Ever wonder how to make granola? It’s super simple, and really quick to make. It’s also totally possible to make gluten free! You can make any type of flavor you’d like, or stick to this honey nut blend for a sweet and crunchy snack on the go!
How To Make Granola
Here’s the thing about granola. It’s really, really easy to make, but costs about $1,000,000 if you buy it from the store. Especially the gluten free variety. But if you’re a granola lover like me, once you learn how to make granola, you’ll never go back to the store brands again! I made about 3/4 of a gallon-sized ziplock bag of granola from this recipe, which is plenty!
If you want to learn how to make granola, there’s basically four key elements you need to think about.
- Add some crunch. What are you using to give your granola a bit of crunch, or chewy texture? You can add something like nuts, seeds, or even gluten free pretzel pieces.
- Make it sweeter. Or spicier. Whatever floats your boat. Sriracha granola, anyone? I like to throw in things like dried fruit, shredded coconut, or – depending how stressful my week has been – chocolate chips (only after cooling). You can also add some sweetness by including honey, maple syrup, or your favorite sweetener.
- Bulk it up. You need to add some bulk to your granola, and bonus points if it has fiber like oats. Just make sure they’re certified gluten free. If oats don’t agree with you, you can go a little less traditional and use something like quinoa flakes.
- Keep your dry to wet ingredient ratio. 6 dry to 1 wet. That’s it. Think about it this way, you only need enough wet ingredients to sweeten and toast your dry ingredients. If it’s soupy, you’ve gone too far.
After you get your blend together, it’s smooth sailing from there.
- Mix it all together. I stir together all of my dry ingredients first, then drizzle in the wet ingredients. You need to add a little bit of oil at this step, too, to help everything toast evenly.
- Get out your baking dish. Or sheet pan. Honestly, the sheet pan will toast the granola faster and more evenly. But if you only have a baking dish available, that will work just fine. Put some parchment paper down on the bottom so it doesn’t stick.
- Bake, bake, bake. Just put your granola in the oven for about 10 minutes. Give it a good stir, then toast for another 10 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when it looks golden brown and a little crispy. If you’re using a baking dish instead of the sheet pan (like I did… because, well, it was still in the dishwasher), you might need to stir a third time and cook another 10 minutes
Now that you know how to make granola, do you know where to eat it?
Ok, this one might sound silly. But I honestly had to think about this the first time I made a large batch homemade granola. So I have some simple suggestions for you.
- Top your ice cream.
- Make a layered yogurt parfait with berries.
- On top of bananas with a little bit of chocolate syrup.
- By the handful.
I think that about covers everything.
Ever wonder how to make granola? It's super simple, and really quick to make. It's also totally possible to make gluten free! You can make any type of flavor you'd like, or stick to this honey nut blend for a sweet and crunchy snack on the go!
- 4 cups certified gluten free rolled oats
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients (oats, nuts, coconut, flax seed, cinnamon).
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In a small bowl whisk together oil, vanilla, and honey. Pour over dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
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Spread granola onto baking sheet evenly. Bake for 10 minutes, then stir and bake an additional 10 minutes. Granola is done when it is golden brown and crispy.
If you use a baking dish instead of a baking sheet, you might have to stir the oats once more and bake an additional 10 minutes.
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