This easy granola uses up whatever nuts and seeds you have on hand. It makes an easy, healthy breakfast or snack.
Starting fresh in January just feels right.
The minute the holidays end, I have an intense urge to pack up every speck of festive decorations, vacuum the whole house, and send at least ten bags of donated clothes and household items out the door.
And then there’s the kitchen: The overstuffed cabinets, packed fridge, and freezer that feels like a bottomless pit of cold, mystery items.
Recently I spent a week organizing those spaces and then figuring out how to use up all the odds and ends I had–so I could cut my grocery bill and waste less food overall.
A perfect way to repurpose half-empty bags of nuts and seeds taking up space in my pantry and freezer: A double batch of this easy granola. One hour of prep and we instantly had breakfasts and yogurt toppings for the next week or more.
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This easy granola is very flexible and forgiving, but here are a few recipe notes for you:
- Use a combination of whatever nuts and seeds you happen to have. I’ve used walnuts, almonds, pecans, peanuts, and pistachios with this recipe.
- I tend to use plain, raw nuts and seeds. If yours are already salted, consider reducing or nixing the additional salt the recipe calls for altogether.
- If you use pumpkin seeds, opt for shelled seeds (called pepitas).
- If you like smaller pieces of nuts in your granola, pulse them in a food processor or mini chopper first.
Eat this granola on its own as a snack, with milk for breakfast, or over yogurt. Enjoy!
Easy Granola
This easy granola uses up whatever nuts and seeds you have on hand. It’s lightly sweet and makes an easy, healthy breakfast or snack.
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup chopped nuts, Whatever kind you have, such as walnuts, almonds, or pecans
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes or shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup seeds, Whatever kind you have, such as pepitas or sunflower seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 stick butter
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Combine dry ingredients (oats through salt) in a mixing bowl.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Turn to low and add maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir to combine and remove from heat.
- Pour liquid ingredients over dry, mix well until everything is coated, and spread granola onto the baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time.
- Allow granola to cool, breaking it up into smaller pieces. Store in an airtight container. Keeps for several weeks.
Notes
*Nutrition information is based on using walnuts and pumpkin seeds.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 11 Serving Size: 1/11 of recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 365Carbohydrates: 41gFiber: 7gSugar: 10gProtein: 11g
Ava says
Hey, great post
I was looking for an easy Granola recipe and i think this is it.
I find other recipes are too heavily loaded with sugar so I like the 365kcal this recipe has.
I particularly like the way this recipe serves 11 people as there are alot of mouths in my house to feed!
Anyhow, thanks – i’m going off to facebook to share this!
Michelle says
Hi-
Any idea on how to make granola chunky? I really do not like it loose.
Thank you :).
Sally says
Hi Michelle–Yes, you can actually glaze it with some beaten egg white to get clusters of granola versus crumbles. Here’s a recipe of mine that does that: https://www.realmomnutrition.com/double-chocolate-almond-granola/