Homemade Cinnamon Granola is a super easy recipe, perfect for breakfast on busy weekday mornings or even a midday snack. These crunchy clusters of granola with cinnamon are one of our all-time favorite ways to start the day.
There is no shortage of options for store-bought granola. Just stroll down the cereal aisle and you'll find an assortment of packaged granola, but there are a few reasons I'm often hesitant to buy the store-bought stuff. First, granola can be super expensive considering it's mostly made with (inexpensive) rolled oats. Plus, the ingredient list may contain way more added sugar or saturated fat than I care to include in my diet. Most importantly, however, packaged granola never tastes as good as homemade.
With a recipe as simple as this granola with almonds, there is very little excuse for not giving it a try if you are a granola lover like us. In fact, this one is often in the rotation alongside our Peanut Butter Granola recipe. This cinnamon version is incredibly versatile as you can add your favorite mix-ins, plus it has a distinct cinnamon flavor without being offensively spiced. It's a fairly healthy granola, as well, and there are plenty of ways to make it even healthier (more on that below) if you'd like.
Jump to:
Ingredients that Matter
If you've never made homemade granola before, you may be surprised at how few ingredients you actually need to make crunchy oat clusters. Here are the ingredients you'll need for this recipe:
- Rolled Oats. Good old fashioned rolled oats are perfect for homemade granola. Don't use quick-cooking, instant or steel cut oats for this recipe.
- Cinnamon. It wouldn't be cinnamon granola without the, ahem, cinnamon! Here I recommend using your favorite intensity of ground cinnamon. Yup, there are different types of cinnamon, including the milder Ceylon (often called Mexican cinnamon) or stronger Cassia (which has several verities, including my favorite Saigon).
- Coconut Oil. Use an unrefined natural oil like coconut oil for this recipe.
- Maple Syrup. This recipe has two sweeteners, which serve different purposes. The liquid properties of maple syrup coat the oats well, providing a uniform sweetness throughout the granola.
- Brown Sugar. I like to add a bit of brown sugar to the granola (add it directly to the oats before tossing with the wet ingredients) as the sugar will help create a crispy texture and form clusters of oats. However, you can leave out the brown sugar all together if you are watching your sugar intake.
- Almonds. Any nut will do just fine here, but I love almonds in my granola! I like to start with whole almonds and roughly chop them myself. This ensures lots of interesting texture, plus whole almonds tend to stay fresher longer than precut ones. Store your almonds in an airtight bag or container in the freezer to really extend their life.
- Vanilla Extract. A splash of vanilla extract adds lovely warm flavor to this granola.
- Flaxseeds. Since this recipe has plenty of room for additions, I want to suggest starting (at least) with adding a tablespoon of flaxseeds, which are a nutrient dense food that also adds nice texture.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This homemade healthy granola is quite simple to make. Here is how to put this recipe together:
Start by stirring together the wet ingredients, including the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon. I add the cinnamon here as it's oil soluble and will incorporate better than if it were added to the oat mixture.
In a separate bowl, stir together the rolled oats, chopped almonds, brown sugar and flaxseeds.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir well to combine. You can simply add the dry ingredients to the prepared baking sheet and pour on the wet ingredients to skip this step, but you'll get better results stirring the wet and dry together in a bowl.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 300F. Add the oat mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. If you are doubling this recipe, be sure to use two baking sheets, If the layer of oats is too thick, it won't cook properly. Sprinkle with salt and give one more stir. Gently press down with a spatula to encourage clusters of granola. Bake the until lightly toasted, golden brown and it's no longer tacky to the touch, about 25 minutes. Be sure to stir halfway through. Cool completely on the counter before serving.
Hint: Do not under or overcook the granola. It's done when it turns golden brown and it feels dry and no longer tacky. Overcooking the granola may make it taste bitter while undercooking it will result in a chewy, less crunchy granola.
Substitutions
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, vegan and dairy free so long as you purchase gluten-free rolled oats (be sure to read the label as not all oats are gluten-free). There are further tweaks you can make to this recipe based on your flavor preferences and dietary restrictions:
- Oil - Use your favorite neutral oil for this recipe. While I like to use unrefined cocoanut oil, you could use sunflower, safflower, avocado or peanut oil.
- Nuts - Leave out the almonds if you have a nut allergy. You can also swap in your favorite granola nut, like pecans or walnuts.
- Spices - You can include additional spices beyond cinnamon to this recipe, including clove, allspice, ginger, etc. Be sure to go fairly easy on these extra spices as they are quite potent (start by adding ¼ teaspoon each).
- Mix-Ins - One of the best parts of making homemade granola is you get a say in the mix-ins! Once cooked, try adding unsweetened coconut, raisins, dried cranberries or cherries, dried apples, freeze dried strawberries, sunflower seeds or pepitas. Just be sure whatever you add doesn't have added sugar or salt (if there is added salt, I recommend not including a pinch of salt to the granola).
Serving Suggestions
I typically serve this granola with milk (my kids gobble it up for breakfast), and I'll often add a sliced banana or fresh berries. You can also serve it over yogurt for a quick parfait. Or, divide it into small portions and snack on it at the office or in the car (wherever you need a quick pick-me-up snack).
Try sprinkling some over our Fluffy Oat Milk Pancakes, Brown Butter Apple Pancakes or Brown Sugar French Toast. Or serve a bowl of cinnamon granola alongside our healthy Blackberry Strawberry Banana Smoothie or our grab-and-go Mini Egg Bites with Broccoli and Cheddar.
Equipment
For this recipe the only special equipment you'll need is a solid baking sheet, like this Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Half Baker's Sheet. And consider using precut parchment sheets like this SMARTAKE 200 Piece Precut Parchment Sheets.
Storage
Leftover granola will stay good for several weeks, if stored properly. I like to use a large mason jar with a tight fitting lid and store it on the counter for up to 3 weeks. Note that it may get stale much longer than that.
You can also store leftover granola in an airtight freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. It will actually keep its crispy texture straight from the freezer.
FAQ
Homemade granola can be healthy if you watch how much added sugar and fat you add to the rolled oats. However, making granola from scratch is often a healthier choice than store-bought as you can freely adjust the recipe to meet your dietary needs. Oats are naturally packed with lots of fiber and vitamins and minerals, too.
The most likely reason your homemade granola didn't form clusters is you didn't add enough sugar or oil. In addition, if you want to encourage big clusters, try pressing the uncooked granola down on the baking sheet with a spatula. This will condense the oat mixture and result in bigger clusters. Also, try stirring only once halfway through the cooking process and be sure to let the granola cool completely to firm before stirring again.
If your homemade granola is sticky it's likely because you didn't cook it long enough. Granola is done when it's completely dry to the touch and golden brown.
Breakfast
Looking for other breakfast recipes like this? Try these:
Dinner Ideas
If you need some inspiration for dinner, try these recipes:
Print
Recipe
Homemade Cinnamon Granola
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Description
Homemade Cinnamon Granola is a super easy recipe, perfect for breakfast on busy weekday mornings or even a midday snack. These crunchy clusters of granola with cinnamon are one of our all-time favorite ways to start the day.
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp. unrefined coconut oil, melted
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup whole almonds, roughly chopped
- 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. flaxseeds
- 1 pinch table salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Stir together in a large mixing bowl melted coconut oil, maple, vanilla and cinnamon until well combined. In a separate bowl, stir together the rolled oats, almonds, brown sugar and flaxseeds. Add the oat mixture to the large bowl with the coconut oil mixture and stir well to coat. Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and toss again. Gently press the oats to an even layer (the more you press the oats down, the bigger clusters you'll get).
- Bake until golden brown and dry, about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from the oven and cool at room temperature for at least 10 minutes. Serve immediately or store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- You can swap in your favorite neutral oil for the coconut oil, including sunflower, safflower, avocado, peanut, etc.
- Instead of using almonds try swapping in an equal amount of pecans or walnuts.
- If you want more spice flavor, try adding a ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger, allspice, ground cloves or a big pinch of ground nutmeg.
- Try mixing in dried cranberries or cherries, raisins, freeze-dried strawberries, unsweetened coconut, sunflower seeds or pepitas. Just be sure these ingredients don't have added salt (if they do, do not add the pinch of table salt in this recipe).
- Serve homemade cinnamon granola for breakfast with milk or yogurt, or portion out small container for a snack at the office or in the car.
- Use as a topping for our Fluffy Oat Milk Pancakes, Brown Butter Apple Pancakes or Brown Sugar French Toast.
- If your granola is soft or wet, that means you didn't cook it long enough. But overcooked granola may get bitter. It's done when it no longer feels tacky to the touch.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Leave a Reply