My search for super nutritious granola led to this, my favorite healthy granola recipe. Packed with nutritious grains, nuts and seeds, sweetened with pure maple syrup, and baked with unrefined coconut oil so it cooks up golden and crispy crunchy.
There's a saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. On the days that I eat a healthy breakfast, I can feel how true that is. In addition to feeling satisfied and energized, it also sets the tone for a productive day.
I developed this granola recipe with the goal of maximizing healthy ingredients. And it had to taste great! I’m so happy with the result. It’s the best granola in every way, as far as I'm concerned: packed with heart-healthy oats, nuts and seeds, not too sweet, but just sweet enough, and great crunch factor.
How To Make This Healthy Granola
This recipe takes about ten minutes of hands on time. In less than an hour your homemade granola will be ready to enjoy.
- Mix the dry ingredients In a large mixing bowl combine oats, nuts, oat bran, seeds, cinnamon, and salt.
- Heat The Wet Ingredients: In a saucepan heat the coconut oil, maple syrup and sugar (if using), until the coconut oil is liquified and the sugar is melted.
- Bake: Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, and toss to combine. Spread the mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet. Cook in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Toss with a spatula and cook 15-20 minutes longer, until golden.
Homemade granola will keep in an airtight container for two weeks.
Here's what makes this granola so nutritious:
- Old Fashioned Oats and Oat Bran: Oats are the foundation of this granola. Old fashioned rolled oats hold their shape when baked and they have a slightly chewy, slightly crunchy texture that's ideal for granola. Oat bran has an even higher concentration of fiber than whole oats. Both oat and oat bran are rich in beta-glucan, a soluble fiber, which has been show to lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol.
- Nuts: There's a cup and a half of nuts in this granola. Nuts are extra delicious when they're toasted in the oven. They add a lot of great flavor and crunch to this granola and they're super healthy, packed with fiber, protein, vitamins, monounsaturated (good) fats, and minerals. Protein helps you feel full and satisfied for longer.
- Super Seeds: Three kinds of vitamin and mineral-rich seeds in this healthy granola: sunflower seeds, flaxseed, and pumpkin seeds. Feel free to substitute your favorite seeds or whatever you have in your pantry.
- Cinnamon, salt and Maple Syrup: A little salt goes a long way to brighten up the flavors in this granola. I always put cinnamon in my granola. I love the rich warm taste of cinnamon and how well it complements the nutty flavors. Maple syrup is my favorite natural sweetener but honey would work really well too, if you prefer it, or if that's what you have on hand.
- Coconut Oil: I love using unrefined coconut oil for granola. The granola develops a rich golden brown color and crispness. Plus it has a delicious hint of coconut flavor.
Granola add-ins: How do you eat granola? I love mine with yogurt. Eddie has his with almond milk. We sometimes add dried or fresh fruit - whatever we have in house. I especially love it with fresh blueberries or apple juice infused dried cranberries or cherries. Here are some other delicious add-ins that come to mind: toasted coconut, chocolate chips, raisins, dried apricots, sliced bananas, wheat germ, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup...
It's easy to make homemade granola, and I've never found a store bought granola that can compete with homemade.
If you love granola, here are a few more recipes to try:
I store my homemade granola in an airtight container on the kitchen counter. It keeps fresh for two weeks, though it rarely lasts that long.
Here's my favorite healthy granola recipe. If you make this, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think.
PrintMy Favorite Healthy Granola Recipe
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 7 cups/14 servings 1x
Description
This delicious healthy granola recipe is made with oats, nuts and seeds. It's naturally sweetened with maple syrup and flavored with cinnamon. Add milk, yogurt or your favorite fresh or dried fruits for a delicious, crunchy, highly nutritious breakfast.
Ingredients
For The Dry Ingredients:
- 3 ½ cups organic old fashioned rolled oats (not instant or quick cooking)
- 1 ½ cups roughly chopped nuts (pecans, almonds and/or walnuts)
- ½ cup oat bran
- ½ cup coarsely ground toasted flaxseeds
- 2 tablespoons whole toasted flaxseed (optional)
- ⅓ cup raw unsalted shelled pumpkin seeds
- ⅓ cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
For The Wet Ingredients:
- ½ cup unrefined coconut oil
- ½ cup real maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, optional (or substitute brown sugar)
Equipment:
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine oats, nuts, oat bran, seeds, cinnamon, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
- In a small saucepan heat coconut oil, maple syrup and sugar (if using), until the coconut oil is liquified and the sugar is melted. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and toss to combine.
- Spread granola mixture evenly onto prepared baking sheet. Cook for 20 minutes. Toss with a spatula and cook 15-20 minutes longer, until golden.
- Remove from oven. Toss once more and leave out to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Notes
Buying and Toasting Flaxseed: You can find toasted ground flaxseeds at Trader Joes or online. Or you can toast raw flaxseeds for a few minutes in a dry hot skillet and then grind them in a coffee grinder, blender or with a mortar and pestle.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
kathy b
Excellent recipe and very easy to make. I used 1 cup of bran buds and 3 cups of oatmeal. Did not add sugar because it was sweet enough for me with the maple syrup. I will be making it again.
SmarteCookie
I’m allergic to coconut; what substitutions do you suggest for coconut oil? Thanks.
Lisa
You can use Canola Oil - I suggest using 1/3 of a cup of canola in place of the 1/2 cup of coconut oil. I hope you enjoy the granola!
Kristi
I absolutely love this granola recipe! I haven’t been making it for the past year and always keep some on hand. As soon as I see my reserve dwindling down, I’ll make another batch. I love it in my yogurt and my husband eats it on his cereal and oatmeal. I see the nutrition information but can you provide the serving size? Thanks!
clare sieberg
I really like this recipe for lasagna! I always make my own because I like to control the amount of sugar in it (and what type of sweetner) and this turned out really well. I like how this one doesn't have any dried fruit--my family is not a fan.
Cynda
I love this recipe it’s fabulous any idea on the calorie count per serving
Lisa
Hi Cynda, I'm so glad you love the granola. I just added the nutritional info. You'll find it below the recipe. I hope this helps!
Kati
This granola is a staple for my yogurt! It’s crunchy with just the right hint of sweetness. This was truly my most treasured find in my quest to add healthy nuts and seeds to my diet!
Lisa
Hi Kati, I am so glad to hear that you share my love for this granola!
Karate Goju Ryu Kata Gekisai Dai Ichi
yes this is very testy recipe.i also like it.thank you for this post
Rachel
We just made this and everyone, including our toddler, can't get enough!
Lisa
Hi Rachel. I'm so glad you tried this recipe and that you're all enjoying it. Eddie and I have it every morning for breakfast. When I developed it I was going for maximum healthy. I'm so glad it also turned out to be super tasty.
Hill
Love the granola recipe. We put amaranth in ours, thanks to the amaranth toasting experiment concocted by your husband Eddie!
Lisa
I love your granola with amaranth, Hill. I just finished the jar you and Lisa gave us. Yum!