Healthy Homemade Granola made with olive oil, almond butter, fresh orange juice, nuts, and seeds. Enjoy this easy homemade granola for a nutritious snack or breakfast on-the-go. This recipe post is sponsored by Horizon Organic and Sprouts Market. I was compensated for my time, however all opinions are my own.
Healthy Granola Recipe
This healthy homemade granola recipe is my go-to for it's ease and versatility. I love keeping a batch on hand to sprinkle over yogurt, mix with milk, or simply enjoy by the handful. It's chock-full of heart-healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and has some serious staying power.
Another reason I love this recipe is for its adaptability—you can use essentially any nut and seed combination you have on hand. It's just-sweet-enough with a mix of maple syrup and fresh orange juice, which are the perfect breakfast pairing. And, in place of vegetable or coconut oil, it calls for extra-virgin olive oil, which lends even more fruity notes.
Truly, you can't do wrong with this homemade granola, and it outshines anything pre-packaged on store shelves.
How to Make Healthy Homemade Granola
Think of this granola recipe more as a template to which you can add whichever nuts, seeds, or dried fruits you're craving. The foundation, however, is a mix of old-fashioned rolled oats, almond butter, maple syrup, fresh OJ, and olive oil. Here's here to make it:
- Combine the wet ingredients: almond butter, maple syrup, olive oil, orange juice, and vanilla. I found that mixing these separately from the dry ingredients promotes more even coating. Otherwise, you may end up with chunks of almond butter stuck to only a portion of the granola clusters.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: oats, nuts, seeds, cinnamon, and salt. (Be sure the cinnamon and salt, in particular, are well distributed before stirring in your wet ingredients.)
- Pour the almond butter mixture into the oat mixture, and stir to combine, making sure everything is well-coated. Lay the mixture out on a baking sheet and press down with a spatula. This is key for creating the coveted clusters. You want the mixture to be sticking together while it bakes, as opposed to dispersed on the baking sheet.
- Bake at 325°F for 15 minutes, then remove the oven and give it a toss. This helps ensure all the bits and pieces get evenly baked. Press down again with a rubber spatula, and bake for another 15 minutes, until golden and toasty.
- Let it completely cool before breaking apart and eating. The granola will continue to crisp up as it cools, so patience is key here. I suggest waiting at least 20 minutes to ensure it's sufficiently crunchy before diving in.
How to Know When Your Granola is Done Baking
Homemade granola takes roughly 30 minutes to bake, however there are always exceptions. You'll know it's done when the granola is lightly golden and the corners and edges appear crisp. You can also lean on your senses and wait till it smells toasty and fragrant. Just avoid pulling it out too early or you could rob it of its full crunchy potential.
How to Make Homemade Granola Crunchy
Here are some tricks to achieve crunchy, clustery granola (AKA the BEST kind of granola):
- Make sure the wet ingredients thoroughly coat the dry ingredients.
- Use a rubber spatula to press the granola down on the baking sheet prior to baking.
- Let it cool completely before breaking into chunks.
Adding nut butter can also help create clusters, so I suggest either almond, cashew, or peanut butter. (Alternatively, if you have a nut allergy, sunflower butter works great, too!)
How Long Does Homemade Granola Last?
Store this granola in a sealed bag or container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Or, alternatively, in the freezer for up to 1 month. The granola will loose a little of it's crunch over time, but the flavor stays fab.
Is Homemade Granola Healthy?
Homemade granola tends to have a more stellar nutrition profile than most store-bought. This granola, in particular, is brimming with heart-healthy unsaturated fats, fiber, and micronutrients. It's sweetened just enough with unrefined sweeteners (pure maple syrup and fresh orange juice), so it's also lower on the sugar spectrum than most. In addition to satiating fats, the nuts contribute important minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, plus fat-soluble vitamins.
There are many ways to enjoy this granola as a healthy snack. For example, mix it in yogurt, sprinkle it over smoothies, or eat it like a cereal with your milk of choice.
If using dairy milk, I prefer Horizon Organic® for its taste, quality, and nutrition. Plus, it’s made from cows that spend at least 120 days grazing on organic pastures and which are not given growth hormones, antibiotics, or toxic pesticides. I also love that Horizon Organic dairy is now available in shelf-stable milk boxes, which are perfect for snacks on-the-go.
Healthy Homemade Granola: Substitutions
This homemade granola is super adaptable. Feel free to mix up any of the ingredients based on your preferences or what you have on hand. Here are some examples:
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Use vegetable oil or melted coconut oil.
- Almond Butter: Swap for cashew butter, peanut butter, or sunbutter.
- Maple syrup: Sub with honey, coconut sugar, or date syrup.
- Nuts and seeds: Use any combination you like! I personally love walnuts and cashews, however you can also use almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, and/or cashews.
- Dried Fruit: While this recipe doesn't call for any, you can certainly add dried berries, apricots, or raisins!
Once it's made, store your granola in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy on repeat!If you give this recipe a try, be sure to snap a pic and tag #dishingouthealth on Instagram so I can see your fun creations. Also, follow along on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest recipe updates!
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes to Try:
High Protein Brownie Batter Overnight Oats
Healthy Homemade Granola
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup creamy almond butter
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp. orange zest, plus 2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup walnut halves
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- A splash of Horizon Organic Milk for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Combine almond butter, oil, maple syrup, orange zest and juice, and vanilla in a bowl; stir until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine oats, cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, and salt; stir well. Pour almond butter mixture into oat mixture; stir until all dry ingredients are well-coated. Spread mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet; gently press with a rubber spatula.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir granola; press back in an even layer. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into chunks (at least 30 minutes).
Notes
Nutrition
Marit
Made this recipe for the second time. It is SO GOOD. Even gave it to someone as a small gift!
Jamie Vespa
Oh I'm so happy to hear that, Marit!! Thanks for taking time to leave a review!
JENN L
I've made this recipe twice in a week!
I used pecans and walnuts since I didn't have cashews and it's so delicious!
Grace
I had granola on my shopping list and then came across this recipe on Instagram! I happened to have all the ingredients on hand so I decided to give it try. It was amazing! I love the hints of orange. Sadly mine doesn’t have many clusters. I’m not sure where I went wrong but it’s delicious none the less. I will for sure make it again.
dishingouthealth
Hi Grace, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! I'm sorry you didn't get the clusters you were hoping for... I hope they're at least similar to the ones in the photos! Thanks for taking time to leave a review.