Homemade Granola Recipe
This may sound crazy but it’s just the truth…I’m not much of a fan of honey. Lately I’ve really been getting into all things oats since I found a good source for inexpensive gluten free oats. We’ve posted a recipe on here already for the Best Homemade Granola but today I’m going to change things up a bit and show you how to make what I think is the easiest homemade granola recipe!
I may not love honey but I sure do love butter. In everything. When I was trying to think of a replacement for oil and honey in granola my mind immediately went to butter because, why not? Might be good right? Turns out my feeling was right!
Homemade Granola Recipe
What You Need:
- 3 c. oats (rolled or quick)
- 1/4 c. butter, melted
- 1/4 c. raw sugar (use brown sugar if you don’t have this)
- Add-ins! *See note below
In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter and the sugar.
Measure the oats into a larger bowl, pour the butter/sugar mixture over the oats. Stir in any add-ins that need to be cooked.
Bake the homemade granola recipe at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stir around, bake for another 15. Watch carefully.
When you are done you can add in any add-ins that didn’t need to be baked and store in a jar. This batch makes about a quart jar’s worth of granola, more if you add in extras.
The result is like the oat version of kettle corn, so yummy! We like to eat it on top of yogurt for breakfast. This is a good basic starter recipe too to be able to add into other recipes if you want something quick and easy that you don’t have to add a lot of extras to.
Add-In Ideas
- Chocolate Chips
- Dried Fruit
- Coconut
- Peanut Butter
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon
Do you like to make homemade granola? What is your favorite homemade granola recipe?
Lana says
May 6, 2013 at 2:53 pmI don’t like honey in granola either! I make mine with brown sugar and it is so much better! I put almonds and craisins in mine and it is addicting! I have to put it away as soon as it is cool or I will munch on it way too much.
Angel says
May 6, 2013 at 7:42 pmwhere do you get your gluten free oats and do you know if they are nut free safe?
Merissa says
May 7, 2013 at 8:43 amI order the Bob’s Red Mill GF certified oats or the certified gf oats from my co-op Azure Standard. I’m not sure about nut safe but my entire family has nut allergies and we have yet to have a problem with the 2 brands of gf oats that I’ve boughten.
Lori says
May 6, 2013 at 9:15 pmThank you for sharing the recipe. Our family enjoys granola very much. We eat it as a snack like a trail mix. Last week, we were wanting something sweet, but I also want something healthy. I had so much cereal, I took the “unsweetened” choices and mixed them all together with the oats. I did have some chocolate oat rings and added those. It made 10-12 cups of trail mix and it was all gone within 3 days!! My sauce has butter, brown sugar, honey, and a little molasses. I definitely want to try this one!! Keep up the wonderful blogs!!
Theresa says
May 8, 2013 at 4:22 pmI made this yesterday and it is awesome. I love it so much that I have to buy more fruit to dehydrate , just so I can make more. Thank you.
Merissa says
May 8, 2013 at 4:24 pmI’m so glad you liked it!
Cindy Harris says
May 13, 2013 at 10:48 amI do love most any kind of granola–this looks simply perfect!
Carrie says
May 13, 2013 at 1:04 pmThis sounds delicious! I just “discovered” putting trail mix (did Trader Joe’s) on yogurt (where have a I been???) so this sounds great!
Steph says
August 22, 2013 at 12:48 pmI’ve made granola before and never had this problem but this batch burnt on me during only the second 15 minute period. I’m not sure why. I made it as you listed but doubled the recipe. Still, I only put a single layer at a time on the baking sheet so this should not have mattered right?
Any suggestions?
Merissa says
August 22, 2013 at 2:36 pmHmmm, I’ve never had that happen…was your oven too warm? I have to keep mine way down at the lowest temp and keep moving the granola around as it cooks.
Steph says
October 12, 2013 at 9:43 amI just wanted to post and say that I tried again and this time kept the oven at the 350* temp but just cooked it for only 15 minutes. This kept it from burning and it’s so fabulous I’ve made 4 batches already! My husband isn’t a granola fan but my boys and I eat it just about every day. Thanks for sharing your recipes! I have a batch of your Healthy Breakfast Pumpkin Bars in the oven right now and a batch of granola waiting to go in when that’s done.
Cassadie says
September 14, 2013 at 8:46 amMy second comment in two minutes! I am clearly enjoying your space… I use maple syrup and it’s delicious. BUT since you mentioned kettle corn (OMG) I am going to have to try it with brown sugar. RIGHT NOW.
Merissa says
September 14, 2013 at 2:30 pmEnjoy! Maple syrup sounds really good on it though!
Lauren says
September 18, 2013 at 2:15 pmMine came out a little burnt during the second 15 minute period. It’s still edible, but my husband says it has smokey aftertaste like burnt popcorn. My oven tends to run a little hot, but not usually more than 5-10 degrees, but maybe that little bit plus the fact that I used my Williams & Sonoma baking sheet (which has these little cross hatches that tend to brown food quicker) might explain why the granola got so dark so quickly. Next time, I’ll lower the temperature to 300 degrees or even 275 and see how that goes.
That said, I really loved how you stripped down the recipe to just the butter, sugar, and oats + add-ins because it makes a great starting point for a first attempt at homemade granola. Where all the other recipes online are overwhelming and feel a little robotic, your recipe is intuitive and creative, and fun to make. Even though this batch came out weird, the result was “close enough” for me to feel confident to get back in the kitchen and try again.
Merissa says
September 18, 2013 at 2:17 pmI’m sorry it didn’t work out for you the first time but hopefully you will have better luck next time! Granola is somewhat finicky when it comes to temp and time and I know my oven is not as hot as most. I’m glad you like the simplicity of the recipe though 🙂
Susan says
September 27, 2013 at 8:22 pmMy new favorite Granola recipe. The butter also seems to keep the granola from getting too hard. This is simply delicious. Thank you!
Merissa says
September 27, 2013 at 8:34 pmI’m so glad you are enjoying it!
Carrie says
December 1, 2013 at 8:04 pmI just tried this recipe & it burned during the second 15 minutes. I just read through comments & see this is a common theme. My regular granola recipe bakes at 250, so I will try that next time.
Amanda says
January 17, 2014 at 9:19 amThank you so much for posting a granola recipe that is simple and economical! I love honey, but my kids do not, and let’s face it- it’s not cheap, and I don’t always have enough on hand to use in recipes. This was the quickest and easiest granola recipe I’ve made, and it will be my go-to from now on. And for anyone who’s wondering- if you forget to add the sugar to the butter initially and then add it separately, it still turns out well.
Amy says
January 22, 2014 at 7:09 pmI also couldn’t wait to try this and was disappointed in how quickly it burned. I’m thinking it might have to do with the brown sugar?? I’m on my second batch and lowered the oven to 250. It taste amazing before it goes in that’s for sure!!
Lisa says
February 1, 2014 at 7:33 amThis is very similar to a version I make on the stovetop. I use a 12″ cast iron skillet and just stir frequently until it’s toasted. Super fast and easy! Sometimes replace half the butter with coconut oil since I’m always trying to find places to use that.
Amy says
March 11, 2014 at 1:54 pmMy husband just finished off the granola (for topping yogurt), so I was looking around for a recipe which didn’t have honey. Just made this–glad I saw the comments about burning the granola. I turned my oven down to 300 and cooked it slightly less than the full 45 minutes. Very tasty. It would have been better with butter, but I am almost out, so I just used vegetable oil. Thanks!
Casey says
October 12, 2014 at 7:28 amI’m going to try this as soon as I have free hands this morning! I think I will add vanilla and cinnamon though just for a kick of sweet flavor 🙂 Honey is way too expensive for me to make my favorite granola recipe on a regular basis so I’m hoping this ends up being a good compromise (although butter can be pricey too and my other granola just has oil). Maybe some expirementing is in order to find the cheapest and yummiest granola recipe!
Casey says
October 12, 2014 at 8:33 amDuring the second half of baking you should check the granola and stir at 5 minute intervals. There are many factors that will determine how fast yours cooks but it shouldn’t take any longer than 15 minutes. I would say most probably average 10.
Debra Phillis says
February 25, 2017 at 5:55 pmjust made this with vanilla and pecans-delicioso! i must eat fodmap diet and this is perfect. honey or molasses are no-no’s now. i used 1 min oats, but i will try steel-cut old fashioned whole oats as these stuck a little despite constant stirring.
Milly says
November 29, 2018 at 5:02 pmHello,
I am allergic to honey, nuts, and corn. I want to make this simplified recipe, but wondered how I know which “add-in” needs to be cooked… I would like to use a little cinnamon, coconut, and vanilla (would this be extract?). I don’t often bake, so I thought I would ask you for estimated amounts and how I should proceed. As you can imagine, food life is quite fresh and delicious most of the time, but occasionally I would like a little granola.
Thank you!!
Milly
Merissa says
November 29, 2018 at 7:46 pmIt would be really hard for me to estimate amounts because the flavors would really be up to your tastes. I would start with small amounts of each and then add more the next time you make it based on what you think it needs.
Milly says
November 29, 2018 at 7:50 pmWould the cinnamon and vanilla extract be mixed and baked in? Thank you!! ?
Merissa says
November 30, 2018 at 7:08 amYes, I would mix in all of the ingredients prior to baking.