How To Make Granola

We started making our own granola when our first child was a baby. That was about 13 or 14 years before we moved out to the country to start growing our own food. Making your own granola is one of the easiest ways you can take control of the ingredients in your food and save money. Rolled oats cost a fraction of the price of commercial granola.

It’s also incredibly easy to switch up the ingredients to make different varieties. My husband really likes making it with orange juice. I prefer to just use water as the liquid and add plenty of cinnamon. Over the years, we tried all sorts of different nuts and seeds, so don’t feel limited by the suggested ingredients listed. They are there mostly to give you an idea of the amount you need of various ingredients.

This is a great recipe for letting children help because nothing has to be perfect.

Start by melting a stick of butter in a large pot and then add the liquids, such as juice or water. Don’t skip this! I used to think there was no point in adding water, but that’s what helps the chunks of granola stick together and get crunchy. You can also add vanilla or almond extract to the liquid mix.

Then add all of the solid ingredients — oats, nuts, seeds, wheat germ, etc. Pour them into the pot and stir to get the liquids and solids mixed up.

Pour them into two 9 x 13 baking dishes and bake at 250 degrees for two hours, stirring every half hour.

When you take it out of the oven, the oats will be soft until they cool, which is when you’ll notice that they’re crunchy.  You can stir in dried fruit after the granola has cooled off, but that’s optional.

We love eating this on top of our homemade goat milk yogurt! In fact, that’s my husband’s favorite breakfast!

How To Make Granola

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup walnuts or almonds
• 1 cup seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, or a blend)
• 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 cup water or orange juice
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 cup dried fruit (raisins, currants, cranberries, apples, etc)

Instructions

 

• Melt butter over low flame in a 6-quart pot.
  
• Add all liquids — honey, maple syrup, water
• Add nuts and seeds to oats.
  
• Add oats and stir briskly to get them mixed up with liquid.
  
• Pour into two 9 x 13 baking dishes. Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours, stirring every half hour.
  
• If you want to add dried fruit, you can stir it in after the granola has cooled.