Mmmm. I love this recipe. It’s an old one from the archives that I rephotographed and edited, and it’s definitely a keeper.
This recipe for healthy homemade granola is so easy and forgiving. You can add or not add just about anything. Lots of times I just add what I have available and when I made this batch, that wasn’t much. This time around I didn’t add any dried fruit or nuts and we still loved it. This really plain version makes for a very economical granola that still tastes great. Oats are cheap! I serve this like cold cereal with milk and it is also excellent with vanilla yogurt and fresh or frozen berries as a snack.
My favorite part about this granola is that it uses honey instead of sugar. Did you know that raw honey has an indefinite shelf life? I keep honey stored in quart mason jars in my pantry as part of my food storage (it’s much easier to deal with in the quart jars because it crystallizes over time). Oh how I love honey and long for bees of my own. That’s a project for another day though.
Enjoy this granola; it makes a great start to any day.
Oh, and don’t forget to enter to win a digital scale! The numbers a way lower than I expected, so hop over here and enter.
Healthy Homemade Granola
- Yield: Around 8 cups, depending on what you chose to add
Ingredients
- 6 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup shredded coconut, if you don’t like/want it, add another cup of oats
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- pinch salt
- 2 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup honey
- 2 1/2 Tbsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup raisins, Craisins, or none to taste
- 1 cup nuts, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line a big cookie sheet with parchment and grease lightly.
- In a large bowl combine the oats, coconut (if using), flour, salt, and cinnamon. In a small bowl whisk together the water, oil, honey, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Mix everything together making sure there are no dry spots.
- Spread granola onto the prepared cookie sheet. The pan will be nice and full. Bake for about an hour and half total, stirring every 20 minutes to make sure everything bakes evenly. When you are stirring, don’t get too crazy because you don’t want to break up all of the clumps.
- When granola starts to turn a light golden color (about an hour into cooking) add your nuts and your dried fruit. Continue cooking until everything is a nice golden color, taking care not to burn the nuts. The granola will still be slightly sticky when you take it out and will crisp up after it cools.
- Store in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge if you aren’t going through it very quickly.
Notes
This recipe is very forgiving. If I am feeling cheap or plain I don’t add any nuts or dried fruit. The plain-jane granola is excellent with yogurt and berries.
Honey burns pretty easily. If your granola is looking dark or smelling like it’s burning, turn the oven down 25 degrees and take it out the pan while the oven cools. Burnt honey granola isn’t the best.
Enjoy and thanks so much for being here!
Yummy! This does look good.
I can’t wait to try this. I’ll be mixing this into my greek yogurt.
Add a few berries to it and it’s like heaven in a bowl 🙂 Thanks for the great comment!
I think I need to try this.
Made this today and it did not “clump” despite not over-stirring. Any ideas of what I am doing wrong? Taste good, though!
Try adding more liquid (either honey, water, or oil or a combo)! If it isn’t clumping much before you put it on the pan it won’t clump much while it’s cooking. Start a bit stickier and you should end up with some more chunks in the end! Let me know how it goes 🙂
I came across and it sounds so yummy, but we aren’t able to use coconut oil do to allergies 🙁 What would you recommend as a replacement?
Any type of fat – melted butter, olive oil and if you have to vegetable oil. Good luck!
Can you make this without the whole wheat flour? I would like to make a gluten-free version with some gluten free oats.
Could you sub in a gluten-free flour? I’m not sure what kind you could use but I wouldn’t omit a flour completely. It acts as binding agent and helps the pieces stick together. What do you think?
Is it really 2 tablespoons of cinnamon? I made it and it’s yummy, but it seems I might have added to much cinnamon.
It is… but make it to taste! How did it taste after you baked it??
I have Saigon Cinnamin, which I think is stronger so I will reduce it next time. I like cinnamin, but it is a little too strong especially for my girls:-)
Looks vwry yummy 🙂 what yoghurt do u recommend with this that is clean and healthy? ?
There’s a brand out West called Mountain High – it’s super clean and the price is good too!
Just wondering if the temp is in Celsius or Fahrenheit?
Hey! I made this and it is delicious! I’ve started cooking my granola in the crock pot on low-I stir every so often and it is really hard to burn in there. The time is a bit longer, but worth unburnt granola! Thanks
Hello, I’m from England & wondering how much coconut oil to use in ounces or grams. I don’t understand cups. Can you help please?
Thanks
Made this granola and your white chicken chilli and the carnitas. All 3 amazing! Thank you. Looking forward to a healthy clean week of eating!
1 cup is 1/2 a pint to anyone living in the UK (I’ve had to teach this to my friends and in-laws)
Do Americans tend to measure cooking temperatures in Celsius or Fahrenheit?
We are so weird 🙂 We just Fahrenheit…
I have this in the oven right now and my house smells wonderful, thanks for the recipe!
Approximately how long will this last? Probably just me eating it dont know if I shoukd cut it I half or not. Thanks I am following your 2 week plan
Mine lasts a couple of weeks in an air-tight container. I would probably half it if it is just you though… it makes a bunch! Enjoy friend!
What can you replace the wheat flour with. I’m eliminating wheat because it’s so bad for you.
This may be a really dumb question, but I’m new to clean eating and cooking in general :). Is it supposed to be crunchy? I think of crunchy when I hear granola, but mine was still soft once it cooled.
Read “fructose exposed” 15 grams of any sugar it’s all a human can process a day. More than that turns into fat, diabetes and heart disease. . Read ” eat to live” Dr. Furhman. Read “the China study”.
Made this using coconut flour instead of the wheat flour and it’s delicious, a big hit with my hubby and daughters too! Never heard of using flour and water in a granola recipe but it really gives an authentic result, so impressed!
Mine never quite got crunchy. The taste is great but it’s not the crunch I was hoping for, it’s disappointing when the almonds are crunchy and the rest is not. I used what I had on hand which was no coconut and I subbed olive oil for the coconut oil. Maybe next time I will try butter. Just wondering if this should’ve turned out to be more crunchy or not.
I have several granola recipes that I use and the recipes that do not include flour have the classic crunchy texture while adding the wheat flour will lend a chewier texture. Our family loves to switch between the varieties since we don’t eat much boxed cereal!
What type of honey do you use?
Honey is easy for me to buy local and that’s what I like to do… a friend here in town raises bees and I buy her honey! It’s sooo much better than that cheap stuff from the store. I think that stuff is bitter (or it was the last time I had some) Good luck in finding a local source. I recommend checking out the farmer’s market and asking about buying bulk options!
I absolutely LOVE your granola! I’ve made it 3 times now and have gotten rave reviews from everyone who’s tried it! It’s delicious in yogurt and as cereal! Do you have the nutritional info for it?
Nope but I’m sure somewhere online could generate that for you! I’m always a little hesitant to put nutritional info up when I don’t have a great source for the info. Good luck though! You’ll love the recipes, it’s one of my very favorites.
I have made this a couple times. I love the flavor! I can get it to clump just the way I like it. My only problem is I can’t get it to dry and be crunchy like granola is supposed to be.
Hhhmm. I live in Utah so my air is very very dry. If I were you I’d cut the water down to 1/4 or 1/3 of a cup and see if that helps it to get it crunchy. The crunch is the best part! I hope that helps 🙂
I am sitting here eating this right now…and it is absolutely delicious!!! Thank you for the wonderful recipe 🙂
Yay! I’m making a batch today! Thanks for the feedback friend.
I live in PA and found that if I spread the granola over two cookie sheets and rotate them after the 20 minute stir, it is a bit crunchier and clumps better.
I love this recipe and have made it three time now! Thanks for sharing it!
What are the calories per servin on this? Thanks
First of all, my kids and I love your recipe! It’s especially delicious with vanilla you hurt. But, I was wondering what the serving size is and how many calories per serving? I log everything on the MyFitnessPal app and I don’t know what to put.
*yogurt lol
That’s a hard one… I have no idea! I need to find some kind of software that will calculate stuff like that for me. Will the internet tell you? Good luck lady 🙂
I believe there’s a website called recipe calculator that you can get the calculations.
If I want to add a gluten free flour instead of wheat what could I add
I bet you could swap out the whole wheat flour for gluten free, equal ratio (1 to 1) and I’d love to know how it works!
I’m allergic to coconut…is there another type of oil that I can use?
Yep, just about any oil you want! I’ve used olive oil and normal oil vegetable oil in a pinch.
Can I substitute the whole wheat flour for coconut flour or almond flour, would it still work?
I’ve never used those flours before but it’s a very forgiving recipes. I think you’d be pretty safe to give it a try! Let me know how it turns out if you do 🙂
I am allergic to coconut, do you have any suggestions for alternatives for this recipe?
Yes! Leave it out… and as for the oil, just sub an oil you like – avocado, canola, vegetable, and olive oil all work. You can sub the coconut flakes for nuts if you like.
Our family Loves this recipe! I’ve lost track of how many times we have made it. I substituted almond flour today for the wheat. My 5 year old loves it mixed with vanilla yogurt and tons of fresh strawberries. Delicious!
Yay!! It’s a constant at our house too. So glad you took the time to tell me, totally made my day!