Homemade Granola

Granola’s easily a staple in my diet. However, most store-bought granola contains excessive amounts of sugars, fats, and empty calories, making it not-so-much of a “health food” as individuals perceive it to be.

When using a healthy, home-made recipe, granola serves as an excellent source of fibre, iron, heart-healthy fats, and protein.

This delicious, healthy, home-made granola recipe is naturally sweetened with maple syrup. It’s made with oats, extra-virgin olive oil, my favorite selection of nuts & seeds, almond/peanut butter, and finished with a dash of salt & cinnamon.

⏱ Prep Time: 15 mins | Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins | Servings: 15–20 | Difficulty: Easy

INGREDIENTS

The Base

• 3–4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

Nuts & Seeds

• 1 cup raw organic almonds

• ½ cup pecans

• ½ cup walnuts

• ½ cup pistachios

• ¼ cup cashews

• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds

• ¼ cup sunflower seeds

• ½ cup toasted coconut

Wet Ingredients

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• ½ cup organic maple syrup

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tbsp organic peanut butter and/or almond butter

Seasoning

• 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a large rimmed baking sheet with baking paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir well and transfer to the lined baking tray.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract and peanut butter until fully combined.

4. Pour the wet mixture over the oat and nut mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated.

5. Lower the oven temperature to 160°C and bake for 1 hour until deep golden brown.

6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, undisturbed. The granola will continue to crisp up as it cools.

7. Once fully cooled, transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature.

ADDITIONS & SUBSTITUTIONS

∙ Add dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins or chopped dates after baking for natural sweetness

∙ Swap maple syrup for honey if you prefer

∙ Use any combination of nuts and seeds you like!

∙ Add dark chocolate chips once cooled for an indulgent twist

STORAGE

Keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks!

The secret to perfect granola is stirring it every 10–12 minutes while it bakes! It takes a little patience but the color, texture and flavor are so worth it! Also, don’t skip the almond butter. I only recently started adding it and it is an absolute game-changer. It adds the most incredible depth of flavour and helps everything clump together beautifully.