My friend Anne was generous to share this recipe for homemade vanilla almond granola with me. She shared it as a half batch, but this granola is so good, that I would never want you to run out! So today's recipe is for a full batch, which is just how I make it. Simple to make, lasts a long time and sure to become a family favorite.
It’s crunchy, delicious, and endlessly customizable. Anne originally found it on a now defunct coffee/tea shop website. Since that website no longer exists, let’s credit her for this seriously good stuff.
Granola is made from super simple ingredients that you likely already have stashed in your pantry. It takes a little bit of attention while it’s in the oven so nothing burns, but other than that it’s quick to mix together and a great cooking project for kids to get involved in the kitchen. It’s all about measuring, dumping and stirring 🙂
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What is granola anyway?
You know, that’s a very good question and there isn’t one specific answer. There are lots of different recipes for granola, but the basics include a combination of rolled oats, nuts, honey or some other type sweetener and other mix-ins.
Additional mix-ins can include dried fruit, coconut, chocolate chips, and spices. I like to keep my granola relatively simple, but it can get super complex if you want it to.
It’s then baked and stirred a few times during baking so that it all comes together but doesn’t stick together too much.
So what is granola? A delicious combination of healthy-ish ingredients that is an extremely versatile snack.
What do you eat granola with?
In our house, granola is typically eaten by the handfuls as soon as it's cool enough to eat, or by the handful every time you walk by the jar. However, I’ve heard that in most normal homes, granola is used as cereal, a topping for yogurt, etc.
Vanilla almond granola is great with yogurt for breakfast with some fresh fruit in the morning. It's also great as a super filling snack in the late afternoon.
Use the granola as a topping on ice cream or even as a crumble over your favorite fruit for a simple dessert.
How do you make homemade vanilla almond granola?
It’s really one of the easiest recipes I know.
First in a large mixing bowl, you’ll mix together old fashioned oats, cinnamon, salt and the sliced almonds.
In a small pan on the stove or in a small glass bowl in the microwave, you’ll gently warm the honey, brown sugar, oil and vanilla together until combined and easy to pour.
Pour the warm liquid over your dry ingredients and stir until everything is evenly coated.
Then spread out on two parchment lined baking sheets and put into a 300 degree oven.
Let cook for about 20 minutes, then stir, let cook for 10 more minutes and stir and then cook another 10 minutes or so until everything is toasty (not burnt) and some clumps have formed.
Take out of the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets before transferring to your storage containers.
Tips and Tricks:
- Granola lasts a long time in airtight containers on the counter. If it doesn’t get eaten up, it can last up to 3 weeks when sealed right.
- This granola recipe can easily be made gluten free (make sure to use gluten free oats), is inherently dairy free, and can be nut free if you skip the almonds and substitute something else that’s crunchy (think puffed rice, toasted coconut, etc).
- I like to make the whole recipe on two big sheet pans, but you can easily half the recipe and still have enough granola to get you through a week or so 😉.
- If you don’t have honey in the house, you can substitute maple syrup in its place.
Looking for other simple recipes that use mostly pantry ingredients? Check these out!
Vanilla Almond Granola
Ingredients
- 5 cups old fashioned oats
- 2 cups sliced almonds 8 oz
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, cinnamon, and salt until well combined
- In a glass measuring cup, put the honey, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla
- Microwave the measuring cup for 30 seconds and whisk liquid ingredients together (with a small whisk or a fork). If it needs more time, continue to heat in 10 second intervals.
- Once combined, pour the liquid mix over the dry ingredients and stir together until all the oats and almonds are coated.
- Spread out the mixture evenly between the two prepared baking sheets and put into the oven at 300 degrees.
- After 20 minutes, mix the granola with a spatula to ensure even cooking and break up any clumps
- After another 10 minutes, give it a stir again
- 10 minutes later (for at total of about 40 minutes in the oven), the granola should be done
- Take out of the oven and let cool on the baking sheet completely.
- Transfer to an airtight container for storage and enjoy!
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