Crisp Homemade Granola Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

  • Buttermilk tenderizes the oats, wheat germ, flax, and chia.
  • Soaking the grains expresses their natural starch, creating clumpy nuggets.
  • Sugar interferes with water absorption in oats, so it's not added until later on.
  • Buttermilk's acidity prevents the grains from browning too quickly as they bake.
  • A unique blend of dried fruits and nuts provides a compelling mix of flavors, colors, and textures.

I am an unabashed granola snob, mercilessly taking down most every recipe that crosses my path. They're always too sweet, too gnarly, too aggressively spiced, or too dangerously hard, with jagged chunks that'll do more damage to the roof of your mouth than a box of Cap'n Crunch.

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What Is the Ideal Granola?

I want nothing to do with a sad sea of brown flakes and brown fruit, or granola that's bitter and burned from overcooked honey. Eggs are also a deal-breaker for me—they push the dish into abstract-cookie territory that feels anathema to what granola should be.

In my book, that's a mix of free-flowing oat flakes and clusters that are light and crisp. My perfect granola is hearty and well seasoned, with just a touch of caramelized sweetness and a kaleidoscope of dried fruits, toasted seeds, and crunchy nuts.

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Make-Or-Break Ingredients

By now, I hope everyone knows that deliciousness is my prime directive. So when I tell you that my granola depends on wheat germ and chia seeds, please don't believe it's some sort of new-age scam to get more fiber into your diet. Despite their hippy vibe, these ingredients are insanely tasty in granola. Wheat germ adds a nutty, graham cracker-like flavor and crunch, while chia's nuttiness is a little more floral, like poppy seeds, but with a more satisfyingpop. They're completely optional from a technical standpoint, but they add a make-or-break heartiness (in terms of both flavor and texture) that you don't wanna miss.

The Key to Clusters

With the grain/seed blend squared away, the secret to making light and tender granola with lots of natural clusters comes out of left field—buttermilk. Anyone who's made overnight oats knows that old-fashioned rolled oats will soften beautifully when soaked in milk, but for granola, buttermilk is even better, since its acidity helps tenderize as well. It's a naturally low-fat dairy product, so it won't make the granola too rich, and just eight ounces will plump to over 12 ounces of oats in only 20 minutes.

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That's a transformation you won't see in any other recipe, which is why so many granolas are dense and hard. But by allowing the grains to soak and swell, they become porous and light when they bake, as steam escapes in the oven. Soaking also causes the oats to express their starch, which causes the mixture to clump, producing lots of natural clusters and preventing the chia seeds and wheat germ from sinking to the bottom of the bag. Along with buttermilk, I do add some melted butter for a welcome richness and flavor. But don't worry—in a recipe that yields about three pounds of granola, it's a very modest amount. And for vegans out there, coconut oil (virgin or refined) will make a fine substitution.

Sugar vs. Maple Syrup or Honey

Once the oats have plumped, I stir in a bit of plain or toasted sugar and a generous pinch of salt (if added earlier, the sugar will prevent the buttermilk from soaking into the oats). Sugar may not sound as exciting as honey or maple syrup, but those comparatively high-fructose sugars are eager to burn in the oven, making the granola bitter and dark. Sugar, on the other hand, only gets better with prolonged heat. Give it a chance to dissolve in the buttermilk-soaked oats before baking, and it'll form a light syrup that coats every flake, producing a beautifully caramelized granola with a flavor that's complex and none too sweet.

While the grains are soaking and the sugar is dissolving, I prepare my mix-ins: a rainbow blend of raw pumpkin seeds, almonds, and pecans, along with dried apricots, tart cherries, and blueberries.

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It's my dream team blend of flavors, colors, and textures, and they play off each other (and the granola) exceptionally well—buttery pecans and sweet blueberries; crunchy almonds and bright cherries; delicate pumpkin seeds and chewy apricots. You can make substitutions, of course, but try to think about what each of these different ingredients has to offer when choosing a replacement.

While seeds and nuts can be picked up at any supermarket, most dried fruit is significantly cheaper if you buy in bulk, whether in stores or online; the brands linked in the notes below are the ones I buy for myself.

Baking the Granola

When the sugar has mostly dissolved and the oats seem a little wet, transfer the granola to a half sheet pan and bake at 300°F (150°C) until dry to the touch and golden brown, though perhaps a bit soft while warm. That can take anywhere from 90 to 100 minutes depending on the air flow in your oven (natural circulation, not convection, which would dry the oats too rapidly).

Regardless, no oven is perfect, so be sure to take the granola out every 25 minutes to stir, making a special effort to circulate the granola from the edges to the center for even browning. Once it's dry to the touch and golden brown, pour it over the dried fruit and nut blend, then toss to combine.

Tossing drops the temperature of the granola, helping it to cool a little faster, and any loose chia seeds or wheat germ will more readily stick to the fruit while warm. Return the granola to the baking sheet and spread into a thin, even layer to cool. I aim to let it hit room temperature, whatever that may be; the real point is to give it ample time to shed excess heat and steam.

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This should take about 45 minutes; if left out indefinitely, the granola can turn sticky or soft, so do try to put it away as soon after cooling as you can. In an airtight container, the granola will keep for several months, though I've yet to have a batch last longer than three or four weeks in my house.

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It's so light and crisp—delicate in a way that's unusual for granola—that I find myself eating it out of hand like popcorn as often as I have it over yogurt for breakfast (which is, at this point, every day).

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June 2017

Recipe Details

Crisp Homemade Granola Recipe

Active15 mins

Total3 hrs 30 mins

Serves19to 20 servings

Makes9 1/2 cups

Ingredients

For the Granola:

  • 12 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, not instant, quick, or steel-cut (about 3 1/2 cups; 340g)

  • 1 1/2 ounces wheat germ (about 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon; 40g)

  • 1 ounce flax seeds, optional (about 3 tablespoons; 30g)

  • 1/2 ounce chia seeds(about 1 heaping tablespoon; 15g)

  • 8 ounces buttermilk (about 1 cup; 225g)

  • 4 ounces unsalted butter, melted (about 8 tablespoons; 115g)

  • 7 ounces plain or toasted sugar (about 1 cup; 200g)

  • 1/2 teaspoon (2g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight

For the Mix-Ins:

  • 4 1/4 ounces raw pumpkin seeds (about 3/4 cup; 120g)

  • 2 1/2 ounces chopped almonds (about 1/2 cup; 70g)

  • 2 1/4 ounces pecan pieces (about 1/2 cup; 65g)

  • 1 teaspoon neutral oil, such as safflower

  • 1/8 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight

  • 4 ounces dried apricots, quartered (about 1/2 cup, firmly packed; 115g)

  • 3 ounces dried tart cherries (about 1/2 cup; 85g)

  • 2 ounces dried blueberries (about 1/3 cup, firmly packed; 55g)

Directions

  1. For the Granola: In a medium bowl, combine rolled oats, wheat germ, flax seeds (if using), and chia. Toss with a flexible spatula to combine, then stir in buttermilk and melted butter. Cover with plastic or a kitchen towel and set aside until oats are stiff and dry, about 20 minutes (the chia will look a little fuzzy, but that's normal). Stir in sugar and salt, cover, and let stand until the mixture looks loose and damp from the dissolved sugar, about 30 minutes.

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  2. For the Mix-Ins: Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Combine pumpkin seeds, chopped almonds, and pecan pieces on a parchment-lined half sheet pan and toast until fragrant and just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, toss with oil, then sprinkle with salt; reserve the parchment-lined half sheet pan. Stir in dried apricots, dried cherries, and dried blueberries too.

  3. To Bake the Granola: Reduce oven temperature to 300°F (150°C). When the sugar has dissolved, scrape oats onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan and spread into an even layer. Bake until uniformly golden brown and dry to the touch, about 100 minutes, pausing every 25 minutes or so to take the mixture from the oven and stir well with a pair of forks.

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  4. When the oats are golden brown and dry to the touch, transfer to the bowl of fruit and nuts. Toss with a flexible spatula until well combined, then return to the baking sheet and spread in an even layer to cool, about 45 minutes. As soon as the granola has cooled, transfer to an airtight container and store up to 6 weeks at room temperature.

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Special Equipment

Flexible spatula, half sheet pan

Notes

Small packages of dried fruit can be wildly expensive; look to stores that sell in bulk or else shop online. These are my favorite brands of dried apricots, tart cherries, and blueberries (all at Amazon). When making substitutions, think about the flavors, textures, and colors you're replacing, and choose a fruit with a similar profile.

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Crisp Homemade Granola Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to crisp up homemade granola? ›

Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer. Bake until lightly golden, about 21 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway (for extra-clumpy granola, press the stirred granola down with your spatula to create a more even layer). The granola will further crisp up as it cools.

Why is my granola not crispy enough? ›

Add Fat and Sugar

When you bake granola at a low temp in the oven, you get a dehydrating effect that helps the granola get crispy. In a pan, too little sugar often means no crunch, and too little fat means no toasty crispness.

How to know when homemade granola is done? ›

If the granola is clumpy, use a spatula to press it into the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Bake, stirring halfway through, for about 20 minutes total. The granola is ready when golden-brown and the almonds have toasted — it will still feel wet coming out of the oven but will dry as it cools.

Does granola crisp up as it cools? ›

Let it cool before diving in.

Your homemade granola will continue to crisp up as it cools.

What does it mean to be granola crunchy? ›

adjective. , Slang. characterized by or defining oneself by ecological awareness, liberal political views, and support or use of natural products and health foods.

How can I get my homemade granola to clump? ›

Here, a full cup of hot tap water is stirred into the dry oats, then left to sit for 15 minutes before you proceed with the recipe (which also skips any stirring during baking). The idea is that the water softens the oats, and stickiness from the starch will create more clumps, which won't be broken apart by stirring.

What ingredient makes granola stick together? ›

Add an egg white.

The whites act as a kind of glue that binds the ingredients together. To ensure that the egg whites coat all the ingredients, I beat them with a whisk until foamy and increased in volume, which makes it much easier to fold into the granola.

How do you keep granola from getting soggy? ›

The Savory Pantry also found that layering fruit between the granola and the yogurt helped prevent the granola from getting soggy too quickly, though that does depend on the moisture content of the type of fruit you're using — avoid frozen fruit and consider adding dried fruit to cut down on moisture.

When to add raisins to granola? ›

Add the raisins at the end. There is no need to add them to the granola while it's baking because they will harden and burn. This recipe can easily be doubled. The raisins add a lovely chewy texture to granola along with the clumpy crunchy bits.

How not to burn homemade granola? ›

Slow and low is the key to dry-not-burnt granola. You can safely bake your granola to golden-brown perfection between 300 and 350 degrees, but any hotter and you risk burning parts of your mix before it's ready, says Perry.

Can you use butter in place of oil in granola? ›

You can also use butter, regular refined coconut oil, vegetable or canola oil–simply choose which fat you prefer or have on hand. As far as sweeteners, I've made this homemade granola with honey as well as maple syrup along with Golden Barrel brown sugar.

Why is my homemade granola not crunchy? ›

I aim to let it hit room temperature, whatever that may be; the real point is to give it ample time to shed excess heat and steam. This should take about 45 minutes; if left out indefinitely, the granola can turn sticky or soft, so do try to put it away as soon after cooling as you can.

How to re-crisp granola? ›

I usually place the few spoonfuls I'll be eating that morning into a ramekin and give it about 10 seconds on HIGH. That's just enough to crisp up the granola without scorching. If you're re-crisping a larger batch for several people, spread it out on a plate and microwave in 10 second bursts until it's crispy again.

Why do my homemade granola bars fall apart? ›

Using the right binding agent in your granola bar recipe is a crucial part of keeping your bars from falling apart. While there are several different sticky ingredients that you can use, we've found that the binding agent that works the best is honey!

How do you crisp up stale granola? ›

A quick spin in the microwave helps take care of that. Microwaving heats up the oils absorbed by the granola and re-toasts the nuts and grains. I usually place the few spoonfuls I'll be eating that morning into a ramekin and give it about 10 seconds on HIGH. That's just enough to crisp up the granola without scorching.

How to keep granola from getting soggy? ›

The Savory Pantry also found that layering fruit between the granola and the yogurt helped prevent the granola from getting soggy too quickly, though that does depend on the moisture content of the type of fruit you're using — avoid frozen fruit and consider adding dried fruit to cut down on moisture.

How do you make granola less crumbly? ›

Chia seeds are often praised for their binding powers. In fact, they secure ingredients so well that they can even be used as an egg replacer. Adding just a spoonful of chia seeds to your favorite granola bar recipe will make a huge difference in its texture.

References

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