Get the Recipe: Homemade Maple Granola
An easy and delicious granola, made with maple syrup. And of course, you can change up the add-ins to suit your taste.
Ingredients
- 4 cups large-flake, old fashioned oats
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, raw, unsalted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil, or other neutral tasting oil
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup, (you could substitute honey)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 ° F. (regular bake setting/not fan assisted)
- Combine the oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Stir well to combine, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar.
- In a glass measuring cup, combine the oil and the maple syrup. Microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Remove. Add vanilla and stir well.
- Pour oil/maple syrup mixture over the oats mixture. Using two spoons, stir and toss the mixture until all of the oats are coated with the syrup.
- Place granola directly onto a baking sheet and place in the oven. Set the timer for 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes, remove the granola and stir, moving the granola around the outside edges into the middle and the middle out towards the edges. Set the timer for another 10 minutes. After the second 10 minutes, sprinkle with the coconut and then stir well again. Return to oven and set the timer for one last 10 minute bake. (30 minutes total, stirred twice at 10 minutes and 20 minutes). At the end of the last 10 minutes (30 minutes in the oven), remove the granola from the oven. Stir just a bit then sprinkle with the cranberries and raisins and leave undisturbed until it is completely cooled. Once cooled, stir the granola. Store at room temperature in an air-tight container. Will keep for several weeks (although it may not last that long).
Notes
Tips!
You need to cook the granola until it is well-toasted. Toasted oats have the most flavour. You also need to stir the granola regularly as it cooks, to ensure it toasts evenly. Without stirring, it may overcook around the edges. As such, when you are "stirring", focus on moving the granola closest to the edges into the centre and the granola in the centre towards the edges.
You don't need to use parchment paper for cooking granola. It is surprisingly neat. I find cooking directly on the baking sheet both easier and it produces the best results.
There is a proper time to add different items to the mix when cooking granola. You don't want to cook any fruits, so save them to stir in at the end, once the granola is out of the oven. Add coconut and walnuts/pecans near the end of the cooking time to avoid burning or bitterness. Almonds can be added from the start.
Want clumps? I find that honey tends to produce better clumps than maple syrup, but you can get clumps with either. The trick is simply not to stir the granola. That said, you need to be sure that it cooks in an evenly thick layer, without thinner bits around the edges, which may overcook. Add the other ingredients as usual, but just place them on top, then let the whole thing cool on the pan before breaking into clumps.
Be sure to read the notes above this recipe card for more tips and substitution suggestions that you might find helpful.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 151kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 29mg, Potassium: 127mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 0.9mg
Tried this recipe?If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment. It helps others to find it!
