Homemade granola is one of the easiest store bought items to start making healthier at home, and stores beautifully throughout the week. This vegan, gluten-free recipe mixes toasty oats, nutty flax, tangy cranberries and buttery walnuts for some serious breakfast perfection. You won’t get tired of the different ways to serve this granola either!
I’ve been in a total “crafty” mode recently. I don’t consider myself an artistic person at all (even my doodles are shameful) but I love being crafty! Maybe because it makes me feel like a little kid again. I used to write stories and sew and do all sorts of nerdy crafty things. Anyways, recently I’ve done everything from get all of the materials to make a “Welcome Home Nate” banner (obviously pushed to the wayside thanks to his surprise!!) to bake Valentine’s Day inspired healthy cookies for my project team. And when our good family friend Cindy moved in around the corner, I wanted to DIY a “welcome to the ‘hood” gift. And what better gift when you first move into a home than food, all tied up in a cute-sy mason jar? I know everyone is so over and done with mason jars but I’m always late to trends anyways. I had side bangs when I was like 19 (ouch).
But I do have a confession to make. The first time I baked this granola…it came out tasting like fish. NOTHING to do with my ingredients - I promise. But it was disgusting. It was probably the fact that we had cooked fish in the oven the night before, or maybe I used a baking sheet that wasn’t thoroughly cleaned (probably my fault). Regardless, truly disgusting. The second round (using a different baking sheet AND a different oven) turned out perfect.
When I used to come home from college and my mom asked me what I wanted from the grocery store, I always requested plain yogurt, bananas, and Trader Joe’s Low Fat Vanilla Almond Granola. It was my favorite breakfast! Nowadays, there’s no need to purchase granola from the grocery store because I’ve learned just how easy it is to make. And the ingredients list on my granolas are much more whole and simple than Trader Joe’s. I don’t know why companies don’t realize that you do NOT need a lot of oil and you do NOT need any sugar to make awesomely crunchy and delicious granola. A little maple syrup, coconut oil, and dried fruit will do!
Another great thing about baking homemade granola is that it’s foolproof baking, which is my kind of baking. I’m always “eyeballing” ingredients amounts which is great for savory cooking, but when it comes to legitimate baking, a major no-no. Baking is a science! But baking granola is all about preference. For example, I like my granola to be extra toasty and not that sweet. So I only use a tiny bit of maple syrup and I leave it in the oven a little bit longer than most. And if you used more maple syrup and took your granola out of the oven earlier, it would still be fantastic.
One last note about making granola - make sure you add your dried fruit at end. You don’t want your dried cranberries to be a-cookin’ in the oven with the rest of the ingredients. Oh! One more thing. This granola is more cereal-like, and doesn’t have the clusters that some people crave. I haven’t tried it yet, but I hear that if you want clustered granola, use egg whites to create clumps before you pop the granola in the oven and do not mix or stir it halfway through - that will break up the clusters. This will of course make it no longer vegan, but if you give it a try, let me know! Bon Appetit has an awesome article on perfecting granola - check it out. Bah I wish working for Bon Appetit was my job. Then I could play test kitchen all day and get paid for it.
Anyways, I wrapped up this granola in a mason jar, tied it in a ribbon with the recipe, and gifted it to our new neighbor! I, of course, left several handfuls for us to have around for snacking and breakfast too. I have to say, the more cereal-like the granola (looser granola) the less likely I am to stuff my face with it in the evening. For some reason, those clustered granolas remind me of cookies! So for all of you out there who have trouble keeping granola around the house because it’s too dessert-like, I recommend trying out this granola. That way, you get to enjoy it for breakfast but are less likely to binge on it at night! Recommendations for serving include a bowl straight up with your milk of choice, or soaked overnight to make overnight oats, or on top of some yogurt with additional fruit.
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ¼ cup flax seeds
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
- Mix the first seven ingredients together
- Lay out evenly on a baking sheet
- Pop in the oven for a total of 15-20 minutes. Halfway through, take a wooden spoon and mix up the granola a bit, or shake the baking pan. That will help for even crisping throughout
- Check your granola for your level of preferred toastiness - I like mine on the extra-toasty side, so I'll leave it in a bit longer than most!
- Remove from oven and let cool
- Put your granola in your preferred storing method - palstic bag, mason jar, or tupperware and add in the dried cranberries
- Granola will last for several weeks!
If you don't have coconut oil on hand, canola or vegetable oil should work just fine.
Thanks for stopping by! 
