I've been meaning to try making homemade granola for a while now. There's an amazing French bakery here in San Francisco that serves big bowls of Greek yogurt topped with lots of fresh fruit and crunchy golden granola-but I'm afraid I'd go broke if I kept up that habit! After a little research using my trusty cookbook collection, I realized that granola is unbelievably simple to make. And making it at home is better for you, since you can control what you're adding to the mix, and it can certainly save you a buck or two. Plus, it tastes so much better than any granola I've ever bought!
Homemade Granola
- 3 cups rolled oats
-
Granola 1½ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- 1 cup flaked coconut (or ½ cup if shredded)
- ½ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup agave syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In one bowl, mix together the oats, pepitas, almonds, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a larger bowl, mix together the olive oil, agave, and vanilla. Add the oat mixture to the olive oil mixture and stir until oats are thoroughly coated. Spread out the mixture onto a baking sheet (spray first with nonstick spray or use nonstick foil) or parchment paper. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes so the mixture bakes evenly. Remove and let cool. I like to serve my granola on top of Greek yogurt with whatever fruit is in season. And, since I may or may not have a mason jar obsession, I sometimes bring a parfait to work in the morning-if you add the granola to the top, just before leaving the house, it won't go soggy. (By the way, am I the only one finds the word parfait unbelievably cringe-worthy?)
Granola 2
Additional Mix-ins or Variations
The fun thing about granola is there's no one right way to make it. Try any of the ingredients below as add-ins or substitutions, and come up with your own personal favorite homemade granola recipe. Oh, and be sure to tell us how you mixed things up in the comments section!Seeds - ½ cup
- Sunflower seeds
- Pepitas (Pumpkin seeds)
- Flax seeds
- Chia seeds
Granola 3
Nuts - ½ cup
- Pistachios
- Pine Nuts
- Cashews
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Almonds
- Hazelnuts
- Macadamia nuts
Dried Fruit - ½ cup
(to be added once granola has been removed from oven and cooled slightly)- Cranberries
- Apricots
- Raisins
- Cherries
- Prunes
- Peaches
Oil - ½ cup
- Vegetable oil
granola 4
- Olive oil
- Walnut oil
- Coconut oil
- Sunflower oil
Sugar or Syrup - ⅓ cup
- Brown sugar
- Agave syrup
- Maple syrup
- Honey
Spices - ½ tsp or 1 tsp, depending on preference
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Ginger
- Cardamom
- Cloves
Extras - ½ cup
- Cacao Nibs
- Dark Chocolate Chunks
This article was originally published on The Daily Muse. For more yummy treats for your workday, check out:
8 Easy, Cheap, and Delicious Workday Lunches
A Healthy Workday Snack: Spicy Baked Chickpeas
Your Complete Guide to Cooking for One
About the Author: Niki Lowry, Director of Company Relations and Partnerships at The Muse, ensures we feature kickass companies on Company Muse so you can find an awesome job at a company you love. Prior to joining The Muse, she handled all Marketing strategies for the Lowry Group at MSSB. Niki holds a bachelors degree from the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley and resides in San Francisco. When not musing, you can find her wandering around various Farmers Markets.
Photos courtesy of Niki Lowry.
