My friend Anne was generous enough to share this recipe for homemade vanilla almond granola with me. It's crunchy, and sweet and warm and cozy and totally addictive!
As a busy mom of 3 active girls, oats are a staple in our home. Whether we are eating cinnamon roll overnight oats for breakfast, baking up some oatmeal muffins for snacks, or going all in with our favorite 5-ingredient banana oat cookies, they seem to make an appearance on a daily basis.
This granola is made from super simple ingredients that you likely already have stashed in your pantry. With a little measuring, mixing and baking you are going to love making this and your family is going LOVE eating it! See if you can keep their hands out of the jar!
Ingredients
- Rolled Oats: Also known as old fashioned oats. Check out more info on why to use these vs instant oats here.
- Honey: I love the flavor honey gives to this granola, but you can easy substitute maple syrup to make this granola vegan.
- Vanilla: Try to use pure vanilla extract instead of imitation.
- Almonds: Using sliced almonds will give a great texture and not too much crunch to this granola recipe. I get mine at Trader Joes, but most grocery stores sell them. You can also grab them easily online.
What is granola?
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.
It’s then baked and stirred a few times during baking so that it all comes together. Once it comes out of the oven, you can break it apart and eat the chunks or crumble for use as a topping.
How to Make 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 measuring cup 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 breaking into pieces and transferring to your storage containers.
Storage Tips
This vanilla almond granola lasts a long time in airtight containers on the counter. If it doesn’t get eaten up the minute you make it, it can last up to 3 weeks.
I like to use quart sized mason jars with the wide mouths, but any container you like is fine. If you are going to leave the
Serving Suggestions
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🤣, there are lots of other ways to enjoy it!
- As cereal: Serve with milk and your favorite fresh berries or fruit puree mixed in
- With yogurt: Make a yogurt parfait layering vanilla yogurt with vanilla almond granola and blueberries. Or just crumble it over the top of your favorite yogurt cup.
- In a snack mix: Mix this granola with other nuts, dried fruits or even chocolate covered candies, for a super filling on the go snack mix.
- As dessert: Use the granola as a topping on ice cream or even as a crumble over your favorite fruit for a simple dessert.
💡Hot Tips
- 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). Make it vegan by swapping maple syrup in for the honey.
- 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 😉.
Other simple snacks
Did you try this recipe and and love it? 😍 Let me know by leaving a comment below or 5 ⭐ rating!
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📖 Recipe
Vanilla Almond Granola
Ingredients
- 5 cups old fashioned oats
- 2 cups sliced almonds
- 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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