This healthy granola recipe is just as delicious as any you can buy in a store but better! It’s chunky, delicious, easy to make, and free of the processed unnecessary ingredients.
In fact, it tastes so good that after I made it this past week, I had to hide it from Josh so he wouldn’t finish it all before I had a chance to enjoy any of it!
I’d always thought of any granola as a healthy treat. It wasn’t until I really looked at the ingredients of some store-bought varieties when I realized most of them had refined sugars and oils in them. I was so sad and not ready to give up my granola.
Enter: Healthy Chunky Granola Recipe
Ingredients for Healthy Homemade Granola
This healthy granola recipe is made with whole-grains, nuts and seeds. It’s naturally sweetened and oh so good. And the ingredients are oh-so-good for you!
Rolled oats
Almonds
Unsweetened coconut flakes
Cinnamon
Vanilla extract
Coconut oil
Maple syrup
A lot of granola recipes are made with rolled oats, nuts and seeds, as well as dried fruit, and sometimes candy like chocolate chips. I like the variety of the dried fruits occasionally but for the most part, I prefer my granola simple. This way it makes the flavors meld well with whatever toppings I’m in the mood for.
Healthy Granola Variations
Luckily, this recipe is super easy to switch up! Feel free to swap out the nuts and seeds freely to personalize this anyway you like. I like to look for raw, unsalted, and organic when it comes to nuts and seeds. This way I have complete control over how much salt to add. (Which I’m usually very generous with by the way.)
Here are some ideas for you to get personalizing:
Swap out the nuts to any of your choosing. Think cashews or pecans.
Add in some extra seeds like chia or hemp seeds.
Toss in your favorite dried fruits like cherries, goji berries, raisins, or cranberries. Be sure to toss them in after your granola has finished baking.
Top your granola with some dark chocolate chips to give it a dessert-like vibe. But wait until after the granola had cooked so they don’t melt!
Use honey instead of maple syrup. I might actually make this with honey more than I do maple syrup but it’s a tossup as to which one I like better!
Want a gluten-free option? Simply choose gluten-free oats.
Change up the spices. I kept it simple with cinnamon but I love spicing it up with a pumpkin spice blend in fall or a golden turmeric spice blend.
Chunky Granola Tips
It took me some time to figure out just how to get the granola to have just the right chunky texture. Here are my key takeaways so you can get yours just right too.
Use parchment paper. The paper keeps the maple syrup on the granola and not seeping down on the pan. Plus it makes for easy cleanup! Simple pick up the parchment paper with the cooked and cooked granola inside and pour the granola directly into your storage container. (Or bowl!)
Be sure your granola is wet. So in other words, if you cut back on the maple syrup or coconut oil, it likely won’t be so chunky. This also applies if you add additional ingredients. So if you add anything extra, be sure to up your wet ingredients to keep it chunky!
Resist the urge to stir! Once you have the granola spread out on your pan not too thick but not spaced out either, press it with the back of your spatula… and leave it. There’s no need to stir it while it’s cooking. In fact, don’t touch it until after it’s cooled down completely.
Now that I’ve been staring at pictures of mouth-watering granola, I’m going to dig what’s left of the batch hiding out in the back of my fridge and finish it up!
Oh… and I highly recommend doubling the batch for double the goodness.
