How to Make Great Granola

Learn how to make this delicious healthy food at home.

Granola is delicious, healthy, flavorful and easily made at home. With a few simple steps you can adapt your granola recipe to your own tastes. Be creative with the flavors and save money over the store-bought kind. Serve it over yogurt or ice cream or with hot or cold milk. Make a savory version to toss into salads, or simply enjoy it on its own.

Things You'll Need

• Bowls
• Baking sheet
• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 to 1-1/4 cup additional mix-ins
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup sweetener
• 1 tsp flavored extract
• Air-tight container

Instructions

Mix Dry Ingredients

1. Choose old-fashioned rolled oats, not the quick-cook kind. Pour 4 cups into a large bowl.

2. Add between 3/4 cup and 1-1/4 cups of mix-ins such as nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, M&Ms, flaked coconut, flax seeds, millet, wheat bran and fresh or dried herbs and spices.

3. Add a dash of salt.

4. Stir to combine.

Mix Liquid Ingredients

1. Pour 1/4 cup of mildly flavored oil such as canola into a separate small bowl. Add a dash of flax seed oil for added nutrition.

2. Add 1/2 cup of liquid sweetener. Choose maple syrup, golden syrup, honey, molasses, brown rice syrup, condensed milk, brown sugar mixed with water or another liquid sweetening agent. Or try a combination of sweeteners.

3. Add 1 tsp of flavored extract such as almond, vanilla, coconut, orange or raspberry.

4. Mix well.

Combine and Bake

1. Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and mix well. Create larger chunks of granola by squeezing bits of cereal together.

2. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Remove granola from oven and mix in dried fruit. Return to oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

4. Allow mixture to cool completely.

5. Scrape into an airtight container and store for up to 10 days. Or freeze it to extend its shelf-life.

Tips & Warnings

• Add a bit of oat flour or wheat germ mixed with a dash of water to the liquid mix to help the chunkier bites of granola stay together. They will act like mortar when you squeeze the cereal together.

• Chocolate chips make a great addition but don't add until them until the granola has been cooked and cooled or they will melt.

References

• The Prepared Pantry: How to Make Homemade Granola with Recipe
• USA Weekend: Great Granola
• Serious Eats: How to Make Granola