Homemade Granola
Rolled oats, coconut, and a mix of nuts baked with honey and warm cinnamon into crunchy, cluster-filled granola — a pantry-staple breakfast made from scratch.
- 4-5 cups rolled old-fashioned oats
- 2/3 cup melted coconut oil (or canola oil)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar (can sub honey or maple syrup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup coconut, flakes or chips
- 1 cup chopped nuts (a mix of cashews, almonds, or pecans)
- Optional mix-ins: pumpkin seeds and dried fruit
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line or grease a 15x18-inch jelly roll pan and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, mix 4 cups of the old-fashioned oats with the melted coconut oil, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, coconut, and chopped nuts, stirring until everything is well combined. If the mixture looks liquidy at the bottom of the bowl, stir in the additional 1/2 cup of oats to soak up the extra moisture. Spread the granola mixture out evenly onto the prepared pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir, pressing the oats down firmly with a spatula. Return to the oven for 7 to 10 more minutes for a chewy granola. For an extra-crunchy texture, stir and press down again, then bake for another 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it toward the end — granola continues to harden as it cools, so it's easy to mistake a slightly soft batch for underbaked and end up burning it.
- Remove from the oven and let the granola cool completely on the pan before breaking it into clusters. Store in an airtight container.
Chef's Note: Pressing the oats down firmly with a spatula each time you stir is the real secret to getting those satisfying big clusters instead of loose, sandy granola — that compression is what encourages the oats to bake together into chunks. Resist the urge to pull it from the oven the moment it looks done; granola firms up considerably as it cools, so what seems slightly soft in the pan will crisp up perfectly once it hits room temperature.
This recipe is easy to customize — stir in pumpkin seeds or dried fruit before baking, or wait until after baking to fold in chocolate chips so they don't melt into the granola. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, it keeps well for up to a month, making it an easy make-ahead breakfast or snack to have on hand.
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