Maple granola is a naturally sweetened crunchy oat cereal for healthy breakfasts, snacking, and topping everything from yogurt to pancakes and ice cream.
maple granola
Recipes go in and out of fashion just like clothes do, and granola seems to be out of the spotlight right now. What a shame ~ granola has always been a favorite of mine, and this maple granola is my little reminder to you that homemade granola is an easy and delicious baking project that makes a great gift from your kitchen, too.
Because I develop recipes and cook for a living there are very few recipes I make over and over again ~ I’m always on the hunt for something new and exciting! But granola and muesli are exceptions. I’ve been making them on a regular basis, season after season, for years. My family gets nervous when the glass canister on the counter dips below half full. My husband sprinkles it on his daily yogurt, I like to scoop a little into a bowl and drench with cold almond milk to deal with random hunger attacks.
what you’ll need to make maple granola
- rolled oats
- use regular ‘old fashioned’ rolled oats, not the quick cooking kind. I recently found Bob’s Red Mill ‘extra thick’ rolled oats, which makes a nice chewy granola.
- maple syrup
- make sure you have real maple syrup and not the pretend stuff ~ it must say ‘pure maple syrup’ on the label.
- vegetable oil
- anything neutral.
- nuts
- I used pecans and walnuts this time, I’ve used almonds and hazelnuts other times.
- dried cranberries
- I looked for dried apples and couldn’t find any, but they would work well too. Sometimes I’ll throw in other dried fruit from the pantry like apricots or currants.
- pepitas
- flax seeds
- salt
easy granola, step by step
- Put oats, nuts, and seeds in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the maple syrup and oil, add to the bowl, and toss well.
- Spread out on baking sheets and bake until golden.
- Mix dried fruit into the hot granola, just out of the oven.
- Let cool completely.
- Store in airtight jars.
how to use maple granola
- The obvious way to enjoy homemade granola is in a small bowl with the milk of your choice (I love it with almond milk or oat milk.)
- My husband loves it sprinkled over yogurt, although we have an ongoing argument about whether it’s better to eat fat free or full fat yogurt. You can probably guess I’m on team full fat, it’s more natural!
- Try it as a topping for a quick fruit crisp.
- Give pancakes or waffles a crunchy note: you can bake it in or sprinkle on top.
- Add to the top of muffins before baking.
is granola healthy?
Yes, granola is healthy ~ the oats, dried fruit, nuts and seeds are all packed with nutrition. When eaten with milk or yogurt it’s a balanced breakfast. The only drawback to granola is that it’s relatively caloric, so enjoy it in moderation if you’re counting calories. Adding fresh fruit is a healthy way to bulk up your granola.
Note: if you like you can cut the oil and maple syrup in half for a lighter result.
more oats for breakfast
- Toasted Muesli
- Oat Bran Power Bowl
- Spiced Vanilla Pear Oatmeal
- How to Make Bircher Muesli
- Strawberry Milk Muesli
- Pistachio Cardamom Granola
Maple Granola
Equipment
- 2 sheet pans
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp maple extract or vanilla extract
- 4 cups raw rolled oats (if you eat gluten free make sure your oats are labeled gluten free.)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts, I used pecans and walnuts
- 1/4 cup pepitas
- 1/4 cup golden flax seeds
- pinch salt
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Whisk together the maple syrup, oil, and maple extract in a small cup.
- Put the oats, nuts, pepitas, flax seeds, and a good pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl. Toss well with the maple/oil mixture. Keep tossing until you're sure everything is evenly coated.
- Spread the mixture out onto 2 baking sheets, evenly distributing it over the pans.
- Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pans and stirring after 10 minutes so everything cooks evenly. Bake until the granola is nice and golden. I left mine in for an extra 5 minutes.
- Pull the pans out of the oven and stir the cranberries into the hot granola.
- Let cool completely on the pans before packing in airtight jars or containers.
- Store at room temperature and use within 2 weeks.
This is a great recipe. Perfect on yogurt