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?
PrintHomemade Coconut Oil Honey Almond Granola
Wonderfully sticky and clumpy, this Homemade Coconut Oil Honey Almond Granola will make your day!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Makes 4 cups 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 672
- Sugar: 40g
- Sodium: 445mg
- Fat: 32g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 86g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
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!
Julie – My family loves this recipe and has been making it for a long time. This year my kids make several batches and gifted it to their teachers before heading out of class for winter break. This time of year we add a few extra spices to warm up the flavor on cold days.
Great idea to give this granola as a teacher gift! So glad you love the recipe too.
Hi im planning on making this granolas. Wasn’t thinking can I change the honey to maple syrup? Will it change the texture?
Thank you
Hi! I think that it is definitely worth a try, but I can’t say for sure because I haven’t tested it that way. Let me know what you think if you try it!
Oh My Goodness! I just made this. I wish I have made this sooner! SO GOOD! I used 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract because I didn’t have any almond extract. It is wonderful! I am glad to read that it is so versatile and will be adapting the recipe soon with add-ins. Pinned, saved, and bookmarked. Thank you!
Thank you Holly!
Thanks for this post, I can’t wait to try this recipe. I also just recently posted my favorite granola recipes at http://www.hopepostkids.com/granola-recipes I’ve shared my Aunt Hope’s killer maple almond granola recipe. yum!
Thanks Katy!
Do you think this would still clump up appropriately with a reduced amount of brown sugar? I am trying to reduced processed sugars and I wonder if the honey and just a couple tbsp of brown sugar would be sufficient (I’m not a total sweets fiend, either, so I don’t think I’d miss the extra sweetness, just worried about the granola clusters forming properly). This looks really good and simple and am excited to try it! Tired of everything having chia seeds in it these days… I tried, just not my thing lol.
I hear you Natalie, and yes it might make the granola clump a little less if you reduce the sugar. I’ve seen granola recipes lately that have an egg white in them to help with clumping and I’ve been wanting to do some testing with that method. Let me know how it goes if you experiment with this recipe.
This is an excellent recipe. I made it for the first time this morning and immediately made a 2nd bath. I LOVE IT. Thank you for the GREAT receipt.
I meant to say 2nd batch. Sorry. 🙂
Thank you Laura!
Also meant to say “recipe”. Hahahahaha. What is wrong with me. I guess my mind is working faster then my fingers. I’m just so excited about the recipe.
I look forward to trying this granola. But what I REALLY want to comment on is: when you talked about suddenly having an empty, silent house and a little time to yourself. OH MY! I thought you had crawled into my head and found a way to write EXACTLY that feeling I have never been able to put into words, including the “what to do now” list! It truly touched me, and made me feel a little less crazy. Thank you!
Haha! You are definitely not crazy 🙂 Now that all my boys are in school I do this all the time! Hope you get a chance to try the granola!
I just made this and I can already tell I’ll be making multiple batches of this at a time. It’s so delicious!
Wonderful Ann! It’s such a favorite around here!
I didn’t read all the comments, so someone else might have said this, but here is how I make this recipe and get it to be clumpy. I have made this so many times now, it’s the only granola recipe I use anymore. Everyone who tries it falls in love with it!
I follow the recipe, except I don’t grind up any almonds, and I add more nuts than called for. (personal preference only) When I bake it, I bake it longer and don’t stir it. I allow it to get rather brown around the edges, but not burnt. Then I cool it in the pan on a cooling rack and voila! I have nice, clumpy granola great for snacking. I probably bake it for about 15-20 min. Please watch it the last 5-10 min so it doesn’t burn. Every oven is different so the timing might be shorter or longer for you. I think not stirring it and letting it cool without taking it out of the pan is what helps most. I just like my granola a bit more browned…
Wonderful feedback, thank you!
This recipe is my ultimate favorite! I have diabetes and made the recipe with splenda brown sugar and I love it! My family cannot get enough of it! You are an amazing cook, Julie! I cannot thank you enough for this fabulous recipe! I do not have to buy granola in the grocery store anymore nor do I have to go without eating granola because of my diabetes! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
So glad to hear this recipe worked well for you and that you adapted it with the Splenda!
This recipe is amazingly delicious! The aroma while baking is almost too much to bare. Thank you so much
I agree, glad you like it!
I make this recipe weekly and it doesn’t last long! My kids love it!
You are a good mama! Glad you all enjoy!
I made this last week and LOVE it! I’m going to make it for the ladies I work with for Christmas! How long does it last? If I make it over a weekend and give it to people at the end of the week, do you think it will be okay?
Thank you!!
Sorry, saw you already answered this. Please disregard! 🙂