No lie: this Easy Homemade Granola with Fruit and Nuts is what I eat for breakfast every day.
AND I LOVE IT.
I’ve eaten granola for years now, but up until recently I always used the store-bought kind.
The idea to make homemade granola often occurred to me — I could save so much money, it’s so much healthier, etc. — but there was always a reason to put it off.
I mean, why make something from scratch when it’s so easily available at the grocery store?
Cue the pandemic, when everything changed. We couldn’t go out to stores, and grocery delivery time slots were few and far between.
And, even when you could get a delivery, you were never quite sure what items you would get.
We all learned how to “make do” with pantry staples, and we also learned how to “make our own” versions of our favorite foods. (Remember the shortage on yeast because everyone was trying to make bread at home? With varying degrees of success? #goodtimes)
Easy Homemade Granola with Fruit and Nuts is something I started making during the pandemic — which is why it’s a great book-inspired recipe for Lockdown on London Lane.
Another reason I’d put off making my own granola is because I thought it looked like a lot of work for very little product output. Since I eat granola most mornings, I was convinced I’d run through my homemade stash very quickly.
But, I don’t. Because it all comes down to portion control.
Well, that, and making a huge batch of granola at once.
Here’s why my Easy Homemade Granola with Fruit and Nuts recipe is awesome:
- It makes a TON of granola. We’re talking breakfast for about two weeks.
- It’s easily doubled or tripled, in case you have a big family. Or, just a really big appetite.
- It’s super customizable. Don’t like flax seed? (I can’t really blame you.) Leave it out. Really love apricots? Throw more in!
- There’s no added refined sugar. Huzzah!
About that “no added sugar” part…
Can I vent for a moment? Why is it so. freakin’. hard. to find breakfast foods that aren’t super sweet?
Don’t get me wrong—I love my desserts. But, first thing in the morning, I really don’t want anything too sugary. And it’s almost impossible to find a granola that doesn’t contain fewer than 3-4 grams of added refined sugar.
Which is why this Easy Homemade Granola with Fruit and Nuts is perfect: its only sweetening agents are natural honey and – you guessed it – dried fruit.
Homemade granola is shockingly easy to make. I mean, it obviously takes more time to make it than to pick up a box off a grocery shelf.
But, all in all? Not a bad ROI in terms of effort.
Plus, the taste, the texture, and the fact that I can include only the ingredients I want truly sets this granola over the top for me. I get excited to pour myself a bowl every morning.
It’s crunchy, it’s chock-full of good-for-you things like nuts and oats and flax seed, and it tastes super delicious when it’s loaded with dried fruit and coconut flakes.
I like to eat my homemade granola with a splash of milk and some added fresh fruit, whatever’s in season at the moment.
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Easy Homemade Granola with Fruit and Nuts
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup natural honey
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 6 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup whole almonds
- 1/4 cup shelled, whole pistachios
- 2 tbsp flax seed
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Chop apricots and place them in a medium bowl. Add in the cherries, raisins, and coconut flakes and mix together until combined. Set aside.
- Stir together the honey and the oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, almonds, pistachios, and flax seed.
- Pour the honey and oil mixture over the oat mixture, stirring until all ingredients are thoroughly coated.
- Divide the oat mixture between the two prepared baking sheets, spreading the mixture into an even layer on each sheet.
- Bake the oat mixture at 350F for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly golden. Stir once or twice while baking.
- Remove baking sheets from oven. Divide the fruit and coconut mixture between the two sheets, stirring it into the toasted oat mixture and spreading the granola into an even layer on each sheet.
- Return the baking sheets to the oven and bake at 350F for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the granola is golden brown. Keep an eye on the granola during this time to make sure it doesn't burn!
- Remove baking sheets from oven and let cool on wire racks. Once the granola is completely cool, you can transfer it to a storage containers.
