Easy Healthy Granola Recipe – A Blossoming Life

This sweet and salty healthy granola comes together in minutes, pairing simple ingredients and hearty textures for the most delicious and wholesome snack. 

Homemade granola is crunchy, tasty, and so fun. With no preservatives or sneaky sweeteners in sight, this easy granola recipe exceeds store-bought granola in flavor, nutrition, and affordability.

A bag of granola at the grocery store is expensive! Plus, it just doesn’t go very far. More importantly, the ingredients don’t sit well with me, particularly when there are seed oils, artificial sweeteners, or too much refined sugar. Not to mention the preservatives to prolong the shelf life. 

But thankfully, healthy homemade granola is simple, easy, and goes a long way!

I sweeten my granola with honey or maple syrup, natural sweeteners that add the perfect amount of sweetness and wonderful flavor. And we don’t need any preservatives, because we make it fresh and eat it up quickly! 

One of the best things is the variety of favorite mix-ins that really make this recipe tailored to you. Adding your choice of seeds, nuts, dried fruit, or even chocolate chunks adds extra flavor, a bit of crunch, and a satisfying chewy factor that keeps me thinking about what I’ll add to the next batch.

Changing and adapting this recipe seasonally keeps it fresh and fun. Try my pumpkin spice granola in the fall, coconut granola with fresh blueberries in the spring, or sourdough granola for a tangy, healthy twist anytime. For a paleo and nut-free granola choice, try these chewy chocolate granola bars.

How To Eat Granola:

Make a big batch at the beginning of the week and enjoy it in a variety of ways!

• Eat it as a breakfast cereal with milk and a spoon
• Make a homemade yogurt parfait 
• Use it as a topping for baked apples or pears
• Snack on it by the handful
• Pair some crunchy granola with one of these ten healthy smoothie recipes
• Slice some apples or bananas, drizzle with warm peanut butter or homemade almond butter, and add a scoop of granola over the top

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Crunchy and satisfying – With minimal stirring and a good ratio of oil and sweetener to the oats, this recipe turns out delightfully crunchy. Add some dried fruit at the end for an extra bit of chewiness!

Wholesome ingredients – With lots of fiber and healthy fats, this easy homemade granola recipe is not only simple, but it’s filling and nourishing.

Customizable – Granola is easily adjusted to your taste preferences, whether that is the kind of sweetener you choose (honey, maple syrup, brown sugar) or the kinds of nuts, seeds, or fruit you like best.

Ingredients

Oats – Look for organic oats, either quick or rolled.

Nuts – Use up to one cup of your favorite nuts – pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, or hazelnuts.

Seeds – Add up to 2 tablespoons of your favorite seeds.

Sweetener – You can use honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, or a 50/50 combo of wet and dry sweetener.

Oil – I prefer to use coconut oil or avocado oil. You can also use olive oil if you don’t mind the flavor.

Vanilla extract – Vanilla adds a warm, cozy flavor. 

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Tools

Measuring cups and spoons

Large mixing bowl

Parchment paper

Baking sheet

How to Make Healthy Granola

Step 1: Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, mix the oats, nuts, seeds, and salt.

Step 2: In a smaller bowl, whisk the wet ingredients – sweetener, oil, and vanilla. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well.

Step 3: Spread oat mixture evenly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Step 4: Bake about 30 minutes, stirring gently halfway through, then pressing the granola down to finish baking. Once golden and fragrant, remove from the oven and let cool completely before breaking it up or storing.  

Tips

• Baking time may vary from oven to oven. Keep a close eye on the color of your granola so it doesn’t burn, particularly if using honey. You want it golden, but not brown.
• Stir very minimally; just enough to bake evenly. The less stirring you do, the more clusters you end up with.
• Use a mild-tasting oil like coconut oil or avocado. Some people use olive oil in this recipe, but keep in mind that it has a stronger flavor.
• If you are like me and can’t eat nuts, just leave them out or use hemp hearts, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
• If you need this to be completely gluten-free (i.e., you have celiac), then use gluten-free oats, since cross-contamination happens frequently with regular oats.
• Don’t have flaxseed? Just double the amount of chia seeds (or whatever seeds you want to use) or leave them out completely.
• Add dried fruit after baking, as baking dried fruit would harden it.
• If adding chocolate, only add after the granola has baked and cooled.

Variations

• Nuts – Try walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, or even peanuts.
• Seeds – I like to add chia and flax seeds, but you can also use sesame seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds.
• Chocolate – Try chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or chocolate shavings (but only after the granola has cooled).
• Dried fruit – Dried cranberries. blueberries, peaches, apricots, golden raisins, or chopped dried pineapple would all be delicious.
• Flavors – Try maple or almond extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and more.

FAQs

More healthy breakfast recipes:

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back, comment on the post, and give it 5 stars! Please and thank you. Tag me on Instagram @ablossominglife

Cook Mode

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, mix the oats, nuts, seeds, and salt.

• In a large bowl, mix the oats, nuts, seeds, and salt.

• In a smaller bowl, whisk the wet ingredients – sweetener, oil, and vanilla.

• Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then spread evenly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

• Bake about 30 minutes, stirring gently halfway through, then pressing the granola down to finish baking. Once golden and fragrant, remove from the oven and let cool completely before breaking it up or storing.

• Baking time may vary from oven to oven. Keep a close eye on the color of your granola so it doesn’t burn, particularly if using honey. You want it golden, but not brown.
• Stir very minimally; just enough to bake evenly. The less stirring you do, the more clusters you end up with.
• Add dried fruit after baking, as baking dried fruit would harden it.
• If adding chocolate, only add after the granola has baked and cooled.

Serving: 1g | Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 178mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: granola, granola recipe