I am bit of a granola nut. Call me crunchy, but in my opinion, there really is not much NOT to love about homemade granola. It is super easy to throw together using whatever ingredients you have on hand and it makes your house smell amazing when it bakes. As an added bonus homemade granola is much less expensive and tastier than its store bought version. If you have not made granola yet I highly suggest you start.
I mostly put granola on my yogurt but my new favorite way to eat granola is as a breakfast cereal. I am really trying to stop buying store bought cereal because the good stuff is a little pricey and the high sugar and mystery ingredient boxes are…well…enough said. Therefore I am on a new mission to start creating homemade clean breakfast cereals starting with this coconut almond granola recipe
This recipe was inspired by the coconut oil and shredded coconut I had left over from the morning glory muffins I made a few weeks ago. I also had a big bag of sliced almonds in my pantry. Combining the flavors of coconut and almond into a granola was a natural fit. Of course you could have added a little bit of chocolate for an “almond joy” type flavor but I wanted to keep the sugar to a minimum. Speaking of sugar I have found that most granola recipes (even almond butter granola) calls for sugar on top of the maple syrup or other sticky sweetener. The last couple of granola batches I made I decided to leave the sugar out completely and did not miss it. I find that the maple syrup (or honey) gives the granola just the right amount of sweetness to satisfy all of our taste buds. I also reduce the maple syrup slightly with this recipe. The only difference in doing this was the granola was not as “clumpy” as it was with extra maple syrup. In my opinion this makes for a better cereal texture but if you want it clumpier then add about ¼ cup more maple syrup. My hubs and kids did not even notice the difference with the reduced sugar or maple syrup and believe me they will be the first to tell me when something does not taste right.
Before I get to the recipe I just want to give you a couple quick kitchen tips. This recipe calls for melted coconut oil. Most coconut oil will be a solid white chunk in the jar. To “melt” it all you need to do is put the whole jar in a bowl of hot tap water for about 3-5 minutes. It won’t completely melt but you will be able to pour out the amount you need.
Also, this recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of pure almond extract. If you are used to using vanilla extract then start with 1 teaspoon of almond then give it a taste and decided whether or not you want the second. Almond extract is stronger in flavor than vanilla. I used the 2 teaspoons and loved it. However, after reading more about almond extract I come to realize that it may be a little too strong for others especially if you are used to vanilla. If you only have vanilla extract or would prefer to use that over almond then that would be fine – the granola will still taste great.
I wanted to keep this recipe very simple but if you want to add more nuts or dried fruit to it please do. I might reduce the amount of coconut and almonds next time because they really added a lot of fat (good fat but still fat) and replace it with some dried fruit. If I do this I may or may not need to add 1/4 cup more maple syrup to make sure it all gets coated. Keep in mind that I have the serving size at 1/2 cup because that is what I eat for breakfast. If I was to eat this with yogurt my serving size would be 1/4 cup.
This is a great base recipe! Have fun experimenting and let me know what you change!
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 cup blanched sliced almonds
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1-2 teaspoons pure almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325
- In a large bowl mix together rolled oats, cinnamon, salt, coconut, and almonds. Make sure it is well mixed before adding the liquids - this will prevent the cinnamon and salt from forming into glops on the oats.
- Add in the maple syrup, coconut oil, and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Give it a quick taste. If you want to add more then add 1/2 teaspoon at a time, tasting in-between, until you achieve your desired taste.
- Spread out granola mixture on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
- Bake for 35 minutes. Stir at 20 minutes then stir every 5-7 minutes. I found this batch to cook faster than others so keep an eye on it so the granola does not burn.
- Let cool and place in large mason jar or air tight container.
Nutrition
Shelleen Bowman says
What is the serving size for this recipe? My family absolutely loves this granola and it is a great addition to parfaits!
Tammy Kresge says
The serving size is 1/4 cup. I will make sure to change that in the recipe card. My family loves this granola too. I just made a double batch yesterday!
Tami says
I just made this recipe and it is absolutely delicious! I used 1/2 cup of maple syrup and thought it was quite sweet; next time I will use less. Thank you for an amazing recipe.
Lori says
Fabulous!!! Our family loves it. I added a handful of chopped candied pecans from Trader Joes and used kosher salt instead of table salt.
meg says
I just read this wrong, and thought it was 18.5 W.W. points. LOL I don’t care how clean it is, that would be as lot of points! I love this granola. I could seriously have it for breakfast lunch and dinner. I put 1/4 cup on my yogurt in the mornings. Best recipe I’ve made. I combine it with dates and make it into bars, too. Fantastic!
Margaret says
This granola is ahhhmazing! I have to be careful while making because it is also amazing before it’s cooked. Think chocolate chip cookie dough, but better! Last batch I made I only had 1/2 cup pure maple syrup and honestly didn’t notice the difference and will do the same for future batches. Those reading, do yourself a favor and make this NOW!!! Love your blog ❤️
Helen says
Hello, how long does this keep for please? Sorry if you’ve already said this and I’ve missed it x
Donna C says
Can u use raw honey instead of maple syrup?
Tammy Kresge says
yes. It is delicious with honey.
Stacey says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It was easy and delicious!
Molly says
Yum!! This is exactly the taste I had in mind that I wanted to make! My husband now refers to it as Crack Granola. Thanks for the great recipe! To make it Gluten Free I used Trader Joes GF Rolled Oats.
D says
Oats are gluten free.
Tammy Kresge says
Only if you purchase gluten free oats.
Julie H says
Can butter be used instead of the coconut oil?
Kendalyn says
Could I use honey instead of maple syrup do you think? I really am not a fan of maple anything.. & also forgot to buy it at the store lol.
Tammy says
I am have not use honey in this recipe but have in other granola recipes at it worked great. Let me know how it turns out.
Amy says
This might be a silly question, but when I was at my grocery store I only saw sweetened coconut with added sugar. Where can I get it? Is it typically at a grocery store in the baking aisle? If so, I will just check out another store. Thanks!
Tammy says
Hi Amy,
I shop at wegmans and it is always in the nature food section – alongside the natural and organic baking ingredients. Hope that helps.
Sherri says
Made this a couple of nights ago. AMAZING!! My favorite granola recipe to date. Thanks for sharing!
Kathy E. says
I made this tonight for so many reasons: I wanted something crunchy and and a little sweet; I was avoiding housework; and I just wanted to use the oven to warm up the house. I’m SOOO glad I decided on this recipe because it’s flippin’ awesome! I had all of the ingredients on hand ( except I was short about 2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup). I used one teaspoon each of the extracts and really like that combination. I do love almond extract, but it can be overpowering to other flavors. I guess I’ll have to do housework tomorrow…after my granola break. Thanks for sharing!
Allie says
I’m going to add some coconut to my next batch. I’m still tweaking the first recipe I tried that turned out a little bland. The recipe called for applesauce to replace most of the oil!
Crystal says
Yummy! I love coconut…especially in granola. Thanks for recipe!