Olive oil granola is a golden, crunchy homemade granola made with heart-healthy olive oil, oats, nuts, and seeds. It bakes up crisp and fragrant with a subtle Mediterranean twist.
I’ve been making homemade granola since I was a teenager, and this olive oil granola has reignited that passion. Granola sometimes gets labeled as unhealthy because of all the oil, and it’s true ~ if you’re counting calories, it can be tricky to fit into your rotation. For a while I switched to fat-free Swiss muesli, which I also love. But the lure of rich, crunchy granola is hard to resist.
So how about we make our favorite crunchy breakfast a little bit healthier? Olive oil granola is full of those good monounsaturated fats, and compared with butter or coconut oil, it’s lighter, less saturated, and adds a surprisingly delicious fruity flavor that works beautifully with Mediterranean add-ins like almonds, pine nuts, dates, and cardamom.
Ok so which olive oil should you use?
The olive oil aisle can be confusing. I generally go for a California oil, they’re fresh, and I like to buy American when it makes sense. California Olive Ranch is a reliable brand.
IF YOU DON’T WANT TO TASTE THE OLIVE OIL: use a pure or mild oil. You’ll still get the healthy benefits, without the flavor.
IF YOU WANT TO GET A SUBTLE BACKGROUND NOTE IN YOUR GRANOLA: go with an extra virgin olive oil labeled smooth or mild.
IF YOU WANT A ROBUST FLAVOR: use a good extra virgin olive oil with a stronger flavor. Look for bottles described as bold, robust, full-bodied, or intense ~ those will bring more olive oil character to the granola.
The Mediterranean add-ins
- pine nuts
- one of my favorites ~ they get nice and toasty in the oven and they add a really distinctive and delicious flavor that goes a long way in this recipe despite their small size!
- dates
- dried dates add caramel-y flavor and chewy texture to the mix.
- almonds
- lemon or orange zest
- even if you’re skeptical, try it! The lemon zest melds in with the rest of the ingredients in this recipe for a really lovely, fragrant flavor profile that doesn’t scream “citrus.”
- cardamom
- sea salt
Olive oil granola variation ideas
- Other nuts: pistachios, walnuts, or hazelnuts
- Other dried fruits: figs, cherries, apricots, golden raisins
- Other flavors: vanilla, cinnamon, dried rosemary or thyme
- Other citrus: try orange zest.
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Olive Oil Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats, use old fashioned rolled oats, not quick cooking.
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup whole raw almonds
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil*
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- zest of 2 lemons
- 1/2 cup chopped dried pitted dates
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the oats, pine nuts, almonds, cardamom, salt, olive oil, honey, and almond extract. Fold together so that all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Spread onto your prepared baking sheet, and bake for about 15-20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
- Take the granola out of the oven, sprinkle the lemon zest over it, toss together, and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until everything is a nice golden brown and fragrant.
- Remove from the oven, and toss in the chopped dates while the granola is still warm. (This softens up the dried fruit a bit) Allow to cool completley on the baking sheet before transferring to your storage container.
- Serve with greek yogurt and honey, or milk.
Notes
Nutrition
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