Granola has to be in my top five favorite breakfast foods. Mix it with some greek yogurt and top it with some fresh fruit and now we’re talking! However, many store-bought granolas (like most store-bought packaged food) often contain excessive sugars, unhealthy fats, and preservatives. The good news is that making your own healthy homemade granola is surprisingly quick, easy, and guarantees a delicious and nutritious start to your morning routine.

In this blog post, I’ll share the best-ever 5-minute granola recipe that you will find yourself coming back to weekly. It’s definitely a staple in our house!

top view of granola in a glass jar on concrete countertop

Say No To Store-Bought Granola

If you’ve read any of my other posts you are probably noticing a trend here. Store-bought = bad, homemade = good. Store-bought granolas often come with added sugars (ALOT of sugar) and unhealthy additives. These can lead to an immediate energy spike, followed by a crash later in the day. Not a great way to start your morning! Excessive processed sugar intake is also linked to various health issues, including weight gain, diabetes, and heart problems. By making your own granola at home, you can use only the best ingredients like real maple syrup, coconut oil, and organic oats.

Breakfast Is A Big Deal

A well-balanced breakfast sets the tone for the rest of your day. I think starting your day off with a protein rich breakfast can really help fuel a focused and productive day! Pairing this granola with greek yogurt or raw milk is a great way to give it a protein boost. Oats, a primary ingredient in this healthy homemade granola recipe, are rich in fiber. Additionally, nuts and seeds offer essential healthy fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals, making this granola a wonderful choice for breakfast or snacks!

breakfast table set with a bowl of homemade granola, with nuts, honey, and milk on the side

Homemade Granola is the Best Ever… Here’s Why

Taste: Okay maybe I’m biased. But homemade granola tastes so much better than store-bought. Something about the flavor of real maple syrup and those extra crunchy clusters just does it for me.

Unlimited variations: With homemade granola, there are almost unlimited possibilities. You can mix up the ingredients however you want, using different nuts or seeds, adding dried fruit, coconut, chocolate chips, you name it! I’m also working on a peanut butter granola recipe… say less.

Real food ingredients: You can’t go wrong with real ingredients you can pronounce. Good healthy fats, and natural sweeteners.

It’s almost too easy: Once you have all your ingredients, it only takes about 5 minutes to throw together (plus baking time). Bonus, your house will smell amazing after you cook up a batch.

How to Use Homemade Granola

Granola and yogurt are a match made in heaven. But other than that, here are a few ideas to use your delicious homemade granola:

Yogurt parfaits: Using a bowl or cup, place an even layer of granola, yogurt, and fresh berries. Bonus, add chocolate chips!
Cereal replacement: Pour a little raw milk over the top for a much healthier alternative to grocery store cereal. Store-bought cereal has so much refined sugar!
Granola Bars: I’ve also made healthy granola bars using this granola as a base. Mix with peanut butter, honey, protein powder, and dip in dark chocolate. They are a little messy but they honestly taste like candy bars.
Toppings: Use as a topping on homemade acai smoothie bowls.
Plain: This makes a great snack as is. My kids and husband love it plain too.

Tips For Making The Best Granola

Tip #1: Use Good quality maple syrup. I’ve tried a few different kinds and it can really make or break the flavor. Opt for pure, real maple syrup.

Tip #2: Don’t skimp on the coconut oil or the cinnamon. You can’t have too much in my opinion! The coconut oil makes it super crunchy and the cinnamon really rounds out the flavor profile.

pan of homemade granola with a wooden spoon and mason jar full of granola

Tip #3: For extra crunchy, clumpy granola, pack it down slightly when you take it out of the oven. Let it cool completely and it will be in much bigger chunks when you break it up.

Tip #4: Get creative with your variations, but remember to keep your ratios relatively the same. You don’t want to increase the dry ingredients without increasing the wet ingredients, or vice versa. Other than that, this recipe is so easy to tweak until you find your perfect combinations!

Tools You Will Need

Large mixing bowl
Large wooden spoon
Glass beaker
Parchment Paper
Large baking sheet

Ingredients for Healthy Homemade Granola

This simple granola recipe is so easy to whip up. You probably already have most of these ingredients in your kitchen!

top view of granola in glass jar overflowing onto concrete countertop

5 Cups old-fashioned oats
2-3 Cups Nuts or seeds (I like Pecans and Slivered Almonds)
1 TB Cinnamon (you can add more here if you like cinnamon, I like to measure with my heart and use closer to 2 TB)
2 tsp Cardamom (optional)
3/4 Cup melted coconut Oil
1 Cup pure maple syrup
2 TB vanilla extract (a lot I know, just trust me)
1 tsp salt

Variations: Try sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, whole almonds, cashews, or walnuts. Just remember to keep your ratios of dry to wet ingredients the same!

Some of my favorite add-ins: dried fruit, chocolate chips, coconut flakes

Note: This does make a large batch. I like it that way because we go through it so quickly!

Homemade Healthy Granola Recipe

Alright let’s get to it. Here’s how to make this easy homemade granola recipe.

Preheat oven to 300.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together oats, nuts, cinnamon, salt and cardamom (if using)
Using a small saucepan on the stove top, or the microwave, melt the coconut oil.
Whisk in the maple syrup, then add the vanilla extract.
Pour the wet ingredients over the oats mixture, and stir to combine.
Spread the granola out over the lined baking sheet in an even layer
Cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes**
Once it’s done cooking, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool completely. This is where the granola really develops that nice crunch! ‘
Once the granola is completely cool, move to an airtight container to store. I like to store mine in a gallon ziplock bag, but you could also do a large glass mason jar or other container.

Recipe Notes:

**The last 15 minutes can vary depending on how crispy you want your granola to be. Sometimes I take it out at 10, and others I let it go the full 15. It might depend on your oven and specific ingredients.

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months!