The Best Healthy Recipe for Granola (Gluten Free!) (2024)

This homemade granola recipe is a staple in our house. It’s perfect with milk and fresh fruit, on top of yogurt, or a smoothie bowl. It’s simple, easy and better than store-bought granola.

One of my favorite breakfasts or afternoon snacks is a small bowl of granola with fresh berries and almond milk, or make simple yogurt parfaits. They always hit the spot and the Greek yogurt and granola is great if you’re trying to get in some extra protein.

This amazing granola recipe is also a great dairy-free option and a gluten-free option for easy office snacks or after school snacks.

We go through a fair amount of granola in our house and it can get expensive! So, I decided to learn how to make my own. What I ended up with was a homemade version that was even better than the store-bought version. The best part is that you control the sugar—one ingredient that can be really high in granola without realizing it.

The best thing about this recipe is that you can tweak it to fit your own personal likings. Want more nuts? Add them! A different nut? Want to add sunflower seeds? Go for it! Dried fruit mixed in? Do your thing!

For my version, I added more seeds and skipped any dried fruit. I find that dried fruit can often soften the granola and I prefer mine to stay crunchy. Often I’m eating my granola with fresh fruit, or sprinkled over the top of an açaí bowl.

By the way, if you haven’t tried putting granola on an açaí or smoothie bowl, you are missing out! It adds the perfect amount of crunch and chew to the bowl.

I ended up with granola that was better than I could have ever imagined. My kids love it too, and I love that they’re getting something healthier than what I can get at the store. Even better is when it cooks—the entire house fills the the scent of aromatic cinnamon and it’s pretty heavenly! So, let’s learn how to make this healthy granola.

Benefits of Making Homemade Healthy Granola

• You control the amount of sugar that goes in
• You can tweak it to your own personal tastes
• It’s much more cost efficient—a huge bag of oats is really inexpensive
• Lasts a long time when stored properly

It was so good, that I make a second batch for my husband Rob and subbed almonds for the pecans because he’s allergic to pecans. I would have just done all almond, but I looooveeee pecans! And, now we’re both happy!

This healthy granola recipe comes together super quick. You basically just pour all these simple ingredients into a bowl and mix. Then you lay it out on a baking sheet with parchment paper lining it, and cook.

The cooking process is also pretty fast. The only thing that does take some patience is waiting for it to cool. Technically, you can eat it straight off the baking sheet, but I do recommend letting it cool completely—that’s what gives you those granola clusters that I love so much.

Once it’s all cool, you can break the bigger pieces apart with your hands and store your granola in an air-tight container like these suctioned containers or a mason jar. Really, whatever you have on hand!

It’s healthier than what you can get at most groceries and again, can be customized to your liking!

4 Simple Ways to Enjoy Homemade Granola

• with milk and fresh berries, like cereal
• in a yogurt parfait with Greek yogurt, berries and a drizzle of honey
• sprinkled over an açaí bowl or smoothie bowl
• a handful as a little snack

Here’s the recipe, and remember you can change the nuts or seeds for different ones based on what you like or have available, or cut out things you don’t like. For example, my mom doesn’t like coconut (even though I swear you don’t notice it in there!). You can even make this a nut-free granola but swapping out any nuts for more seeds—when I say it’s versatile, I really mean it.

How to Make Homemade Healthy Granola

Ingredients List for Shopping

• old-fashioned oats
• almonds or pecans
• raw pepitas (aka, pumpkin seeds)
• chia seeds
• hemp seeds
• shredded coconut flakes, no sugar added please
• cinnamon
• coconut oil
• 100% maple syrup, you can also use honey if you preer
• vanilla extract

That’s it, a super simple, delicious and easy way to make low-sugar healthy granola at home. I promise it’s better than any granola you’ve bought at the story!

Different Variations to Try

If you want to switch up the flavors, try swapping out the nuts and seeds for some of these unique options. These can change the flavor profile completely and also give your body some different nutrients from different ingredients.

Types of Nuts

• pecans
• almonds
• walnuts
• cashews

Types of Seeds

• flax seeds
• sesame seeds
• sunflower seeds

How to Store Your Homemade Healthy Granola

You’ll need an airtight storage container to keep it fresh, I personally use a glass mason jar with screw top lid and find that this keep my granola fresh for a long time.

Do note that if you’ve added dried fruit, overtime your granola will absorb some of the moisture and not be as crunchy. This is totally fine, and still tastes great, but if you want crunchy granola, then keep dried fruit out of the mix.

I also love using these glass jars because they’re better for the environment and can be washed and reused easily.

I also love using these glass jars because they’re better for the environment and can be washed and reused easily.

More Tips for Perfecting this Healthy Recipe for Granola

Fully Cool: To get those crunchy clusters or clumpy granola, make sure you bake until golden brown and let fully cool.

Add More Crunch: For crunchier granola, add 1 egg white to the liquid mixture. Make sure the coconut oil isn’t too hot because we don’t want to cook the egg in it. This will ensure you get that delicious crunch.

Don’t Overcook: When it first comes out of the oven, it will be super hot, and even a bit soft, but as it cools it will continue to cook and get crunchy. If you overcook it, it’ll taste like it!

I hope you try out this easy, homemade healthy granola recipe soon—it’s so yummy and I love that my kids love it too! Enjoy!

BTW, blueberry oatmeal bowl to balance hormones, and healthy high-fiber pancakes.

« 3 Foolproof Tips for Keeping Hydrangeas Alive for Weeks on End

Grilled Harissa Chicken Wings »