For our best granola, we wanted a crunchy, clustery version that wasn’t too sweet. We created this simple but universally likeable recipe that’s flavored with vanilla and a blend of brown sugar and maple syrup. We love its pure flavors and balance of salty and sweet. It is the perfect canvas for personalization, so we’ve included some ideas for mix-ins at the end of the recipe.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Active: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 5 cups |
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 3 cups regular rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 1 cup large unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine the oats, almonds, coconut chips and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Combine the brown sugar, syrup and oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the sugar mixture over the oats and stir until well combined, then spread the granola mixture in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally (see Cook’s Note) until toasted and golden brown, 60 to 70 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 306 |
| Total Fat | 18 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 16 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 148 mg |
Reviews
Love the recipe! I changed the almonds for pecans (family preference) but it’s a complete hit at my house.
Texture was a little off but overall pretty tasty
It is good, but could be better
1 TSP. of salt people!
Since the salt wasn’t required as a lever or other chemical reaction, I reduced the amount of salt to 1 teaspoon. I also added ground cinnamon to taste before baking and dried mixed berries and chopped dried apricot after baking. LOVELY recipe!
A tablespoon of kosher salt to 3 cups of old fashioned oats ruined this recipe, which is extremely unfortunate because I made a double recipe to share with visiting family. Added unsalted dried blueberries and cranberries, pecans, dried apricots, and pepitas, none of which are inexpensive ingredients. All of my mix-ins were after baking and UNsalted — I have triple checked everything after trying to eat this for two days. Even with milk or yogurt, it is not edible because it is so incredibly salty. For perspective, I checked other granola recipes after tasting this finished product and see that similar recipes with 3 to 4 cups of oats use 1 TEASPOON (sometimes less, like 3/4 tsp of kosher salt or 1/2 tsp of table salt) instead of 1 tablespoon. I would really like my $20 worth of ingredients and 2 hours of chopping and baking, as well as my asSALTed taste buds back, but I’ll settle for warning others about the very, very disproportionate salt to oats ratio. ***For the record, I love salty foods and probably use more salt than I should on a regular basis, so I’m not particularly sensitive about too much salt and sometimes add salt to recipes to suit my personal preference if that helps anyone understand the outrageous level of saltiness in this granola.
I throw a few cashews and some cacao chips in this recipe… salty sweet goodness! Super simple to make and a fabulous snack!
This granola is absolutely delicious! From the time I mixed it together until a couple hours after it baked, the whole house smelled heavenly. And it tastes just like it smells. Vanilla maple flavor with a crunch. Yumm!