This easy homemade granola is crisp, crunchy, and packed with toasted oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, with maple syrup adding just the right amount of sweetness. An egg white helps bind everything into those irresistible crunchy clusters, and you can easily customize the mix-ins with whatever you have on hand!
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Quick Recipe Summary ✨
Easy Homemade Granola: Crisp, crunchy granola made with toasted oats, almonds, seeds, dried fruit, and a lightly sweet maple-brown sugar coating.
Crunchy clusters: Egg white and almond meal help bind the oats and mix-ins together, while pressing the mixture firmly into the pan encourages those irresistible granola clusters.
Make it your own: Swap in your favorite dried fruits, nuts, and seeds, or try another suggested sweetener to make the granola your own.
Active Time: About 10 minutes • Bake Time: 40 to 50 minutes • Total Time: About 1 hour
Difficulty Level: ⭐ Easy. Mix everything together, press it firmly into the pan, and bake until deeply golden and crisp.
Yield: 24 servings • Freezer-friendly: Yes • Make-ahead: Keeps up to 2 weeks at room temperature or 1 month refrigerated.
👉 Follow the detailed instructions and troubleshooting tips below for crisp homemade granola with plenty of crunchy clusters - perfect for yogurt parfaits or nibbling straight from the container.
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Why this recipe works
- Maple syrup + brown sugar: Adds balanced sweetness and helps the granola crisp
- Low-temperature baking: Toasts the oats and nuts without scorching
- Firmly packed: Pressing the mixture into the pan encourages bigger clusters
- Complete cooling: Lets those crunchy clusters fully set
Granola is one of those "Goldilocks" foods. It can be plywood hard or leather soft, neither of which are what I want in my morning yogurt parfait. Instead, I want nuggets and texture, something to contrast with the creamy yogurt and soft fruit. Something to chew on.
That's why I like this homemade granola somewhere in the delicious middle. It's crisp enough to break into crunchy clusters, but those clusters still crumble into toasted oats, almonds, seeds, and dried fruit.
And I do have to warn you, it's highly snackable. I routinely find myself nibbling pieces while breaking up the cooled granola, purely for quality-control purposes, of course.
Make a batch with your favorite mix-ins and you'll have breakfast - and probably a few between-meal handfuls - sorted!
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this homemade granola recipe:
Ingredient Notes
Homemade granola starts with rolled oats, a liquid sweetener, oil, and salt, then nuts, seeds, dried fruit, spices, and other mix-ins can be added to taste.
This version uses maple syrup and brown sugar for sweetness, plus egg white and almond meal to help create crisp clusters. The ingredients can be customized to your preferences and what's in your pantry.
Oats: Old-fashioned rolled oats give homemade granola its best hearty, crunchy texture. Quick oats (what are called porridge oats in the UK) are thinner and won't produce quite the same texture, while steel-cut oats (pinhead oats in the UK) aren't suitable here because they won't soften properly during baking.
Sweeteners: Brown sugar and maple syrup sweeten the granola. You can use honey, agave syrup, or golden syrup for the maple syrup if you wish, and adjust the amounts of the sweeteners to your taste.
Egg White: Egg white helps bind the oats, nuts, and seeds together as the granola bakes, creating crisp clusters instead of a completely loose mixture. You can use fresh or carton egg whites, or reconstituted egg white powder (aka meringue powder). Omit it for vegan granola, but expect smaller, more fragile clusters.
Flavoring: In addition to vanilla extract, you can add ¼ teaspoon of almond extract or Fiori di Sicilia (an orange-vanilla extract) for more aroma and depth of flavor.
Dried fruit and nuts: Here we're using almonds, chia and sesame seeds, dried fruit, and almond meal. Whatever you have on hand can work.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Customize your granola ingredients
The beauty of granola is it's adaptability. Feel free to substitute for or leave out the dried fruit, nuts, seeds, etc, and substitute as the whim strikes - that's what makes this such an easy granola recipe! Here are a few suggestions:
- Use a single type of dried fruit (like raisins, cranberries, blueberries, or cherries), or mix up a medley.
- Use pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for the sesame seeds, or add in ¼ cup of shredded coconut.
- Use hemp hearts instead of the chia or flax seeds.
- Use ¼ cup of cornmeal for some of the almond meal.
How to make homemade granola
Step 1: Make a sweetened syrup
Combine the maple syrup, light brown sugar, water, vanilla extract, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt (photo 1). Remove the saucepan from heat and let the mixture cool to lukewarm.
Step 2: Mix the granola base
Combine the rolled oats, chopped almonds, dried fruit, chia seeds, sesame seeds, and almond meal in a large bowl (photo 2).
Once the maple syrup mixture has cooled, whisk in the canola oil. Whisk the egg white (if using) in a small bowl until it's frothy. Stir it into the syrup mixture (photo 3).
Pour the syrup mixture over the rolled oats mixture and stir well (photo 4).
Step 3: Bake the granola
Spread the mixture evenly across a half-sheet baking pan lined with a Silpat silicone pan or parchment paper. Press down firmly to compact it before baking using the bottom of another saucepan or your hands (photo 5).
Prevent the granola sticking as you press
It's important to really flatten the granola into the baking pan, but doing so can get frustrating if it keeps sticking. What I do is place another silicone mat, piece of parchment paper, or wax paper between my hands and the granola, then press away.
Bake at 325°F for 40 to 50 minutes until dark golden brown, rotating the baking pan every 15 minutes to promote even browning (photo 6).
Don't stir the granola as it bakes - leaving it undisturbed helps the clusters hold together.
Set the baking pan on a cooling rack until the surface of the granola is crisp. Leave the oven on while the granola cools.
If the granola's surface is still tacky to the touch once cooled, return the baking pan to the oven and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes. Don't let the granola get too dark or it will taste bitter.
Once the granola is totally cool, break it into pieces. I usually nibble a bit, purely for quality control purposes, of course.
Storage instructions
Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge up to 1 month (if it lasts that long!). It freezes well, too!
Troubleshooting tips
Here are some issues you might encounter when making homemade granola:
- Granola isn't crisp: Let it cool completely first - granola continues to crisp as it cools. If it's still tacky, bake another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Granola isn't forming clusters: Make sure the mixture is thoroughly coated, use the egg white, press it firmly into the pan, and don't stir while it bakes.
- Clusters crumble apart: Don't break up the granola while it's warm; let it cool completely so the sugars and egg white can set.
- Granola is browning unevenly: Spread the mixture in an even layer and rotate the pan during baking.
- Granola tastes bitter: It has baked too dark; remove the granola once it's deeply golden rather than waiting for it to feel completely crisp in the oven.
- Granola turns soft during storage: Make sure it's completely cool before sealing it in an airtight container so you don't trap moisture.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
Egg white acts as a binder, helping the oats, nuts, and seeds stick together as the granola bakes. It also contributes to a crisp texture, so once the granola has cooled you can break it into crunchy clusters rather than ending up with mostly loose oats.
You can leave out the egg white to make this granola vegan, but it will be a little less crunchy and won't hold together as well.
It can be. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but they can be cross-contaminated with wheat during growing and processing. If you need gluten-free granola, use oats that are specifically labeled or certified gluten-free, and check that your other mix-ins are gluten-free as well.
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I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L'chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More gluten-free recipes to try
Recipe
Easy Homemade Granola with Crunchy Clusters
Ingredients
- ½ cup pure maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, or golden syrup, to taste
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, see Recipe Notes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups rolled oats, not steel-cut oats
- 1¼ cups almonds, coarsely chopped, or 2 cups (175 grams) sliced almonds
- 1 cup dried fruit, see Recipe Notes
- ½ cup chia seeds, or flax seeds, whole or ground, see Recipe Notes
- ¼ cup sesame seeds, see Recipe Notes
- ½ cup almond meal, see Recipe Notes
- ⅓ cup canola oil, olive oil, or coconut oil
- 1 large egg white, at room temperature, optional, see Recipe Notes
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325 °F. Line a half-sheet baking pan with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Combine ½ cup pure maple syrup, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup water, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove the saucepan from heat and let the mixture cool to lukewarm.
- Meanwhile combine 3 cups rolled oats, 1¼ cups almonds (chopped) or 2 cups (175 grams) sliced almonds, 1 cup dried fruit, ½ cup chia seeds, ¼ cup sesame seeds, and ½ cup almond mealin a large bowl.
- Once the maple syrup mixture has cooled, whisk in ⅓ cup canola oil. Whisk 1 large egg white (if using) in a small bowl until it's frothy. Stir it into the syrup mixture.
- Pour the syrup mixture over the rolled oats mixture and stir well.
- Spread the granola evenly over the prepared baking pan. Press down firmly to compact it before baking using the bottom of another saucepan or your hands. To prevent sticking, use another silicone mat, parchment paper, or wax paper between you and the granola.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until dark golden brown, rotating the baking pan every 15 minutes to promote even browning. Don't stir the granola as it bakes - leaving it undisturbed helps the clusters hold together.
- Set the baking pan on a cooling rack until the surface of the granola is crisp. Leave the oven on while the granola cools.
- If the granola's surface is still tacky to the touch once cooled, return the baking pan to the oven and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, checking every 5 minutes. Don't let the granola get too dark or it will taste bitter.
- Once the granola is totally cool, break it into pieces (and try to resist eating it all at once).
- Storage instructions: Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge up to 1 month (if it lasts that long!). It freezes well, too!
Jamie says
Hello, this recipe looks great! I know you mentioned this granola stores for 2 weeks in an airtight container. Could this granola last longer and stay fresh, do you know how the egg white impacts the shelf life?
Tammy says
Hi Jamie, Thanks for the question! I've stored the granola in my refrigerator for a month or more, and frozen even longer. It doesn't effect the quality, and I haven't had any issues with the egg whites. I wouldn't store it much past 2 weeks at room temperature more because of it getting stale than going bad (I like it crunchy!). I hope this helps. 😉
Debbie says
I saw this on Friday AM, I had planned to make gronola with my class that day! The kids really like cinnamon, maple syrup and sunflower seeds, we can’t add nuts at school. I leave out the additional sugar and the recipe works well. This is a great recipe to make with young kids. Thanks Tammy!
Debbie
Sharon says
Sounds great! Can’t wait to try this!