Maple Almond Granola is a perfectly crunchy and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Easy to make, and way less sugar than store-bought granola!
My husband and I were enjoying an evening snack of homemade Maple Almond Granola recently. Here’s how it went:
Him: Crunch, crunch, crunch…yum. Hey where’d you get this?
Her: I made it.
Him: You made this? Wait, how did yo- HOW DID YOU MAKE THIS?!
Her: Um, I just made it. Like stirred stuff together then baked it.
Him: But…HOW?!
And so on and so forth. The conversation literally continued on in this way for a solid 3 minutes. It was hysterical. Apparently the fact that you can make granola – really good granola – from scratch, and that it’s incredibly easy too was a source of intense wonderment for my man.
Maple Almond Granola combines pantry staples like old fashioned oats, nuts, and sesame seeds with maple syrup, honey, and coconut oil, which are tossed together and then baked. The result is a perfectly crunchy, naturally sweetened granola that’s as good sprinkled on top of yogurt as it is by the handful!
This granola recipe is highly customizable too. Don’t like pecans? Use walnuts, or another type of nut, or leave them out! Fresh out of sesame seeds? Use pepitas or sunflower seeds instead. Dig raisins? Add in a handful. Use what you’ve got!
Start the Maple Almond Granola by combining the dry ingredients into a large bowl, including 3 cups certified gluten-free old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup almonds, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and 1/4 cup sesame seeds.
Roughly chop another 1/2 cup almonds then add them to the bowl.
Finish with a sprinkling of 1/2 teaspoon salt and a dash or two of cinnamon, then stir everything together.
In a small saucepan, melt 1/4 cup coconut oil with 6 Tablespoons pure maple syrup and 2 Tablespoons honey over medium heat.
Stir occasionally until the coconut oil melts, about a minute or two, then add 1/2 teaspoon each vanilla and almond extract.
Pour the coconut oil mixture over the dry ingredients then stir to thoroughly coat. Spread the mixture onto a silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes at 300 degrees, stirring halfway through. Note: the granola will not be crunchy when hot, so take it out when it’s golden brown!
Let the granola cool completely before stirring in 1 cup dried fruit like raisins, dried apricots, dried cranberries, etc., then store in an airtight container at room temp for up to a week.
Get your taste buds revved, because this granola is divine. I hope you enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups certified gluten free old fashioned oats
- 1 cup almonds, divided
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- dash of cinnamon
- 6 Tablespoons pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup dried fruit, raisins, dried cranberries, etc, optional
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees then line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine oats, 1/2 cup almonds, pecans, sesame seeds, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Chop remaining almonds then add to the bowl and mix to combine.
- In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil in maple syrup and honey. Once melted remove from heat then stir in vanilla and almond extracts. Pour over oat mixture then stir until well coated.
- Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheet then bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until granola is golden brown (granola will not be crunchy when hot.) Cool completely then stir in dried fruit if using.
Notes
- Store in a container with a tight-fitting lid at room temperature for up to a week.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Love this recipe! also love that you used to eat doritos and cottage cheese, one of my favorite combinations. Need more recipes with cottage cheese- totally an Iowa thing!!!
This is just what I need for those mid-afternoon hunger pangs at work around 3pm. :) I have a granola recipe that I’ve used in the past, but yours looks MUCH tastier! Love the whole almonds in it!
Made this today – so yummy! My little girl enjoyed putting “crunchies” on her yogurt at snack time. Thanks for the recipe!
OMG!!! I thought I was the only one that eats Doritos and cottage cheese! Totally delish! lol
PERFECTION! can’t wait to try it out!
What are some alternatives in place of nuts? I don’t like nuts and that’s the only reason I have no made my own granola before. I can’t think of things to put in it besides oatmeal and raisins!
You could add seeds e.g hemp or the alternatives Kristen mentioned above, or roasted soybeans/edamame (the crunchy ones in the snack aisle). Other alternatives could be shredded coconut, chocolate chips or small squares of fudge (add after the granola has cooled so they don’t melt!)
You could just leave them out, or add more seeds in place of nuts – pepitas, sunflower seeds, etc!
I was afraid you were going to say that. I don’t like seeds either or soybeans like the other lady suggested. Not for lack of trying. Bummer…
Homemade granola is the best. It’s one of my new favorite things to make. The coconut oil addition to this looks great–must try!
This is awesome. I was just thinking how I wanted to buy some gluten free granola, but mulling the purchase because it’s packed with SO much sugar. With this recipe I can make my own with far less, thanks!
I’ve always had a problem with store bought granola and even granola bars being too sweet and sugary for my liking. I’m totally going to try out this recipe as a change.
Oooooh…that looks lovely! I want to make some and top of my morning oatmeal with that crunchy goodness!
Ooh, this looks good! My grandma used to make all her own granola. She and my grandpa raised walnuts on a small farm, so it had a lot more walnuts than this does, but otherwise it sounds pretty similar! Will need to try!
Mmmm, this looks great! I have some yogurt that is in need of granola.
Haha it’s always kind of cool when people cannot believe you made something instead of buying it. As is it isn’t possible something that good could be homemade :-P