Homemade granola is everything you want it to be and more. Not only is making your own ridiculously delicious, it’s easy to put together and easy to make exactly how you like it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
“A very dear friend made this granola for me after having a baby and OMG it is incredibly scrumptious! My husband loves the granola too. It’s good with yogurt, oatmeal, or on its own.” – Amanda H.
I’ve developed over 50 breakfast recipes for this website, and this granola is the one I’ve made more times than any of them. It’s been in regular rotation in our house for years, partly because it’s genuinely low maintenance and partly because once you’ve had homemade, the store-bought stuff just isn’t as appealing anymore.
What took the longest to work out was the ratio, and it’s the thing I’d most want you to take away from this post. Three cups oats, two cups mix-ins, one cup liquid. Once you have that, the specific nuts and seeds barely matter. I landed on a combination of pecans, walnuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds after trying a lot of versions, because that mix gives you the most variety in texture. But readers have swapped in cashews, added dried apricots, gone heavier on one nut than another, and it works every time because the ratio holds.
The other thing worth knowing is the bake. Low and slow at 300°F for 45 minutes, stirring once at the halfway point, is what gets you evenly toasted granola instead of burnt edges and soft spots in the middle. Granola is one of those things that seems impossible to mess up right up until you pull a pan of it out too dark.
This granola recipe is also part of a bigger habit around here: spending a little time on the weekend to meal prep so busy, you’ve got to grab-and-go kind of mornings are easier all week. If that’s your kind of thing too, you’ll want our homemade chewy granola bars, peanut butter and chocolate energy bites, and seed and peanut butter energy balls too.
Jump to:
- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review
- Why You’ll Love This Homemade Granola Recipe
- Ingredients Needed to Make Our Recipe for Granola with Maple Syrup
- Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Top Tip
- How to Make Granola with Maple Syrup
- Maple Granola Serving Suggestions
- Meredith’s Tip: This is a Great Gift for New Mamas!
- How to Store Granola Made with Maple Syrup
- FAQs About Maple Pecan Granola
- Love This Recipe? Try One of These Easy Breakfast Recipes Next!
- Maple Nut Granola
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Granola Recipe
Easy enough for any skill level. Stir, pour, spread, bake. If you can use a mixing bowl and a baking sheet, you can make granola.
Endlessly customizable. Stick to the ratio and swap whatever you want. Different nuts, seeds, dried fruit, coconut. Readers have made a dozen versions of this and reported back that they all work.
Crunchy, toasty texture. The low and slow bake gets every oat and nut evenly golden. This recipe makes loose granola rather than clusters, and there are notes below if you’d rather have clusters.
Mild maple sweetness. Real maple syrup does a good portion of the sweetening here, so it tastes like maple rather than just sugar.
Ready in under an hour. About 5 minutes of hands-on time and 45 minutes in the oven.
Keeps for weeks. One batch stays good on the counter for 2 to 3 weeks, so a little effort covers a lot of breakfasts.
Ingredients Needed to Make Our Recipe for Granola with Maple Syrup
- Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. The base of your granola. I recommend old-fashioned oats here (and in most baking adventures, if we’re being honest) because they’re sturdier than quick-cook oats and hold their shape through the bake. Quick oats turn mushy and powdery. Use certified gluten free oats if you need this to be a gluten free granola.
- Sliced Almonds. Thin and delicate, almonds toast up beautifully and add a light crunch that’s different from the heartier nuts.
- Chopped Pecans. Buttery and rich, and the nut that pairs most naturally with maple.
- Chopped Walnuts. Earthier than pecans with a little bitterness that keeps the granola from reading as too sweet.
- Salted and Roasted Pepitas. Pumpkin seeds add a different kind of crunch than the nuts do, plus a little salt that balances the maple and brown sugar. If you only have raw pepitas, those work too, you’ll just get a milder flavor.
- Pure Maple Syrup. Real maple syrup for flavor and natural sweetness. The fake pancake syrups are highly processed with all kinds of ingredients you don’t need, so use the real deal here.
- Neutral Oil. Oil is what helps everything toast evenly and gets you that crunch. You want something without a strong flavor of its own. I like grapeseed oil, but canola, vegetable, or melted coconut oil all work.
- Brown Sugar. The last piece of the liquid mixture. Just enough to add a little sweetness and help things crisp up as they bake.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
Change the mix-ins / nuts and seeds used. The fun thing about making homemade granola is that you can tailor it to your liking. Don’t like pecans? No problem, replace them with a different ingredient! You can use different types of nuts, shredded coconut, dried fruit, or your favorite type of seed.
Use honey instead of maple syrup (this generally makes more clusters). Swap honey 1-to-1 in place of the maple syrup if desired. You can also do half honey and half maple syrup.
- Note: Substituting honey into this recipe will give your granola a different flavor profile (as you’re taking out at least a portion of the maple syrup).
- Note: Honey is much sticker to work with. If you do make this swap, I’d also recommend that you add in a layer of parchment paper below your granola…save yourself some elbow grease later.
Add warm spices. A teaspoon of ground cinnamon stirred in with the oats and nuts adds a cozy warmth that works really well with the maple. Go up to 1½ teaspoons if you want it more forward. A pinch of nutmeg or a dash of pumpkin pie spice are nice additions too, especially in the fall.
Top Tip
The most important thing about this homemade granola recipe is the ingredient ratio: 3 cups oats, 2 cups mix-ins (the nuts and seeds), and 1 cup liquid mixture (made with the oil, maple syrup, and sugar).
How to Make Granola with Maple Syrup
Prepare a cookie sheet: Get out your biggest cookie sheet and set aside. No lining or cooking spray needed
Measure your dry ingredients: Place your oats, nuts, and seeds in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine
Create liquid mixture & pour over dry ingredients: In a small bowl (or 2 cup liquid measuring cup), add your oil, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Whisk to combine. Pour over your dry ingredients and stir until everything is evenly coated
Spread granola mixture onto a large baking sheet. Gently spread your granola mixture into an even layer on a baking sheet.
Bake your homemade granola: Bake at 300°F for 45minutes, stirring granola and re-distributing evenly over your pan half-way through the baking process.
Cool, enjoy, and store: Let granola cool completely and enjoy! Store in mason jars or other air-tight container(s) of choice.
Maple Granola Serving Suggestions
There are lots of great ways to enjoy this homemade granola! Some of my favorite ways to enjoy this crunchy nut granola is:
- Served with yogurt and berries! If you’d like to add more protein and some omega-3s, sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of hemp hearts on top as well.
- As a quick snack, enjoying it by the handful. Option to toss in some mini chocolate chips for an extra special treat.
- Sprinkled on top of smoothies.
- As a fun topping on ice cream.
Meredith’s Tip: This is a Great Gift for New Mamas!
Homemade granola is easy to store, easy to grab in the middle of the night when they’re up for a feeding, and makes for an easy breakfast. Notice the keyword EASY? Additionally, many of the ingredients in this granola are on all those lists they’re Googling in the middle of the night looking for ways to help increase their milk production (I know from personal experience). As a new mama it is SO NICE to get homemade meals and snacks from friends and family… especially if it’s a better-for-you option! Be that friend for someone you know; they will truly appreciate it more than you can imagine.
How to Store Granola Made with Maple Syrup
Allow the granola to cool completely before storing. This is the step people skip, and it’s the one that matters most. Warm granola gives off steam, and steam trapped in a sealed jar will turn your crunchy granola soft overnight. Leave the pan on the counter for at least 30 minutes until it’s fully at room temperature. Then store granola in an airtight container (like a mason jar) for 2 to 3 weeks at room temperature. You can also freeze granola if desired for up to 3 months. It doesn’t freeze solid, so you can scoop right from the container without thawing.
If your granola does soften up on you, spread it back onto a baking sheet and bake at 300°F for about 10 minutes. Cool it completely again before storing and the crunch comes right back.
FAQs About Maple Pecan Granola
This recipe makes loose granola on purpose, since that’s what we like for sprinkling over yogurt. If you want clusters, a few things help. Swap the maple syrup for honey, which is stickier and binds better. Press the mixture down firmly with a spatula before it goes in the oven rather than leaving it loose. And don’t stir it halfway through, since stirring is exactly what breaks clusters apart. Let it cool completely on the pan undisturbed, then break it into pieces with your hands.
Granola doesn’t really crisp up in the oven, that happens as it cools. It will look and feel underdone when you pull the pan out, and that’s normal. Give it 30 minutes on the counter before you judge it. If it’s still soft after cooling fully, it needed a few more minutes in the oven.
Yes. Keep the ratio and replace the 2 cups of nuts with seeds instead. Pepitas, sunflower seeds, and hemp hearts all work. You could also use a mix of seeds and shredded coconut.
Yes, but add it after baking rather than before. Dried fruit burns and turns hard in a 45 minute bake. Stir in raisins, dried cranberries, chopped apricots, or whatever you like once the granola has cooled.
Most likely the oven temperature. Granola bakes low and slow at 300°F, and even 325°F is enough to take it from toasted to burnt in that 45 minute window. It’s also worth stirring at the halfway mark, since the edges of the pan run hotter than the middle.
Love This Recipe? Try One of These Easy Breakfast Recipes Next!
Maple Nut Granola
Ingredients
- 3 Cups – Old Fashioned Oats gluten-free for GF diets
- ½ Cup – Sliced Almonds
- ½ Cup – Chopped Pecans
- ½ Cup – Chopped Walnuts
- ½ Cup – Salted & Roasted Pepitas
- ¼ Cup – Grapeseed Oil
- ½ Cup – Maple Syrup
- ¼ Cup – Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (149 degrees C)
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, almonds, pecans, walnuts, and pepitas. Set dry ingredients aside
- In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the grapeseed oil and maple syrup. Add the brown sugar to the liquid mix and whisk to combine
- Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until everything is evenly coated
- Spread the mixture evenly onto a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring halfway through
- Remove from the oven, cool, and store in an air-tight container
Amanda H. says
A very dear friend made this granola for me after having a baby and OMG it is incredibly scrumptious! My husband loves the granola too. It’s good with yogurt, oatmeal, or on its own. I’m finally getting around to getting the ingredients to make it this week…can’t wait!
Meredith says
What a great friend you have! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and that you’ll be making more soon.
Victoria says
I tried this recipe for the second time and yes, easy is the right word, but so is yummy! This time I swapped out the almonds for cashews and added in 1/2 cup of snipped dried apricots just to make it interesting. Now the problem is to stop going to the container for another spoonful, and another spoonful! But my favorite way to enjoy it is over yogurt. Thanks for another winner!
Meredith says
I’m so happy to hear you’ve made this several times and love it too! Love the swaps you made too, I’ll have to try that next time 🙂
T. Hammerschmidt says
Such a good breakfast! Very filling.
ourlovelanguageisfood says
So happy to hear you enjoyed this granola recipe! Thank you for giving my recipe a try 🙂
Maren says
Our go-to granola! Will never buy granola from a store again.
ourlovelanguageisfood says
So glad you love it too!