This homemade granola recipe is packed with oats, coconut, pecans and spices. Delicious crunchy granola clusters are the best for healthy snacking or breakfast!

A pan of homemade granola.

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Easy Granola Recipe

This homemade granola recipe is made with simple pantry staples like oats, nuts, seeds, and natural sweeteners. I love to keep it on hand to top a yogurt bowl, smoothie, oatmeal or overnight oats and even snack on it plain! 

Granola is one of my favorite healthy snacks. I love it for breakfast in rotation with my oatmeal breakfast bars, homemade granola bars and no-bake breakfast cookies. With lots of crunchy clusters and a light, sweet taste, it’s way better than store-bought!

Why I Love This Healthy Granola

  • Healthier. After purchasing many bags of store-bought granola, I found that making a homemade healthy granola recipe allows me to control the ingredients and sugar.
  • Stays fresh for a long. Granola will stay good up to a month. Top baked apples or baked peaches for a snack or add to breakfast popsicles!

Ingredients

Granola ingredients on counter.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Basic granola recipe: Simple ingredients including old-fashioned whole rolled oats (not quick-cooking oats), canola oil (or melted coconut oil), honey (or maple syrup), vanilla extract and cinnamon.
  • Brown sugar: This adds natural sweetness to my easy homemade granola recipe. Feel free to omit for a less sweet version.
  • Coconut: Unsweetened coconut flakes are always delicious and give a light and tasty texture and flavor. 
  • Pecans: I love adding hearty nuts that can add in protein as well. You can leave them out for a nut-free granola.

How to Make Homemade Granola

Mix ingredients together. In a large mixing bowl, stir all dry ingredients together until combined. Spread granola mixture in an even layer onto the parchment paper lined jelly roll pan or baking sheet.

Oats, coconuts, nuts and sweetener in a bowl.

Bake granola. Bake the granola at 300°F for 10 minutes, then remove it from the oven and stir. Place back in the oven and bake for 7-8 more minutes. Remove, stir and let cool.

A sheet pan with healthy homemade granola.

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

  • Chocolate granola: Make it little sweeter ingredient with white or chocolate chips. Even peanut butter chips are delicious! Add after removing from the oven.
  • Dried fruit: Dried apricots, dried cranberries, golden raisins, or dried cherries are chewy and delicious. Add after baking to avoid burning in oven.
  • Different nuts: Try almonds, peanuts, or walnuts for classic nuts. If you are more adventurous try it with sunflower seeds, pistachios, or pumpkin seeds. 
  • Small seeds: Chia seeds and flax seeds not only add crunch but are rich in omega-3’s, healthy fats and fiber. 
  • Low sugar: Omit or decrease the added brown sugar.
  • Vegan: Use real maple syrup in equal amounts for the honey. 
  • Gluten free: Use certified gluten-free oats. They will still need to be rolled oats.
  • Seasoning: Cinnamon or ground ginger, or pumpkin spice will add warm flavor.

Best Granola Recipe Tips

If you love crunchy clusters in your homemade granola, follow these tips!

  • Press down evenly into the pan for the first 7 minutes of cooking. This encourages clusters to form. After stirring, press down again to make clumpy granola.
  • Stir granola halfway through baking time. This helps distribute the middle to the edges so they get crisp without any soft spots.
  • Cool completely before breaking into pieces. As it cools it will continue to get crisp.
  • Add dried fruit after it has cooled. You want the dried fruit to stay soft and chewy.
  • Combine cooled granola with fresh fruit or fresh berries and Greek yogurt to make a yogurt parfait (my favorite for a healthy breakfast!).
  • To store, add granola to an airtight container, bag or mason jar for up to 1 month at room temperature or store frozen up to 2 months.
Granola ina bowl with fruit and yogurt.

More healthy snack ideas include: Honey nut cheerio bars, baked oatmeal, or oatmeal peanut butter bars.

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A pan of homemade granola with crunchy clusters of oats, nuts and coconut.

Homemade Granola

4.98 from 155 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 24
This healthy homemade granola recipe is a packed with oats, coconut, pecans and spices. The crunchy granola clusters are the best!
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Ingredients 

  • 4-5 cups rolled old fashioned oats
  • ⅔ cup melted coconut oil , or canola oil
  • ½ cup honey
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar , can sub honey or maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup coconut , flakes or chips
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (I prefer a mix of cashews, almonds or pecans)

Optional mix in's: pumpkin seeds and dried fruit

Instructions

  • Prep. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line or grease a 15×18 jelly roll pan and set aside.
  • Combine. Mix 4 cups old-fashioned oats, melted coconut oil, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, coconut and nuts in a large bowl and stir until combined. Add 1/2 cup more oats if there's liquid in bottom. Spread granola mixture out evenly onto pan.
  • Bake. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir and then press oats down with a spatula. Put back in the oven for 7-10 more minutes for a chewy granola. For a crunchier granola, stir and press down again. Then cook additional 5 minutes. The granola will harden more as it cools, so be careful not to burn. Remove from oven and let cool.
  • Store. Store granola in an airtight container.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Optional add-in’s:
  • chocolate chips (wait to add until after baking)
  • chopped dried fruit (I love to add the dried golden berries or wild blueberries from Trader Joe’s)
  • extra nuts such as macadamia nuts 
  • chia seeds
To store: Place in an airtight container or bag and keep at room temperature for up to 1 month. 

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup, Calories: 163kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 51mg, Potassium: 78mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 12mg, Iron: 0.8mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.