Do you love the crunch of granola, but not the cost? Here’s a recipe to try at home
By Katrina Caruso
If you’re looking for a healthy snack that packs a powerful crunch, why not try making your own granola? Homemade granola tastes better and is much less expensive than store-bought, and you can personalize it to your palate. Bonus: it’s really quick and easy to make at home.
You’ll need a mixture of rolled oats as a base, a sweetener to bind everything together, a bit of salt for taste, an oil for crisping the oats, and add-ons to make it to your liking, such as dried fruit, nuts, and seeds (chocolate works, too!).
Prep: 15 min.
Cooking: 20–25 min.
Makes 5 cups (1.25 L)
Ingredients
½ c (125 mL) oil (coconut oil or another neutral oil such as olive oil or grapeseed oil)
½ c (125 mL) sweetener (honey, maple syrup, or other sweetener of choice)
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
3 c (750 mL) rolled oats (old-fashioned style)
1 c (250 mL) chopped nuts and/or seeds (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds are good options)*
1 c (250 mL) chopped dried fruit of choice (coconut flakes, raisins, cranberries, and apricots are delicious)*
Spices to taste (cinnamon and nutmeg are recommended)
*The ideal ratio is 3 cups of rolled oats to 2 cups mix-ins.
Directions
– Preheat oven to 300ºF (150ºC).
– In a small bowl, mix oil, sweetener, and salt together. Set aside.
– In a medium bowl, mix oats and add-in ingredients (nuts, seeds, and fruit) together.
– Coat the dry mix with the liquid mixture. Stir well, until oats are fully covered.
– Using a spatula, spread the granola evenly on a baking sheet (you can place it straight on a lightly greased sheet or use parchment paper).
– Bake at 300ºF (150ºC) for 20–25 minutes, stopping at the 12-minute mark to toss the granola.
– Let cool. Store in airtight container.
Note: depending on the ingredients and your preferred level of stickiness or dryness, granola can cook for up to 45 minutes at low heat; for stickier, clumpier granola, remove from the oven after 25 minutes and let fully cool before removing from the tray to store it. You’ll know it’s ready when it smells toasty and doesn’t look too dried out.
Homemade granola can keep at room temperature for 3 weeks to a month, or you can also put it in the fridge to extend the shelf life.
Photo: iStock/sculder19.
