A basic granola recipe with a short ingredients list. This granola is the perfect balance sweet and salty; chewy and crispy. Oats, brown sugar, honey and coconut oil are studded with plump raisins and mixed nuts for a delicious breakfast or snack.
My dad first got me hooked on this basic granola recipe some time around 2015. I shared his recipe on my blog in 2016 but he’s made updates over the years that are worthy of a post overhaul. This is a family-favorite recipe of ours – and has become a favorite for many of you too! I didn’t think it was possible to improve the original recipe but leave it to my dad to take something from amazing to extra amazing.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS BASIC GRANOLA RECIPE
- The ratio of sweet + salty. It is PERFECTION! Don’t skimp on the full teaspoon of kosher salt – we’re probably a little more heavy handed than that!
- The texture contrast of soft and chew + crispy. The final step of preparing this granola is spreading it out on a baking sheet and letting it “set.” This is a super important step to get those big clumpy pieces with the texture contrasts.
- Simple, short ingredient list and easy to commit to memory. Everything is in threes. 3 cups of oats, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup honey, 1/3 cup coconut oil…etc.
BASIC GRANOLA INGREDIENTS
- Oats – be sure to use old fashioned rolled oats and not quick or instant oats.
- Oil – I like coconut, my dad likes canola. A neutral oil like avocado oil would work too.
- Honey – the amount of honey called for in this recipe is necessary for optimal clumping!
- Brown sugar – adds great flavor dimension along with the honey.
- Kosher salt – use at least a teaspoon for the best ratio of sweet and salty.
- Raisins – I like a combination of regular and golden raisins. Sometimes I also like to sub in other dried fruit like cranberries or cherries. Make sure they’re fresh and plump. If they seem dried out or extra chewy, soak in hot water for 5 minutes or so and drain well.
- Mixed nuts – the original recipe didn’t call for nuts but they’re an excellent addition! My dad uses a combination – usually pecans, pepitas and pistachios. Sometimes he uses some flaxseed as well.
Note, the original recipe included a teaspoon of ground cinnamon but my dad isn’t adding it these days. You certainly can if you’d like to!
It’s super simple to prep this granola for baking. Add the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (oats, brown sugar, salt, nuts) and then the oil and honey. Tip: add the oil first and then use the same measuring cup for the honey. It will help the honey not stick to the sides of the measuring cup. Mix everything together well.
Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat (you can also use parchment but I highly recommend investing in a Silpat if you don’t have one and this is my favorite baking sheet ever). Shape granola into a rectangle about 3/4-inch thick and bake at 300 degrees for 30-35 minutes until lightly golden and crisp/set at the edges.
Once the granola has been baked, dump it back into the bowl you mixed it in. Drizzle the raisins with the revered tablespoon of honey and add them to the granola. Stir well and spread the granola back out into the same rectangular shape on the pan you baked it in.
Let it cool and set in the pan for about 45 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when you can pick it up at the edges and it doesn’t crumble.
Gently break into clusters and try not to eat it all before you place it into an airtight container. Granola should stay fresh at room temperature for about 7-10 days. (I highly doubt it will last that long!)
My favorite way to eat this granola on top of yogurt with fresh fruit and peanut butter. Check out my dad’s homemade yogurt recipe here. I also love it on top of smoothie bowls!
Enjoy! 🙂
THE BEST BASIC GRANOLA RECIPE
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