Whenever I go out for breakfast, inevitably, I always find myself scanning the menu for a yogurt and granola bowl. I always glance at the pancakes, the egg creations and various versions of tempting sounding French toast but as soon as my eyes land on a Greek vanilla yogurt topped with juicy berries and house made granola, it’s all over.
Of course, it’s silly as this is something that I can easily assemble at home in a matter of minutes, but for some reason, it always tastes better when someone else makes it for me. Why is that? Of course, it’s always great when someone makes a meal for you, serves it up in a beautiful package and then clears the dishes. Don’t get me wrong, I love that part. But I think what makes a really great yogurt bowl is the granola.
Over the years, I’ve tried many varieties of store brought granola. From the big name brands which are often full of sugar, oil and yes, in some cases, additives (you know who you are) to the pricey but more more healthier small batch options. But nothing ever tasted as good as what I get at my favorite breakfast places.
So, because I couldn’t leave well enough alone, I decided to make my own granola, which is surprisingly easy to make, incredibly delicious and lasts in your pantry for weeks. That is, if you don’t eat it all in one sitting. Obviously not something that I’d ever do (wink).
The Dishy Details
The thing about granola is that it’s incredibly versatile. I used lots of almonds and cashews in my version. Don’t like these nuts? Switch them out for ones that you like better. Walnuts would be delicious as would pecans, pistachios or pumpkin seeds. I added some sunflower seeds and coconut to mine. Don’t like these? Leave them out or replace them with something else. Chocolate and/or peanut butter chips would be delicious, added after the granola comes out of the oven.
I added a bunch of dried cherries and raisins which I think add a ton of flavor. You can totally replace these with dried cranberries, apricots, apple chips or whatever sounds good to you. I also used gluten-free oats, but if gluten is not a problem for you, you can certainly use regular oats.
The idea here is that it can be a mix of anything you like, served over some vanilla or plain Greek yogurt and fresh juicy berries with a drizzle of honey on top and a fresh sprig of mint, it’s perfection.
I hope that you decide to give this Easy Healthy Homemade Granola recipe a whirl. If you do, please let me know what you think or tag me on Instagram. I always love hearing from everyone and seeing pictures of any recipes that you make. And above all, thank you so much for stopping by.
Easy Healthy Homemade Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups gluten-free rolled oats (you can substitute oats that aren't gluten-free if you prefer)
- ¾ cup unsalted almonds, sliced or slivered (I used raw almonds)
- ¾ cup unsalted cashews, roughly chopped (I used raw cashews)
- ¾ cup shredded coconut, sweetened
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- 6 tbs light brown sugar
- 6 tbs maple syrup
- 4 tbs extra light olive oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup golden raisins
- ¾ cup dried cherries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 °F.
- Toss the oats, almonds, cashews, coconut, sunflower seeds, brown sugar and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil and vanilla extract.
- Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until all the oats and nuts are well coated. Spread onto a sheet pan in one layer. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to use two sheet pans.
- Bake for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the mixture turns an even golden brown color. Stir three to four times during baking to achieve an even color.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Mix in the raisins and dried cherries. Store in an airtight container.