Mix and Match Granola

By
Laurel Randolph
Photo of Laurel Randolph
Laurel Randolph
A fervid lover of the culinary arts and all things Instant Pot, Laurel has been writing about food for 10 years. One of her cookbooks was the #2 cookbook of 2017.
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Updated on 01/3/23
Granola in a bowl

The Spruce / Laurel Randolph 

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 65 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 6 cups

Granola is a perfect breakfast food, packed with heart-healthy whole grains, nutritious and filling nuts and seeds, and naturally sweet dried fruit. You can eat it with yogurt, milk, or by the handful as a snack. It also happens to be extremely easy to make at home, allowing you to customize the flavors as you see fit.

The basic ratio for granola is six parts dry ingredients (not including fruit) to one part liquid ingredients. Using this basic ratio you can mix and match however you like. We've found the sweet spot, with the perfect amount of oats, nuts, seeds, sweetener, and fruit, but feel free to tweak this recipe. If you like more nuts in your granola, simply decrease the oats and up the nuts. If you can't eat coconut, replace it with more nuts or fruit.

Flavorings like vanilla and almond extract and ground spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom can be added for more flavor. We've included tips and tricks for getting the best granola possible along with some fun flavor ideas, but let your imagination run wild!

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups rolled oats

  • 1 1/2 cups raw, unsalted nuts

  • 1/2 cup raw seeds

  • 1/2 cup coconut flakes, sweetened or unsweetened

  • 1/2 cup honey, or other liquid sweetener

  • 1/2 cup oil

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

  • 1 cup dried fruit

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Granola ingredients
    The Spruce / Laurel Randolph

  2. Preheat the oven to 275 F.

  3. Add the oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, sweetener, oil, salt, vanilla (if using), and cinnamon (if using) to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Toss well until completely coated and spread out into a single layer. If you prefer larger pieces of granola clusters, squeeze granola together after mixing to form clumps.

    granola on a sheet pan
    The Spruce / Laurel Randolph

  4. Bake until toasted and dry but not burnt, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes and spread out into an even layer before placing back into the oven.

    Granola cooking on a sheet pan
    The Spruce / Laurel Randolph 

  5. Add the dried fruit while the granola is still hot and toss. Let cool completely.

    Granola in a pan with dried fruit
    The Spruce / Laurel Randolph

  6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

    Granola in a bowl with yogurt and fruit
    The Spruce / Laurel Randolph 

Tips

  • If your baking sheet isn't big enough, spread the granola out onto two sheets. Halfway through cooking, swap the pans between the top and bottom racks to ensure they cook evenly.
  • Use raw, unsalted nuts. Some good options include almonds, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, pecans, shelled pistachios, or a mixture of two or more.
  • Use a mixture of seeds like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, and sesame seeds.
  • If you don't have honey available or want to make your granola vegan, use another liquid sweetener like maple syrup, agave, or brown rice syrup.
  • Oil options include grapeseed, canola, coconut, extra-virgin olive oil, and vegetable oil.
  • Any dried fruit will work for this recipe or use a combination of two or more. Try raisins, cherries, cranberries, chopped dates, chopped apricots, chopped mango, chopped pineapple, chopped crystallized ginger, or dried apple.

Recipe Variations

You can swap around the nuts, seeds, sweetener, oil, spices, and fruit for endless granola variations. Here are some fun flavor combos to get you started.

  • PB&J: Combine the oats with 3/4 cup peanuts and 3/4 cup almonds, 1/4 cup sesame seeds and 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, coconut, honey, oil, salt, 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup dried cranberries.
  • Apple Cinnamon: Combine the oats with walnuts, 1/4 cup flax seed and 1/4 cup chia seeds, coconut, maple syrup, oil, salt, vanilla, cinnamon (and more to taste), and 1/2 cup chopped dried apple, 1/4 cup crystallized ginger, and 1/4 cup raisins.
  • Tropical: Combine the oats with 3/4 cup macadamia nuts and 3/4 cup pecans, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds and 1/4 cup chia seeds, coconut, agave, coconut oil, salt, vanilla, and 1/2 cup chopped dried pineapple and 1/2 cup chopped dried mango or papaya.
  • Cherry and Nut: Combine the oats with 1/2 cup hazelnuts, 1/2 cup cashews, and 1/2 cup shelled pistachios, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds and 1/4 cup sesame seeds, coconut, brown rice syrup, oil, salt, vanilla, ground cardamom, and 1 cup dried cherries.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
573 Calories
32g Fat
66g Carbs
11g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 573
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 32g 41%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 291mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 66g 24%
Dietary Fiber 8g 30%
Total Sugars 32g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 1mg 5%
Calcium 60mg 5%
Iron 3mg 17%
Potassium 529mg 11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)