Simple and Hearty Homemade Granola Recipe

Last Updated on December 21, 2023 by TheFarmChicken

We stopped buying cereal. Not that we didn’t like it anymore but man! Cereal is expensive and we decided we didn’t want to spend our money in that way. Also, in the quest to feed our bodies with foods that don’t have preservatives and a lot of fortification it just seemed right. One of the biggest problems I had with not buying cereal anymore was the easy breakfast that it was. I wanted to come up with something that I could make ahead of time to have in the mornings if I didn’t want to make something else like eggs. Talking with my husband we came up with granola. He found some baking ratios for me, and I started recipe testing. And here we are with a Simple and Hearty Homemade Granola Recipe.

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I think I made this recipe maybe like 4 times before I got it right. The first time there was too much sweetness so each time I tweaked it a little bit more and now I am happy with where it is. We love having it in the morning with milk or sprinkled on top of yogurt; two easy breakfasts that our kids even enjoy. (PS kid’s cereals are targeted and advertised to kids but are not the best option for them. You can feed them things like granola, and they can enjoy it just as much or more than sugar filled breakfast cereal. Fuel them with good things for their body.)

Do you want to know the secret to a good granola? Leave the honey out. Maybe there is a way to use it that I haven’t found but it always seems to leave a bad aftertaste in granola/granola bars that I have made. And I do like honey, but granola is just not where it shines.

Instead, in this recipe we use a little maple syrup, a little brown sugar and molasses. Let’s look more into this Simple and Hearty Homemade Granola Recipe.

The Hearty:

Whole oats, quick oats, pecans, and sunflower seeds are the ingredients in this recipe that make it so hearty and filling. We will talk more about what ingredients you could switch some of these around if there is different things that you like.

The Sweetness and Flavor:

Here is an important part of the granola. The sweetness that comes from a combination of brown sugar, real maple syrup and molasses. This mixture brings a lot of flavor. Add some sea salt and pure vanilla and it is just right.

Baking the Granola:

Once you have the ingredients well combined in a big bowl, dump the granola, in an even layer onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. I have found the best size is the half sheet pan       I have used a bigger pan and it over browns much easier.

The granola is baked at 350 degrees for a total of 30 minutes. After it has baked for 15 minutes you will stir it and bake the last 15 minutes. You want to make sure not to overbake your granola. I learned this by experience. It can look like it needs more baking but really the 30 minutes is all it needs to be golden brown and delicious. Overbrowned granola has a bitter flavor. Remove it from the oven and let cool before putting it in an airtight container or bag.

Tips for a Chunky, Clumpy Granola

If you are like me then you like having some chunks in your granola. Here are a couple tips on how to achieve this:

• Stir the granola well before placing it on baking sheet.
• When you take it out of the oven try to smash the granola a little
• Don’t stir or bag the granola until it is completely cooled

Price Comparison of Store-Bought Cereal vs Homemade Granola vs Store-Bought Granola: (Aug 2023)

Homemade Granola Recipe (10 cups)	Store Bought Granola (10 cups)	Store Bought Cereal (10 cups)
$6.50 w/ pecans	$9.93 Honey Bunches of Oats Granola at Walmart	$3.28 for 10 cups of Honey Bunches of Oats at Walmart
$4.35 w/o pecans	$18.27 Purely Elizabeth at Walmart	$7.04 for 10 cups of Grape Nuts at Walmart

I hope you find the above comparison helpful. Pecans are one of our favorites in granola and can be a little bit spendy. If you are looking to keep it even cheaper you can omit the pecans and either use a cheaper nut or dried fruit in its place or simply just do more oats. This will give you a more basic granola recipe but still tasty.

Most of the ingredients for the granola I buy at Sam’s or Walmart, but I always try to shop around for the best price. For example: Pecans at Sam’s were a fair amount cheaper than Walmart.

I found it interesting that store bought granola is so expensive. If you are using granola as a snack or to make yogurt parfaits, then it is so much cheaper to make your own granola vs buying it. It is not as economical if you are using it as a cereal replacement. However, you are getting less preservatives and that is worth something!

Added Sugar Comparison of Homemade Granola vs Store-Bought Granola vs Store-Bought Cereal: (Based on a half cup serving.)

Homemade Granola	Store-Bought Granola (Honey Bunches of Oats Granola)	Store-Bought Cereal (Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal)
9.55 grams added sugar per ½ cup serving	12 grams added sugar per ½ cup serving	4 grams added sugar per ½ cup serving

When looking at this comparison it is important to note that the weight of these 3 breakfast items varies. While the homemade and store-bought granola are similar in weight, the breakfast cereal is a lot lighter for what you get in that ½ cup serving.

I was glad to see that the homemade granola came in lower than the store-bought versions. Yet another good reason to make your own granola at home.

Ways to use this Healthy Granola Recipe:

• With original, homemade yogurt, or Greek yogurt
• Yogurt and fresh fruit – like yogurt parfaits
• As a cold breakfast cereal with milk (this is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this granola)
• On its own as a great snack that is crunchy and filling
• An ice cream topping
• Smoothie Bowl

How to store granola?

You will want to store your completely cooled granola in an airtight container, a mason jar with a lid or an airtight bag. I’ll link my favorite pop containers and storage mason jar lids below.

You can also freeze granola if you want to help it stay fresh for even longer. Place cooled granola in an airtight container and place in freezer.

Different substitution or additions:

• Pumpkin Seeds
• Shredded coconut or coconut flakes
• Flax Seed
• Dried Fruit like cranberries, golden raisins, pineapple or apples
• Cinnamon
• Chocolate Chips (mini or regular)
• Flax seeds
• Peanut Butter
• Chia Seeds
• Whole Almonds

You can make so many different kinds of granola. Easily add or substitute for any of the above-mentioned ingredients you just need to make sure if you add a dry ingredient like pumpkin seeds that you lessen another dry ingredient like pecans.

This easy granola recipe is so good and much better than store-bought. You also know exactly what goes into it which is more than you can say with store-bought granola!

I hope you enjoy making this in your home! Such a simple recipe requiring a large bowl and some pantry staples. This can be mixed up within 10 minutes if not less. Let me know below if you have any questions. I’d also love to hear how you liked it! Next time I think I might add some coconut in place of some of the pecans….so many possibilities! Enjoy!

Pin for Later:

Simple Hearty Homemade Granola Recipe

• 3 T maple syrup
• 2 T brown sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups quick cooking oats
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 ½ cups pecans, whole or chopped
• ½ cup sunflower seeds, roasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients, including the brown sugar. Mix well. Next, take a glass measuring cup and measure the molasses, maple syrup and vanilla extract.

Mix the wet ingredients in the glass measuring cup and then pour over the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl. Mix this together well and dump on a parchment paper lined baking sheet (17″ x 12″).

Place in preheated oven for 15 minutes, stir and then bake for another 15 minutes for a total bake time of 30 minutes. Let cool completely and then transfer to an airtight bag or container.

Servings: 10 cups

*Note: This post is intended for the general healthy population. It is not personalized nutrition advice and if you are in need of this please visit your doctor/health care professional for specific advice. *

Shop this Post:

• My Favorite Nordic Baking Sheet
• Mason Jar Storage Lids Large Mouth
• Mason Jar Storage Lids Regular Mouth
• Pop OXO Storage Container

More Breakfast Foods to Try:

• The Best Fluffy Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes
• A Very Berry Banana Smoothie
• Simple Classic Zucchini Bread Recipe
• Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread Recipe with a Swirl

But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
Psalms 59:16