This healthy granola recipe is delicious and naturally sweetened with maple syrup (or honey). Oats, coconut oil, and preferred nuts and fruits are used to make it. Instead of using white or brown sugar, we can naturally sweeten it with a small amount of maple syrup, making it the perfect level of sweetness. In order to create lots of nut clusters, we generously season it with cinnamon and add a scoop of almond butter.
Additionally, it is adaptable, a delicious template for any dried fruits and nuts that may be craving. And best of all, it is simple to make! The wet ingredients should simply be drizzled in after the dry ingredients have been thoroughly combined. It only needs to be baked for 30 minutes before serving. This recipe will convert you to homemade granola because it is nutritious, easy, and utterly delicious.
What is Granola?
Granola is a breakfast and snack food made of rolled oats, nuts, honey, or other sweeteners like brown sugar, and occasionally puffed rice. It is typically baked until it is crisp, toasted, and golden brown. To prevent burning and maintain the loose consistency of breakfast cereal, the mixture is stirred while baking. Sometimes, sweets like chocolate and dried fruit like raisins and dates are added.
Yogurt, honey, milk, fresh fruit (like bananas, strawberries, or blueberries), other cereals, and fresh fruit are frequently eaten with granola. Additionally, it can be used as a topping for various desserts, pastries, or ice cream.
Granola and muesli are comparable, but muesli is typically neither baked nor sweetened. Because it is filling, light, high in calories, and simple to store, some people bring granola with them when they go hiking, camping, or backpacking (properties that make it similar to trail mix and muesli).
In order to make it easier to carry for packed lunches, hiking, or other outdoor activities, manufacturers also add honey, corn syrup, or maple syrup to it before compressing it into granola bars.
How to Make a Healthy Granola Recipe?
This simple, comforting, and delectable homemade granola recipe only calls for seven ingredients. The majority of granola purchased at stores is loaded with fillers and unnecessary ingredients that are high in sugar and contain unhealthy saturated fats and oils. This granola isn’t loaded with undesirable ingredients. This quick and easy homemade granola recipe is healthy. It lets you change things up and incorporate your favorite flavors while allowing you to control the amount of sugar and the quality of the ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup or honey
- 2 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil (or other healthy cooking oil)
- a half-teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 generous pinch of real salt, which is a fine sea salt that measures about 1/8 teaspoon.
- Rolling oats, whole, in two cups (aka old-fashioned oats, preferably organic)
- 12 cups chopped raw nuts (almonds can be slivered instead of chopped);
- 1/4 cup of raw pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds, raw, two tablespoons
- one-half cup of chopped, unsweetened dried fruit (optional; I like unsweetened dried cranberries)
Instructions:
- Set the oven’s temperature to 300°F (177°C). (325o F also works if your oven runs cool or is older.)
- In the bottom of a sizable bowl (a mixing bowl works best), combine the oil, maple syrup (or honey), vanilla extract, and salt. Stir briefly. Depending on your climate, the coconut oil may be solid (it has a melting point of about 75oF), but that’s ok! You only need to give the coconut oil and sweetener a rough mix to incorporate the vanilla.
- Utilizing clean hands, combine the remaining dry ingredients, toss to coat, and then add. The fun part is that it will be sticky and messy. If the oil is solid, warming it with your hands will cause it to melt into the mixture; just be sure to thoroughly incorporate it into the other ingredients to ensure there are no oil chunks left.
- For 10 to 12 minutes, or until very lightly toasted, spread the mixture in a thin layer on a rimmed baking sheet or sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (To completely convert this recipe to raw food, dehydrate the mixture in a food dehydrator for 5–6 hours at 115°F.)
- Before serving or storing, allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Is Homemade Granola a Nutritious Snack?
Granola is a great source of fiber, iron, heart-healthy fats, and protein when consumed in moderation and made at home. A healthy and satisfying cereal is granola. However, a lot of them are high in calories and sugar, which is bad for your health. Make sure to carefully read labels and choose items with whole ingredients that are high in protein and fiber, such as raisins, seeds, and nuts.
Granola is helpful for shedding pounds, it can help you lose weight. To ensure that you get all the nutrients, though, and to ensure that you stay satisfied for a longer period of time, you must manage your portion size. It includes beneficial micronutrients like vitamin E, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, and selenium.
A filling and nutrient-rich cereal is granola. Many varieties, however, are high in calories and loaded with extra sugar, which is bad for your health. Choose items with whole ingredients that are high in protein and fiber, such as raisins, seeds, and nuts, and be sure to carefully read labels.
Almonds, walnuts, cashews, hemp, pumpkin, and sesame are among the high-protein and high-fiber ingredients found in granola, all of which help you feel full. According to most experts, you should consume 45 to 50g of granola daily. This is frequently the suggested serving size that is listed on the packaging for our granola cereal.
Is Granola Sugar-Rich?
A low-sugar or low-calorie diet is not likely to be suitable for those who consume granola because it is calorie dense and typically high in sugar and carbs. As a result, it should be consumed in moderation. Granola is frequently recommended as a breakfast food, but this mindset may be detrimental to your health.
The dietary recommendations of the US government actually classify it as a dessert. That’s because it frequently contains an amount of sugar that rivals that of a chocolate cake. Fiber, which is important for diabetes because it helps regulate blood sugar levels, is present in granola in good amounts.
Fiber also prolongs the feeling of fullness in the stomach, which can lessen the desire for foods high in carbohydrates. Granola contains very little fruit or dairy, so almost all of the sugar is added. Dried fruit and chocolate are the only other ingredients that have an impact on the sugar content. Sugars can be found in granola in large quantities. The sugar content in the products we examined ranged from 1 to 14 grams per serving.
Which is Preferable, Granola or Oats?
Both oatmeal and granola are good options for a healthy, wholesome breakfast, but granola comes out on top for us because it has extra nuts, seeds, and dried fruits that provide fiber and healthy fats that oatmeal can’t quite match.
Granola’s biggest drawback is the additional sweeteners that many manufacturers add, which add more sugar, fat, and calories. Granola’s high potassium and low sodium contents act as a vasodilator to reduce blood pressure. Blood and oxygen levels increase as blood pressure decreases.
The flow of blood and oxygen to the brain can be increased to help with cognitive function. Oatmeal is made from oat grains that have been transformed into a variety of textures, including rolled, crushed, ground, and steel-cut oats. Oats are used in making granola as well, but it also includes a variety of additional ingredients like seeds, nuts, and dried fruit. You can make granola without any of the extraneous ingredients and still enjoy all of its advantages, including its delicious flavor.
How Long can you Keep Homemade Granola in Storage?
At room temperature, you can keep your granola for up to a week in an airtight container. Eat it like cereal with a splash of milk, as a standalone snack, or as an addition to a yogurt parfait! Homemade maple vanilla oat milk goes great with granola. Let the granola on the baking sheet cool completely. Then, put it in a gallon-sized bag or glass container, or another airtight container.
Remove as much air as you can, then keep it somewhere cool and dark for up to two weeks. If you keep homemade granola at room temperature, it keeps its best quality for about a month. Add two months if you don’t mind slightly stale granola. Always double-check the recommended storage period for the recipe you’re using, as it can range from two weeks to two months.
Granola should be kept in an airtight container at room temperature after fully cooling and before storing. Depending on your climate and how you made the granola, it can last up to 6 months. Granola can also be frozen. Granola can be kept for a long time in the freezer or pantry, respectively.
Granola shouldn’t typically be kept in the refrigerator because it can become soggy there. Later, I go into more detail about the dangers of refrigeration. Place the sealed container or bag in a dry, dark cupboard far from any significant heat sources. For up to 6 months, the granola can be stored in this manner. The shelf life will be closer to two to three months if you live in a hot, humid climate. Test your granola occasionally, and if you notice that it is getting old, think about freezing it to lengthen its shelf life.
Conclusion
For those of us who live busy lives, granola is a necessity. We adore adding a generous scoop of granola for some crunch to smoothies, oatmeal dishes, yogurt parfaits, and chia seed pudding. Granola from the store is pleasant, but homemade granola has a unique flavor. It is a straightforward, wholesome homemade recipe that only requires a few ingredients and is prepared in under an hour.
It really is the ideal breakfast or snack. Actually, you can eat it at any time of the day! Pecans, almonds, cranberries, and sunflower seeds are all ingredients in this granola. To suit your tastes, you can substitute other nuts and seeds. This simple, wholesome breakfast recipe for homemade granola is great to have on hand. Rolled oats, almonds, dried cranberries, and a little maple syrup come together to make it.
