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 for a delicious breakfast or snack.

The Best Basic Granola Recipe
Every time I go visit my parents my dad always has a container of homemade granola sitting out on the counter. I can’t help but reach for a handful as soon as I walk in the door. He’s absolutely nailed the ratio of sweet to salty and soft/chewy to crispy. I think it’s the best basic granola recipe I’ve ever tried. He eats it every morning stirred into his homemade yogurt with fruit. I badgered him (lovingly) to walk me through how he prepares it on my last trip so I could make it at home and share it with you guys!
Step one is recruiting a cute pup to help you. My parent’s golden Missy loves to be in the middle of everything when you’re in the kitchen.
I had no problem with that one…so does Zoey! I had to slide her out of the way to get to my bowls to make the granola!
Here’s our ingredients line up. Short and simple! Before we go on, let me just go ahead and tell you that this isn’t the most healthy granola recipe out there but it’s so addictively awesome that I don’t even care. One thing I like about this recipe is that it’s easy to commit to memory. Everything is in 3s. 3 cups of oats, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup honey, 1/3 cup coconut oil…etc. I called my dad today and told him I was going to try cutting it all to 1/4s and he flat out told me not to even try. He’s been there, done that and found that in order to get the texture just right and the granola to clump, you gotta stick with the 1/3s.
So stick with the 1/3s I did. The first step is to mix the oats with the dry ingredients.
Next you add 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.
You place the granola on a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat (you could 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.). The “three” theme comes up again in the baking process. The granola is baked at 300 in 3 sets of 10 minutes for 30 minutes total. Bake 10 minutes, stir, put it back in the oven. Bake another 10 minutes and take out of the oven.
At this point you’re going dump it out of the pan and back into the bowl that you mixed it in to add the raisins and give it its final stir. My dad has played around with this recipe a lot and finds that this step really makes a difference in the final product. Once you take the granola out after the second baking, the brown sugar and honey should be pretty gooey and melted. Add raisins and mix well.
Bake for 10 more minutes and then remove from the oven to cool. You want to let it set and cool for a good 45 minutes to an hour.
Once it’s cooled and set you can pick it up and it shouldn’t break apart easily. This is my favorite granola texture ever!
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 enjoy this basic granola recipe is on top of a smoothie bowl. My recent favorite blend has been 2 cups of spinach, 1/2 scoop Premier Protein Chocolate Milkshake Protein Powder, 1 frozen banana, 1 cup mixed berries, 1/2 cup coconut milk, spoonful of peanut butter and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Enjoy! 🙂
The Best Basic Granola Recipe
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The Best Basic Granola Recipe
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Description
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 for a delicious breakfast or snack.
Ingredients
- 3 cups oats
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (can also use canola)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2/3 cup raisins (I used a mix of golden and regular but use whatever!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.
- Stir together dry ingredients until combined. (Oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt)
Add in coconut oil and honey and mix until combined. - Place mixture on a baking sheet. Spread it to about 3/4 inches thick but be sure to keep it all together in a big rectangle. Do not spread out all over baking sheet.
- Bake 10 minutes, stir, return to oven for another 10 minutes.
After 20 minutes of baking, remove mixture from oven and place back into original mixing bowl. Add raisins and stir well to incorporate. - Place mixture back on baking sheet, again spreading to about 3/4 inch thickness and keeping it all together. Bake another 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool on pan for 45 minutes to an hour, or until completely cooled and set.
Break into clusters and store in an airtight container. Mixture keeps for 7-10 days.
What’s your favorite way to use/eat/enjoy granola?
Your dad is da bomb!
Thank you for sharing, simple ingredients + easy to make.
Gonna try ASAP.
I have proudly not bought granola in years due to my LOVE for making batches and batches 😉
Does your dad ever add nuts or seeds? I love adding cashews, pecans, almonds, walnuts, sesame and/or sunflower seeds to granola. I’m wondering if you think I should replace some of the 3 c. of oats or add to that amount…
Nope, he likes it super simple. I wouldn’t replace the oats, I’d just add them in addition!
I love smoothie bowls with granola for lunch. The taste of premier protein was really good, but it didn’t agree with my stomach so switched to bluebonnet(which has only isolate) and it is just as good.
Do you know if maple syrup would work just as well as honey in this recipe?
I had a smoothie bowl today for lunch! Sorry to hear the PP didn’t work for you. We’re all so different!
I haven’t tried subbing maple syrup so I can’t give an opinion. Let me know if you do try!
I LOVE the big granola clusters and make a huge effort to include all of those on top of a big smoothie bowl that I can eat with a spoon…I sometimes keep some extra large clusters on the side to enjoy after. 😉
Jen, does the coconut oil taste like coconut? I am not a fan of coconut and I don’t like using canola oil. Do you think you can sub in unsweetened applesauce as I usually do for oil when I bake or bananas?
There is a recipe in Pinterest that uses only applesauce for sweetener no honey and no sugar. I tried it. It is good however you don’t get clusters or crunch.
Give my props to your dad. This is hands down the best granola recipe I’ve made. It’s simple and taste like the brand of granola I buy at the store.
Hi Jen,
Thank you for all the delicious recipes My son is allergic to wheat, eggs, soy and nuts (tree nuts too). Can you recommend a good substitution for coconut oil?
I just made your dad’s granola recipe and it is outstanding. I’ve made homemade granola so many times and never found one I enjoy more than store bought. Your Dad’s recipe is a keeper and will absolutely be made on repeat. I have his yogurt recipe in my cooler as I type. Very excited for yogurt and granola for breakfast tomorrow. Thanks for sharing! ❤️
Oh Lori! Thank you so much for this comment. It makes my day and will make my dad so happy to hear as well! I’m texting him now! 🙂