Easy Granola Recipe with Fruit and Nuts
Granola is hardly a revolutionary breakfast, but it is a great way to start your day. It will sustain you until lunchtime, instead of leaving you hungry at 10:30 with your stomach grumbling.
Granola vs Muesli
What’s the difference? Both are made from oatmeal. Both have fruit and nuts. Muesli has raw oats, while the oats for granola are baked.
Granola Parfait
Now, before you roll your eyes at the mere mention of granola, let me preface it by saying you do not have to be a Birkenstock wearing, tree hugging, peace-lovin’ hippie clad in tie dye to appreciate it. (Just because I happen to be a few of those things has nothing to do with it…)
It’s that perfect mixture of oats/almonds/coconut toasting in the oven & the scent of it lingering in the kitchen that really gets me excited for what’s about to happen. Then, it becomes a bit of a treasure hunt. I’ve stated before how I buy things, put them away and then stumble upon them when I’m looking for something else… well, this is where that comes in handy.
Have a look through your cupboard and see what you have hanging around in there. A half empty box of raisins? A cup of chopped pecans? These are perfect for this granola with fruit and nuts! Get out a few of those canning jars from your grandma and make a few layers of yogurt and granola. You just made a delicious breakfast for yourself.
How much granola in a serving?
Take a breath and hold onto your seat. The recommended serving size for granola is 1/4 cup. That being said, if I’m counting my calories, I’ll actually measure. Otherwise, I just eyeball it and sometimes, I eyeball a lot of it.
Easy Granola Recipe
Making your own granola has a few benefits. One upside is being able to control what is in it. If you are trying to watch your sugar intake, use less honey and less fruit. If you have a nut allergy, omit them. Allergic to coconut? I’m sorry… that’s a real bummer. Just leave it out and proceed with the rest of the easy granola recipe. I have a handful of friends that used to hound me when they knew I had made a batch of granola. Like anything, the difference between store-bought and homemade… well, there really is no comparison.
How long will granola stay fresh?
You have two options here: Do you want to keep it short term or long term? If you make the granola with the fruits mixed in, it won’t stay crunchy forever. The moisture in the fruit will eventually make the granola softer. Refrigerating or freezing it in an airtight container will keep it crunchy.
If you want to store it for the long haul, add in the dried fruit as you use it. If you store the plain granola mixture (oats, almonds, coconut) in an airtight container and keep it in a cool place, it will keep for months.
Which oats should you use for granola?
The short answer is old fashioned rolled oats, not quick cooking. The quick cooking oats don’t retain their texture quite as well as the rolled oats.
Most of us have some sort of dried fruit tucked away in a pantry and in the baking cabinet there are always lovely additions lurking in there somewhere. I happened to have some of these ingredients already on hand so I threw them into the mix and others I actually had to go out for. (the OATS!)
The list of ingredients is a suggestion. I used a ton of dried fruit because I had it leftover from a major baking session. The recipe is very flexible, you can add in or take out whatever you like. If you have kids, get them involved! They are more likely to eat something if they’ve had a hand in it… literally. They can help measure the ingredients, mix the granola, etc.
Easy Homemade Granola
Making your own granola ensures that it has exactly what you want in it and a fraction of the sugar that the store-bought variety contains. Sprinkled over a bowl of Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey on top, it is breakfast perfection.
Don’t forget to pin it!
Essential tools for making granola:
Easy Granola Recipe with Fruit and Nuts
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats can be made GF, make sure the label says gluten-free
- 1 1/2 cups coconut
- 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup dried apricots small dice
- 1/2 cup dried figs small dice
- 1/2 cup pitted dates small dice
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 cup green pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine oats, almonds, coconut and salt in a large bowl. Add oil, then honey to a 1 cup measure and pour over mixture. Oil will prevent honey from sticking and it will all pour out easily. Stir to evenly coat oat mixture.
- Bake, stirring halfway through, for approximately 25 - 30 minutes until mixture is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool, stir occasionally or it will become a solid mass.
- (I learned this the hard way the first time I made granola, so I'll save you the heartache)
- Once mixture is cooled, combine all ingredients in a large bowl, stir to thoroughly combine and store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
More breakfast ideas:
Still need a few pointers? Check out this article.