Healthy Homemade Granola (Easy Flexible Recipe)

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Inside: Get a recipe for an easy, homemade granola that uses just a few basic ingredients. Easily adjust it to the nuts and seeds you’ve already got.

A jar of homemade granola sits next to a bowl of it, plus bowls of blueberries and strawberries

Recipe at a Glance

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 45 minutes
Ingredients: oats, walnuts, coconut, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, salt, butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla

Ever found yourself with overstuffed cabinets and a packed fridge–and yet you’re still spending your usual amount at the grocery store every week?

When I find myself in this spot, I try to find ways to use up all the odds and ends, so I can cut my grocery bill and waste less food.

Homemade granola is a perfect way to repurpose half-empty bags of nuts and seeds taking up space in your pantry. Ten minutes of hands-on time, and you’ll have breakfasts and yogurt toppings for the next week or more.

This healthy homemade granola recipe uses walnuts and sunflower seeds, but it’s flexible. So use what you have on hand.

Plus, while store-bought granola tends to be very sweet, you can adjust the sweetness to your preference when you make your own granola.

And even if it’s your first time making granola, this is super simple to put together.

Ingredients for Healthy Homemade Granola

Oats: I prefer old fashioned oats for this recipe versus quick oats
Walnuts
Coconut flakes: You can use either sweetened or unsweetened coconut
Sunflower seeds: You can also use pumpkin seeds (use shelled seeds called pepitas)
Cinnamon
Salt
Butter
Maple syrup: Use real maple syrup (vesrus pancake syrup).
Brown sugar
Vanilla extract

You might also like: Double Chocolate Granola Clusters made with cocoa and mini chocolate chips.

A bowl of dry granola ingredients and an image of a small saucepan with the wet ingredients

How to make Homemade Granola

Combine all of the dry ingredients (oats, walnuts, coconut, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and salt) in a large bowl.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Turn to low and add maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir to combine and remove from heat.

Pour wet ingredients over the oat mixture, and mix well until everything is coated.

Spread granola onto the baking sheet (lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat) in an even layer. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time.

Let the granola cool, breaking it up into smaller pieces, before storing it in an airtight container at room temperature. This granola will keep for several weeks.

TIP: If you prefer granola clusters, beat two egg whites and mix into granola before spreading it on the baking sheet.

Eat this granola on its own as a snack, with milk and fresh fruit for breakfast, or sprinkled over yogurt. Enjoy!

A bowl of homemade granola sits on a polka dot napkin

Variations

This easy granola recipe is very flexible. I’m a fan of reducing food waste, so feel free to swap in ingredients you’ve already got. Some ideas:

Use different nuts (such as sliced almonds, chopped pecans, or chopped cashews or pistachios) instead of walnuts, or use a mix
Use pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds
Use 1/4 cup honey instead of 1/4 cup maple syrup
Cut back on the brown sugar and maple syrup by 1 tablespoon each for a less sweet granola