Best Crunchy Homemade Granola with Nuts (Marcella’s)
Jan 03, 2022, Updated Jun 03, 2024
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You will love this homemade granola recipe. It’s easy to make, healthy, delicious, and it will make your kitchen smell amazing! Enjoy it for breakfast, as a snack, or give as a neighbor gift.
This recipe comes from my sweet 80 year old friend, Marcella. After Marcella gifted me a bag of this amazing granola I knew I needed to share it with all of you! It has the perfect crunch with just the right sweetness. It is super simple to make and loved by all!
Why I love this Granola
I love granola! I’ve spent lots of time trying different grocery and specialty store varieties and I can say I felt like I hit the jackpot with this crunchy homemade granola recipe.
You won’t find weird ingredients or nut butters that make the granola too heavy. This recipe is the golden recipe that will you will come back to time and time again when craving a delicious homemade granola.
You can also customize this recipe by adding in your favorite dried fruit, leaving it completely, or adding chocolate chips!
Ingredients
- Rolled oats
- Sesame seeds
- Chopped nuts of choice (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, and/or almonds)
- Coconut
- Brown Sugar
- Sunflower seeds
- Salt
- Oil
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
Easy and Quick
Best of all, this granola is easy to make! You will stir together the dry ingredients, add in the wet ingredients, and mix it all together. Bake for 20-25 minutes, and it’s ready to go!
Healthy, simple, and completely delicious, this recipe is guaranteed to please all granola lovers and even turn the tastebuds of someone who thought they didn’t like granola!
PRO TIPS
- More or less nutty clusters- you decide. I prefer small and clumps in my granola. To get small clumps you will stir the granola about every 5 minutes while it is baking. To encourage LARGE clumps to form, press the oats mixture into a 1-inch thick oval for the first 15 minutes of baking. Then, remove the pan from the oven and use a fork to gently break the oval apart. Bake for 15 minutes more, and you’ll end up with large clusters.
- Let it cool before eating. Your homemade granola will continue to crisp up as it cools. It’s tempting to start eating it as soon as it comes out of the oven, but if you let it rest for 15 minutes on the sheet pan, it’ll be extra crisp and toasty – it is worth the wait!
- Add the dried fruit after baking. You don’t want to run the risk of burning your dried fruit in the oven, so stir it into the granola after it bakes. That way, you know any dried fruit you add will be soft and chewy, not crisp or burned.
Variations
We love this recipe as it is! If you would like to add your own twist. Here are some variations you can try. Feel free to add:
- raisins
- dried cranberries
- dates
- dried apricots, chopped
- chocolate chips
Make sure to add these at the end after the granola is done baking. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Honestly, I love to grab a handful and snack on it plain- it that yummy! Of course, there are many other ways to enjoy this delicious granola. Here are some options:
Breakfast/ Dessert Ideas
- Serve it as a breakfast or brunch bar with yogurt and fruit
- Eat it with apples and nut butter
- Serve as a topping for oatmeal
- Enjoy with milk like cereal
- Sprinkle over yogurt as a parfait for an on the go treat
- Top your favorite french toast to add some crunch
- Roll strawberries or bananas in nut butter (or a nut-free substitute) and top with granola
- Mix granola into muffin, brownie or cake batter.
- Try making frozen yogurt bites by mixing yogurt, granola and berries together into small clusters. Freeze and eat.
Lunch/Dinner Ideas
- Add a sprinkle on top of cottage cheese
- Add granola to your salad for a sweet and crunchy touch
- Topping for a spinach and kale smoothie bowl
- Try roasting veggies and adding as a sweet and crunchy topping
Any way you eat the Best Homemade Granola you won’t be disappointed!
How Long Does Homemade Granola Stay Fresh?
Even homemade granola without any preservatives attains a good shelf life. You can keep in an airtight container usually for about a month in your pantry. If you’re planning to freeze your granola, you can make it last much longer – close to 6 months if stored properly.
Make this homemade granola and keep it on hand for the entire family to enjoy any time of day. You can also make it for a special holiday or occasion such as a baby/wedding shower, Christmas, Valentines Day, Mother’s Day, and more!
Made with Amore, Elena.
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This is the best and most loved granola recipe you will want to make weekly.
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Marcella’s Best Homemade Granola
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 servings (1/4 cup each)) 1x
Description
You will love this homemade granola recipe. It’s easy to make, healthy, delicious, and it will make your kitchen smell amazing! Enjoy it for breakfast, as a snack, or give as a neighbor gift. This recipe comes from my sweet 80 year old friend, Marcella. After Marcella gifted me a bag of this amazing granola I knew I needed to share it with all of you! It has the perfect crunch with just the right sweetness. It is super simple to make and loved by all!
Ingredients
- 6 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1 cup chopped nuts of choice, or a mix (walnuts, pecans, and/or almonds)
- 1 cup coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup non flavored oil (such as sunflower, canola, or avocado oil) 1/3 cup of honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Optional: 1/2 cup raisins, or other dried fruit of choice
Instructions
- Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl combine all of the dry ingredients (not the oil, honey, vanilla, or dried fruit- if using)
- In a separate bowl combine the oil, honey, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients and stir to coat thoroughly. Spread on prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until nice and golden brown. About every 5 minutes, gently lift the outside edges with a large spatula and fold it into the middle, then smooth the granola out evenly in the pan*. Do not over bake. Add dried fruit once removed from the oven and let cool on baking sheet. When cool, store in airtight container. Enjoy!
Notes
- More or less nutty clusters- you decide. I prefer small and clumps in my granola. To get small clumps you will stir the granola about every 5 minutes while it is baking. To encourage LARGE clumps to form, press the oats mixture into a 1-inch thick oval for the first 15 minutes of baking. Then, remove the pan from the oven and use a fork to gently break the oval apart. Bake for 15 minutes more, and you’ll end up with large clusters.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Category: Sweet
- Method: American
- Cuisine: American
I love this recipe! I used whatever nuts and seeds I had on hand, and I used coconut oil, so it wasn’t a non flavored oil, but it is a good flavor for granola! I like to put it in my homemade yogurt with Jan and berries. So good!
It is a good one for variations. Happy you loved it!
This is our family favorite. We hope you love it!