January 15, 2021

Homemade Granola

There are some things that everyone should make at least once. Granola is one of them. It’s easy. It’s endlessly customizable. And granola in the oven makes your home smell amazing.

There’s not much too it. Pick your favorite nut. Mix it all together.

When it’s all done, add your favorite dried fruit to the mix. Think raisins, cranberries, chopped apricot, candied ginger, or chocolate chips.

Chocolate chips are fruit, right?

How to make granola cluster

Here are three tips to make your granola cluster:
1) Use egg whites

Egg whites make the granola clump. The number I add depends on whether I’m separating eggs specifically or if mr. uglyducklingbakery has recently made ice cream. When leftover egg whites don’t go towards my macaron practice, I make granola.

2) Pack the granola well, and flip it gently later in the baking time

I make sure pack the granola well onto the baking sheet, leaving a space around the edge to make flipping sections easier. You’ll want to gently flip the granola, not stir it, about two-thirds into the baking time. This will let your clusters have a chance to set before you disturb them.

a sheet pan with unbaked pumpkin seed granola

3) Use a lower baking temperature for a longer amount of time

This helps you get oatmeal clusters with less risk of burning.

a sheet pan with baked pumpkin seed granola

FAQs about this granola recipe

Is granola healthy?

Granola is one of those things that I consider to be healthy when eaten in small amounts. There are many worse things that you could eat.

What to do with granola

Use it on top of your yogurt for a parfait or with your breakfast smoothie. Bake fruit like apples or peaches and top it with granola. Or just eat it plain as a snack.

Can I make nut-free granola?

Absolutely. The beauty of granola is that you can make it any way you like. In place of the nuts, add in the raw pumpkin seeds or other seeds.

Does granola go bad?

Granola getting stale or rancid is probably the bigger risk than having granola go “bad”. But homemade granola is at risk if there’s still some moisture in it after it’s cooked or if it’s very humid.

How long does homemade granola last?

Granola can be stored for weeks in a cool and dry place in a plastic bag or other sealable container. I store mine without the add-ins just to be flexible.

a parfait glass filled with homemade granola, yogurt, and chopped dried apricots

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Granola

Author uglyducklingbakery

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant)
1 cup your favorite chopped nuts e.g. pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts
1 cup unsweetened coconut
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1-3 egg whites

Some additional options (none, one, or all)

1 cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup wheat germ

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250F
Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl, then spread and pat into a cohesive layer on a lined baking sheet.
3 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant), 1 cup your favorite chopped nuts, 1 cup unsweetened coconut, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1-3 egg whites
Bake for a total of 1hr and 15min until toasted and not-quite dry. If you don't care about getting clumps, you can stir once or twice during the baking time. If you want large clumps of granola, gingerly flip sections with a spatula after about 45 min of baking, being careful not to throw granola all over your oven and your kitchen floor.

Notes

The egg whites help with clumping. For more and larger granola clusters, add the larger number of egg whites.

See below for variations, including:
peanut butter granola
pumpkin seed granola with pumpkin pie spices

Other granola flavors

Peanut butter granola (6/14/2021): add 1/4 cup dried peanut butter powder to the mixture and omit the cinnamon and maple syrup.

Pumpkin seed granola with pumpkin pie spices (10/19/2021): Omit the coconut. Instead of the small amount of cinnamon in this recipe, combine the pumpkin pie spice mixture from my pumpkin pie-spiced chickpeas in a small bowl before adding it to the other ingredients. Use 1 cup of raw pumpkin seeds.