How To Make EASY HEALTHY GRANOLA

A home made HealthyGranola recipe that is incredibly easy to make and perfect for a quick breakfast or snack idea. At just 100 calories per serving you can feel good adding this granola to your morning yogurt, or even eating it plain with a bowl of milk.

EASY HEALTHY GRANOLA

For anyone unfamiliar with this dish, granola is a snack or breakfast food containing oats, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, shredded coconut, almonds, and other desired ingredients. There are a million varieties out there but i’m completely obsessed with homemade granola, especially this healthier version!

I got the recipe from a family friend–thank you Glinda Straddeck! I eat it pretty much every morning for breakfast, which consists of light Greek yogurt with a scoop of cottage cheese, some berries or bananas, and a handful of granola. I never get sick of it, and I love how filling it is!

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT HOMEMADE GRANOLA:

Less sugar and lower calorie. Most store-bought brands of granola are around 200 calories per serving and are full of sugar. This homemade granola recipe has just 100 calories per serving!
Freezer Friendly. I like to make a big batch of it and store it in my freezer.
Fast and easy. You can prep and cook homemade granola in 30 minutes!

HEALTHY GRANOLA IN 5 STEPS

1. Mix dry ingredients. Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl: whole grain oats, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, raw sesame seeds and raw unsweetened coconut flakes.

2. Make the syrup. Combine the butter, sugar, honey, salt, and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook the mixture until it boil, then remove it from the heat and stir in the baking soda.

3. Pour syrup over granola mixture. Pour the syrup over the oat mixture and toss everything to evenly coat it.

4. Bake. Pour the mixture out onto a parchment lined or greased baking sheet and bake it for about 18-20 minutes, tossing once during baking.

5. Serve or store. Allow the granola to cool completely in the pan to allow it to harden up and create those clusters of granola that we all love.

GRANOLA ADAPTATIONS:

Make it vegan. Substitute coconut oil for butter and agave nectar for honey.
Add dried fruit. Raisins, craisins, or freeze dried fruit
Make it nut free. Substitute seeds (like pumpkin or sunflower), or dry fruit instead.
Substitute flax seeds. Substitute the brown sesame seeds for flax seeds
Make it gluten free. This recipe is gluten free so long as you make sure your oats are gluten free. Gluten is naturally found in wheat, rye, and barley, but not all manufacturers guarantee that their products do not contain gluten. Check the packaging to be sure! To make gluten free granola, be sure your oats are gluten free

IS GRANOLA HEALTHY?

The key to understanding if granola is healthy or not is the sugar content! Many granolas are packed with added sweeteners. If you then serve granola over sugary yogurt or with a bowl of berries, you really up the sugar content. The serving size of granola is small because it can be high in calories. This recipe has an estimated 5 grams of sugar per serving (1/4 cup). Also consider whether the recipe contains whole grains (fiber) and protein. This recipe has a gram of fiber and two grams of protein in each 1/4 cup serving.

10 WAYS TO EAT GRANOLA:

Eat granola with milk
Eat granola with yogurt
Enjoy granola over ice cream
Eat granola on apple slices that have honey or peanut butter on them
Eat granola straight out of the bag
Eat granola with a parfait
Mix granola into your oatmeal
Eat granola with spoonfuls of peanut butter
Make granola into trail mix by adding some dried fruit mix-ins.
Add granola to a yummy salad!

STORING AND FREEZING GRANOLA:

To store: Allow granola to cool completely and place it in an air tight container. Store granola in a cool, dry location for 4-6 weeks.

To freeze: Allow granola to cool completely and place in a freezer safe container or ziplock bag. Freeze for 2-3 months.

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cook or steel cut)
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 heaping cup unsweetened flaked coconut (I love Bob's Red Mill)
1 heaping cup sliced raw almonds
6 Tablespoons raw brown sesame seeds , or substitute flax seeds

For the Syrup:

6 Tablespoons butter or coconut oil
6 Tablespoons light brown sugar
6 Tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

Preheat oven to 315 degrees and spray a large sheet pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.
Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl: oats, sunflower seeds, coconut, almonds, and sesame seeds. Stir to combine and set aside.
Make the sauce by adding butter to a large saucepan. Melt the butter over medium heat.
Add all sauce ingredients EXCEPT baking soda.
Bring the mixture to a boil and once boiling, remove from heat and stir in baking soda.
Pour immediately over the dry oat mixture and toss to evenly coat everything.
Pour mixture onto prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and toss mixture, then gently press down on it with your spatula to flatten it back into the pan. Bake for another 8-12 minutes until golden.
For best results and yummy "clumps" of granola, allow the granola to cool completely in the pan before stirring or breaking it up.
This recipe yields about 8 cups of granola. Serving size is 1/4 cup.
Store leftover granola in an airtight container or freezer-safe ziplock bag for up to 3 months.

Notes Granola Adaptations:

Make it vegan. Substitute coconut oil for butter and agave nectar for honey.
Add dried fruit. Raisins, craisins, or freeze dried fruit
Make it nut free. Substitute seeds (like pumpkin or sunflower), or dry fruit instead.
Substitute flax seeds. Substitute the brown sesame seeds for flax seeds
Make it gluten free. This recipe is gluten free so long as you make sure your oats are gluten free. Gluten is naturally found in wheat, rye, and barley, but not all manufacturers guarantee that their products do not contain gluten. Check the packaging to be sure! To make gluten free granola, be sure your oats are gluten free

To store: Allow granola to cool completely and place it in an air tight container. Store granola in a cool, dry location for 4-6 weeks. To freeze: Allow granola to cool completely and place in a freezer safe container or ziplock bag. Freeze for 2-3 months.

Nutrition