Chewy, sticky and crunchy. How do you achieve the holy trifecta of great homemade granola?
After many failed attempts, I’ve finally arrived at a recipe for an easy homemade granola that can be easily customised with simple additions: a sprinkle of cinnamon powder, a few drops of vanilla essence, dried fruits and berries, etc. I’ve made this countless times, so this is a recipe I absolutely swear by. They’re so delicious that I have to tell my husband to stop snacking on them!
From all my experiments, I’ve discovered that rolled oats work best. They are the same size as my pumpkin seeds and chopped almonds. When making this, you want your ingredients to be around the same size so that they cook at the same time and don’t burn. My other not-so-secret ingredient is coconut flakes. These sulfur-free, unsweetened ones from Bob’s Red Mill add a lovely fragrance and crunch.
If you happen to burn your granola (it happens to all of us), they can be easily repurposed. Mix them with butter, flour, sugar and a binding agent (egg or greek yogurt) and make yummy granola cookies!
The instructions are very simple. But the logic behind each step is important. I urge you to read the notes before attempting the recipe. And you’ll be on your way to the best granola of your life ☺
Easy Homemade Granola
Equipment
- Oven, mixing bowl, spoon
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp rolled oats
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp liquid sweetener (honey, golden syrup or agave works)
- 1.5 tbsp brown or white sugar
- 25 almonds, chopped
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp coconut flakes
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of cinnamon powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 160 C.
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Make sure the dry ingredients are thoroughly coated with honey and oil. It should be sticky, not wet, to the touch.
- Line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Rub oil over foil to minimise sticking so that it’s easier to remove the granola later. Spread out the oat mixture on the foil.
- Pop tray into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Every oven is different, so do check periodically to make sure your granola doesn’t burn. Mine takes about 18 min to achieve my desired doneness.
- Remove baking tray and let cool until granola hardens. This may take about 20- 30 minutes. Break into pieces using your hands – they can be as big or small as you prefer - and store in an airtight jar.
Notes
- Some granola recipes only use sugar. I’ve experimented using i) only sugar ii) a combination of sugar and liquid sweetener (honey, agave nectar or golden syrup). I find that ii) works best as the liquid sweetener helps to bind the ingredients together to give granola its chewy caramelized sticky effect.
- If you want to add fruits, do it AFTER the granola is cooked. Dried fruits like cranberries, raisins, etc cook more quickly than some types of oats, and you may end up with burnt fruits (which don’t taste nice at all).
- Adjust sugar and honey amounts to your personal preference. More sugar, more yummy caramelization but also more calories!
- For the liquid sweetener, if you use golden syrup, take note that it is sweeter than honey/agave, so reduce the sugar amount accordingly.
- I find that food processors/pestle and mortar makes the almonds powdery and less uniform in size, so I handchop them instead. You can vary your granola by using other kinds of nuts and seeds. I find a ratio of 1 part oats to 1 part combined nuts + seeds works best
For more easy breakfast recipes, try this delicious breakfast casserole!
If I cannot find agave, can I switch it with tequila?
Hahaha! David OY! Ask me a serious question