Homemade Granola Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What ingredient makes granola stick together? ›

Clumpy Granola Method: Add Whole Wheat and Almond Flour

First, it adds a combo of whole wheat flour and almond flour (or almond meal), which act as a binder to hold the oat mixture together. Second is the bakeware. This recipe opts for a 9×13-inch baking pan instead of the standard rimmed sheet pan.

Higher temperatures can cause ingredients like nuts, seeds, and coconut to burn before the batch has a chance to properly dry out and crisp up, Perry says. Stick with a low temperature, keep an eye on your mixture, and stir it from time to time to help it brown evenly.

The Bottom Line

Granola is healthy in small amounts, especially because oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruit in granola provide some fiber that's good for heart and gut health. However, granola can also be a rich source of calories, saturated fat and sugar, depending on the brand you buy.

Ensure any nuts you use are very small as larger nuts will make your bar fall apart when you cut into your granola bars. Use a binding ingredient such as a flax seed egg! Make sure bars are compacted into the pan – use either the granola bar press OR a piece of wax paper to firmly press down on the bars.

While there are several different sticky ingredients that you can use, we've found that the binding agent that works the best is honey! When added to your homemade granola bars, honey acts as glue that sticks all the pieces together.

You need to stir the granola as it bakes to encourage even toasting. But, about halfway through the total bake time, just let it be. As the sugars caramelize, they cause the ingredients to stick together and eventually form those oh-so-desirable clusters. Stirring breaks up the clusters, so leave it alone.

Many types of granola contain healthy ingredients that may offer numerous benefits, including reduced inflammation and improved blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and gut health.

Which One Is Better for Breakfast? Both oatmeal and granola make for a healthy, nutritious breakfast, but the winner for us is granola—the added nuts, seeds, and dried fruits give you a source of fiber and healthy fats that oatmeal can't quite compete with.

“For active people, granola is best known for being a source of carbohydrate to fuel the muscles and provide energy for a busy day,” Clark says.

These homemade granola bars taste better than any you've had in the store – AND they're cheaper and easy to make! They're chewy and sweet with the perfect texture. These are perfect for breakfast, snacks, on-the-go for hiking, work, picnics, and more!

How do you make granola less chewy? ›

Not only can you transform that soggy, chewy granola back to being blissfully crunchy, but it's easier than you might think. All it takes is spreading the granola in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and heating it in a 400 degree oven for five minutes — essentially re-baking it.

Choose a clean, dry, and transparent air-tight container like a mason jar, a BPA-free vacuum-seal container, or a Ziploc bag so you can monitor your granola's quality without having to open it. Store in a cool, dark, and dry place, away from ingredients with strong odors like coffee, spices, and onions.

Granola Bar Recipe Ingredients

Natural peanut or cashew butter – It helps bind the bars together, and it adds protein, healthy fats, and irresistible nutty flavor.

While the oats and nuts bake, you can make the sticky glue that holds our bars together. You'll melt butter, honey, and brown sugar in a saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Mix this sticky mixture with the toasted oats and nuts. Allow everything to cool, and then toss in dried fruit and chocolate chips.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients (except the egg white) together and stir well. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy and frothy. Mix into prepared granola. Spread onto a greased cookie sheet (or use a piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking).

GRANOLA (WHOLE GRAIN OATS, BROWN SUGAR, BROWN RICE CRISP [WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT], WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT, SOYBEAN OIL, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, BAKING SODA, SOY LECITHIN, NONFAT DRY MILK), CORN SYRUP, BROWN RICE CRISP (WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, SALT), SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (SUGAR, CHOCOLATE ...