Easy Homemade Granola (Big, Crunchy Clusters)

What is granola?

Granola is a breakfast food (that’s also used as a snack) consisting of oats, nuts, and sweeteners that have been baked together. It’s sometimes confused with muesli, which is similar but usually not baked. I usually treat any granola I’ve made at home the same as I would any cereal – as a breakfast option with milk, occasionally with a bit of fruit too. Or I just grab a quick handful when I’m feeling peckish in-between meals. (Or *ahem* late at night while I’m binge-watching reality shows.)

Making homemade granola means you can control the mix-ins and the texture. This version is especially good if store-bought granola feels too loose, too sweet, or short on satisfying clusters. Serve it with milk, sprinkle it over yogurt, or keep it on hand for snacking.

Why you'll love this homemade granola

Easy method: Mix, bake, and cool-no complicated equipment required.
Big crunchy clusters: The frothy egg white and undisturbed cooling time help the granola set into satisfying pieces.
Make-ahead breakfast: Keep a jar ready for yogurt, milk, fruit, or snacking by the handful.
Flexible finish: Add chocolate chips, dried fruit, or freeze-dried fruit after the granola cools.

If you're planning ahead for a weekend brunch, this make-ahead strawberry cream cheese French toast bake is another breakfast you can prep in advance.

Key Ingredients

• Old-fashioned rolled oats: These keep their texture during the long bake. Avoid quick or 1-minute oats; they are cut thinner and can produce a finer, less chunky granola. Have extra oats to use up? These sweet potato oat pancakes with Greek yogurt are another warm breakfast option.
• Oil, honey, brown sugar, and pure vanilla extract: This sweet coating gives the granola its crisp texture and caramel-like flavor. The 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract are intentional-they flavor this large batch.
• Coconut, wheat germ, and All-Bran cereal: These make the granola hearty and add texture.
• Almonds and sunflower seeds: For crunch in every bite.
• Egg white: Whisked until frothy, it helps create the chunky clusters this recipe is known for.

Variation ideas

Once the granola is completely cool, make it your own:

• Chocolate chip granola: Stir in up to 1 cup chocolate chips. If you're in a full chocolate-for-breakfast mood, try these easy chocolate pancakes for breakfast.
• Fruit and nut granola: Add cranberries, chopped dried apricots, dried cherries, or freeze-dried raspberries. (If you’d like to use raisins, then this probably isn’t the site for you. Okay, okay, I’m kidding. You can throw in raisins, if that’s what does it for you. See? Adaptable.) If berries are more your thing, these lemon blueberry scones for brunch are another bright breakfast bake to try.
• Extra-nutty granola: Add your favorite chopped nuts after confirming the batch still fits evenly on your baking sheet. Some examples include pecans, pistachios, walnuts, or macadamia nuts.

How to make easy homemade granola

1. Heat the oven and prepare the sheet pan. Preheat the oven to 275°F. Line a rimmed 13×18-inch half-sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Make the honey coating. Warm the oil, honey, brown sugar, water, and vanilla in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, but do not let the mixture boil. Set it aside to cool.
3. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, coconut, wheat germ, chopped almonds, sunflower seeds, and All-Bran cereal.
4. Whisk the egg white. Once the honey mixture has cooled, whisk the egg white until frothy, about 20-30 seconds. Stir it into the honey mixture.
5. Coat the oats. Pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until everything is evenly coated.
6. Bake and cool. Spread the granola in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden, 45-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and do not stir, shake, or break it up. Let it cool completely on the pan, then break it into clusters.

Riz’s Expert Tips

What is the secret to good homemade granola? The secret to good chunky granola is not stirring it once it comes out of the oven.

For this recipe, three details make the difference:

1. Cool the honey mixture before adding the egg white. Hot liquid can start cooking the egg white before it coats the oats.
2. Whisk the egg white until frothy. It helps bind the ingredients into clusters as they bake.
3. Use a rimmed half-sheet pan. Spread the granola in an even layer on a parchment-lined 13×18-inch half-sheet pan so it bakes evenly.
4. Let it cool completely without disturbing it. The granola crisps and sets into clusters as it cools.

The granola may not seem fully crunchy when it first comes out of the oven. Give it time to cool completely before deciding whether it needs more baking.

Ways to serve it

Enjoy this homemade granola:

• With milk and fresh berries
• Over Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. If you're looking for a savory yogurt breakfast instead, try Turkish eggs with spiced yogurt.
• In a yogurt parfait (you can even sweeten it with a touch of maple syrup or more honey) 
• Sprinkled over a smoothie bowl
• Straight from the jar as a crunchy snack

Easy Homemade Granola FAQs

A raisin, a peanut, and an oat sit down, and order drink. The bartender says, “Hey! What do you think this is? A granola bar?”

Geddit? A granola bar? Because this post is all about making granola at home? (Admit it. You find me hilarious.)

Anyyyyyways….this recipe for easy homemade granola doesn't take much work, but products a fair amount of meals. If you give it a try, let me know what you think.

Print

📖 Recipe