Best Homemade Granola Recipe (2024)

If you love chewy, chunky granola clusters, you will go crazy for Homemade Gluten Free Granola recipe! This is hands down the best granola flavored with orange zest, warm spices, and sweetened with pure maple syrup.

Best Granola Recipe

You haven’t tried truly fabulous granola until you’ve made this recipe. I promise it is granola perfection!

It’s hard to land on what I love best about this homemade granola recipe, and even harder to put into words just how sublime it is, but I’ll give it an honest effort…

1. The spice mixture is out of this world. Orange zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon combine to taste something reminiscent of stollen, a classic Christmas dessert.
2. Big chunky clusters of rolled oats, toasted almond, and cashews are perfect to snack on or elevate the most glorious bowl of yogurt.
3. The unconventional baking technique adapted from Bojon Gourmet makes a mixture of crispy, golden brown edges with soft, chewy clusters.

Is Granola Gluten Free?

Whole oats are the main ingredient in granola, which is naturally gluten free. However, if you are looking for a strictly gluten free granola you need to be careful.

Most pure oats are farmed, transported, or packaged with non-gluten free grains, such as wheat, barley, and rye. To be sure your homemade granola is truly gluten free use certified gluten free rolled oats.

Generally I stay away from manufactured granola unless it is specifically labeled gluten free. Store bought and mass-produced granolas may be made on cross-contaminated machines. Some include gluten ingredients, such as barley malt extract or wheat flour.

Homemade Gluten Free Granola

If you are avoiding gluten it is best to make a homemade granola recipe for many reasons besides being absolutely delicious!

1. Customizable – Add any preferred nuts, dried fruits, sweeteners, or oils.
2. Certifiably gluten free – Use certified gluten free oats and avoid any potentially risky ingredients by reading labels.
3. Economical – Store bought granola is pricy!
4. Easy to make – Granola is hard to mess up! Simple mix wet ingredients with the oats and pop into the oven.

What Can You Add to Granola?

This granola recipe is a simple mixture of oats and nuts since the flavor is so amazing and powerful. However, granola is made to be customized! Use any of these suggested additives in your favorite granola recipe.

• Sunflower Seeds
• Pepitas
• Dried Fruit
• Coconut – sweetened or unsweetened coconut
• Banana Chips
• Chocolate Chips or Carob Nibs
• Raisins or Dried Cranberries
• Flax Seed or Ground Flax
• Nuts – almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, or pecans

How long does homemade granola last?

Granola will stay good up to 3 months at room temperature if stored in an airtight container. I love hinged glass jars because they look pretty on the counter and seal securely.

Freeze in ziplock freezer bags or refrigerate in glass jars to store granola longer than 3 months. Be sure the containers are sealed properly to prevent any odors from seeping in.

Can I halve or double this gluten free granola recipe?

Yes! Homemade granola recipes are affordable to make, which is why this makes the perfect Christmas granola as well! Double a batch and divide into gift bags for neighbors, teachers, and friends.

The total recipe makes about 4 cups, but can easily be halved or quartered. Simply slide the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredient math is done for you!

The baking time will reduce by 5-10 minutes, depending on how much the recipe has been reduced.

Chewy Granola Recipe

I’m a die hard fan of this granola recipe because of the extraordinary texture other granola recipes simply do not get right! It’s a touch sticky from the maple syrup, but not overly so since it’s also sweetened with brown sugar.

There’s another secret to the perfect chunky, chewy texture. The best homemade granola recipe bakes between two sheet pans and doesn’t require stirring, which traps the moisture in.

The granola comes out of the oven like a huge, chewy granola bar, which can be broken off into perfect bite size chunks or crumbled into smaller pieces.

How to Make Granola Clusters

If you love big snackable granola clusters use this hack! Add a beaten egg white to the wet ingredients. This works best when granola is baked at low temperature as well, such as 325ºF.

Make sure the egg white is beaten until frothy and foamy first before adding it to the butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Allow the granola to cool completely between the sheet pans before breaking up into large pieces.

How to Sweeten Homemade Granola Recipes

A variety of granola recipes appeal to different taste preferences and diets. Brown sugar, honey, raw sugar and maple syrup may be used interchangeably in a 1-to-1 ratio in any homemade granola recipe.

Using honey or maple syrup will result in a sticker, chewy granola while brown sugar and raw sugar gives a crunchy texture.

• Brown sugar
• Honey
• Pure maple syrup
• Granola Sweetened with Dates
• Condensed milk Granola
• Agave or Brown rice syrup
• Sugar Free Stevia Granola
• Raw sugar
• Applesauce and banana (Refined sugar free and oil-free recipe)
• Granola with Coconut Sugar

Different Fats or Oil Free Granola

Generally some sort of fat, like oil, is used the toast the ingredients and bind the granola together in clusters. Homemade Gluten Free Granola recipe is made with butter because I love the rich flavor and decadent taste.

Typically neutral tasting oils, like canola or grapeseed oil, are standard in recipes. However, there’s a variety to choose from, or use alternative ingredients for oil-free granola.

• Coconut oil, melted
• Olive oil
• Butter, melted
• Canola or vegetable oil
• Aquafaba granola

How to Make The Best Granola Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl mix together rolled oats, cashews, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest.
3. In a small saucepan melt together butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and salt. Once the butter has melted and ingredients are mixed together, pour over dry ingredients. Stir to combine.
4. Dump the mixed granola onto one lined baking sheet, spreading it out evenly. Lay the second piece of parchment on top of the granola, and place the second baking sheet (right-side up) on top of the parchment. You have a baking sheet / granola sandwich.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Rotate and continue baking for 15-20 minutes, or until granola edges are golden brown, but middle is still soft.
6. Remove top baking sheet and parchment and cool, undisturbed, without stirring. After granola has cooled completely break into chunks.

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