There is so much to love about this homemade vanilla granola recipe. It is super simple to make and my go-to for a quick breakfast or snack. Enjoy it as-is or use it to top ice cream, yogurt, smoothies, or as a starting point for your favorite add-ins!
The perfect breakfast recipe and delicious on top of overnight oats!
Recipe Features:
- Quick and Easy: Minimal ingredients and quick baking means you have fresh granola ready in minutes.
- Long Lasting: Homemade granola will last up to two weeks if stored properly.
- Nut and Dairy Free: This recipe contains no nuts or dairy. Although, you can add chopped nuts if you’d like for a great added texture.
We are granola lovers in this house. Having a good staple recipe that is easy to customize makes this ideal for on-the-go snacking or a quick breakfast. I like my granola to have big clusters of oats and flavor and a super long shelf life so we can have it on hand always.
Luckily, this vanilla granola recipe checks all of the boxes. It is insanely easy to make, fills my home with the most amazing vanilla scent, and gives me so many clusters of flavor. It is my go-to base granola and one I frequently gift to friends and neighbors.
You cannot go wrong with this easy granola recipe.
The ingredient list is not long. Most are pantry staples which means you could have a batch of granola ready in no time! Let’s break down what you need and any substitution options:
Homemade Vanilla Granola Ingredients:
- Rolled Oats: Here’s the deal, this recipe really is best with old fashioned rolled oats. BUT, what if I told you you could switch things up and do half and half? If you use half rolled oats and half quick oats you end up with something magical. While you can do my little 50/50 split, I do not recommend using quick oats for the entire amount. You end up with a glob mess that just doesn’t set right and miss that delightful crunchy texture.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar adds just a touch of molasses flavor which makes it my go-to over granulated sugar. Granola needs that little bit of extra flavor and binding. That being said, you can always substitute with coconut sugar, white sugar with a touch of molasses, or muscovado sugar in a pinch. We’ve done all 3 with similar results.
- Spices: Spices are a great place to play around. If you want the true classic flavor- Stick with cinnamon and salt. It marries beautifully with the vanilla and brown sugar giving you a granola that is family approved. You can swap the cinnamon for apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice in the fall.
- Honey: Honey is what will keep things clustered and give you those amazing big clumps of goodness. I’m a sucker for local honey and always have it on hand, but in a pinch I have also used maple syrup. You still get clusters together but not quite as big.
- Oil: Coconut oil is my favorite way to go when making this recipe. It has little flavor to it which really allows the vanilla to shine through. Our second grab is a light olive oil or avocado oil. You can also opt for vegetable oil or canola oil in a pinch. Do not use butter. It will reduce the shelf life and need to be stored in the refrigerator making it soggy and less crisp.
Honey Vanilla Granola Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Line a large baking tray with a silicone mat or parchment and set aside.
- Combine the oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Add the coconut oil and honey to a small saucepan.
- Heat over low/medium heat until warmed and the oil is completely liquidated, roughly 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the oil mixture over the oats and stir to combine.
- Spread into an even layer onto the prepared sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes, gently stirring once halfway through.
- Granola is done when golden brown and fragrant.
Tips To Make Perfect Granola:
- I do suggest taste testing as you go. I put about 1/4 cup of sugar and honey but my husband likes it with a little less (around 2-3 tablespoons).
- Be liberal with your add-in’s. I like it plain Jane because I use it with fruit and on Greek yogurt, but have big plans to create some outstanding flavor combos for you.
- It also makes an incredible vanilla granola cereal! Just add milk!
FAQs
The beauty of granola is that it can be eaten in so many ways! A few of our favorite?
– On its own as a grab-and-go snack
– With added fruit and yogurt
– On top of pancakes
– As a topping for ice cream
– With a little milk and fruit as cereal
This recipe makes an excellent base to any additional ingredients you would like to add. Here are a few of our favorites:
– Nuts: Cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds… This is an incredible vanilla almond granola recipe!
– Dried Fruit: Bananas and apricots are my favorite, but my kid lives for dried blueberries.
– Seeds: sunflower seeds are one of my favorites.
If you are looking for more clusters, try adding 1 egg white to the granola before baking. This will give you a beautiful binding that will hold things together well.
Also, try not to mix vigorously. Only gently mix to allow the edges to be blended to the center and avoid burning.
Absolutely. Eating granola with milk is one of our favorite ways to enjoy. Try adding a cup of chopped fruit for an even more fun experience.
More Granola and Oat Recipes:
- Easy Chocolate Granola Recipe
- Cinnamon Crunch Granola
- Pumpkin Pie Granola Recipe
- Banana Bread Granola
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Bars
- Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
- Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Oat Bars
- Best Baked Oatmeal
- Almond Joy Granola Recipe
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Vanilla Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup honey
- 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Line a large baking tray with a silicone mat or parchment and set aside.
- Combine the oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Add the coconut oil and honey to a small saucepan.
- Heat over low/medium heat until warmed and the oil is completely liquidated, roughly 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the oil mixture over the oats and stir to combine.
- Spread into an even layer onto the prepared sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes, gently stirring once halfway through.
- Granola is done when golden brown and fragrant.
Video
Notes
-
This recipe makes an excellent base to any additional ingredients you would like to add. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Nuts: Cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds… This is an incredible vanilla almond granola recipe!
- Dried Fruit: Bananas and apricots are my favorite, but my kid lives for dried blueberries.
- Seeds: sunflower seeds are one of my favorites.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Pam says
How long will this last in a jar? I’d like to make it for Christmas gifts, but need to start a couple of weeks ahead of time. Would it stay fresh for 2+ weeks? I read through the comments to see if it had already been asked/answered, but it appears no one has had it sit long enough to find out. 🙂
Jesseca says
Hi Pam, I recently found a jar that got pushed to the back of our pantry. It was about 4 weeks old and tasted great. So I’d say a few weeks should be totally fine. After that it might start to taste slightly stale, but I’d still eat it. 😳
Cindy Rose says
This is so delicious! Only issue is I can’t stop eating it! It’s light and so fresh tasting. I followed the directions exactly (with maple syrup as we have lots of real maple syrup here in NH) (may have added a little extra vanilla and cinnamon). I did add about 3/4 cup of sliced almonds.
I may try the egg at some point to see if it does make bigger clusters. The original way does make clusters, they just break easily (but not before they get into your mouth).
Jesseca says
Thank you, Cindy! I’m glad you loved it.
Monique says
Very tastfull and crunchy, I can’t stop eating it!
Next time I add some nuts and coconut flakes.
Thank you for this recipe.
Jesseca says
Thank you for the review, Monique!
Erika says
This is a great recipe! I make a few adjustments for the tastes of my family. I add pecans and unsweetened coconut. My husband like things really sweat so a do a very generous 1/4 cup of brown sugar. I also replace the honey with pure maple syrup and half the vanilla extract. I have been using Trader Joe’s pure bourbon vanilla extract and it adds a nice flavor. Thank you for the recipe!!
Jesseca says
Oh, I LOVE the idea of added coconut and bourbon vanilla! Thanks for the suggestion. I can’t wait to try that.
Amy Jensen says
Great recipe! I’ve already made it twice this week. I gave some to my friend and she loves it too! Thank you!
Jesseca says
Thank you so much, Amy!
Jess says
Honestly, the only reason I would tell someone not to make this is because you WILL become addicted to it, no if ands or buts about it! I LOVE this recipe so much! Having multiple food allergies, finding safe store bought granola is virtually impossible, so this recipe is perfect! But I end up eating it all within a week at most XD. Even when I double the batch, it doesn’t last long!
Jesseca says
Hi Jess, you had me for a second. 😜 This is one of our all-time favorites. It’s so easy to customize and the perfect pantry snack, so I’m thrilled you love it as much as I do.
Hannah says
This is super delicious and easy to make. My kids loved helping (and eating!). We used canola oil because my daughter is not a fan of coconut.
Jesseca says
Hi Hannah! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Funny, we were out of coconut oil last week and made a double batch with canola. Equally as delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Lorraine says
The granola smells delicious even before you put it in the oven. I used my homemade vanilla and didn’t add anything else to the recipe.
The recipe is so easy and was glad to see the honey & coconut oil instead of butter.
I have tried a few granola recipes but this one is by far the best tasting.
Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Jesseca says
Hi Lorraine! Thank you so much for your kind words. This is one of our favorite granola recipes and made regularly in my home. I’m so glad you loved it too!
Carol S says
@Jesseca, this is great recipe. I have added dry roasted peanuts,slivered almonds,chopped walnuts which can be great also
Jesseca says
I’m so glad you love it, Carol! Those additions sound delicious!
Sarah K. says
We loved it! There wasn’t any honey in our pantry so we used Maple syrup. Added in some coconut flakes, almond slivers, and optional raisins. Very flavorful, perfectly crunchy, and not too sweet.
Judy Patti says
Do you have any idea how many calories is in this? I could eat the whole batch. It’s so good.
Jesseca says
Hi Judy,
I did a rough estimate and it came to 213 calories per half cup. This is just an estimate based off of the recipe ingredients listed and added to the recipe card.
Anita says
Great recipe!!! My family loved it. No more store bought granola for us…. this was so easy and super delicious.
Tim A says
HI Jessica,
I’ve been wanting to make some homemade granola for a while now and your recipe sounded delicious; so I made this Vanilla Granola this morning while the rest of the family slept in. I made it with the original recipe w/o the coconut oil as I didn’t have any in the pantry. I did add in some roasted almonds and pistachios for added texture and flavors. It turned out fantastic.
Love the story that came along with it.
This was a great find!
Thank you,
Tim A
Jesseca says
Thank you for taking the time to comment, Tim! I really love that you added the almonds and pistachios. I will have to give that a try.
Helena says
This is a great granola recipe! And if you don’t have honey I’ve found that white sugar works too, if you half the recipe make sure to cook it for 15-20 minutes otherwise it’ll burn. My whole family loves this recipe and I do too. Thanks for the recipe!
Jesseca says
Hi Helena, I’m so glad you love this recipe as much as we do! Love the tip about the sugar and the cook time!
Mary Bailey says
I made this yesterday and it is delicious! I followed your recipe exact. It was crunchy for the first couple hours and then turned soft and sticky, but still clumpy. Any way to keep it dry and crunchy? I am storing it in a mason jar. Also, what is the serving size? Thank you for sharing your amazing recipe.
~Mary B.
Julie says
Just running across this recipe and have a question. Any idea if it can be done successfully in a crockpot?? We’re in a camper 90% of the time for work and no matter how hard I try I always end up overcooking granola because of my oven 🤦♀️ there’s no low or high, its 400 degrees or nothing LOL.
Jesseca says
Hm… Maybe. I have never tried but I have read a few articles that say it’s possible. From what I’ve read, you can cook granola on high with the lid cracked open slightly. It suggest stirring every 20 or 30 minutes for 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
I hope this helps! Sorry I can’t be more sure.
Amber says
Thank you for this wonderful and easy recipe! Even my picky eaters loved it! I made two batches in 2 days, one vanilla and one maple extract . While the maple has a good flavor, it made the granola stickier. Just thought I would share that experience.
Jesseca says
I am so glad you loved the recipe! I will have to give it a try with maple! What a great idea.
George says
Thanks so much for this yummy recipe. I needed a recipe for my yogurt and stumbled on this one. I only had quick oats but will pick up old fashioned rolled oats for next time.
Jesseca says
I’m glad you liked it, George! It is one of our go-to’s for an easy snack or breakfast.
John says
I do find some people to be exceptionally wordy, but also appreciate those that are trying to give tips rather than discussing the origins including their family history. The “skip to recipe” is always a great inclusion.
Patches Pitts says
Hi there ! This may be a silly question but are rolled oats and quick oats the same thing ?
Jesseca says
Not a silly question. Quick oats are precooked, dried, and pressed. They tend to be smaller than rolled oats. In this recipe, you get a better texture and crunch by using rolled oats.
Sydney says
I made this recipe the other day. It was my first time making granola…I’d been wanting to so I could have some in yogurt without paying the crazy store prices for a bag. It was so easy and I had everything on hand. Except the coconut oil, I didn’t have any of that but since you’d mentioned in your post that you’d previously been using canola oil I used that since it was in my pantry. Worked great! Mine stuck together wonderfully. I did have a little extra honey just because it poured fast. I’ve been enjoying it in yogurt but I just added some to a bowl of MultiGrain Cheerios and I think I’ve found my new favorite breakfast. Husband says I have to make another batch because I won’t just let him snack on it (if I did it would be gone in 30 minutes!)
Jesseca says
ok, I cannot wait to try some in cereal!! That is such a genius idea and I am sure my ten year old is going to love it.
JW says
Can’t we just get a recipe at this point without reading everyone’s life story?!
Jesseca says
I apologize that the one paragraph of personal story bothered you. I try hard to keep all of my posts to include tips, tricks, and other helpful information regarding the recipe. Much like this post. While I appreciate you visiting, I’d love to keep the comments relative to the recipe and negative free. Thanks for your input.
Sydney says
While I typically roll my eyes at the really long posts before recipes, I really appreciate the ones that include tips and why. For instance, the recipe itself has been edited to using coconut oil, but reading the actual post indicates that previously canola oil was used. This was actually helpful to me since I didn’t have coconut oil but then felt OK just substituting canola instead of writing off the recipe for needing to go buy pricy oil that I would only use for this.
So thanks for keeping it short and informative!
Jesseca says
Thank you for taking the time to comment! I really try hard to update posts to only include helpful information pertaining to the recipe. That said, you will find a few I haven’t gotten around to updating, but most are filled with tips and recipe info. I’m so glad it was actually helpful for you.
Jenn says
This sounds amazing but I am wondering if it is a crunchy or chewy recipe? If it is crunchy, do you know what I would do to make it chewy instead? Thank you!
merle says
does anyone know how many calories are in this recipe?
Kylette says
On my goodness, this is SO simple! I made a double batch today for my kids to take on a road trip. Due to allergies, I used coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar, then another 1/4 c in place of the honey. My 11 year old absolutely loves it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Jesseca says
Oooooh! Coconut sugar is one of my new favorite finds. I will have to give it a try in this recipe! Thank you for the great suggestion!
Bid Daddy says
Yeah… 100% don’t use 4 Table spoons of vanilla extract. Just use a couple TSP. Or none at all if you throw it in yogurt mixes. 4 TBSP would turn you and your dog into vanilla extract.
Jesseca says
That was a typo from when I updated this recipe. You are definitely right. It should be TEASPOONS and not tablespoons. I fixed that error. Thanks for commenting!
Keri says
How do you store it? In an airtight container in the pantry or the fridge?
Jesseca says
If you have a good air tight container, I would use that and store it in the pantry. It should last up to six months that way. If you need to last longer you can store it in the freezer
Yvonne says
Made & loved this! Thanks for the great recipe!
Leilani says
Making this right now to go with homemade yogurt, swapped the agave for maple syrup and tripled the cinnamon. Excited to try coconut oil next time after looking through the comments! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
Rachel says
I just made this today. Thanks for the tasty recipe!
Colleen W says
I cannot find a granola for my yogurt ANYWERE! I knew I would be able to find a recipe here 🙂 I’ll be making this for our fruit, yogurt, granola breakfast tomorrow!
Jesseca says
It’s one of our all time favorites. Dax loves granola.
Colleen W says
Oh my gosh, it’s even better than I thought it was going to be!
Britta says
Do you have any idea how many calories per serving this is?
Jesseca says
I’m not sure. I can try to figure it out this afternoon for you though.
Renae says
I just made this and substituted coconut oil instead of canola oil….it was awesome. Next time I think I’ll add sunflower seeds and coconut flakes.
Jesseca says
oooooh! I never thought to try coconut oil! Great idea!
Christine says
I am so excited to see a plain Jane granola, I can’t wait to try this recipe out. Thank you for posting it. I had no idea it could this simple.
This is going to sound dumb but, what is agave? I’ve never heard of it before so I’m not sure where to look for it in the grocery store.
Thanks,
Christine
Jesseca says
Agave nectar is a supplement used instead of sugar. You can double the amount and use honey or sugar. :0)
Kara says
This is so easy and delicious!!!
Jesseca says
So glad you love it as much as we do!