it is one of the best granola recipes I’ve ever made.
Thank you so much! I shared it with my friends on Facebook.
You are so welcome Rachel!
Love this! Found it on Pinterest and added it to my clean eating album. Had everything on hand and just made it. So yummy!
Don’t you love it when you already have everything you need? Glad you like it! Thanks for saying hi!
Love granola and if it’s homemade even better! I have a question though, do you use raw or roasted almonds for this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi! Thanks for your question. I used raw almonds. Hope you enjoy!
Heyyy! I’m currently waiting for this granola to be ready from the oven. It’s the first time I’m making it and I chose your recipe as it looked easiest and healthiest! Smells fab and I can’t wait to try it! One thing I’ve noticed is that it’s not sticking together as clusters – should that happen or is yours all quite loose? Maybe it will happen when it cools… Anyways thanks for this lovely post on granola!
Yes, that happens as it cools. Spread it out to cool in a layer about 1/4 inch thick. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe BURNED every ounce of the granola, wasting the ingredients and ruining the pans…Use a granola recipe that sets the oven at a low temperature for a long period of time!
Sorry yours burned… I’ve had so many other people make this recipe and love it (plus I’ve made it multiple times myself) so I’m afraid your oven might run hot. You might want to check it with an oven thermometer. Hope this is helpful for you!
For those of you that said your granola wasn’t sticking well: I had the same problem (perhaps because I used quick oats instead of old-fashioned oats). After allowing the granola to cool, and realizing it didnt stick at all well together, I refused to throw it all away. So what I did was, put all of the granola back into the bowl, added much more honey, and kept stirring until I the mixture began sticking to each other well. Once it did, I placed it back into the oven for 5 mins, stirred it, 5 mins again, and allowed it cool in a thin layer. I made sure the layer was smooth and there was no empty holes in some spots. And it worked like a charm for me!
I made this today with the addition of shredded coconut and it’s wonderful. I questioned whether or not it would be crispy after only 10 minutes but it was great once it cooled. I ended up putting some in a bowl and tossing that in the freezer because I was so impatient about starting to eat it. Very good, very easy, thanks for figuring it out!
I was surprised that 10 minutes was enough as well when I first tested this recipe. It sure makes it easy to bake up when the craving strikes! So glad you like it, and the coconut sounds wonderful!
I saw someone posted a comment about using quick oats. I have A TON of quick oats on hand – do you think this will change the outcome of the recipe dramatically? I can’t wait to try it! Other recipes call for cooking for 45 minutes… I’m psyched to try this!
I’ve never used quick oats in this recipe so I’m not sure, but it might be worth a try. It will definitely have a different texture (quick oats have a much finer texture), but might still be tasty. I love using up what I already have too, so let me know how it goes if you do try it.
I just made the granola, and used quick oats by accident. Cooked it a bit longer because it was a bit mushy at first- about 30 mins total. Perfect consistency when cooled and super yummy! 🙂
I’m so glad! Good to know you can use quick oats with a good result.
Julie, I am not one to comment often but this is the best homemade granola and so easy! I made it fresh and used it to top a kale and fruit salad with a citrus vinaigrette dressing. The granola topping/crunchy in the salad was the rave!
Thank you – trying the pretzel version next.
Dee
I’m so glad! That salad sounds amazing! Thanks for taking the time to tell me about it. Hope you enjoy the pretzel version as well!
Hi Julie – i pin so many recipes that I havent gotten around to trying yet – but with this one, I pinned yesterday and am going to make tonight. Looks delicious. BTW, I live in Canberra, Australia, so isnt Pinterest great to connect people worldwide?
Hi Jane! Thanks for saying hi, and I really hope you enjoy this granola. I just made another batch last night! And I pin way more recipes than I can make too 🙂
In love with your granola! I should have made 2 batches. It’s almost gone! How do you make it into a bar?
Sarah, I’m so glad you like it! Hmmm… how to make it into a bar? I’m wondering what would happen if you baked the oats in a 9 by 13 baking dish lined with parchment paper, and then let it fully cool in the pan before cutting into bars. I think the cooking time need to be adjusted as well. I might try this and see what happens. Let me know if you give it a go too!
So easy and so delicious! My kids are eating it up, need to triple batch it! Thank you
Thanks a million for the amazing recipe. It was so easy and fast to make. I took it as a “base” recipe and changed it a bit. Since I didn’t have almonds at home I took hazelnuts and sunflowerseeds instead, I also replaced the honey with rice syrup and I added a little cinnamon. I will totally keep on experimenting with it.
Best regards from Germany.
Sounds wonderful! Thank you for saying hello all the way from Germany.
Julie, I would like to tell you how much I enjoy this granola. I use it in my yogurt daily for breakfast. My 19 year old daughter likes it also. It’s so easy to make and delicious. I plan on trying pecans or walnuts instead of the almonds soon. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
You are so welcome. So happy to hear that you and your daughter both love it!
I found your recipe on Pinterest and made it last night. I have to say this stuff is devine! I did flake my own oat groats which made it a little moister. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad you like it Teri. Thanks for stopping by!
Do you think it would taste alright if i was to omit the brown sugar? I’m trying to watch my sugar…
Jennifer, I think omitting the brown sugar all together might prevent that caramelization from happening that we love. You could try cutting the amount by half and see how you like it?
I found this to be too sweet, even after cutting the brown sugar & honey to 1/4 cup each. I added more oats, almonds and some sunflower seeds to fix it.
I needed a simple, yummy granola recipe to layer into yogurt parfaits I was making for a breakfast party this past weekend. I was so thrilled to find it – this granola is DELICIOUS, not at all too sweet, with the perfect texture and crumble. I plan to make up batches of it regularly. Thank you!
I’m so glad! Thanks Lauren!
I’ve been making this WONDERFUL granola for a couple months now. My daughter has a walnut allergy, and found Trader Joe’s has almonds not processed with any other nuts. This recipe has been an addictive addition to our daily diet. My little gsons love it too as a daily breakfast. I do add cinnamon to ours, and occasionally add a few Craisins for my gsons. Thank you for this guilt-free, allergy free granola. It is truly the best I’ve ever made.
I’m glad everyone can enjoy. That’s very sweet of you to make it for your family and I love the addition of cinnamon and craisins!
Wow– going along with the other comments on here. This recipe makes the house smell divine! We are enjoying our first snow fall this weekend up here in Yooper Country and the gorgeous blue skies and crisp temperatures outside called for some heavenly goodness inside this Saturday morning. THANK YOU for this lovely recipe. Consider our household a fan. Will be making this recipe again and again– Shalom to your home.
Molly, your comment here just made my day. Thank you so much, and I’m so glad your family enjoyed the granola. Yooper Country sounds amazing right now!
Great recipe!! Just the right amounts. I added a hint of cinnamon and switched the brown sugar for coconut sugar instead. Thanks!!!
Sounds perfect! Glad it worked out well for you.
Hi there! This looks delicious and would love to make some and send as part of a Christmas gift package. Would you know how long the shelf life would be? Thanks 🙂
I’m not sure exactly how long but I think 1-2 weeks to be on the safe side. I live in a really dry climate so things don’t get stale very easily here. It helps to be sure the granola is completely cooled before sealing it in an airtight container.
Thank you for this lovely recipe, I added Raisins, Sultana’s, Banana chips, coconut shavings and Papya chunks. Tastes wonderful in the morning.
Kim that sounds excellent! You are very welcome.
I live overseas where granola is very expensive, so I am so grateful for a delicious, easy recipe! I just threw a batch of this in the oven, and I can tell it will be delicious. You have a lovely blog and a lovely family! I can totally relate to your excitement of an empty house! xoxo
Thank you so much Danae. I’m so glad it worked for you, and that you can save by making your granola at home. Love the smell of it baking away in the oven!
I chose your recipe for making Christmas gifts for friends and neighbors. I added a few items, just to make it “fancier”: shredded coconut; walnuts; roasted, salted sunflower seeds; raisins; and dried cherries, chopped.
I have some pumpkin seeds leftover, but wasn’t sure about adding those. I’ll try the pumpkin seeds when I’m not making gifts.
Anyway, it is delicious and very easy. Love it. Thank you and Merry Christmas!!!!!
Sounds like a wonderful gift! So glad you loved it!
We just made this…I LOVE it! My 8 year old has been eating it with plain greek yogurt, which he usually hates! I used 1/2 the coconut oil and 1/2 the sugar, and it’s still SUPER delicious.
I’m so glad you love it. Makes a mom’s heart happy when her kids eat a good breakfast! Good to know that you can get away with half the oil and sugar too – I’ll have to try that!
Julie, I like your blog. I also a food blog but I was looking for a different granola recipe and your granola’s picture got my attention. Good recipe, thank you!
Pinned this last night and made it today. It is so delicious! My 4-yr-old LOVES it! So it’s a keeper recipe. 🙂
Wonderful! Always good when the little ones approve!
It’s my first time to visit your blog. I love it!
I know exactly what you meen by; -I’m almost paralyzed with indecision- 🙂
I am inspired to make my first granola, thank you.
Regards,
Monique
Welcome! Thanks for saying hi!
I made this yesterday after the first 5 minutes of baking I added toasted coconut flakes for the last 5 minutes. It is AMAZING!!! I love it over greek yogurt and fresh (or frozen) berries.
That sounds great Meredith. Glad you love it!
I make this granola every 2 weeks. Love it!!
I’ve been on a granola kick too, and just tried making a peanut butter version. Oh so good! Glad you love it!
This sounds just like the granola I’ve been looking for! I already have ground almonds for other balking I do regularly. So I was wondering if you could tell me approx measurements on the 2 types of almonds in the recipe?
Thanks!
Should be good with about 1/3 cup ground almonds and 1/2 cup roughly chopped. Enjoy!
delicious! My boss loved it. He was practically licking out the dish that I had given to him in
Haha! Glad it was a hit!
Seems to me like pure perfection as well. Can’t wait for others to come home and taste it. Yet I might be needing to make more once that happens.
Thank you. Super easy and extremely tasty!
You are very welcome, Dominika. Hope you all enjoy!
The pictures are just as awesome as the recipe itself. 🙂 Can’t wait to try this out after I get home from work.
Thanks! Hope you enjoy!
Pinned it, made it, just got it out of the oven, having a hard time leaving it alone, love it.
I totally know what you mean! Glad you love it too!
Just made this for the first time and my family couldn’t stop eating it, especially my husband. He told me that I definitely have to make this recipe again. Thanks for sharing!
That’s awesome Shelly! So glad everyone liked it, and I agree – it’s hard to stop eating!
I think this is my new favorite granola recipe! Yummy!
I have six children and we just devoured the “test the recipe regular batch” though…. So now I am going to need to make a triple batch! Thanks for sharing. I found your recipe when I searched Pinterest for granola.
So glad you all like it!
the recipe is delicious. Although I used walnuts, added cinnamon and used all vanilla extract instead of almond. After the recommended bake time, I broke it up lightly and baked it an extra five minutes just for a little more crisp. It’s still relatively soft compared to the store bought versions I’ve had, but my husband likes it with that soft texture. This recipe makes much more than I’ve ever bought in a single package. Homemade always tastes so much better.
Wonderful Nicole, love that you made it your own!
Have you a bar recipe for the Homemade Coconut Oil Honey Almond Granola my son loves this but would rather have granola bars do you have any suggestions?
Not yet, but I’ll work on it! Granola bars would be super convenient. I do have a couple of different granola bars on Lovely Little Kitchen. Type granola bars in the search box to see them. Thanks for your question!
I ended up making two batches of this granola today because the first one didn’t last! This has been the tastiest granola recipe I have ever tried!! It’s now our new family favorite!
PS. I added pecan pieces, chopped hazelnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, and sesame seeds just for variation but still came out great!
Sounds so good! Glad everyone enjoyed!
I made this a few weeks back for my family and it was a tremendous hit with both my husband and my 3 year old twins! I just made a second batch and it is cooling on the stove as we speak. This time I doubled the batch and pressed it into a pan to make bars. I upped the cooking time to about 17 minutes. I’m a little worried I burned the top slightly. Hopefully it will be fully cooked in the middle when it is cooled!
Great idea! I’ll have to try that!
Never made granola before but I saw your recipe and n knew I had to try it. It’s literally in the oven right now and smells divine. I added about a half teaspoon of cinnamon too. Can’t wait!
I hope you enjoy Elizabeth! I just pulled a batch out of the oven myself – Chocolate Hazelnut! Recipe coming soon!
Making this right now! Do you use raw almonds or toasted almonds?
Hi Becca, I use raw. Hope you enjoy!
I made these granolas for two days in a row. This is so good and I even gave out to my friends and family as a gift. I received so many compliments. I often make granolas and all the recipes I used took up to 30 min~2 hours to bake. Your recipe is super quick and easy. Thank you for sharing.
I’m snacking on this granola as I type 🙂 and I love it too! So glad it worked out well for you Suzanne, and that is sweet of you to share!
I just made this granola, and it turned out beautifully! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
You’re welcome Lorrie, so glad you liked it!
This is my new go-to granola recipe. I can’t stop eating it & it hasn’t even cooled off yet!! Love all the flavors, especially the coconut from the oil. Looking forward to breakfast in the morning when I can pour it on my greek yogurt. Thanks!!
I love it on my Greek yogurt too Donna. Glad you are enjoying!
This granola looks wonderful and I love that it seems so versatile in lending itself to variation. I’d love to make this tomorrow and have everything but the coconut oil. Do you think I could replace that with melted butter (though alas I know it would sacrifice any coconut taste)? Thanks and looking so forward to making this!
I haven’t made it with all butter before but it should be fine. Enjoy!
I’m gonna say what other won’t. Long gone are finding a recipe to save. Now I (and you and many others) are subjected to their ramblings. Your friends and family care, but after that, not so much. Stick to the basics.
You have just been the unlucky winner on my rant….nothing personal, as there are many out there.
I’ll be trying this as it does look good.
As a master chef of 14 yrs, I stumbled upon this recipe via my roommate. I found this recipe not only to now be the basis of any granola beginning but to best I have personally tasted. I have very few variations in the recipe to yield better health results, such as subtract brown sugar altogether and use agave syrup instead of honey plus a cup of any dehydrated fruit. People I have presented this to go nuts. I have you to thank.
Awesome to hear that Matt! Thank you for your kind words, and I’m so glad this recipe worked out well for you. I’m always playing around with this recipe to come up new variations – chocolate hazelnut is a favorite!
I just wanted you to know I came across this recipe about 6 months ago. My family LOVE’S it!! I make this every week. There are 6 of us so it doesn’t last long. Our favorite is to eat it with frozen blueberries. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Rachael
Awesome Rachael! Frozen blueberries are a great idea.
Had to comment. Made this last night but subbing the almonds with pecans since they were on hand. I also added unsweetened coconut flakes after the first 5 minutes of baking. Turned out wonderfully and this will now be my go-to easy granola recipe! Thank you for sharing!!!
You are very welcome Dana. Glad you like it!
Absolutely delicious (and lovely pictures from you as well)! I added flax meal and chia seeds in for an extra health boost, along with some raisins after 5 minutes of cooking, and it turned out beautifully! Excited to spruce up my Greek yogurt and fruit breakfast.
Sounds so good Mai! Thanks for your comment.
I’m always experimenting with new granola recipes and I just wanted you to know this has quickly made its way to the top of my list!! It’s delicious and so much quicker than most granola recipes. When I took it out of the oven after only 10 minutes it wasn’t deeply browned or as dry looking as other granolas I’ve made, but I’m fairly certain the quick cook time with the addition of ground almonds is the answer to creating awesomely snackable big clumps. Thanks for a great recipe/new granola making method 🙂
You’re welcome Lisa!
Just wanted to stop by and say that I was looking for a granola recipe that used coconut oil, and I’m so glad I found yours! It’s SO delicious and way better than my old staple. So thank you 🙂
You are very welcome Erin, glad you liked it as much as I do!
Love this recipe! My little ones love this stuff! I’m a stay st home mom to 4 and a pastor’s wife so I’m always looking for ways to be creative and homemade! Thanks for sharing this recipe! Pinned!
Alicia, so glad you and your little ones like it!
I LOVE this granola recipe and have made it multiple times now. It’s so delicious, filling and healthy…win, win, win! I loved it so much I featured it on my blog. Thanks so much for sharing…it’s a wonderful recipe!
Thanks so much Kelli!
Followed this to the letter for my first batch and found it too sugary, so I made small adjustments for my second batch:
No brown sugar. None.
Instead, I cut my honey down to 1/4 cup and then added a little bit of maple syrup (enough so that together, I had 1/3 cup).
I added pecans with the almonds and only had about 1/2 cup of nuts in all.
About 1/4 cup of shredded, unsweetened coconut.
No almond extract. I found it made things a little too sweet the first time when there was enough sweetness to begin with.
I also baked for 20 mins in all, my second time through. Turning and tossing the granola at the 10 minute mark to get a nice golden look.
The granola for both batches stuck together nicely, which makes crumbling it into your yogurt fun.
I add dried fruit after the granola cools. Dried goji berries, dried blueberries, or dried mango are tasty. Dried cranberries would be good too but they are a high sugar fruit (seriously, read the label of your dried cranberries snack bag).
Tip: you have to wait until the granola cools to see that it has stuck together. When the honey is still warm, it falls apart. Wait until it has completely cooled off if you are hoping to make granola bars.
Great tips, love the way you made it your own!
Best granola ever. Thank you so much. Absolutely exactly what I was looking for!!! And what a lovely website – I will look forward to coming back 🙂
Thanks so much Shannon, glad you found me!
Am in the process of making this right now! Delicious mixture. I am allergic to almonds and most nuts, so I replaced them with sunflower seeds. And didn’t use the almond extract. It seems very sweet, which is delicious, but I may cut down on the brown sugar next time as we will be using it as an everyday cereal rather than just a treat. Thank you so much for posting it!
This is my favorite granola recipe ever. I make it at least once a month and sometimes even get my son (12 now) to make it for us (a family of 5). I always double-batch it because everyone loves it. I ran out of honey yesterday so substituted maple syrup and it still turned out delicious.
Good to know that maple syrup works well too. I love that your son makes it for your family. Gotta love a boy who can cook!
This was my first time ever making homemade granola and I was pleasantly surprised! It was a lot easier than I had imagined and they taste delicious! I can’t wait to try some with yogurt tomorrow morning. Thanks again for a simple, delicious recipe, Julie!
Sharon, I’m so glad you liked it. It is pretty easy to make, and I was surprised too when I first tried it!
I thought this was a great recipe. It’s the first recipe I’ve ever used that actually clumped!
I used slivered almonds instead and added 1 tsp of cinnamon, shredded, coconut and dried berries after 5 minutes. I thought it was a bit too sweet for my taste and may omit the brown sugar next time. Thank you!
Sounds good Nicole!
I was so happy to find this recipe which includes honey as my FIL is a bee keeper. I follow the recipe except I buy chopped almonds, add whole pecans, pumpkin seeds, and craisins. Love that I can follow your recipe but add things to change it up depending on what I have on hand. It’s a great recipe. Thank you.
Finally! I’ve failed 3 times now with other recipes but this granola turn out perfect! The ground almonds add great texture & I actually added flax seeds & hemp hearts to the grinding process. Wanted a bit more protein & Omegas. I had to kick my 14 y/o out of the kitchen so it could cool as she kept scooping handfuls to eat up. It’s a hit! Thanks.
I know what you mean! My kids eat this granola like it’s candy.
Wow, WAY too sweet. I could feel my teeth rotting. Next time I’ll leave out the added sugar, and I think it’ll be fine.
Just made this and it is addicting! I love granola, but the price is whew! This was so cheap, simple, and quick to make (washed the dishes while it was cooling!) I also added craisins. So yummy thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome Erikka!
Best granola ever! I’ve never made granola and was looking for recipes on pinterest and came across this. Right away I knew I had to try it. Will be making this over and over. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
You are very welcome. So happy you liked it Elizabeth!
Hello! Can I use Maple syrup instead of honey?? thanks!!
Yes, I think you could give it a try. Let me know how you like it!
Hi. I made it using maple syrup instead of honey and it was AMAZING!!!!! Made it last evening around 7pm and nibbled it as a snack watching TV as soon as it cooled off… my daughter LOVED it ( and she does not have a sweet tooth!)… it will be gone by today!!
Thank you
I started reading about this for 1 hour ago and I just couldn’t wait until tomorrow to make it, so i got up and made it, first of all the whole house smells wonderful and the result looks and tastes amazing. thank you so much for sharing.
Haha! That sounds like something I would do :0) Enjoy! Thanks for stopping by and saying hi!
I´ve made them! they are great!! Thank you! You also could add to the granola cranberry, it´s tasty!
Thanks Ana, great idea!
Hi there Julie
Thank you for sharing this amazing granola recipe. I plan to make it (also when I have that 2 hours and 15 minutes of child free time). I know this sounds naive. But sometimes I sit there and think I am the only one that has a thousand things do and can’t decide which one to do and that I never get any time to myself. I do know others have these struggles. Thank you for sharing your personal struggles. I can relate to them being a single mum of four little munchkins. And it helps to relate to you as a person. I hope you get a pedi and a read of a good book in soon.
Kind regards
Jaime
Hi Julie!
I just made your awesome granola! The only thing I did to change it up was that I added cinnamon since it’s great for you and I love nuts so I added pecans and walnuts. I can’t keep my hubby from eating it all as a snack!
Also, wanted to mention that yours is one of the easiest recipes since some of them have you bake for much longer with a lot of stirring in between baking time. I love that yours was so quick — both to make and bake!
Thanks for an uber granola recipe!! We love it!!
Valerie
Thanks so much Valerie. I love that it’s so quick too!
I make this recipe every week! We love it & gives us something relatively clean to eat for breakfast & snacks!
I’m so glad you are enjoying this recipe Cassie! Thanks for your comment!
Hi Julie,
I just made a batch of granola (a recipe I came across before seeing yours). It’s okay. I was looking for something extra crispy. Every recipe says to bake for 45 minutes. I’ve always found that too long. 15 minutes is usually more than enough time. Most people don’t realize that it crisps while it cools and not in the oven. Yours is the first I’ve seen that bakes for only 10 minutes. Kudos for that! I’m going to try your recipe this weekend after I eat the batch I just made! Thanks!
Hi Laurie, thanks for leaving me a note – Yes, I love that this recipe bakes quickly. Depending on your oven and the position of your rack, you may need to add a few minutes for extra crispy. And it definitely does crisp up as it cools. Hope you enjoy!
I love granola. Although I’ve only made homemade a couple times before. It’s been a while. This recipe looks delicious. I think I will try to make a big batch for teacher appreciation week next week. Maybe I can make pretty individual bags. We shall see:) thanks for the recipe!
That is such a great idea! We love this granola. My family can hardly keep their hands out of it while I let it cool on the kitchen counter!
I did make some for the teachers:) This is the BEST granola I’ve ever had. It is delicious! Made a batch this morning, been craving it for a couple of weeks and finally got to it:) I think it’s the 3rd or 4th time I’ve made it. I love that something so simple can taste so good. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re very welcome!
Made this on the weekekend, great recipe. Tastes great.Thanks for sharing .
You’re welcome, and thanks for letting me know!
Hi! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’ve never tried to make my own granola before. It was very easy and my 2 year old loved to help!
I added pumpkin seeds, coconut chips, dried cranberries and goji berries, I also left out the almond extract. The goji berries were a big mistake, they completely burned, I had to pick most of them out. Lesson learned, better add them after it cools.
Apart from that it turned out delicious! My daughter loved to eat the little clusters. I was expecting a bit more and bigger clusters though, it didn’t really clump together a lot, maybe with all the mix-ins I needed to increase the coconut oil and honey or maybe it’s just like that. It is still delicious!
Do you think leaving the sugar out would affect the results? I found it a tiny bit too sweet and I’d also like to share it with my little girl and without the added sugar it would be extra healthy.
I will definitely be trying more homemade granola in the future!
Hi! I’m not sure if leaving out some of the sugar would make it less clumpy or not. It really helps make clumps if you don’t spread it out too much when it is cooling. Good to know about the goji berries. Sometimes you just have to try things and learn as you go. I love that you made this your own way.
It will clump more if you add just a little more honey and coconut oil. Makes it a little more softer/ chewier and still really yummy.
I made this recipe yesterday and it is awesome! I usually have no luck with granola recipes, but this was amazing! I could’ve eaten the whole thing myself. Great and delicious recipe! Thank you!
Stasi, I know what you mean about eating it all yourself! So glad you liked it as much as I do!
I am going to try and make this with sunflower seeds instead of almonds for my nut allergic children. Hope it works out!
Great idea Jolea, let me know what you think!
I entered all the ingredients in this granola recipe on MyFitnessPal.com, as counting calories is extremely important to me.
These numbers are for a half cup serving
Calories 297
Total Fat 13 g
Saturated Fat 5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 143 mg
Potassium 178 mg
Total Carbohydrate 42 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 21 g
Protein 6 g
Vitamin A 0 %
Vitamin C 0 %
Calcium 3 %
Iron 10 %
Unsurprisingly, oats and almonds baked in brown sugar and honey aren’t healthy for you. This is essentially an oatmeal cookie recipe.
I have made this granola twice now, and I too was having problems with it clumping. After reading others comments I see it is due to using the quick oats. But this granola is so delicious I don’t care what the consistency is! I look guard to checking out your other recipes! Great job!!!
Thanks so much Erin. I’m glad you enjoy the granola!
This is absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe exactly. My adult son loves it and eats is plain. I put it on greek yogurt. I also imported the recipe into MyFitnessPal.com, using 12 servings. The numbers I got were perfectly fine. And all ingredients are healthy. This is a great recipe to help control my diabetes. Thank You!
Thank you Lisa!
This is some life changing granola! Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe – I love it to the moon and back! And it’s stuff I always have – WINNING 🙂
So glad you liked it Lydia. I think it’s time for me to make another batch!
We love this! Could it be made into bars too? thanks.
Hi Stasi, I’m not sure, they would definitely be a crunchier bar I think. Let me know how they work out if you decide to try them.
Perfection! This tastes just the way granola should. Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I was glad to find one with both coconut oil AND honey… 🙂
Thank you Samantha, so glad you liked it!
Love this granola recipe just as it is written. Read the other comments and I dont understand people who write negative things or don’t read others comments before asking the same thing repeatedly. I admire your patience and your blog. Keep up the good work.
I’m so glad you like it! And thank you for your kind words!