Homemade Granola: A Gift from the Kitchen

Granola is one of those kitchen staples that feels like a hug in a bowl. Whether you’re starting your morning off right or grabbing a quick snack, homemade granola is fabulous—crispy, crunchy, slightly sweet, and full of healthy, wholesome ingredients.

Why You’ll Love Homemade Granola: A Lovely Note from Teri

One thing I absolutely love is a food gift. There’s nothing better than giving someone something homemade and delicious. I made my own sheet pan granola a few years ago, but a Crumble sent me this New York Times granola and I fell in love. Since then, we’ve perfected our spin in the nocrumbsleft kitchen and I always have jars on hand.

I bring a jar with me everywhere I go. It’s the perfect hostess gift, gift for your doctors or nurses, or just anytime you want to thank someone. You can’t go wrong with a beautiful jar of granola.

Recently, my son came home to visit for a month and of course he wanted granola. Essentially what I told him was he could take one back with him or he could have one jar while he was here. While I’m generous with the granola, I am also stingy because I know once somebody tries one bite, it’s irresistible!

With the perfect amount of oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and just the right touch of sweetness, this healthy granola recipe is sure to become a favorite in your kitchen. You will never go back to store-bought granola.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your granola with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Add some fresh berries and a drizzle of honey for a simple, satisfying yogurt parfait breakfast. Or add a handful of granola to your smoothie for extra crunch.

For an afternoon snack, I love taking a little jar with me on the go. It’s satiating and the perfect pick me up. For dessert, I love adding it on top of some ice cream for a delicious crunch.

If you’re looking for other homemade gifts from the kitchen, I love making bolognese, chicken stock, or homemade chicken salad.

Ingredients

• Rolled oats
• Shelled unsalted pistachios
• Pumpkin seeds
• Kosher salt
• Light brown sugar
• Maple syrup
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Unsweetened coconut flakes
• Dried sour cherries or other dried fruit

Variations

I truly believe this combination is just divine. You can adjust to your taste, but I highly recommend you follow these amounts first and just trust me. It’s just fabulous.

I love the pistachios in this recipe, but you could try another nut. Almonds, walnuts, cashews, peanuts or pecans could also be delicious. I love the pepitas in this recipe. Sunflower seeds are sometimes used in granola, but I really prefer the pumpkin seeds. For a bit of extra fiber, you could add a sprinkle of chia seeds or flax seeds.

I love using maple syrup for the natural sweetener, but you could also try it with a third cup honey instead. Add spices if you would like. Cinnamon would be a great flavor to add, and a dash of vanilla extract could be lovely.

For a bit more coconut flavor, you could replace the olive oil with coconut oil. For some creaminess, you could add peanut butter to your wet ingredients. I haven’t tried this yet, but I bet it would be great. If you’re looking for a bit more sweetness, add chocolate chips once it is cooled.

Roy is not a fan of cherries, so when I make it for him, I will add blueberries, raisins, apricots, dried cranberries or prunes instead. Cherries are my favorite, but you can certainly substitute for whatever dried fruit you prefer.

How to Make Homemade Granola

Mix the Dry and Wet Ingredients

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds and salt.

In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, warm the sugar, syrup and olive oil for a few minutes, stirring frequently, then reduce the heat to low. Cook  7-10 minutes, until syrup mixture is a dark caramel color and gently bubbling. Remove from heat. 

Pour syrup mixture into the dry ingredients, making sure to coat the dry ingredients well.

Bake and Cool

Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and spread half the granola mixture over each. Bake for 10 minutes then stir the granola in the pan. Continue baking another 10 minutes then pull the baking sheets and sprinkle half the coconut chips over each baking sheet. Return the baking sheets to the oven and continue baking for 10 minutes until golden brown and fragrant. 

Remove granola from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before sprinkling half the sour cherries over each baking sheet. Allow to cool to room temperature before tossing the granola and remaining cherries together on the baking sheet. This can take a while, so I let it sit out for a couple of hours and then transfer to an airtight storage container. 

Storage

This easy granola recipe can be stored in airtight jars. This method will help keep it fresh for as long as possible!

Try These Other Holiday Recipes

• Spinach and Feta Strata
• Holiday Salad
• Holiday Orange Gluten-Free Bundt Cake

If you make this homemade granola recipe, be sure to rate and review the recipe to let me know what you think. And if you want to follow along, head to Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest for more inspiration!

Print