This homemade recipe for granola is super yummy and so flexible! Below is our favorite cereal version, but there are many ways to tweak the recipe depending on your preferences.
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Homemade Granola Bar and Cereal Recipe
For the nuts you can put either all almonds or all cashews (or split them as listed below or even try a totally different type of nut). Also, the same thing works for the seeds – you can either put in all pumpkin seeds or all sesame seeds or put in half and half. You could easily play around with the amounts of sesame seeds and flaxseeds as well. If you can’t find unsweetened shredded coconut you can leave it out completely.
If you want granola cereal make it with rolled oats. If you want granola bars then substitute steel cut oats for the rolled oats, and I also like to add dried fruit bits before baking the bars.
How to Make Cereal Homemade (Or, Granola Bars)!
For the cereal, once it has baked and cooled completely, you want to put it in a gallon zip lock to break it up into small cereal pieces. If you are making granola bars just break off big chunks instead of using a bag. Don’t expect perfectly uniform rectangles for your granola bars, these are homemade after all!
The oats, nuts and spices are seriously what make these bars come together! That being said, you can add any number of ingredients to make this cereal homemade with some fun, seasonal flavors. Simple modifications in the ingredient ratios can make for a festive mix, too. For instance, amp up the cinnamon and nutmeg for a perfectly fragrant winter-themed granola.
Looking for a protein granola that can help you last through those late-afternoon cravings? Fill your homemade granola mixture with some flax seeds, chia seeds or even powdered peanut butter to make those macros skyrocket! Dried fruits like raisins (or craisins, a personal favorite) can also make for a granola bar or homemade cereal that is perfectly crafted to fit your palate. Besides, the best way to add more nutrients to your family's diet is by making recipes you'll actually want to come back to!
How Long Does Homemade Granola Last?
This homemade granola recipe will stay crunchy and flavorful for about a month when stored in an airtight container out of direct sunlight. After that, you should probably start to plan your next batch! Side note: finished granola bars might fare well in the freezer if sealed properly although you should expect to lose some of that desired 'crunch' in doing so.
Granola Recipe (Cereal or Bars)
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups oats (rolled, (if you want bars use steel cut oats so it will stick together better))
- 1 cup almonds (raw, sliced)
- 1 cup cashews (or walnuts or pecans)
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- ½ cup sunflower seeds (raw)
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds (raw)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon (ground)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ginger (ground)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg (ground)
- 6 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
- ½ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Cover a rectangular baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry oats, almonds, cashews, coconut, seeds and spices together in a large mixing bowl.
- Heat the butter and honey together in a small saucepan over low heat. Once the butter melts stir in the vanilla and salt.
- Pour the hot liquids over the dry ingredients and stir together with a rubber spatula until evenly coated.
- Spread mixture onto prepared pan in one even layer. Bake for 75 minutes.
- The granola will become crisp as it cools at which point you can break into pieces (if making bars) or break it up into small chunks by pounding it in a zip lock bag (if making cereal). Store in air tight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
More Homemade Breakfast Ideas:
- Fluffy Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
- Blueberry, Fruit and Nut Whole Wheat Muffins
- Freezer Friendly Breakfast Burritos
Katrina says
Just made a batch of granola and although it tastes great, it didn't clump together. Any ideas why this happened? I used the amount of honey called for so should I increase this amount? I want to eat this as cereal and a yogurt topping so I'd rather have chunks than individual oats.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Katrina. Do you think you followed the recipe exactly? I've not had trouble with the rolled oats chunking but think I might be a bit heavy handed with the honey. ;) Give it another try and see if it turns out better. ~Amy
sandra mccreery says
HI there! I love your blog! I grew up eating this way, my mom was way ahead of her time :) I'm glad to see it is spreading and blogs like yours are such a big help in a world full of processed food.
Question- do you know of a good site to order nuts that are not processed with peanuts? My son is allergic to peanuts but not other nuts. I've found a few sites but not many. Any info would be great!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Sandra. Glad you are enjoying the blog! I did a quick search and I am sure I didn't come up with anything that you haven't found in the same way. Wish I had more information on this but nut allergies are not something I've done a great deal of research on. Best of luck. ~Amy
melinda echols says
Thought it tasted kind of burnt too or overcooked :(
Christa says
Hi I just made a batch of this and it totally burned... is the time really 75 minutes? I checked it at 50 and it was burned. My oven was set at 250!!! I am making another batch now and watching it like a hawk. Whats the best way to tell its done I want to make sure it gets nice and crunchy when it cools.
Cori says
I usually bake my granola at 325 for 15-17 minutes, take it out, stir, then return it to the oven for another 15 minutes. It is a golden color when done and will become crunchy as it cools, so no worries if you try it hot and it's chewy. After a few batches you'll hone what temp and time work best for your oven. Good luck.
melissa says
This granola is the best!!! i use coconut oil instead of butter and like a mix of sesame, sunflower, almond, cashew, and pumpkin seeds in it... my two year old scarfs this down with milk for breakfast all the time, and also enjoys it on its own as a snack... so much better and cheaper than store bought granola or cereal. Have never tried to make bars, maybe next time. Thanks.
Alex says
This sounds absolutely fantastic. I'm curious, though - I know it's against the "Real Food" rules to count calories, but what would constitute a serving of this as a breakfast cereal? I know most granolas run about 150 calories per 1/4 cup. I feel like this would have much more.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Alex. You are right. We do not track nutrition information. I know there are many tools available on line that can help you do that. I would agree that it is both a nutrient and calorie dense granola. ~Amy
Rebecca says
I am allergic to nuts to I did not use any and I forgot to buy seeds, so I only used the rolled oats and steel cut oats 75/25% and they were so yummy. I immediately froze them so they would last longer. I did break mine up into small cereal type pieces for yogurt! This only cost me about $2.00 for the oats and what every 1/2 cup of honey costs! I really liked it!
Rebecca says
*so
Jessie says
Why parchment paper ?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jessie. Otherwise it can be a mess to detach and clean up. Enjoy. ~Amy
Stephanie Adams says
Made this today, but added raisins and chopped dates. I didn't have parchment paper, so I used a sil-pat sheet instead. It tastes a bit on the burnt side, so next time I will reduce te temp to 200. I think that should do the trick.
Sammie says
This is SO yummy! My 5 year old had no problem switching from her sugar filled breakfast cereals to this granola. DIdnt take much prodding for the husband either :) it's so addicting!
Katie says
This is amazing. My husband has started taking granola bars to work and I have been searching the granola bar section of the supermarket for something that even closely resembles real food with no luck (obviously). I will see if this works. I will make a batch this weekend. Thanks
Leanne says
Has anyone successfully modified this recipe to be nut free? Any ideas would be appreciated. Also has anyone tried it with agave nectar? I would love nut free, homemade granola. Thanks in advance.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Leanne. You can modify this recipe any way you like. It may take a bit of trial and error. We do not, however, recommend agave. This link helps explain why: http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/. ~Amy
Jenny says
The whole family loves this stuff...no longer need to buy cereal:D
Kelly says
I made this the other night and love the taste, but it turned out soft and goey, not crunchy at all. I used raw steel cut oats, otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Did I not cook it long enough or perhaps was it too thick/thin in the pan? I used a larger cookie sheet with parchment paper. Love the taste, would like it to be crunchy and hard next time (more bars than granola).
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Kelly. It may be that you did not cook it long enough. I also have found that when I use steel cut oats, there is less crunch. It seems to retain more internal moisture so I tend to leave them in a bit longer. Hope that helps. ~Amy
Dawn says
LOVE this granola cereal! My 2 year old can't get enough of it! I used 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 tsp of almond extract, and it is VERY tasty that way. Thank you for sharing.. will have to try coconut oil next time :-)
Kim Griffin says
Is parchment paper a must? I don't have any on hand. Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kim. It is the easiest and least sticky tool to work with. : ) ~Amy
Shawna says
I know there are a lot of comments on this granola, but here's one more... I have made this recipe at least 10 times now, and I don't think I have made it exactly the same one time. But it has always been consumed quickly and loved by all four in my family -- that almost NEVER happens!
Here are a couple of things I've learned:
- You can reduce the amount of butter if you want to or use coconut oil with very little difference in taste. I usually use about 4 TBS of butter.
- If you make the "groats" version, it WILL change the texture and taste. My kiddos and I still liked it. My husband did not. But it did stick together like glue. The texture is completely different.
- It freezes well and you can eat it right out of the freezer. :)
- The last time I made it, I used less 1/2 thick cut oats and 1/2 brown rice cereal. This make the granola less dense, easier to chew and gave it a nice crispy crunch.
- I have used all kinds of nut combinations, but my fave is walnuts, almonds and pistachios.
- My favorite way to eat this granola is mixed with fresh blueberries -- no milk or yogurt needed. I feel like I am eating dessert.
Thank you, Lisa and team for a recipe that has become a staple in our home!
Shaina says
Hi. Do you think it would work to use all coconut oil in place of the butter? My sister is on a non-dairy diet due to nursing her 6 mo old who has a milk allergy. what do you think would be a good substitute for butter? thanks! this granola is the best!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Shaina. Many readers have had great success with coconut oil as have I. Enjoy! ~Amy
Jeanne says
Hi Lisa,
First, thank you for all of the ideas. I am giving it a go. We will see how I manage!
I just went and bought a ton of "stuff". Stupidest question ever - to make the granola, I bought Bob's Red Mill Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats. Do I cook them first or just use them as they are?
Thanks for the help!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jeanne. Not a stupid question at all! You do not need to cook the oats first. They will cook and absorb some moisture in the oven. ~Amy
Char says
I finally figured out how to make perfect granola bars using your recipe. I got silicone mini loaf pans and they are the perfect size and the bars popped right out.
http://reallyeating.areavoices.com/2013/03/29/perfecting-the-granola-bars/
Christine says
How can I make this into a chewy granola bar? I thought about adding krisp rice cereal and maybe almond butter and decreasing some of the nuts. Also, can you substitute coconut oil for butter?
Thank you!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Christine. All your ideas sound like good ones and many of our readers have substituted coconut oil for butter. Please let us know how it turns out. ~Amy
Jessica says
Love this site and have made many delicious recipes from here. Wondering on the granola recipe why Lisa uses butter as opposed to coconut oil? Just personal preference or will it alter the taste/texture? Thank you for your time and effort in changing the way people think about food!
Alana says
I was just wondering the same thing! I would love to know as well.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jessica. Butter offers a richer flavor than other oils but coconut is a perfectly good substitution and one we choose often. I don't think it will change the texture much. Enjoy. ~Amy
Tiffany Holmes says
I've tried this recipe several times and love it. I've found that it freezes beautifully so I have a double batch in the oven now destined for the freezer! Thanks!
Rebecca says
Is the 1/2 Cup of honey necessary for this recipe? Can you use say 1/3 Cup or even a 1/4 cup?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Rebecca. You can play around with the amount for sure but keep in mind that the honey helps it stick together. ~Amy
Tracy says
Just tried this recipe and it was a huge hit with my girls and hubby! Thanks!
Phaedra says
The comment about flaxseed/seasame seeds in the directions confuses me because they are not mentioned in the ingredients. Was Lisa just saying you could add them if you wanted to?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Phaedra. Yes, they are optional to either add or substitute. She's just explaining that the recipe is very flexible.~Amy
Christina says
Just made this today and not only is it super easy to make, it is DELICIOUS!!! Can't wait to mix it in with some organic yogurt tomorrow morning for breakfast.
Angela says
All I have to say is, YUM. This is the best homemade granola recipe by far! I was out of unsweetened coconut, and the all-natural market nearby is closed on Sundays, so I shredded a carrot and set the shreds on a paper towel to dry off for about 10 minutes - this worked GREAT! Thanks a bunch for posting :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Glenda. I'm sorry but we do not generally provide serving size information for our recipes. I think 1/2-3/4 of a cup is a good measure, however. This helps explain why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/04/29/mini-pledge-week-8-stop-eating-when-you-feel-full/. ~Amy
Glenda says
What is the serving size? 1 cup., 1/2 a cup...
Thanks
kristy says
what is a serving on this recipe and do u have the calories per serving? thanks
Britney Bouldin says
YUM! EASY! Healthy!
Michelle says
hi,
I just found your blog and this looks great!
What are your suggestions for substituting the butter? we are vegan. I will try it with maple syrup, instead of honey. But, wondering your thoughts on the butter.
Or do you have a different recipe that is vegan?
thank you!
Stephanie says
You can sub coconut oil in for the butter.
nikki says
I have made this granola recipe with regular rolled oats and steel cut oats and both times I am getting a great delicious granola but it will not stay together as bars. Do you have any suggestions?
Ange says
Me too- made this with steel oats and mine would not stay together as bars and stuck to the parchment . What am I doing wrong?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Ladies. When I'm making granola bars I usually add dried fruit, most often raisins or cranberries and I also pack it fairly tight. Also, a little extra honey might help with the "stickiness". If you are still having trouble, here is the recipe for the granola larabars: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/07/01/recipe-homemade-larabars-4-ways-including-nut-free/. Good luck. ~Amy
Amanda says
We love this recipe! At last some control over what is in our kids' cereal! I am SO happy to have found this website! I check it pretty much every day!
tina says
I know chocolate chips are probably not a real food but I was wondering if you could add them to the granola recipe for the granola bars or if adding them before they back the chocolate chips would melt.
In the store my husband loves the honey granola bars with chocolate chips.
Any suggestions?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Tina. While the chocolate adds a "treat" aspect to the bars, making your own is far better than buying them at the grocery. So, look for organic dark chips and go to it. ;) This is how whole foods does it: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/chocolate-chip-granola-bars. Good luck. ~Amy
Tiffany Holmes says
I add chopped dark chocolate chips to mine all the time and it is amazing! I only eat this as a cereal so I add them to the mix after it comes out of the oven and has time to cool. Let us know how it works if you decide to add it in before!
Nicole says
Made this today for first time, and everyone loves it! And my house smelled wonderful while it cooked 😊
I had forgotten to get a couple of the ingredients while we were out but my substitutes worked great. I used pitted dried dates instead of coconut and raw quinoa in place of sunflower seeds. Thanks so much, we have loved all recipes off your blog, and they are so flexible!!!
nicole says
Have you ever tried this with almond extract instead of vanilla extract? I'm not very familiar with using almond extract and wonder if it would taste good. Great recipe. Keep up the great work with Kraft. Saw you and Vani on Dr. Oz and you ladies ROCKED!!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Nicole. I have not tried that as a substitute. If you do, let us know what you think. ~Amy
Noahla says
I would love to have a recipe for soaked granola. I try not to eat grains unless they are soaked because the pytic acid in them blocks the nutrient absorption. Thank you!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Noahla. We don't have a recipe for soaked granola. We may in the future. However, there are several out there in the blogosphere. Pehaps try this one: http://www.glutenfreecat.com/2012/11/raw-soaked-granola/. Good luck. ~Amy
Rhonda Graham says
Please, could you include the Nutritional Values in your recipes. I track my carbs because I am diabetic... Thank You
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Rhonda. I'm so sorry but we do not supply nutrition information on our recipes. I understand that your circumstance requires close tracking. With a quick internet search you can find many tools available online geared to your specific need that can help you calculate the value of each recipe. Wishing you the best. ~Amy
Elise says
Hey Rhonda, my daughter has type 1 diabetes, and what I do is just figure how many carbs each ingredient has, get the total amount of carbs for the whole recipe, and go from there.
Hope that helps a little.
Elise