Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Once you try this easy granola recipe with pecans and cranberries, you won’t be buying granola from the store again. Homemade granola is easy to make, more economical, and tastes so much better than store-bought!
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large rimmed baking sheet, mixing bowl
Servings: 12
“I just made this granola exactly as posted. I love it!”
The Best easy granola Recipe
An easy to use recipe. I wrote this recipe to use one measuring cup (1 cup) and one measuring spoon (1 tablespoon). That means fewer dishes to wash. We’re going for easy here! The recipe does call for ¼ teaspoon salt but you can just shake a little salt into your palm and eyeball that. The nut measurements are half cups but you can eyeball those too. Making granola is not an exact science at all; this is a very forgiving recipe.
Lots of cinnamon. This easy granola recipe is heavy on the cinnamon (the recipe calls for one tablespoon, and I’ll admit, sometimes I add even more), but if that sounds a little overwhelming to you, feel free to scale back a bit, or even omit it.
Make it how you like it. This granola recipe is easy to adapt to your own preferences or simply to change things up once in awhile. You can add whatever you have on hand. Don’t have dried cranberries? Substitute dried cherries, dried blueberries, or whatever dried fruit you love best, or leave it out completely. Don’t have pecans? That’s okay! Just bump up the amount of walnuts or almonds, or leave the nuts out, if you prefer, and add another cup or two of oats.
Flaked Coconut
Rather than shredded coconut which can tend to be a bit stringy, consider using flaked coconut. The large-sized flakes are so much more flavorful than shredded coconut and really crisp up in this easy granola recipe as they toast.
Let the granola cool to room temperature. If the granola is even a little bit warm when you put it into a container, condensation will form and your granola will become soft and may even get moldy.
Put it into an airtight container. I like to store granola in a recycled jar because it’s so pretty! It will keep at room temperature for up to 4 weeks.
Freeze any extra. For longer storage, put the granola into a freezer-safe container or bag. It will keep for a few months.
More Breakfast Recipes
Easy Granola Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup raw shelled sunflower seeds
- ½ cup chopped raw walnuts (see note)
- ½ cup chopped raw pecans
- ½ cup sliced raw almonds
- 1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, optional
- 2 tablespoons wheat germ, optional
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (amount can be adjusted to your preference)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons canola or coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Spray a sheet pan (rimmed baking sheet) with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pecans, almonds, coconut, flaxseed, wheat germ, ground cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine.3 cups rolled oats, ½ cup raw shelled sunflower seeds, ½ cup chopped raw walnuts, ½ cup chopped raw pecans, ½ cup sliced raw almonds, 1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, optional, 2 tablespoons wheat germ, optional, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a 2 cup microwave-safe measuring cup (or small bowl), mix oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Heat in microwave for 45 seconds on 50% power. Stir to combine. If using coconut oil, continue to heat in 30 second increments until coconut oil is completely melted. Pour over dry ingredients and stir until everything is coated. Spread into an even layer on prepared baking sheet.3 tablespoons canola or coconut oil, 3 tablespoons honey, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, and continue to bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and completely dry.
- Completely cool the granola. If you like big chunks, immediately after removing the granola from the oven, press it down with a spatula and let it cool completely on the pan. If you prefer not to have large chunks, stir 3 to 4 times as granola cools. Once the granola is completely cool, stir in the dried cranberries.1 cup dried cranberries
Notes
- Nuts & seeds: You can use any combination of nuts and seeds; you don’t have to use all four (sunflower seeds, walnuts, pecans, almonds). It’s best if the nuts and seeds are raw, not roasted. If you prefer a nut-free granola, simply use more oats. Just don’t exceed 6 cups of dry ingredients.
- Baking tip: Don’t underbake the granola. It should look pretty dry and crisp, not wet and sticky.
- Storage: Once the granola is completely cooled, store it in an airtight container or large jar at room temperature. Granola will keep for up to 4 weeks, or it can be frozen for up to 3 months. Makes about 6 cups
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
I just made this granola exactly as posted. I love it! I have yogurt most mornings, and this will be perfect on it. Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe!
Thanks for the review, Becky!
Super easy & delicious granola! Based on ingredients I had I subbed cashews for walnuts, hemp hearts for wheat germ, and added about 2 Tbsp puffed quinoa & 1 Tbsp chia seeds. I ended up baking it about 10 min longer to make sure it was cooked. Once I let it cool down it fully crisped up. So great! Thank you for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
I’ve made this recipe many times now and love it! So much better than store bought–the fresh taste of homemade can’t be beat. And the recipe can be tweaked so easily to reflect your own likes and dislikes.
Rachel, It looks fantastic and simple. Going to try this weekend! I like making large batches of everything so we always have it on hand and clean up less often… how long will it keep? Will it go stale or mold over a few months? We can always seal it in jars or vacuum bags I guess?
Thanks, Gina
You’ll definitely want to keep this in a covered container. I’d say it would store for a month or so, maybe more. If you want to extend it and keep the pecans from becoming rancid, you could store it in the fridge. Enjoy!
I just made a double batch of this granola. Scrumptious!!! We use it on yogurt with fruit. I keep a jar of it at work to keep me from going to the vending machine when I want something sweet or crunchy. Thank you for the recipe! I made it exactly as listed except for the wheat germ because we didn’t have any on hand. Thanks!
Comments like yours make me SO happy! I’m so glad you liked the recipe and that it’s crushing those midday cravings! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Ummmm……when do I add the cranberries?
Sorry about that omission! You stir them in after it’s cooled.
looks so good