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Home Breakfast

Healthy Homemade Granola – Build Your Own

By Nagi Maehashi
310 Comments
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Published15 Sep '17 Updated24 Jun '25
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Do you like your Granola loose or clumpy? Either way, you’ll love this – the ultimate healthy Homemade Granola guide! Mix and match, build your own granola by using the ingredients you like and have on hand.

Build Your Own - Healthy Homemade Granola recipetineats.com

Easy Homemade Granola

I’m going to be honest with you – I didn’t start making making granola because it’s healthier than store bought. I started because it’s cheaper and and I can control how sweet it is (store bought is so sweet!!!). Then it evolved into a bit of a game, trying to come up with cute flavour combinations. Berry Burst, Apple Pie, Apricot Sunrise, Blueberry Pie, Apple Crumble, Peach ‘n Cream, Maple Crunch, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie.

You get the picture. Basically, desserts in breakfast form!

I make Homemade Granola – or Muesli as some Aussies know it – using a formula. I could talk you through it, but it’s much easier just to show you. ↓↓↓

The Ultimate Guide - Build Your Own Healthy Homemade Granola, loose or CLUMPY! recipetineats.com

This is actually a recipe that I posted yonks and yonks ago, but it’s been tweaked and improved, and plus it seems that back in those days I wasn’t much of a talker because the post had zero chatter in it.

The two main changes made to the recipe are to stir the dried fruit in at the end for the loose granola (because some bits can border on burning) and adding a way to make CLUMPY granola without adding loads and loads of honey / sugar / butter simply by stirring through egg whites. Egg is the ultimate food glue, for everything from cakes to cookies, omelettes to meatballs. And it holds true for granola. 🙂

So the same base “formula” applies to both types of granola, except the steps and cooking method are a little different.

Loose granola is as simple as it gets: Combine Dry ingredients, combine Wet ingredients, combine Wet & Dry, spread on tray, bake, add fruit at end.

Simple, yes?

The Ultimate Guide - Build Your Own Healthy Homemade Granola, loose or CLUMPY! recipetineats.com

As for clumpy granola, the order of the steps is a little different. The fruit has to be added in at the beginning because you can’t stir it in at the end. Egg white is added to bind the granola together to form clusters, it’s baked at a lower temperature (which helps to ensure the fruit doesn’t burn) then left to cool in the turned off oven which allows it to finish crisping and for the clusters to set..

Ahh, and the one little strange thing I do because you can’t stir the granola as it bakes (because otherwise you’ll break up the clusters!!) is to spread the granola on the tray with a hole in the middle because even when I’m using a fan forced/convection oven, I can never get the middle to go golden and crispy without the edges burning. 🙂

Looks weird I know. But trust me, it makes all the difference!!

The Ultimate Guide - Build Your Own Healthy Homemade Granola, loose or CLUMPY! recipetineats.com

And see? Look how it clusters up!

The Ultimate Guide - Build Your Own Healthy Homemade Granola, loose or CLUMPY! recipetineats.com

And have you ever thought about gifting granola?? Thoughtful, GREAT VALUE and totally customisable gift!!

OK, so I have to confess I have never ever gifted Granola before. It’s now officially on my list for Christmas gifts this year….

Build Your Own - Healthy Homemade Granola - Easy Food Gift Idea recipetineats.com

Homemade Granola has gotten all trendy in the past few years, and you’d have to search hard to find a bistro without granola on the weekend brunch menu. And they charge a small fortune for it too.

And that, my friends, is the beauty of this Homemade Granola “formula” – it’s so cheap to make using leftover bits and bobs. Dig into that pantry of yours and scratch together whatever nuts, seeds and dried fruit you can find. Get creative with the spices, go wild with flavourings!

And share your Granola flavouring ideas in the comments below to inspire other readers! I have some suggestions in the notes of the recipe – but I bet you can come up with better ones! – Nagi x

The Ultimate Guide - Build Your Own Healthy Homemade Granola, loose or CLUMPY! recipetineats.com

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Healthy Homemade Granola recipe video!

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Build Your Own - Healthy Homemade Granola recipetineats.com

Build Your Own Homemade Granola (Muesli)

Author: RecipeTin Eats | Nagi
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 30 minutes mins
Total: 35 minutes mins
Breakfast
4.96 from 96 votes
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This is the ultimate build-your-own HEALTHY homemade granola recipe! Choose your own nuts, seeds, dried fruit, sweetener and flavouring. Recipe VIDEO below.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

  • 4 cups / 360 g rolled oats (not steel cut or quick cooking)
  • 1 cup coconut flakes (or more nuts or oats)
  • 1 cup raw nuts (eg. sliced almonds, chopped pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/2 cup dried fruit (eg. chopped apricots, apple, pineapple, raisins)
  • 1 tsp your favourite spice (eg. cinnamon, pumpkin spice, gingerbread mix)
  • 1 pinch salt

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup sweetener (eg. honey, maple syrup, agave, see note 2 for Brown Sugar)
  • 1/3 cup fat (eg. melted butter, canola oil or coconut oil)
  • 1 1/2 tsp flavouring (eg. vanilla, almond essence, orange blossom)

CLUMPY Granola:

  • 2 egg whites
Prevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

LOOSE Granola:

  • Preheat oven to 150C/300F.
  • Combine Dry ingredients, excluding dried fruit.
  • Combine Wet ingredients.
  • Combine Wet and Dry ingredients. Do a taste test. Adjust to taste – more sweet, more fat etc.
  • Spread on baking tray and bake until golden, approximately 35 – 40 minutes, tossing twice.
  • Stir through dried fruit. Cool. Store in an airtight container.

CLUMPY Granola:

  • Preheat oven to 140C/280F. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
  • Combine Wet excluding egg whites.
  • Combine Dry including dried fruit.
  • Whisk egg whites with fork until foamy.
  • Mix Wet and Dry in a large bowl, then mix through egg whites.
  • Spread granola on the tray, making a hole in the centre, like a doughnut (see photo in post).
  • Bake for 45 minutes – DO NOT STIR – until golden. Check at 35 minutes. 
  • Then turn the oven off, leave the granola in the oven, and open the oven door open a bit. Leave the granola to cool. The colour will deepen and it will firm up.
  • Once cool, break into clusters. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes:

1. Some GRANOLA FLAVOUR COMBINATIONS:
* My Classic Fruit & Nut: Butter, Honey, Almonds + Pumpkin Seeds, mixed dried chopped fruit (store bought mix), cinnamon powder and vanilla essence.
* Apple Pie: As above but use only almonds and dried apples.
* Oatmeal Raisin Cookie: Butter, honey, raisins, vanilla and cinnamon, pinch of All Spice.
* Blueberry Pie: Apple Pie recipe but use dried blueberries instead and skip the cinnamon powder and add a dash of lemon essence.
* Super Berries: Try using dried goji berries!
* Orange Almond: Almonds and orange blossom
* Maple Pecan Pie! Use Pecans, vanilla, butter, maple
2. Brown Sugar: Add this into the Dry Ingredients.
3. Originally published in May 2014, updated with video and improved recipe. Changes include: adding a method to make clumpy granola without adding more sweetener or fat, for the loose granola, adding the dried fruit at the end which ensures none of it burns (sometimes, some fruit on the surface can get a little too brown). All photos were replaced and words were rewritten.
4. Nutrition per serving, assuming 10 servings (about 2/3 cup per serving).

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 3gCalories: 365cal (18%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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310 Comments

  1. Marianne says

    September 16, 2017 at 12:46 am

    Hi Nagi – Can you elaborate what Orange Blossom is? Is it an extract, like vanilla? I would like to know since that recipe sounds yummy! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 18, 2017 at 6:18 pm

      Hi Marianne! I’m not exactly sure how it’s made but it’s extracted from orange blossoms, it’s got orange hints but it’s not like orange flavour. It’s hard to describe! It’s kind of perfumey 🙂

      Reply
  2. Georgie | The Home Cook's Kitchen says

    September 16, 2017 at 12:10 am

    i love this ‘build your own granola’ it’s like those make your own adventure books I used to read as a kid and you got to choose your path until it was a dead end and you had to start again. except this granola has no dead end because it looks fabulous! i love that last little bit of dozer, i had a dream about golden retriever puppies last night because I am obsessed!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 18, 2017 at 6:16 pm

      That’s EXACTLY what it reminds me of!!! Though truthfully I used to totally cheat and check out the endings BEFORE I decided what path to take – 😂

      Reply
  3. Alison says

    September 1, 2017 at 11:58 pm

    Well my oven must be really hot because it burned the coconut and fruit. Very disappointed. I even pulled it out of the oven 15 minutes early. This is my first time making granola. I have lo Led at other recipes and most indicate baking times of 5-10 minutes at most. Thirty minutes is way too long. I

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 3, 2017 at 7:08 pm

      I’m sorry to hear that Alison, I find that it’s needed to get the granola crispy 🙂 N x

      Reply
  4. Angela says

    August 21, 2017 at 6:41 am

    5 stars
    Hi Nagy,

    Great recipe. Easy to make and tastes delicious. I love it!

    Greetings, Angela

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 21, 2017 at 7:46 pm

      I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the great review Angela! N xx

      Reply
  5. Krista says

    June 26, 2017 at 1:10 pm

    Hello
    If I add the dry fruit into the mixture to bake it will not burn?
    Some recipes tell you add dry fruit after the granola comes out of the oven?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 27, 2017 at 7:40 pm

      Hi Krista! I haven’t had a problem with that 🙂

      Reply
  6. Sandra says

    June 25, 2017 at 9:58 am

    5 stars
    Great recipe! I love fruit, nuts, vanilla, and cinnamon so I doubled them. I also doubled the coconut oil. Turned out delicious! Thanks!!! : )

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 25, 2017 at 6:18 pm

      Pleased to hear you enjoyed it Sandra, thanks for letting me know! N xx

      Reply
  7. Tracie Ciambotti says

    June 19, 2017 at 4:19 am

    Hi
    I want to try this recipe…can steel cut oats be substituted for the rolled oats? Or must they be cooked differently?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 19, 2017 at 6:29 pm

      I’m sorry I don’t know Tracie, we don’t have steel cut oats here! 🙂 N xx

      Reply
  8. CARMEN says

    April 19, 2017 at 10:50 pm

    5 stars
    I made this recipe yesterday and it turned out great! Used hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, cranberries and raisins. Also chose coconut oil and honey. Next time I will increase wet ingredients to get a chunkier result.
    I love to have my granola with yogurt for breakfast.
    Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe!!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 21, 2017 at 6:53 am

      Great to hear Carmen! Thank you for coming back to let me know! N xx

      Reply
  9. Mercedes says

    March 22, 2017 at 3:57 am

    5 stars
    I love this recipe! What do I need to add so that I can turn these same recipe into granola bars?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 23, 2017 at 5:57 am

      Hi Mercedes! I’ll share a bars recipe soon!

      Reply
  10. Meena says

    January 16, 2017 at 7:09 pm

    Hi nagi.
    I have just made this and it’s gone down a treat :). What do you think the calorie count is per portion?

    Thanks
    Meena

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 16, 2017 at 7:42 pm

      Woo hoo! So glad you enjoyed it Meena! Hmm, I should do a calculator of this using various combinations. Bear with me, I’ll add it to my list!

      Reply
  11. Sara says

    December 8, 2016 at 4:53 am

    5 stars
    This is my go-to recipe and I haven’t looked for another recipe for granola since I found this! I love how you laid out the options (wet/dry) so you can make it however you want it. I usually use honey and coconut oil and it makes me feel good with such healthy ingredients. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 11, 2016 at 6:36 pm

      I’m so glad you find this useful Sara! Thanks for letting me know! N x

      Reply
  12. Dayna says

    November 28, 2016 at 5:52 am

    5 stars
    Nagi, I just made this and it was so simple and amazingly delicious thank you for your brilliant and easy to follow recipe xxx

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 30, 2016 at 7:01 pm

      Woo hoo! So glad to hear that you enjoyed it Dayna, thanks for letting me know! N x

      Reply
  13. els sonnen says

    September 21, 2016 at 7:06 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for the great recipe! I was wondering, for how long can you keep the granola? In a closed jar?

    Many thanks:)

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 21, 2016 at 8:01 pm

      Hi! I keep my for up to 1 month but I have it in a very airtight canister! 🙂

      Reply
      • Cara says

        May 12, 2017 at 2:27 pm

        Does it need to be refrigerated? I just made it and it’s delicious! Hopefully it’s a hit on Mothers Day. Thanks for awesome recipe?

        Reply
        • Nagi says

          May 13, 2017 at 5:50 am

          I never do! 🙂

          Reply
  14. MSK says

    September 20, 2016 at 4:29 pm

    Thank you so much for specifying US/non-US measurements and for testing with both standards! I grew up in London and Tokyo, lived in Sydney at one point, now I live in Los Angeles — it drives me bonkers that a lot of people don’t understand how the different measurements can really screw up baked goods. I had to learn the hard way – after a few not-so-great baked goodies using US measuring cups with Japanese/British recipes, I realised that the cups are different in the US….
    Anyway thank you so much for the great recipe.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 20, 2016 at 5:31 pm

      Oh I hear your pain….I’ve had some epic disasters!!! 🙂

      Reply
  15. De says

    September 7, 2016 at 4:11 am

    5 stars
    I don’t seem to get clumps which I prefer but rather bowl of oats, any suggestions? Double wet ingredients?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 9, 2016 at 11:25 am

      Hi De! yes increase the wet by 50% 🙂

      Reply
  16. Endia says

    July 16, 2016 at 12:33 pm

    5 stars
    I made this granola as something yummy to try and I wrote about my experience on my blog. Spoiler alert: I LOVED IT! Thanks for the awesome recipe.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 18, 2016 at 11:28 pm

      Thank you so much Endia! So glad you enjoyed it!!

      Reply
  17. Fernanda says

    July 3, 2016 at 8:01 am

    Hello Nagi! I was wondering if there is a rule that says that you always have to put 1 cup of raw nuts and seeds per 4 cups of oats?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 4, 2016 at 10:47 am

      Hi Fernanda! Nope, no rule as such! It is just the ratio that I like to use 🙂 N x

      Reply
  18. Melanie says

    June 21, 2016 at 12:00 pm

    5 stars
    I make this all the time and love it! I will never buy granola the store again! I love that it’s so versitle & sometimes I add a smashed ripe banana to give it a nice flavor. You don’t happen to know the estimated nutritional value do you? Thanks for a great recipe!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 21, 2016 at 9:15 pm

      Oooh! I love that idea Melanie, a smashed banana!!! I must try that!

      Reply
  19. Joanne says

    May 9, 2016 at 4:00 pm

    Hi Nagi, I see you are from Sydney, Australia. I am from Brisbane but now living in Las Vegas, USA. I love your recipes but I am curious when you are using cup/spoon measurements are they US cup/spoon or are they Australian cup/spoon. I have a set of both so I just need to know which I should use when making your recipes. I know you have weight measurements as well but my scales are terrible.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 9, 2016 at 5:45 pm

      Hi Joanne! I use Australia cups/spoons etc but when I test baking recipes where exact measurements are required, I testing using both. So you can use Australian measures! If exact measurements are required, I will specify exactly what spoons to use or I go by weight for accuracy. 🙂

      Reply
  20. Missy says

    May 3, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    5 stars
    Do you have any suggested variations for granola bars?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 4, 2016 at 10:27 pm

      Sorry Missy, I haven’t tried that yet? 🙂

      Reply
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