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Homemade Granola with Nuts, Seeds and Dried Fruit

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Homemade Granola

Do you like having granola sweetened with honey and maple syrup for breakfast or snacks?  I do now.

Back when I lived in Knoxville, Tennessee, my best friend Sharon’s mother was a terrific cook and she would make some outstanding treats and mail them to her daughter from Nashville.  Sharon and I were both single mothers with really good jobs that required long hours.  She was a high powered accountant who worked for the rich and famous and I ran a factory in town.  We stood out for two reasons, one was the fact that we were women doing ‘mens’ jobs’ in a southern city and two was that she was tall, slender and oh so blonde, while I was 5′ tall with jet black hair.

One day she called me at work to say her mother had sent her a package and she couldn’t get away and would I dash right then to the post office to get it before they closed.  What are friends for?    If I’d known then that her mother had sent her twelve pounds of homemade granola I might have thought twice about going and how far away I would park.

How to Make Homemade Granola

I got back to my office and gave Sharon a call and said, “Do you know what it was that your mother sent because I swear it’s a ton of bricks.”

“I think it’s a box of cereal,” she replied.

Homemade Granola

Some cereal!  With my two teenagers and her one teenager, that 12 pound box of granola didn’t last very long at all.  Fast forward a very very long time up to last year when I told everyone I was going to make granola in 2013.  I’m late.  I wanted to create Sharon’s mother’s granola filled with oats and nuts and dried fruit and seeds.  I also wanted a gentle sweetness that would encourage me to have some every morning.

It is SO good.  I looked around the net at about 100 granola recipes and picked a bit of this and a bit of that and a bit of something else and came up with my own granola recipe, sweetened with mostly honey and maple syrup.  I will make this again and again. You can make granola with whatever you’ve got in the house.  I saw recipes that added wheat germ, oat bran, coconut oil, dried apples, cinnamon, dried cherries – you could add anything you enjoy eating.

I strongly suggest that you not overdo the eating bit.  While it’s full to the brim with good things for your body, it’s got a lot of oats and well, what goes in, comes out.  In a big way — Just saying.  I may have learned this the hard way.

Homemade Granola

You can eat this granola by itself which I did like a pig or you could have it with milk,  yoghurt or kefir for a wonderful breakfast. I love to make this granola recipe for breakfast whenever I am not making my favorite mashed potatoes from Gordon Ramsay. Here’s how I made it.

4.7 from 15 reviews
Homemade Granola with Nuts, Seeds and Dried Fruit
 
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This is a delightful way to get healthy oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruit into the tummies of everyone in the family.
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • 8 cups rolled oats (not the quick kind)
  • 1 cup sunflower seeds
  • ½ cup pepitas
  • 1 cup pecans roughly chopped
  • ½ cup flaked almonds
  • 1 cup walnuts roughly chopped
  • 1 cup unsalted cashews (I left mine whole)
  • ½ cup coconut flakes (or any kind of coconut that you like)
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • ½ cup sultanas (or raisins)
  • ½ cup dried apricots, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (the good stuff)
  • 1 cup oil (I used macadamia nut oil but anything will work)
  • ¾ cup honey
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ cup brown sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 165C/325F
  2. In the largest bowl you have, add the oats, sunflower seeds, pepitas, pecans, almonds, coconut, walnuts and cashews and set aside.
  3. In a large pot, add the maple syrup, honey, oil, sugar, vanilla and brown sugar and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes and the mixture will thicken slightly.
  4. Pour the hot mixture over the oats, seeds and nuts and stir to coat.
  5. Place on baking sheets lined with foil or baking paper (I used foil) and bake for 20 minutes. About halfway through baking, stir the granola to ensure all the granola gets toasted.
  6. When the granola is light brown, remove from the oven and mix in the sultanas, cranberries, apricots (or other dried fruit).
  7. When completely cool place your granola in an air tight container and it should last two weeks. (Mine won't be around longer than a week)
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Comments

  1. SallyBR says

    You crack me up! Phil is the granola maker in our home, I sometimes make a batch, but rarely.

    Now, with your endorsement of this recipe, I feel I must make a batch and pass it through my resident granola-eating-former-hippie

    I will, however, go lightly on the eating (you are too funny!)

    Reply

  3. sheila says

    I love pepitas in my homemade granola! Maureen this granola recipe looks like you hit granola perfection. I too love to use maple syrup in my granola, but I have heard from a few readers that it’s hard to come by and expensive in most places, living in Michigan we have sugar maples so it’s not hard to come by. How about you? Is it hard to come by in Australia?

    Reply

  4. Minnie@thelady8home says

    I have never made granola before, though I have been tempeted in stores, standing in front of the mixes and thinking of what I want to pick. I almost did at Whole Foods yesterday, then changed my mind. Now I want to go back and finish the job. I will now, because this granola looks gorgeous!

    Reply

  7. Ansh says

    I am tempted to make granola at home, though I don’t know if with a teenager at home it will be a good idea. It will be over before I can finish making it. But that’s a good thing, right? I won’t get to eat it all 🙂

    I love the combination of nuts ,seeds ,cranberries and raisins in your granola. It’s really balanced.

    Reply

  9. Carol at Wild Goose Tea says

    I have tasted homemade granola and what a difference it makes. I loved sprinkling it on ice cream. I have never researched how to make my own. Now I don’t have to. Wonderful array and choice of ingredients.

    Reply

  10. Claire @ Claire K Creations says

    Ooh any package that contains food is worth lugging I say! I made a granola with maple syrup recently and couldn’t stop grabbing a spoonful here and there as a snack. So yummy!

    Reply

  11. A_Boleyn says

    I’d make this in a minute but I know after spending a bundle on ingredients, I’d be snacking on the granola breakfast, lunch and dinner. 🙂

    Reply

  12. Roberta says

    I like granola, but like nut mixes even more. But like with granola best to eat just a bit every day….that is the hard part for me. Real hard.

    Love the story with this post. 🙂

    Reply

  13. Hotly Spiced says

    I can just picture you heaving that parcel all the way back to your car! I’ve been meaning to make my own muesli or granola for a while now. Like you, it’s taking me a while to get there! This looks like it has the most amazing goodies in it and yes, this would make me eat it every morning. I love your heart-shaped bowl xx

    Reply

  16. michael says

    I love granola, especially if it has a lot of nuts and raisins, looks delicious Maureen! 🙂 I love to take it with me hiking as a snack and eat it dry but for breakfast I add it to my yogurt! Printed your post so I can give it a try, I think I will add some flax seed to it!

    Reply

  19. Liz says

    Sigh. You’re weakening my defenses. I love, love homemade granola, but eat huge servings for breakfast and then snack on it all day long. But I think you’ve convinced me that I have to make some ASAP! Beautifully done, my friend.

    Reply

  21. Bam's Kitchen says

    Lots of good healthy stuff in this granola. So beautifully photographed so that I can see all of the different fruits and nuts. You are making me hungry. I know my boys would gobble this up!

    Reply

  23. tania@mykitchenstories.com.au says

    There nothing i love more than granola and muesli in the morning. Its a delight to have your own. So you were a single Mum too. ( we are powerful human beings)

    Reply

    • Maureen says

      Single mums have to do it all. I bought my own tool box, I can change a tire (tyre) and I can put out the rubbish. I still have a tough time with bugs. 🙂

      Reply

      • Debbie says

        I have been looking for a recipe for fruity granola this looks great!
        Yes I did the single mom but too.
        With help from my daughters I replaced the alternator in our car and changed the brakes, and taught my youngest daughter how to do an oil change before she learned to drive. ?

        Reply

  25. SandyN says

    Great looking granola! Since we are ALL 🙂 going to snack on this, please may you give us a recipe to convert this into bars we can cut and pack in lunchboxes for work and school? It may ease the snacking guilt! 🙂

    Reply

  36. mjskit says

    We both love adding a little granola to our flake cereal in the mornings. Having not made granola in a couple of years now, you have me wanting to get back into it. This is certainly a hardy and healthy looking granola! Thanks!

    Reply

  40. Nami | Just One Cookbook says

    Honestly, your glanola is the best looking one. It has all kinds of dried fruits and nuts… looking so delicious! How precise it has to be? If I pick and choose ingredients that I have or like…. I should still try to maintain the similar amount of what you have… right? I have to figure this out. Really, yours look delicious and can’t wait to try. I enjoyed reading your story behind your granola too. And 5″? Me too, exact 5! 😀

    Reply

    • the left handed cook says

      I have been making granola for 12 years and very similar to this recipe. The nice thing is that you can add anything to it that you like. I give some of it away and the recipient gives some of that away because they want to share the taste. For a Sweetener, I use a sweet caramel popcorn glaze that is made by the Amish. For the oil,I use coconut oil.I also use some water for the right consistency. I use the seeds that I like, but you have to use milled flax seed instead of just flax seed. The shell on flax seed is so hard that unless it is ground, there is no nourishment there. I use every kind of nut that I like, usually chopped, and use diced dry fruit because I don’t like to take the time to dice them. I buy from every place that offers a bargain but try not to buy products from china. I am 90 years old and just passed my yearly physical with a BP of 124 over 70, Not bad for an old guy.

      Reply

      • kelli d stephens says

        I did not know that about flax seed and very much appreciate the advice. I sure hope you are still enjoying some granola, Sir <3

        Reply

  44. MerryChristmas Claus says

    I must say, with all the different recipes I have tried, this has got to be the best. I make granola all the time. As I was adding the ingredients I noticed I didn’t find where to add the salt. I decided you must have wanted it to be added with the wet ingredients but didn’t see it and put it in anyway. I am also a cinnamon and peanut butter lover so added 1/2 cup cinnamon to the dry and 1 cup peanut butter to the wet. You are so right when you say to use a large pan for the wet as it fits in a 1 qt pan but, knowing what will happen when it comes to a boil, I used the 6 qt dutch oven and am so glad I did. As it quadrupled in size while boiling, there is no way even a 3 qt pan would have not boiled over unless I wanted to spend that much time whisking it at high speed to keep it from boiling over.

    The other change I made is to add the fruit before it goes in the oven. I know, I know, everyone says you can’t do that but I always do and it works so well. The only time you can’t add it before baking is if the temp is higher. Your temp is ideal for baking with the fruit as it marries the maple, and honey with the flavors of the fruits.

    I am munching on it now as I write this review. This is truly a 5-star recipe and can be made in a short amount of time with little effort and great flavor. I have several friends who come to me for recipes and I can tell you, I have already handed out 5 copies and I just made it yesterday. Yes, it crisps up beautifully and this is the first recipe I have made where I had more than enough liquid. Had I not added the peanut butter, I am certain this would have been the perfect blend of wet to dry. By the way, did you try it as bars and how did it come out? I used the extra liquid and pressed it half into bars. They were also delicious and hold together nicely. Thanks for a truly wonderful recipe. I will make this many times again.

    Reply

    • Maureen says

      I didn’t find it sticky enough for bars, even though this does stick together pretty well. It is my all-time favorite. If you added peanut butter that might give it the extra stickiness you’d need for bars. Thanks heaps for writing!

      As we speak I have a small bowl of this granola sitting on my desk. I’m down to 1/4 of the second jar. I’ll be round but happy! Happy New Year!

      Reply

  46. Preitie says

    I made this twice now and I’m totally blown away by how easy and tasty this recipe is. With all due respect, I did away with the sugar, maple syrup and honey (which should never be heated), I substituted jaggery powder / coconut sugar +
    teeny tiny bit of water (which is loads healthier and complements all the other healthier ingredients in this fabulous recipe!) After experimenting with a few other granola recipes, this is now our favorite! I made this with 5 cups of oats or thereabouts and it was amazing each time. Thank you for sharing this! 🙂

    Reply

  47. Barbara Woodall says

    I use the same ingredients, but also add mini dark chocolate chips since they are good for you and sweeten it a bit. White chocolate chips look beautiful in it also, they stand out among the dried craisins and cherries.

    Reply

  48. Liz says

    Didn’t read all the way to the end and stirred dried fruit in before baking. Doesn’t seem to be browning in the oven. Is it because if the fruit?

    Reply

  49. Marsha says

    Just found your recipe. Love the combo of maple syrup and honey. However, 1cup of oil was too much and made my granola oily. ;/

    Reply

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