Basic Granola Recipe
You'll come back to this basic granola recipe time and time again- it's simple and so good. Big clusters of crunchy oats and almonds, lightly sweetened with honey and brown sugar, with just a hint of warm cinnamon.
There's nothing fancy about this recipe. It's about as basic as it gets.
I love brunch food and I've got plenty of fun and unique breakfast ideas on this site to prove it. But sometimes you just wan to keep it simple.
I love this granola because it's so versatile. It tastes good paired with all kinds of fruit. It works just as well with tropical pineapple or mango as it does with apples, cherries, or lemon. Tops for yogurt parfaits, plus it's great cold or warm. Lately I've been adding a little milk and heating it slightly in the microwave- so comforting! It softens up a little bit but still has a great hearty texture.
If you've never made homemade granola, I urge you to try this recipe! It's so quick and easy (we're talking 10 minutes of active time), and nothing store bought could ever beat the taste or crunch. Plus you can totally put your own spin on it. Add dried fruit, seeds, coconut, nut butters, even chocolate- the options are limitless!
Basic Granola Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups (324 g) old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup (143 g) sliced almonds
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) kosher salt
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter, (half a stick), melted
- ⅓ cup (113 ml) honey
- 2 (1) egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat, parchment, or foil.
- Place the oats, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine.
- Stir the melted butter, honey, and egg whites together, and pour into the oat mixture.
- Stir together until well-combined.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out in an even layer.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the almonds look lightly toasted.
- Cool completely on the baking sheet, then transfer to an airtight container. Keeps for 2 weeks at room temperature.
I'm glad to have found this recipe. I've been making it every other week for the past 4 or 5 years. I eat it over berries and yogurt almost every week day. Recently I had ran out of almonds and substituted them with chopped pecans and was pleasantly surprised.
Aw, I love that! Thanks so much for sharing and for the 5-star review!
This tastes great! Is it supposed to clump up in clusters? Mine just stayed very loose. I was hoping it would cluster up.
Yes, it should clump up. I'm sorry to hear yours didn't. I think an additional egg white would fix that. I'll update the recipe- thank you for the heads up!
I can definitely try that. Thanks. Again, it tastes great and overall is crispy. Just wasn't clumpy...not a big deal. Thanks for the reply 🙂
My favorite base recipe for granola! So good and easy.
Thought I had left a rating on this before, but just to be sure.....Best granola recipe I have ever tried! Seriously.....and I have tried some others, but this one.....it's the keeper. I make it just as the recipe is written, and after it's baked, I like to add dried chopped dates, sometimes coconut, craisins, all kinds of dried fruit. I bagged this granola and gave to so many as Christmas gifts.....and many wanted the recipe. If you are looking for a yummy granola that will "cluster" after baking.....this is your recipe. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
I love this. I have made it twice now, only adding pecans (because that's what I had) . I also added some vanilla, and then craisins after it cooled. Delicious! Thanks for zharing!
My pleasure Lucretia! I love that you're getting creative with it!
Delicious and so crunchy!
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks for the great feedback!
I started making my own Greek yogurt and this topping is perfect. I am currently making my second batch in two weeks. Thanks for posting this.
That sounds fantastic! I have never made Greek yogurt but it sounds like a really fun project. So glad you're enjoying this granola! Thanks for the 5-star review!
Does the granola stay crunchy in the airtight container?
Very!
Thanks / Is the nutritional information for the whole recipe?
Hey Kim! This nutritional info is for one cup of granola. I find it to be really filling and usually eat about 1/2 that for breakfast.
Hi. This looks so good. I am looking to make a no nut recipe. If I omit the almonds do you think I should add more oats?
Hey Judy! That sounds like a great idea. You could also substitute with some kind of a seed, like possibly pepitas or sunflower seeds. This recipe is really versatile so feel free to make it your own!
This recipe looks delicious and simple! My boyfriend works at sea so when he comes home I like to spoil him with as much homemade goodies as possible 🙂 I just have a quick question: it says that this recipe yields 4 cups but in the nutritional facts section it doesn't specify the serving size. So I'm just wondering if the 691 kcals are for one serving (and if so what size a serving would be) or if there are 691 kcals in the entire 4 cups. Thanks in advance, I can't wait to try this recipe out!
So happy you like it! I think that the way my plugin works, that would be 691 kcals per cup. A cup might be a somewhat large serving size, so bear that in mind! Hope you and your boyfriend enjoy!
If you added other nuts, seeds and raisins, would you add them before or after you baked it?
Hey Nancy! Thanks for the great question. For nuts and seeds, I'd add them before baking. For raisins or other dried fruit, I find that can get bitter and overly dry in the oven, so I usually mix in after it's all cooled. Good luck and I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!