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This healthy granola tastes just as delicious as the kind made with refined sugar, but it’s even better because it’s oil-free! It’s the perfect make-ahead breakfast, or crunchy snack.
Healthy Granola Ingredients
How do you make healthy granola from scratch?
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Rolled oats
- Nuts or seeds (I’m partial to pecans or pepitas)
- Unsweetened shredded coconut
- Maple syrup
- Cinnamon
Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats, if you need a gluten-free granola recipe.
Variations
Because this granola recipe is so simple to prepare, feel free to change the ingredients you add in, depending on what you have on hand. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Hulled seeds, like sunflower or sesame
- Dried fruit, like raisins or cranberries (add in after baking)
- Mini chocolate chips (add in after baking)
- Other nuts or seeds (chia seeds, flax seeds, pepitas, etc.)
This healthy granola is perfect for busy mornings when you need something that’s quick to prepare, and because it’s shelf-stable, you can also keep a bag of it stashed in your purse or car for an easy snack on the go.
As written, this recipe makes about 3 cups of granola, which is about 6 servings. This amount is great for one or two people, but if you have a larger family of granola-eaters, feel free to double or triple the recipe!
It should keep well for up to a week stored at room temperature, or up to a month or more when stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (242 grams; gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 cup shredded coconut (105 grams; unsweetened)
- 1 cup pecans (119 grams; or walnuts or pepitas)
- 3/4 cup maple syrup (255 grams)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (10 grams; or pumpkin pie spice)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (5 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, coconut, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Transfer the mixture to the lined baking sheet and spread it out for even baking. Bake at 350ºF until lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Stir the granola, so it will crisp evenly, then return to the oven for 5 to 8 more minutes, until it's slightly more golden. Don't bake more than 30 minutes, or it may start to burn.
- Allow the granola to cool on the pan completely before removing it. If you'd like to add any dried fruit, now is the time to stir it in. Use your hands to break the granola into smaller pieces and store it in an airtight container until ready to eat.
- Granola can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or in the fridge for up to a month. Serve with your favorite milk or yogurt, or on its own for a crunchy snack.
Notes
Nutrition
Per serving: Calories: 178, Carbohydrates: 23, Protein: 3, Fat: 8
Recipe Notes:
- For a totally grain-free granola, try my Pumpkin Seed Granola recipe.
As always, if you make any modifications to this recipe, please leave a comment below letting us know how it worked for you. We can all benefit from your experience!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite fast breakfast option?
This quickly became my favorite granola. I try and make a batch every Sunday to have on hand for yogurt parfaits. It’s so easy to make! I made a few batches and gifted them to family for Christmas. Everyone loved!
This granola is delicious!
hi! i baked the granola for 20 minutes as it said in the recipe, however it turned out undercooked for some reason (i could see that some oats were still raw), do you have any idea why could that be?
Sorry to hear that! My best guess is that the oven temperature is off? I keep 2 extra thermometers in my oven to make sure mine are correct for writing recipes, and they usually read 25 degrees lower than what my oven says until it’s been preheated for over 30 minutes. But, you can always bake it longer until it’s as crispy as you’d like it to be!
Thanks for another great recipe! Yummy–I substituted cashews and sunflower seeds for the pumpkin seeds. I also substituted ginger and cinnamon for the pumpkin spice. Wish I hadn’t put in the salt called for in the recipe—will omit it next time–that will make it 5 stars!
This is absolutely delicious. I´m not much of a fan of pumpkin seeds but I needed to try this and it tastes fantastic.
My sister shared this with me and it is the best granola recipe I have found/used to date! We both like to add a bit of cinnamon and use pumpkin as well as sunflower and chia seeds; also hemp hearts. I welcome other addition ideas. Enjoy, thank you!
I’ve been making this recipe for a a couple years and it never disappoints! I double it because we are granola lovers.
Just made this for first time & it’s delicious! Followed recipe exactly this time.
Is the pumpkin spice really strong? Can I omit it altogether or substitute with something different.
I don’t think it’s that strong, but you can always use less or just use what you like!
If you have a nut allergy, odds are that coconut will also cause a reaction. This iss not really but free.