The best storebought granola brands have gotten SO pricey over the years that I can't bring myself to buy the stuff. Especially not with the looming specter of paying for two kids to go to college starting next year. GULP.
Fortunately, it's ridiculously easy to make my own granola just the way I like it -- lightly sweetened, made with hearty-healthy olive oil, and filled with nuts and seeds without any dried fruit. I do it roughly every two weeks and eat a bowl of this nutty crunchy goodness with fruit and yogurt every morning.
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Saving money is great but don't underestimate how nice it is to have granola custom tailored to suit your tastebuds. As long as you have rolled oats, an oil (I like olive oil because I have to focus on heart healthy fats these days but you can use coconut, grapeseed, avocado, sunflower, canola, walnut or almond oil), and a sweetener (I prefer maple syrup because we make our own and usually have it on hand but you can also use honey, agave, or brown sugar), you can play around with all the add-ins (almonds, pecans, walnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds, dried coconut, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, raisins, currants, orange or lemon zest, cacao nibs, cocoa powder, and more) to make your ideal granola.
Homemade Nut and Seed Granola
Makes about 5 cups
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (NOT instant or steel cut)
- 1/2 olive oil or other neutral oil of your choice
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or sweetener of choice
- 1 cup sliced almonds, walnuts, or pecans (omit if you don't like nuts or have a nut allergy)
- 1/4 cup raw sesame seeds (omit if you don't like sesame or have an allergy to seeds)
- 1/4 cup raw pepitas
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Optional: 1 cup raisins, currants, dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried apricots, dried blueberries, coconut flakes, etc.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a medium to large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, seeds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon.
- Pour in the oil, sweetener, and vanilla and mix well until everything is well-coated
- Spread the mixture on a heavy baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake for about 22-25 minutes, stirring once at 10-12 minutes into the baking. If you want to add coconut flakes, add them at the halfway point so they get a little browned. The goal is to get everything browned but not burnt.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- If you're adding dried fruit, stir it into the granola once it's fully cool.
- Store in an airtight glass container. It should keep for 1-2 weeks, if it does not all get eaten before then.
