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This fragrant Vanilla Granola is 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-in’s! 
When I first made this recipe it was sort of a mess but tasted so amazing. My entire house was filled with an amazing aroma but it was almost impossible to get things to stick together, literally.
I wanted big clumps of goodness that would be ideal for on-the-go snacking or replacing cereal. That is the way I feel like granola SHOULD be, am I right? Good news is I’ve made a couple of adjustments and have perfected the mix!
Honey Vanilla Granola
The first thing I did was swap out coconut oil in place of canola. I have been obsessed with the stuff ever since I used it in a stir fry a few months back. It is a much better swap for butter and oils, in my opinion, and helps all of the granola goodness stick together a little bit better.
I also reduced the sugar, added a touch of salt, and ditched the extra agave. If you made this recipe in the past you probably noticed that on top of brown sugar and honey it called for a measly teaspoon of agave… ONE TEASPOON. It’s not missed and things still taste dreamy.
How do you eat granola:
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
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). Also be liberal with your add-in’s. I like it plain Jane because I use it with a ton of fruit on Greek yogurt but have big plans to create some outstanding flavor combo’s for you. It also makes an incredible vanilla granola cereal! Just add milk!
Ingredients for Vanilla Granola:
How to make homemade vanilla granola:
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Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment and set aside.
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Combine the oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.
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Whisk the coconut oil and honey in a saucepan. Heat until fully just warmed and the oil is completely liquidated. Remove from the heat and stir in the Vanilla.
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Stir together the oats with the vanilla liquid until coated. Spread onto your prepared sheet and bake for 30 minutes stirring once halfway through.
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Granola is done when golden brown and fragrant.
Vanilla Granola
This fragrant Vanilla Granola is 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-in’s!
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 your oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment and set aside.
- Combine the oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Whisk the coconut oil and honey in a saucepan. Heat until fully just warmed and the oil is completely liquidated. Remove from the heat and stir in the Vanilla.
- Stir together the oats with the vanilla liquid until coated. Spread onto your prepared sheet and bake for 30 minutes stirring once halfway through.
- Granola is done when golden brown and fragrant.
Notes
*Add in your favorite dried fruits for an extra punch of flavor.
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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!
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!
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.
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!
Rachel says
I just made this today. Thanks for the tasty 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!
Yvonne says
Made & loved this! Thanks for the great recipe!
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
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!
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!
merle says
does anyone know how many calories are in this recipe?
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Anita says
Great recipe!!! My family loved it. No more store bought granola for us…. this was so easy and super delicious.