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2009Homemade Granola
This recipe was inspired by the homemade granola served The Inn at Occidental in Sonoma County, CA. My friend, Erica, stayed there years ago and loved the granola so much, she brought home the recipe and shared it with me. It’s delicious and easy to make, but I should probably warn you — once you try it, you’ll turn your nose up at the boxed stuff. You’ll become a granola snob.
Homemade granola doesn’t just taste great; it packs a hefty nutritional punch. It’s chock-full of protein-rich nuts and seeds and this version even has wheat germ, a concentrated source of several essential nutrients and fiber. Add to that crispy clusters of old-fashioned oats, dried fruits, toasted coconut and golden honey and you’ve got a delicious power food.
Feel free to play with the ingredients… you can substitute any nuts, seeds or dried fruits that you like. Enjoy!
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Homemade Granola
Inspired by The Inn at Occidental
Printable Recipe
Makes about 9-10 cups
Ingredients
2 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup sliced unsalted almonds
½ cup coarsely chopped unsalted pecans
½ cup coarsely chopped unsalted walnuts
½ cup unsalted sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
½ cup toasted wheat germ (available at organic markets, such as Whole Foods)
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil, safflower or canola oil
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
1 cup dried fruits (such as cranberries, raisins, cherries, chopped apricots, currants, etc.)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 13 x 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.
2. Combine oats, almonds, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, wheat germ, coconut, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and mix.
3. In a small bowl, whisk honey and oil together until combined. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread mixture evenly onto prepared baking sheet and bake for about 25 – 30 minutes, stirring and re-spreading a few times with a spatula, until entire mixture is medium golden brown. Watch carefully towards the end…it burns quickly (and will brown first in the corners and on the bottom).
4. Transfer the granola to another baking sheet or heatproof surface to stop the cooking process (simply lift the granola off the baking sheet using the aluminum foil overhang). Toss granola with a spatula and mix in dried fruits. Spread and press into an even layer, then let cool to room temperature. Break into clusters and store in an airtight container (I like it best cold so I keep it in the fridge).
Wendy
This recipe looks fabulous! My family loves Vanilla-Flavored Granola (Bare Naked is what we currently buy). If I wanted to give this a vanilla flavor, would I simply just add vanilla before baking and if so, how much do you recommend? Thanks!
the domestic mama
ooo… what a great gift! Looks yummy!
Jenn
Wendy – A teaspoon of vanilla added to the honey and oil mixture should do the trick. Enjoy!
Tashu
I really enjoyed this granola recipe. Thanks. What can I do to make it more “clumpy?”
Jenn
Tashu – the key to keeping it clumpy is to mix in the dried fruits while it’s still warm, then press it into an even layer to cool completely. Once it’s cool, break off big chunks. The less you handle it, the better.
Carol Herndon
This is FABULOUS!! I love eating something that tastes so good and is actually good for me! This will be a staple in my frig from now on!
Carol Herndon
I’m having trouble with it sticking to the pan toward the end. Am I supposed to spray the foil with non-stick spray?
Elaina
This granola has got to be the best granola I have ever had. I am hooked!!! Love it! Thanks for sharing it with the world!
Roni
This is just YUMMY! We finished it so quickly
GJ
This looks great. I love how versatile granola can be!
Becky
Awesome recipe! The sesame seeds add a wonderful flavor. I made mine with dried cherries, yummy!
Adrienne
Looks so good! I love homemade granola. This looks super similar to the one I make, except yours has more good stuff in it. Here’s mine link to abigmouthful.com Going to add sunflower seeds next time!
Martha
This is a fabulous granoa recipe. I have shared it with so many. I let it cook a little longer so that it is very brown. Great recipe!
kelly almasy
I have my own tried and true Maple Walnut Granola recipe, but I’m gonna try this one too. I’ll let you know which one i like the best!
Kelly
I don’t think I will be able to go back to store bought granola ever again! This is to die for!!!
Andee
This is so much better than the granola I get at the store. I add Corn Flakes to mine to change up the texture and I omit the coconut. (Never have been a coconut fan!)
Bob Smith
This is YUMMY. A real treat. I divide it into the snack size ziploc bags. Just the right amount for a snack or milk. A great way to control portion size. Weigh the first couple of bags until you get the visual, then fill away. Great for lunches or afternoon snacks.
jacquie
this looks wonderful – can not wait to try it.
Donna
I am always on the look out for a good granola recipe. Can’t wait to try this.
Kristen
This looks easy and tasty! Thanks!
Liesel
Made this granola this morning and after it cooled, placed it in a bowl on the counter. My kids and husband have been nibbling on it all afternoon. The combination of nuts and dried fruits (used cherries, raisins and cranberries) is tasty. I did have a slight problem with sticking to the foil, and the granola is more chewy than we are used to, but that is probably due to the extreme heat and humidity we have here today.
Carmen
Love!! Recipes I’ve used in the past have called for a little brown sugar.
Magi
Another great recipe that I will be trying very soon!
thanks for sharing!
Molly
I made this with slight changes to get the sugar carbs down a bit – used unsweetened coconut, bumped the nuts up to 3/4 c and left out the dried fruit. It is still fantastically good! I also turned the oven off at 20 minutes and let it sit in there for another 15 so I didn’t have to worry about burning it. Perfect golden brown.
Scott Heath
This is my first shot at making my own granola. i am hooked to cranberry granola from a local market, but cant keep it as a staple in my house at $5Lb. I think this is the recipie they use. I just copied the ingrediant list and up popped this recipie! thanks for all the cooking tips!
Scott Heath
Add an bit of brown sugar (1/8 Cup) to make it have a sweet accent. Ahh.. PERFECTION!
Pam
Jenn, this was delcious! Thanks for another fabulous recipe!
Bonnie
I made this but changed a few things.
I used coconut oil for the canola so left out the coconut since I didn’t have any and traded aguave, molasses and maple syrup combo for the honey.
This is a great recipe and can be changed according to what you have on hand or the taste of the day.
Thank you!
Rebecca
Yes, we have turned into granola snobs now!
My family likes this the best over Greek yogurt drizzled with a little honey.
Karen
I’ve made this several times and I LOVE it! Actually I can’t stay away from it. But, so much of it sticks to the pan and I hate to waste all that great granola. The last time I sprayed the foil and that helped a bit but didn’t solve the problem. Any more advice?
Jenn
Hi Karen, I have noticed that some brands of foil (typically not the standard brands) stick to everything. Have you tried Reynolds Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil? Heacy duty is important for this recipe, as it’s usually nonstick. If you can’t find it (or have already tried it), try parchment paper…should work great.
Kathy
Made this today and it was wonderful,thank you for the recipe.