Healthy Homemade Granola with Nuts and Seeds
I call this my “gorgeous granola” recipe. It’s made with oats, nuts and seeds baked slowly with coconut oil and maple syrup until everything turns golden. Two trays make about 20 portions.
It’s calorie dense, so I use it as a topping, not the main part of the dish. A portion is around 40g, which is what I suggest to clients too. The maple syrup is one more reason to keep the portion small.
I enjoy this granola with Greek yoghurt or skyr, stewed or fresh fruit, either for breakfast or as a smaller portion for a snack. It travels well too, so it’s handy for work days or any day you need to bring food with you.
Everything on the list is a store-cupboard staple, which makes this one of the easier ways to eat well on a budget. Making it yourself costs a little more than one shop-bought bag and gets you nearly twice as much. Use whatever nuts you have. A bag of mixed nuts does the job as well as six separate packets, and the oats can be swapped for any mix of flakes already in the press.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 to 18 minutes
Total time: about 30 minutes, plus cooling
Servings: about 20 portions of 40g
Ingredients
150g mixed nuts (any mix of hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans and Brazil nuts)
50g sunflower seeds
50g pumpkin seeds
300g oats (or a mix of oat, barley, millet, buckwheat and quinoa flakes)
75g ground linseed
75g coconut oil
150g maple syrup
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (optional)
Method
Preheat your oven to 150°C fan (170°C conventional, gas mark 3). Line two baking trays with parchment.
Roughly chop the nuts, or bash them in a pestle and mortar so they’re broken up but still chunky. Tip them into a large bowl with the seeds, oats, ground linseed and salt.
Warm the coconut oil and maple syrup together in a small pan over a low heat until the oil melts. Pour it over the oats and stir until everything is coated.
Spread the mixture thinly over the two trays and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Give the trays a shake after 8 minutes so the edges don’t burn. You want it golden, not dark brown. If it’s still pale at 18 minutes, give it a few more minutes and keep a close eye on it.
Spread thinly over two trays so the granola bakes evenly. Image source: Ciara Ryan Nutrition Leave it to cool completely on the trays. It crisps up as it cools, so don’t judge the crunch while it’s warm. Once it’s completely cold, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
To serve
Greek yoghurt, skyr or coconut yoghurt, with stewed or fresh fruit.
Notes
Nut-free: Swap the 150g of nuts for extra sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Salt: It’s listed as optional, but I’d always add it. A little salt brings out the flavour of everything else.
Add-ins: Pomegranate seeds, cacao nibs, goji berries or desiccated coconut go on when you serve it, not before baking, so nothing burns.
FAQ
Is homemade granola healthy?
It is in a sensible portion. This one is mostly oats, nuts, seeds and ground linseed, so every spoonful brings fibre, protein and healthy fats along with the maple syrup. Ground linseed also adds omega-3 fats. It’s calorie dense, though, so treat it as a topping. Around 40g on yoghurt and fruit is plenty, rather than a full bowl.
Why isn’t my homemade granola crunchy?
Homemade granola crisps as it cools, so it will feel soft straight out of the oven. Leave it on the trays until it’s completely cold before you judge it. If it’s still soft once it’s cool, it was either spread too thickly or needed a few more minutes. Put it back in for 3 to 5 minutes and watch it closely.
How long does homemade granola last?
Two weeks in an airtight container at room temperature, as long as it was baked thoroughly and cooled completely before it went in. Granola stored while it’s still warm can go soft. It doesn’t need the fridge. Keep fresh add-ins such as pomegranate seeds separate and add them when you serve it.
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