Homemade Buttery Honey Nut Granola Recipe
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Bake up a batch of Easy Homemade Nut Granola and serve with assorted dried fruits and fresh berries for a delicious and quick weekday breakfast!
Like most people, we only cook a full breakfast on the weekends and opt for something a little quicker and easier on weekdays. Once I started making my own granola, boxed cereals and store-bought granola lost a lot of their appeal.
This easy granola recipe is sweetened with honey and is made with old-fashioned rolled oats and three different kinds of nuts — walnuts, almonds, and pecans. I love nuts and buy them in bulk!
Why you’ll love this Granola Cereal Recipe!
Ingredient notes
- Old-Fashioned Oats — Old-fashioned oats are rolled oats that retain their shape and provide a hearty texture to the granola compared to quick oats.
- Unsweetened Coconut Flakes — Choose unsweetened shredded coconut to control the sweetness level of your granola.
- Pecans, Walnuts, Almonds — Use a combination of pecans, walnuts, and almonds for various flavors and textures.
- Unsalted Butter — Opt for unsalted butter to control your granola’s salt content.
- Honey — Choose high-quality honey for the best flavor in your granola. Honey acts as a natural sweetener and helps bind the granola ingredients together, providing a delicious caramelized flavor during baking.
- Cinnamon — Ground cinnamon adds warmth and depth of flavor to the granola. Adjust the amount of cinnamon according to your taste preferences, but be careful not to overwhelm the other flavors.
How to make Nut Granola
On any lazy Sunday afternoon, I can mix the granola ingredients up and be ready to pop it into the oven in just 10 minutes. The reward is a batch of delicious, crunchy granola that will last us the entire week. That’s a big win!
STEP 1 | Mix the dry ingredients
First, start with old-fashioned rolled oats and a cup of unsweetened shredded coconut. Add all this to a large mixing bowl with one-third cup each of walnuts, almonds, and pecans.
STEP 2 | Combine wet ingredients and oat mixture
Next, combine melted butter with the honey and a teaspoon of cinnamon and whisk until smooth. Pour this buttery mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix gently with a spatula until ALL the oats are coated.
This may take a few minutes, but you want to ensure the oats are moistened.
STEP 3 | Bake granola
Last, spread the oat mixture onto a rimmed cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper if you like) in an even layer and bake for one hour at 275 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes. Don’t skip on the stirring, or the oats will burn.
Trust me, I’ve been there and done that! Your oven may bake differently than mine, so watch carefully during the last 15-minute round of baking.
Remove the granola once it is as golden brown as you like, and cool to room temperature.
Are you planning a special weekend brunch? Make a batch of today’s granola as a crunchy topping for fancy yogurt parfaits and serve them alongside Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole, Tropical Fruit Salad, and my Bakery-Style Coffee Cake Muffins with Streusel Crumble.
tips
- If desired, place all the spices — cloves, allspice berries, and cinnamon sticks — in a square of cheesecloth and tie it with kitchen twine. Then, add apple slices to the cider instead.
- For an adult version, add one-half cup of dark rum, bourbon, or brandy to the simmering cider.
Variations and substitutions
- Add even more crunch with flax seeds, wheat germ, raw pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, or chia seeds.
- Adjust the sweetness level by using less honey or adding natural sweeteners like pure maple syrup or agave nectar.
- Swap out melted coconut oil for the butter if you like.
- A teaspoon of vanilla extract and some orange zest adds a warm, sweet, and aromatic flavor.
Storage tips
- Homemade granola will stay fresh if stored in an airtight container for two to three weeks.
- Be sure to let the granola cool completely before sealing the container so that it does not sweat and create moisture.
- This cookie jar by OXO with an airtight pop lid works great for storing the granola. A one-third scoop like this one is perfect for portioning into cereal bowls.
Frequently asked questions
One batch of this recipe will make about 10-12 servings, so with the two of us the granola is usually gone by the end of the week. However, homemade granola will stay fresh if stored in an airtight container for two to three weeks. Be sure to let the granola cool completely before sealing the container so that it does not sweat and create moisture.
My granola cereal recipe works just as well with one or all three types of nuts, so use any combination of the nuts that you have on hand — all walnuts, or half walnuts and pecans, etc. — just as long as you use one FULL cup of the nuts.
Absolutely! But this is not a set-it-and-forget-it task. Cook the granola on HIGH with the lid askew to allow the steam to escape and stir every 20 minutes or so until the granola is the desired golden brown color. This should take 2 to 3 hours.
Serving suggestions
- With Milk and Fruit. We like eating this granola just like cereal with milk, but I’ll often add a few dried cranberries or apricots and sometimes even fresh blueberries when we have them.
- As a Breakfast Yogurt Parfait. Place your favorite yogurt in a bowl and top with a spoonful or two of granola and a drizzle of honey.
- Make a Smoothie Bowl. Get fancy with this lovely acai bowl and top with a handful of crunchy granola.
- On Nut Butter Toast. Toast a slice of whole wheat bread and spread with peanut butter or almond butter. Top with sliced bananas, chocolate chips, a spoonful of granola, and a drizzle of honey — YUM!
Looking for more ways to use up your gluten-free oats?
Try my hearty Oat Flour Pancakes with maple syrup, these Raspberry Oatmeal Pancakes, or satisfy your cookie craving with these no-bake Peanut Butter Oatmeal Energy Bites!
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Homemade Buttery Honey Nut Granola Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- ⅓ cup pecans coarsely chopped
- ⅓ cup walnuts coarsely chopped
- ⅓ cup almonds sliced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients. Combine butter, honey, and cinnamon and pour over all. Stir to coat; then pour into a 10" x 15" jellyroll pan. Bake for one hour at 275 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Will keep well for two weeks.
Notes
- When mixing the dry and wet ingredients, ensure that everything is evenly coated. This will help prevent clumps and ensure that every granola bite is well-flavored.
- The low and slow method helps the granola to crisp up evenly without burning. It’s important to keep an eye on the granola towards the end of the baking time to prevent over-browning.
- Once the golden brown granola is fragrant, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before storing.
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
About Sheila Thigpen
Recipe Developer, Food Photographer, Food Writer
Sheila Thigpen is the publisher of Life, Love, and Good Food — a Southern food blog — and the author of Easy Chicken Cookbook and The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook. After 20+ years in the publishing industry, she retired in 2018 to focus on her own creative endeavors full time. She and her husband live near the beautiful Smoky Mountains and have a precious little granddaughter who has stolen their hearts. As an influencer, Sheila has collaborated with brands like Creamette, Kroger, HERSHEY’S, Hamilton Beach, Garafalo Pasta, OXO, Smithfield, Valley Fig Growers, and more.
