This granola recipe makes the perfect grab-and-go snack, the perfect quick breakfast when served with berries and yogurt, and back in the day, it was the perfect all-around food for my toddler! Needless to say, I think it’s a pretty perfect granola recipe.

This granola recipe starts with a base recipe then gives you room to make it your own. Choose your own grains, fruit, sweetener, etc. And know that no matter how you make it, you’re going to love homemade granola!

A jar full of Homemade Granola with a wooden scoop

The Story Behind the Recipe

Granola is one of the few foods my picky toddler adores, so I’m glad I know how to make granola so I can save gobs of money over store-bought. “Ga-ah-na!” she cries, several times a day. (She’s also newly obsessed with bacon, which is a story for another day).

We also love homemade granola around here because it’s super easy to make (seriously, it takes all of five minutes from pantry to oven), and, yep, it’s so, so, so much cheaper to make it at home than buy it in the store. Plus, you can customize the stuff to your heart’s content.

Homemade Granola on a cookie sheet with a wooden spoon scooping some out

Readers say …

“I just made this with coconut oil, all wildflower honey (no sugar or other sweetener), added cashews, pecans, almonds, flaxseed, pepitas and sunflower seeds and IT WAS SO GOOD!!!!! I’ve never made granola before and will definitely make it again. Thanks!!”

– GC
Ingredients for Homemade Granola Recipe

Granola Recipe Ingredients

This isn’t so much an exact recipe as a granola formula, or granola base recipe. I’ll give you the info and you can take it from there!

  • Sweetener – You can use honey, pure maple syrup, brown sugar, or a combo.
  • Oil – Coconut oil or vegetable oil
  • Butter – I like to add some butter for extra flavor, but you can sub in additional oil if you like.
  • Cinnamon, salt, and/or vanilla extract – If you want.
  • Rolled grains – Usually oats, but there are other kinds of rolled grains such as five-grain rolled grain cereal.
  • Nuts & seeds – Any combination of sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, sliced almonds, chopped pecans, pipits, walnuts, cashews, etc.
  • Dried fruit – Throw in dried cherries, dried blueberries, dried apricots, raisins, dried cranberries … whatever you like!

Specific Adaptations/Variations

  • Cinnamon Blueberry Granola: Use coconut, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and dried blueberries.
  • Pistachio Cherry Granola: Include pistachios and chop up some dried cherries for the fruit.
  • Pumpkin Spice Granola: Swap in pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon and use plenty of pumpkin seeds (pepitas). As for actual pumpkin, I wouldn’t add that just because it could make your granola soggy.
  • Brown Sugar Almond Granola: Opt for brown sugar, vanilla, and tons of almonds.
A jar full of Homemade Granola with a wooden scoop

How to Make Granola

  1. First, you’ll want to preheat your oven. Not too hot – go with 325°F. Line a couple of large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  2. Now, it’s time to mix the dry ingredients (except for any fruit). Add them all to a large bowl and mix them together.
  3. Next, warm up your oil and sweetener. Place the honey, maple syrup, and/or brown sugar in a small saucepan along with the oil and/or butter. Stir over low heat until melted, then mix in any cinnamon, salt, and/or vanilla extract.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dried in the bowl, then toss well until it’s all evenly coated.
  5. Spread the granola mix onto the baking sheets.
  6. Bake, stirring often, until the granola is golden and crunchy.
  7. Remove from oven and let cook, then mix in any dried fruit.
Ingredients for homemade granola
Sweetener for homemade granola in a saucepan
Sweetener being poured on Homemade granola
Homemade granola on a cookie sheet ready to bake
Homemade granola on a cookie sheet

Tips for Success

  • Add the dried fruit AFTER cooking the granola or you’ll end up with hard, dried little rocks. Ask me how I know!
  • If you prefer your granola in clusters vs. a looser granola, that’s easy! Just press the granola after adding it to the sheet pan, and DON’T stir it while it bakes. You’ll need to bake it for about 5 minutes less than if you’d stirred it so the edges don’t burn. Then – and this is key – after removing the granola from the oven, let it sit without stirring for at least an hour to allow the granola clusters to bind together.

How to Store Granola

Keep your granola in an airtight container at room temp for up to one month.

Homemade Granola on a sheet pan with a wooden spoon scooping some out

No matter what combination you throw together, it’s really, really hard to go wrong with homemade granola.

Homemade Granola in a glass jar, top view
5 from 12 votes

Homemade Granola Recipe

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Author: Karen
Yield: 10
Homemade granola is so easy to make (seriously, it takes all of five minutes from pantry to oven), and it's so, so, so much cheaper to make it at home than buy it in the store. Plus, you can customize it to your heart's content. Recipe updated 11/10/2026 – see recipe notes for details.
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Ingredients

Wet ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup sweetener (honey, pure maple syrup, or agave nectar*)
  • 1/4 cup oil (melted coconut oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or substitute more oil for a vegan version)
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or other ground spices like cardamom, ginger, or nutmeg; optional)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Dry ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not steel cut or instant – use thick rolled oats)
  • 2 cups nuts and seeds (any combination of sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, sliced almonds, chopped almonds, chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, pepitas, cashews, etc.)
  • 1/2-1 cups dried fruit (added AFTER it's baked; any combination of dried blueberries, chopped dried apricots, chopped dried mango, raisins, currants, dried cranberries, chopped dried cherries, etc.)

Instructions

Make the granola

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. For easier clean-up, line a large rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat – but if you don't have either liner, that's okay too.
  • In a large bowl, toss together the oats, nuts, and seeds. Don't add the fruit yet! You'll add that after you've baked the granola.
  • In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the sweetener, butter, oil, and salt, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted and ingredients are fairly well combined. If you're adding vanilla or spices, add those now. You can also melt these ingredients together in a microwave-safe bowl or container on low heat in 30-second increments, stirring in between heating.
  • Pour the honey/butter/oil mixture over the grain/nut/seed mixture, and toss until evenly coated.

For granola clusters

  • Spread granola on cookie sheet. Press down firmly on the granola with your clean hands or a spatula. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the edges of the granola have turned golden brown and the granola is fragrant. Remove the granola from the oven and top with dried fruit. Let it cool for at least an hour on the baking sheet before touching it. This will help the granola to stick together in clusters. After an hour, break it apart into pieces.

For a looser granola

  • Spread granola on cookie sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola turns golden brown and is fragrant. Remove from oven, add the fruit, and let cool.

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container (it should keep for up to a month at room temperature).

Notes

* can substitute uo to half of the liquid sweetener with brown sugar
Nutrition info assumes honey, coconut oil, butter, oats, almonds, and raisins
11/10/2026 recipe updates: Decreased quantities by half to make an overall smaller recipe that uses only one sheet pan. Recipe can easily be doubled if you want to make more. Added instructions about how to make granola clusters vs. a looser granola depending on preference. 
Adapted from The Grand Central Baking Book

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 377kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 34mg, Potassium: 353mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 53IU, Vitamin C: 0.5mg, Calcium: 92mg, Iron: 2mg

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