• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Bread
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
    • Instant Pot & Slow Cooker
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Snacks & Drinks
    • Soup & Chili
    • Sunday Dinners
    • Tips & Tutorials
  • About Us
  • Contact

Borrowed Bites

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    • Inside of a loaf of pumpkin bread sitting on parchment paper with a slice of bread laying down in front of the loaf.
      Moist & Easy Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping
    • Serving spoon full of caramelized pieces of roasted corn.
      Easy Skillet Roasted Corn (Simple Recipe!)
    • Simple French toast layered on a plate.
      How to Make Simple French Toast (Super Easy Recipe!)
    • Pieces of chicken piccata on a white platter sprinkled with capers, parsley, garlic, and fresh lemon slices.
      Simple Chicken Piccata with Artichokes and White Wine
    • A cake remover pulling a slice of lemon cake off the cake stand with forks and lemon slices in the background.
      Easy Lemon Bundt Cake with Glaze (from scratch!)
    • Overhead view of a chocolate bundt cake with Kahlua glaze on a white cake stand with a slice removed.
      Moist Chocolate Kahlua Cake (easy from scratch!)
    • Fruit cake filling in tall glass jars ready to go in between layers of cake.
      Super Easy Fruit Cake Filling - With Only 4 Ingredients!
    • Close up view of chocolate frosting swirled on the top of a cake.
      Rich Chocolate Fudge Frosting (easy!)
    • Slice of chocolate cake being removed from a white platter.
      Incredible Chocolate Coffee Cake (moist & easy!)
    • Slice of clementine cake on white plate with a bite removed on a fork.
      Easy Clementine Cake Recipe (with Step by Step Pictures)
    • Sliced pork tenderloin on a white plate coated in sauce and sprinkled with fresh thyme.
      Easy Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin with Honey Butter Sauce
    • Easy smothered burritos in baking pan.
      Super Easy Smothered Burritos w/ Shredded Beef (Family Favorite!)
    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Published: Jan 19, 2021 by Danielle · This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.

    Healthy Homemade Granola Recipe

    • Facebook
    Jump to Recipe
    Bowls of granola and fresh berries with text overlay.
    Up close granola clusters in a bowl with graphic overlay.

    Bake this Healthy Homemade Granola Recipe with honey and maple syrup for a nutritious breakfast that can be made ahead and eaten on the go. You can customize with add-ins of your choice, plus this baking method is sure to get crunchy granola clusters that everyone will love!

    Cereal bowl filled with crunchy granola clusters and fresh berries.
    This healthy homemade granola recipe is sure to please everyone with its honey and maple syrup sweetened clusters.
    Skip to:
    • 🥇 Why it’s great!
    • 🍯 Ingredients
    • 🥣 Instructions
    • 🥜 Optional add-in ideas
    • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For a crowd
    • 🙋 Questions and Answers
    • 👨🏼‍🍳 Tips & Tricks
    • 📖 Other breakfast recipes
    • 👋🏻 Connect with us!
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    This recipe has been developed and perfected over the last decade. Having a stash of homemade granola in the pantry has been a strategy of mine for easy, on-the-go breakfasts for a long time, but once I discovered the secret to really crunchy clusters it truly became a family favorite.

    🥇 Why it’s great!

    • It is filled with high fiber oats plus nutritious nuts, seeds, and fruit, and without the refined sugars used in commercially available granolas. 
    • With only 15 minutes of hands on time to mix up, it’s the perfect quick and easy make-ahead breakfast or snack option. 
    • The unusual baking method produces crunchy granola clusters perfect for a bowl of cereal or tossing in yogurt.
    Ingredients for healthy homemade granola recipe with honey and maple syrup.
    This homemade granola recipe is easy to make and is filled with feel good ingredients.

    🍯 Ingredients

    Natural sweeteners: This recipe uses honey, maple syrup, and molasses for well-rounded flavor. The molasses is optional, but it adds a depth of flavor and is full of minerals as an added bonus.
    Oil: Any neutral flavored oil will work. I have made this with coconut oil, canola oil, avocado oil, and vegetable oil. They all taste the same with the exception of the coconut oil. It can leave behind a hint of coconut flavor.
    Oats: Old-fashioned rolled oats provide the texture you want for this recipe. If you use quick oats the texture does not turn out the same.
    Dried fruit, nuts, and seeds: This is where you can really get creative. See the options in the add-in section below.
    Cinnamon: The perfect warming spice. Add as much or as little as you prefer.

    Sheet pan with wooden spoon in crunchy granola.
    One of the secrets to crunchy granola is to bake it at a low temperature, and then let it sit in the hot oven until it's room temperature.

    🥣 Instructions

    Now to answer the question of how to make this healthy granola.

    1. Preheat the oven to 250ºF. While it gets hot, warm the honey, maple syrup, molasses, and oil on the stove or in the microwave. 
    2. Get out your largest bowl and mix together the oats, cinnamon, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit of your choice. If the bowl is too small it will be harder to mix, but in a large bowl everything combines easily. 
    3. Pour the warmed liquid over the dry ingredients. Stir until everything is evenly coated. At this point you can let it sit covered for up to 4 hours, or you can bake immediately. 
    4. Grab two cookie sheets with sides. These are my favorite ones from Sam’s Club, but anything like this will do. Line them with parchment paper for easy clean up. If you aren’t lining the pans, then I suggest spraying them with nonstick baking spray. 
    5. Cook for a total of 90 minutes, carefully stirring each every 30 minutes and rotating the pans between oven racks every time you stir. 
    6. Once the 90 minutes is complete, remove the granola from the oven, stir one last time, and pat it down gently. Now, here is the main secret to the crunchiest granola. Put it back in the oven that is still hot, turn the oven off, and leave it in the oven until completely cool. I prefer to bake this after dinner and leave it overnight. 
    7. Once it is completely cool break or crumble with your hands. Store in an airtight container.
    Before and after pictures of crunchy granola.
    When it is finished baking the granola will be a beautiful golden color, but wait until it is room temperature to break it apart.

    🥜 Optional add-in ideas

    • Dried fruit: regular raisins, golden raisins, cranberries, cherries, blueberries, apricots, mango, apples, coconut.
    • Nuts: Walnuts, pecans, cashews, macadamia, peanuts, pistachios. 
    • Seeds: Flax, chia, sesame, pumpkin (pepitas), sunflower.

    👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For a crowd

    My family of 7 can go through a batch of this granola in a week. In order to make the work feel worth it, I always double the recipe. The same will work if you are feeding a crowd. This is a fantastic recipe for baby and bridal showers. There are a couple important changes if you want to double this recipe.

    1. Be sure you have access to three oven racks. If you only have two, it might be better to make two separate batches on different days.
    2. Spread the mixture onto three cookie sheets instead of two and bake for 120 minutes instead of 90. That will help the thicker layer of granola cook all the way through.
    Overhead view of two bowls and sheet pan of homemade crunchy granola.
    Double this recipe if you have room. It will store for several weeks in an airtight container. Perfect for quick and easy breakfasts!

    🙋 Questions and Answers

    How long does homemade granola last?

    Granola that is stored in an airtight container at room temperature should last for several weeks.

    Can I prep ahead?

    Yes. Make the mixture in the afternoon (or no more than 4 hours ahead of when you want to bake), cover the bowl and allow it to sit until after dinner. Spread onto cookie sheets as directed and bake according to the recipe. This is my favorite method because by the time dinner is done I usually don’t want to do much else in the kitchen.

    How to use healthy homemade granola?

    The easiest way is to grab some with your hand and pop it in your mouth. 😋 However, in a bowl with the milk of your choice or in Greek yogurt for a protein kick are two of our favorites.

    👨🏼‍🍳 Tips & Tricks

    • Be sure to mix until everything is evenly moist.
    • The biggest tip is to follow the baking directions as directed. That is the key to crunchy granola clusters!
    Up close view of granola clusters.
    Look at those big, crunchy clusters in the bowl.

    📖 Other breakfast recipes

    For an amazing weekend breakfast, try these recipes! It will change an ordinary weekend into an extraordinary one.

    • Start with this easy Oven-Baked Bacon.
    • Apple Pie Dessert Biscuits will change your world! Tender biscuits covered in cinnamon sugar and baked in a perfectly spiced apple pie filling. Oh my!

    👋🏻 Connect with us!

    If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating to let us know how it is! We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag @borrowedbites or hashtag #borrowedbites to show us your food!

    📋 Recipe

    White bowl filled with granola and a mix of fresh berries.

    Healthy Homemade Granola Recipe

    Bake this Healthy Homemade Granola Recipe with honey and maple syrup instead of refined sugars for a nutritious breakfast that can be made ahead and eaten on the go. You can customize with add-ins of your choice, plus using this baking method is sure to get crunchy granola clusters that everyone will love!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Save Saved! Rate
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Cooling: 4 hours hours
    Total Time: 5 hours hours 45 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 cups
    Calories: 214kcal
    Author: Borrowed Bites

    Ingredients

    • ¾ cup honey
    • ¾ cup maple syrup
    • 2 tablespoon molasses optional
    • ¾ cup neutral oil canola, vegetable, coconut, sunflower, avocado, etc.
    • 8 cups rolled oats
    • 1 cup shredded coconut
    • ¼ cup ground flax seed
    • 2 cups chopped nuts and seeds any combination
    • 2 tablespoon cinnamon plus an extra tablespoon if desired
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 250°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or spray heavily with baking spray.
    • On the stove or in the microwave warm the honey, maple syrup, molasses, and oil.
    • In a large bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients. Add in liquid mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated.
    • Spread mixture onto cookie sheets. Cook for a total of 90 minutes, stirring and rotating the pans between oven racks every 30 minutes. After cooking for 90 minutes, stir one final time, then gently press and smooth over the top of the granola. Place the granola back in the oven, turn it off, and close the door. Allow the granola to cool in the oven until room temperature, at least 4 hours or overnight.
    • Once cool, break up with hands and place in an airtight container.

    Notes

    Tips & Tricks 
    • The biggest tip is to follow the baking directions as directed. That is the key to crunchy granola clusters. 
    • Be sure to mix until everything is evenly moist.
     
    Optional Add-ins
    • Dried fruit: regular raisins, golden raisins, cranberries, cherries, blueberries, apricots, mango, apples, coconut
    • Nuts: Walnuts, pecans, cashews, macadamia, peanuts, pistachio. 
    • Seeds: Flax, chia, sesame, pumpkin (pepitas), sunflower.

    Add Your Own Notes

    Click here to add your own private notes. They will only be visible to you. If you clear your browser's cache, they will be lost.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 5tablespoon | Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 148mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

    All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.

    Tried this recipe?Leave a rating or pin it for later!

    More Breakfast Recipes

    • Loaf of banana but bread on cutting board sliced and leaning.
      Amazing Banana Nut Bread (Easy & Moist)
    • Slices of lemon loaf cake leaning on each other with lemon slices and mint in the background.
      MOIST Lemon Loaf
    • Apple scones on parchment paper with glaze drizzles and apple slices in background.
      Moist Apple Scones with Maple Glaze
    • Lemon cream scone with lemon icing dripping around it and fresh lemon wedges in background.
      Soft Lemon Scones (w/ lemon glaze!)
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    No Comments

    Leave a comment! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Bowls of granola and fresh berries with text overlay.
    Up close granola clusters in a bowl with graphic overlay.
    circle profile picture of Danielle and Misty

    Hi! We are Danielle and Misty: a mom and daughter with a serious passion for seeking out the best recipes to serve again and again to those we love. With a mix of everyday favorites and indulgent weekend fare there is something here for you and yours as you develop your own family traditions.

    More about us →

    Most Loved Recipes

    • Staggered slices of moist orange loaf cake with glaze dripping off sides.
      MOIST Orange Loaf Cake
    • Potato Soup in a bowl with optional bacon, cheddar cheese, and green onion toppings.
      Amazing Potato Soup Recipe (Easy + 4 Ingredients!)
    • Tender pot roast and gravy on a white plate with potatoes and green beans.
      Crock Pot Chuck Roast (SO tender & easy!)
    • Serving spoon full of caramelized pieces of roasted corn.
      Easy Skillet Roasted Corn (Simple Recipe!)
    • Rows of Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars with strawberry topping and white chocolate.
      The BEST Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars (Snack Bars)
    • Big drip of hot honey sauce on a honey dipper.
      ADDICTIVE Hot Honey Sauce (just 2 min!)
    • Slow Cooker Tri-Tip Roast on white platter with potatoes in background.
      4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Tri-Tip Roast
    • Overhead bowl of Greek yogurt dip surrounded by fresh vegetables.
      What to Eat with Tzatziki (20 Ideas!)

    Game Day Recipes

    • Hasselback potatoes on white platter with fresh herbs sprinkled on top.
      Crispy Hasselback Potatoes (w/ Yukon Gold Potatoes)
    • Pepperoni on pan pizza.
      50 Sides to Serve with Pizza (Appetizers, Sides, and Desserts)
    • Upclose mango habanero salsa with cilantro and lime juice.
      Fresh Mango Habanero Salsa (Only 6 Ingredients!)
    • Tri tip steak sandwich on brown cutting board with onions, lettuce, and cheese sticking out of sandwich.
      Juicy Tri Tip Sandwich
    • Clear glass jar of yellow lemonade concentrate with yellow straws in background.
      Easy Lemonade Concentrate (homemade!)
    • Close up of honey lemon pepper wing with parsley sprinkled on top.
      CRISPY Honey Lemon Pepper Wings (Baked)
    • Spicy chicken sandwich with hot honey on white plate with blue towel in front.
      ADDICTIVE Spicy Chicken Sandwiches (w/ Hot Honey)
    • Jar of grilled taco marinade with oranges, limes, and cilantro on the counter
      The Ultimate Mexican Marinade for Chicken (or Skirt Steak)

    Trending on Pinterest

    • Tender pot roast and gravy on a white plate with potatoes and green beans.
      Crock Pot Chuck Roast (SO tender & easy!)
    • Rows of Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars with strawberry topping and white chocolate.
      The BEST Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars (Snack Bars)
    • Overhead view of honey mustard chicken breasts, green beans, and potatoes cooked on a sheet pan.
      Honey Mustard Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables
    • Bowl of mashed potatoes with butter on top.
      PERFECT Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
    • Peanut butter drizzled on cookie.
      Ultimate Crumbl Peanut Butter Cookie Copycat
    • Piece of Cheesecake Factory Crusted Chicken Romano on a plate with graphic overlay.
      Crusted Chicken Romano (Cheesecake Factory Copycat!)

    Footer

    Bowls of granola and fresh berries with text overlay.
    Up close granola clusters in a bowl with graphic overlay.

    ↑ back to top

    Social Media

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    About

    • Contact
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy

    Copyright © Borrowed Bites 2021