Homemade Granola: You’ve Been Warned

January 04 2008 by Kristin at The Kitchen Sink in Breakfast, Recipe

A quick warning: if you think you love cereal that comes from a box on the shelf and if you do not wish to be convinced otherwise, this is not the post for you. Come back tomorrow for a post that might make you drool, but at least it won’t put your relationship with your morning cereal in serious jeopardy.

Wow, you’re still reading? Well, you my friend, are brave. You might think I’m exaggerating. But I assure you that this granola is that good. My own break-up story with boxed cereal began this summer, when I uncharacteristically ordered yogurt and granola when we were at one of our favorite breakfast places (Vella Cafe, which is conveniently—and dangerously—located steps from our front door). Vella’s parfait featured a local granola that is somewhat of a Chicago celebrity: Milk and Honey Granola.

While I still don’t think any version of granola that I’ve concocted at home is quite as good Milk and Honey’s version, they’ve all been close. I’ve tried several different recipes, which—generally speaking—all contain some combination of oats (and sometimes coconut, wheat germ or bran); mixed nuts, fruits and seeds; at least one sweetener (sugar, honey, maple syrup); flavorings (like cinnamon or vanilla) and at least one fat (typically, a neutral vegetable oil like canola). Once I realized that the recipes were basically variations of the same theme, I created a recipe of my own that I adore.

More than the fact that homemade granola is endlessly customizable, I love that granola is a stunning example of the sum completely transcending its parts. And it will make your house smell unbelievably good and turn your breakfast into an exciting event. This granola is even special enough to package up in a beautiful bag or jar and ship across the country as a gift or unexpected treat. Tell me the last time you did that with your “favorite” boxed cereal.

(Click “more” for additional photos and the recipe)

Granola

3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweeteend
3 tablespoons flax seeds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup toasted mixed nuts, chopped (I used pistachios and almonds here)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups mixed dried fruit (I used raisins and dried cherries and cranberries here)

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the dried fruit. Stir well to incorporate.

Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out into an even layer. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the depth of goldenness you’re looking for), stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the granola from the oven and and cool completely, in its pan, on a wire wrack. Once the granola is cool, mix in the dried fruit.

86 comments so far. »
| Leave a Reply

Monica says on January 04 2008 at 5:10 pm:

I’ve been dabbling with home-made granola since summer too but mine is a little more basic. I will DEFINITELY try yours. Thanks for the post!
ourkitchensink says on January 04 2008 at 5:28 pm:

Monica: You’re welcome! I hope you do try this — and let me know how it goes!
JEP says on January 04 2008 at 7:14 pm:

Oh, I really do like granolas! Especially with Fage yogurt. I will try your original recipe as it matches my preferences pretty darn closely!
ourkitchensink says on January 04 2008 at 7:21 pm:

JEP: Couldn’t agree more about the Fage — that’s the lovely white cloud in the top photo. If you do try this recipe out, let me know what you think!
Katelyn says on January 05 2008 at 12:07 pm:

This granola looks AMAZING! And since I’ve already ruined my relationship with boxed cereals through some granola-making of my own, I will DEFINITELY be trying yours.
ourkitchensink says on January 05 2008 at 3:06 pm:

Katelyn: Thanks! And thanks too for blogrolling me!
Hillary says on January 07 2008 at 12:26 pm:

Granola is the best! I even wrote an article about my favorite homemade granola recipes here: http://www.recipe4living.com/Common/Article.aspx?id=58314

Thanks for sharing yours!”>http://www.recipe4living.com/Common/Article.aspx?id=58314

Thanks for sharing yours!
Monica says on January 25 2008 at 3:05 am:

I made it and it is delicious!!!! So much better than my recipe. The only thing I wish I had done was taken the time to buy better dried fruit (I was lazy and just bought a dried fruit mix - ugh, they still make prunes?!?). Next time b/c this batch will be gone soon.

Thank you for sharing your recipe!
ourkitchensink says on January 25 2008 at 5:32 pm:

Monica: Wonderful! I can’t tell you how nice it is to get feedback on recipes that are my own creation. I always kinda wonder if I’m the only one who thinks they’re delicious. Thanks for reporting back!
karen (Pediascribe) says on April 09 2008 at 1:45 pm:

Did a google search for “homemade granola” and found this! I have everything in my kitchen and I’m off to make it now. Except I’m leaving out coconut (shudder)
karen (Pediascribe) says on April 09 2008 at 5:33 pm:

OH MY GOSH! The problem is, I hardly have ANY to store. It was devoured immediately! Plus I used it to put in our parfaits for tonight’s snack.

http://www.pediascribe.com/20080310/am-i-making-you-hungry/
Penny says on April 18 2008 at 12:39 pm:

Any suggestions for leaving out the dried fruit? Maybe some dark chocolate?
Leora says on May 05 2008 at 2:49 pm:

Won’t it burn - or come very near it - at 375, before being cooked all the way? I’m scared to try it. Would it work cooked longer at a lower temp, d’ya think? thanks! sounds yummy!!!
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on May 05 2008 at 4:22 pm:

Leora: I’ve baked mine a zillion times at 375 and never had a problem. If you’re worried, you could start checking on it after 10 minutes. And I’m sure cooking longer at a lower temperature would work as well. Let us know how it goes!
Dina says on June 15 2008 at 4:08 pm:

Yummy! This came out better than I expected and was very easy. I made a few changes based on items that I had in the house. I used chopped walnuts and vegetable oil. I omitted the coconut and sesame seeds.
amycamus says on July 05 2008 at 10:09 am:

Many thanks - this is the best and most reliable granola recipe I’ve found, and I am indeed addicted. I use a slightly lower heat - 350F - for exactly 23 minutes in my old oven, taking care to not let the granola around the edges burn. I’ve experimented quite a bit with the recipe, including adding more exotic dried fruits I found at my local Trader Joe’s and always, always grinding the cinnamon myself. My favorite changes (so far) have been to use a bit of blackstrap molasses instead of maple syrup and to add a “secret” ingredient to the liquids: 1/3 cup of peach juice.
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on July 06 2008 at 1:44 pm:

amycamus: Your variations sound delicious! I’ll have to give them a try. Thanks for commenting.
anya says on July 07 2008 at 7:53 pm:

im thinking about weaning myself off boxed cereal, and this looks like a great place to start. one question…what is the best way to store granola so it stays fresh?
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on July 08 2008 at 4:53 am:

anya: You won’t regret it! I keep my granola in an airtight plastic container (e.g. Ziploc tupperware). I usually stick half in the cupboard and half in the freezer, but we go through it so fast it’s not usually a problem. Let us know how it goes!
jake says on July 14 2008 at 4:52 pm:

this granola looks absolutely scrumptious! my sister and i JUST came back from trader joe’s with all the ingredients and we can’t wait to start! only thing: do you happen to have the nutrition facts per serving? if not, totally okay! thanks for the great recipe!
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on July 14 2008 at 5:55 pm:

jake: I’m glad you’re giving this a try. I hope you like it! I do not have the nutritional facts for this recipe. That said, when developing this recipe, I tried to decrease the sugars and fats as much as possible, without sacrificing flavor. You’ll see recipes out there that call for staggering amounts of sugar/oil/etc. Beyond that, it’s a nutritional powerhouse, with the seeds, oats, nuts and dried fruit. Good luck!
Cheeky says on August 02 2008 at 9:23 pm:

Wow, the pictures are fabulous and the actual granola is beautiful! I made it this afternoon, cutting out on the cinnamon, flax/sesame seeds and maple syrup, yet it turned out wonderfully! So much cheaper, tastier and healthier than any store bought cereal - thank you for the gorgeous recipe!
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on August 04 2008 at 9:09 am:

Cheeky: Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it. You’re reminding me to make another batch soon.
Betsy says on August 20 2008 at 9:20 pm:

I made a batch of this yesterday - my first time making homemade granola. It was so easy and delicious, but the true test will be when my husband comes home from a business trip and tries it. It definitely has less sugar than the granola we’re used to, but a much heartier flavor. I did make one small change - we try not to cook with aluminum, so I used a sprayed pan instead and it was a snap. Next time I’ll try the bars - thanks for the great recipes!
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on August 21 2008 at 6:49 am:

Betsy: I’m glad you liked it … and I hope your husband feels the same (fingers crossed). Good to know about the sprayed pan. I think parchment would be fine too.
White Feather says on September 13 2008 at 5:51 pm:

I realize this is an old posting, but I just found it, linked from Amy Karol’s “Angry Chicken” blog. I’ve never made granola, but I love to eat it and this looks great. Thanks for sharing. I’m going to try it without changing a single thing and see how it goes.

Sorry, that’s wrong. I found it through a Google search, though I was just on Amy’s site….got a bit confused there.
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on September 15 2008 at 8:03 am:

White Feather: Let us know what you think! Thanks for dropping a note.
White Feather says on September 16 2008 at 8:55 pm:

I made the granola and it is fantastic. My husband is not normally a granola lover at all, but he likes this one. I made it ALMOST exactly as above. I couldn’t find any other (unsalted) nuts I like in my local health food store except slivered almonds, so that is all I have, but I love the texture of those. I used dried cherries and apricots for the fruits, which add some real zing and I think that’s why husband likes it so much.

I may experiment with less oil and substitute some applesauce to lower the fat….then nearly all the fat would be from the nuts. I recently had gall bladder surgery and have no choice but to keep the fats low or I’m miserable.

I’ve seen lots of other granola recipies, but yours has the most variety of things in it, which I think is what makes the flavors so interesting. I’d never get bored with it, especially since I can add whatever fruits I want. You could, of course, leave out the dried fruits altogether and just add fresh berries and/or bananas to your morning cereal. The grains/seeds mixture would last much longer without the moist fruits, but truthfully, I don’t think mine is going to last long anyway, as I’m going to eat it up rather quickly.

For any nervous beginners, this is really easy to make, too. Yes, there are a lot of ingredients, but it’s all just measure, mix and bake. Couldn’t be easier.
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on September 17 2008 at 7:58 am:

White Feather: Thanks for the great report! I’m so glad you liked the granola.
toboggan says on September 21 2008 at 8:03 am:

Wow! What a find! I have a wheat allergy so it’s easy for the supermarkets to rob me blind or bore me to death with breakfast cereal. I made this on Friday and it was all gone by saturday evening. Delicious! Now I just have to fend off granola induced obesity….
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on September 21 2008 at 7:30 pm:

toboggan: That’s great to hear! Thanks for reporting back.
Marv N. says on September 30 2008 at 9:08 pm:

Is there any way to leave out or use less of the oil and maple syrup. I know I’ve seen applesauce substituted in another post, how much? Any other suggestions for substitues? Thank you!
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on October 03 2008 at 11:23 am:

Marv N.: I tinkered with this recipe for a while, exerimenting with more/less fats and sweeteners. The recipe as you see it here was the one that I was (and still am!) satisfied with. That said, feel free to experiment yourself. And be sure to report back if you find something that works. I’m particularly interested to hear about the effect of using applesauce.
Spade.Music says on October 04 2008 at 2:39 pm:

I am a musician. I try my best to eat healthy when I am on the road but there is one food that I cant get enough of…”granola”!

I searched the web and came across this recipe. When I get home I cant wait to get in the kitchen and back some up. I usually buy it all the time from the local grocery. But I think its going to be so much better to be able to get it directly from home. I cant wait to smell that warm brown sugar the the air. It;s going to take me back to child hood..lol

I’ll let you all know how mine turns out.

.music
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on October 06 2008 at 8:54 am:

Spade.Music: I hope you enjoy it!
sj says on October 08 2008 at 7:32 am:

i also just found this recipe on a google search. my husband fell in love with a container of granola from the store, however that was $5 for 14 oz of granola and it’s almost gone 2 days later. so i guess it’s time to try experimenting at home! i’m excited to try this and surprise the family!!
Tina says on October 09 2008 at 9:11 am:

I just made this and finished my first bowl less than 5 minutes ago! I just wanted to say GREAT job on your recipe. It. Is. So. Good!!!!
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on October 10 2008 at 8:19 am:

sj: If you can find a store with bulk bins, this can be very economical. Good luck!

Tina: Thanks! So glad you liked it.
Melody says on October 13 2008 at 8:46 pm:

have you ever made granola w/o cinnamon or any spice like it…my husband can’t tolerate those spices…but would love to eat granola again!
any suggestions?
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on October 14 2008 at 7:50 am:

Melody: I haven’t tried that, but I think the maple and vanilla add a lot of flavor here. You could boost one or both of those and would probably be fine. Let us know!
Denise says on October 16 2008 at 6:57 am:

This granola is fantastic! I just made a big pan of it to ‘test’ for Christmas presents! I know my friends are going to love it.
Fernandsa says on November 05 2008 at 5:50 pm:

The granola is great. I made some changes for what I had in hand: 1) 2 1/2 cups rolled oats, and 1/2 rolled wheat and 1/2 cup rolled rye; 2) a bit less than 1/4 cup canola oil; 3) I added cashew nuts, dehydrated apple, and raisins. Also, I left in the oven for 40 minutes, at 375.
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on November 06 2008 at 9:00 pm:

Denise: Thanks!

Fenandsa: Thank you! Your variations sound lovely.
Natalie says on November 13 2008 at 9:12 am:

I made this granola and it has an incredible, hearty, earthy flavor - and how can something so “professional”-looking be so easy to make! Impress your friends, all right! My only problem (but it was kind of a big one) is that mine came out too salty! Do you think it would be fine with half the salt, or no salt? I did use sea salt, but maybe not all sea salt is created equal? What do others think? Thanks kitchensink for the great recipe.
Gretchen says on November 15 2008 at 7:35 pm:

I made this last night but got confused from reading so many granola ideas. I actually cooked the sugar, honey, maple syrup and oil and then mixed it in with the granola. I also used cardomom (just purchased some for another project and gasped at the price so I’m trying to get my $$ worth!). It was AMAZING! My 8 year old ate two bowls this morning! I love your blog…been following it faithfully for the last 2 months and tried many recipes…all keepers!
Peggy says on November 16 2008 at 12:44 pm:

My father (now 88) used to make granola in the middle of the night when he couldn’t sleep when I was a kid. (The smell would enter my dreams!) I recently was given some great homemade granola by a friend and started searching for recipes… yours comes closest to what I remember. Can’t wait to try it and bought ingredients yesterday at TJs. Will let you know how it goes!
Karen says on November 16 2008 at 4:31 pm:

Mine also came out too salty but when I mixed in the fruit and ate it with vanilla yogurt it was perfect! I ground up a fancy sea salt, maybe that’s the problem. I substituted less than 1/4 cup unsalted butter because I don’t like to use canola oil. And I didn’t have vanilla so I used almond extract and Grand Marnier - YUM! Thanks for the recipe!
Peggy says on November 16 2008 at 5:06 pm:

Oops! My granola was quite “well-done” after 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Not sure why, unless it was some extra ingredients like wheat germ that I added and may have made it more dry. Still, even if a bit on the toasty side, it is delicious.
Leora says on December 01 2008 at 12:51 am:

N.B.! I baked this at 325– mine DID burn first time at 375 - like I suspected…. and watched and tossed it more often than recommended. Came out golden brown and delicious….. um, I forgot how long it took at that temp, though, since I couldn’t leave it alone and kept poking at it. Yum yum!! Thanks for great, great recipe.
Marie says on December 06 2008 at 12:48 am:

I’m looking forward to making this, but I’m an overall cookie newbie, so please bear with, but am I cooking the oats first??
I found a granola bar recipe that says to rinse and oak the oats, but I don’t know if this has something to do with it being for a bar or not?
I too have a “best granola I’ve ever tasted” and I just found the bag I saved! But I came across your recipe trying to find out how much of each ingredient to use.
My fave is from a trip I was on almost exactly 5 ago at the Dragonfly Cafe in Taos, NM.
Oh and I see quite a range of degrees from 325-375 and time from 20-40 minutes. I will be using a new toaster oven, any recommendations on where in this range would be a good start?
Thanks in advance!
Marie says on December 06 2008 at 12:51 am:

PS - I’m on an anti-inflammatory food plan, (No wheat, dairy, sugar, etc.) so I have to use WHOLE, non-instant, non-steel cut oats, if this makes any difference in the cooking factor or not.
Thx.
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on December 07 2008 at 8:45 pm:

Marie: I bake my granola at 375, but I like mine on the toastier, darker side. But, if you’re worried, you can always start lower and crank it up as you go if it’s not achieving the color you want. And I use whole oats, so you should be fine there.
vinylhaven says on December 26 2008 at 4:45 pm:

when i saw how you posted this, i knew i had a kindred spirit. i too, have totally converted to homemade granola. i could never go back to “the box”. i looked over your basic recipe, mine’s similiar but i add a little minced crystalized ginger with the fruit, adds a little zing. and ‘real’ yogurt on top is a must, sliced bananas as well if i have them.
Tara says on January 05 2009 at 3:35 pm:

This recipe is great! I just made a batch and all I can say is, AMAZING!!!!
VickiG says on January 07 2009 at 6:28 pm:

Hi Kristin, my first batch is almost ready to go into the oven … I’m toasting the nuts right now. It looks yummy! My only comment is that in order to be beneficial, flax seeds need to be ground into meal (otherwise they go straight through you and all their great health benefits are lost). I’m going to omit the flax because we have it every morning in OJ … you might like to try ground flax seed in your recipe and see how that works. Thanks for your recipe!
Vicki
Erin says on January 20 2009 at 3:44 pm:

Hi Kristin,

LOVE your website and am trying the granola bar recipe this weekend. I’ve been making my own granola after being challenged into it by a friend who hasn’t cooked in years….. I’ve made mine similar to your recipe, but I’ve recently added grated/shredded coconut and have substituted almond oil for canola. Hubbie loves the deep nutty taste the almond oil gives to the granola…… Thanks for all your recipes!
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on January 21 2009 at 9:53 pm:

Erin: I like that almond oil idea! I’ve been using walnut oil recently.
Mary Sibenik says on January 30 2009 at 2:13 pm:

Does anyone know if Fage yogurt is available in Toronto, and if not, what a passable substitute might be? Enjoy your site very much. Cheers!

PS. I, too, shall be making my own granola for my middle kid (21) who is addicted to it in the wee hours of the night.
lauren says on March 05 2009 at 9:10 am:

Kristin,
Thank you so much for this recipe! I absolutely love the granola from Milk & Honey, but can’t afford my habit. I have been trying to recreate the recipe to no avail. You have come very close…same texture, sea salt is right on, tastes great and best of all, I did not end up with a batch of gravel!
I’m enjoying your blog, keep it up!
tiana says on March 14 2009 at 3:25 pm:

If I leave out an ingredient, like the maple syrup, do I need to compensate for the moisture or sweetness?
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on March 14 2009 at 4:55 pm:

tiana: I think you could (and should) use honey in place of the syrup. In other words, use 3 tablespoons of honey and omit the maple syrup.
ebc says on March 24 2009 at 9:24 am:

I am a granole fiend and have converted my best friend into making it our morning routine with some banana-vanilla yogurt.

I have never made my own, but this recipe has inspired me. One thing… is there anything I can do to make it chunky? I like big chunks rather than the loose oats. Any ideas?

Thanks!
ec
Manuel Braverman says on March 27 2009 at 7:03 pm:

This is a good recipe!

ebc Make a litlle extra honey mix.
mix the raisins and cranberries with some wheat germ
then add the honey mix (warm) to the fruit, mix it to coat and add to the dry ingredients.
The sticky honey will help form the clusters you want. The wheat germ will help absorb excess liquid so it doesnt feel so sticky on your hands

Another option is to just double the amount of liquids in the begining, after baking mix the fruit and let cool before you break it in nice size clusters
Andrea says on March 27 2009 at 10:20 pm:

This recipe looks wonderful. I am living in a rural community in China and I find it a real challenge to good, healthy breakfast foods. I’m wondering if you could help me with alternatives for the ingredients that I can’t find readily here:

Canola oil - I have access to sunflower seed, soy bean, olive, and peanut oils.

Maple syrup - Molasses or honey?

Vanilla extract - Any suggestions?

Also, how do you store your granola and how many days will it stay fresh and tasty?

Thanks in advance!
Manuel Braverman says on March 28 2009 at 1:11 pm:

Hi Andrea, sorry to intrude but I love this kind of challenge
You can use peanut or sunflower oil….
butter may be good -do the eat butter there?-
I would mix honey with molasses
I think if your nuts are tasty and nicely toasted vainilla y not important
If you dare to test a moderate amount of Sesame Oil, may be interesting, but then again it could also ruin the whole batch. Another chinese twist could be to add some green tea, and how about some ginger, cristalized or fresh
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on March 28 2009 at 1:40 pm:

Hi Andrea: Good questions. For oil, I’d go with sunflower oil. And you’ll be fine using honey in place of maple syrup. I think molasses would be a little too strongly flavored. Vanilla is tough. If you happen to have bourbon or something similarly boozy, that could add a little something. I think you could get away with omitting it all together.

I actually like to store my granola in the fridge (or freezer, for future use). I think the flavors stay crisp and the textures hold. Absent that, just make sure to use a tightly sealed container in a relatively cool, dry place.
Manuel Braverman says on March 28 2009 at 4:31 pm:

Bourbon!!
That would really work, would you go with Calvados?
Andrea says on March 28 2009 at 5:45 pm:

Thanks Manuel and Kristin.

I’m going to make some this afternoon and I’ll let you both know how it goes.
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on March 28 2009 at 6:26 pm:

Andrea: Please do! Good luck.
long island says on April 01 2009 at 6:49 pm:

There is a reason why this post is over a year old and people are still commenting.

I just made this granola. I wish you could smell through the internet. My house has a wonderful aroma but better yet the granola is fantastic!

I made two slight variation. I cut back a little on the honey and salt because I couldn’t find unsweetened coconut and non-salt sunflower seeds.

I found this recipe from a simple search of “homemade” granola. I was in search of granola recipes because 2 weeks ago I started to make homemade yogurt in my crock pot. Yes my crock pot. It was very a simple process and like the granola once you have had homemade yogurt there is no going back to store bought. We were going through so much yogurt I had to think of way to extend it. I intially thought about just buying good granola. However it just didn’t seem right to defile my yogurt with mass produced granola.

Between the homemade granola and yogurt I may end up dying from a very healthy heart attack but what a way to go!

Thank you for sharing!
Andrea says on April 01 2009 at 11:29 pm:

I used sunflower oil, I replaced the maple syrup with honey, I omitted the vanilla and flax seeds because they’re unavailable in my town in China, and I used raisins because they’re all I could find.

Even with the changes to the recipe this granola tastes delicious. The aroma from my tiny toaster oven brought my Korean and Chinese neighbours knocking on my door wanting to know what I was making.

Thanks again to both Kristin and Manuel for your suggestions. I’m excited to have a delicious new option for breakfast.
sarah says on April 12 2009 at 2:12 pm:

i’m on my way into the kitchen to make this a second time, pretty much just as the recipe is written! so delicious that the word delicious doesn’t do it justice. the only downside is that my constant munching on it leads my boyfriend to call me his little squirrel, but all i have to do is give him a handful and that quiets him right down. i’m going to try to give some of this batch away as gifts, but i’m not sure i’ll be able to part with it! thank you, and ps your granola bars came out spectacular too.
Mike says on April 14 2009 at 5:18 pm:

hello there, well it’s in the oven cooking at 375. Can’t wait to try it. I love granola, and I can only imagine what good-old-home-made granola tastes like. Gotta go check it. Peace-out!
Jessica says on April 21 2009 at 4:26 am:

thank you for this recipe. mine is in the oven now. i have a granola recipe that i’ve used for years but i don’t make it often because it ‘bakes’ at 180 for eight hours! that is way to long to have my oven tied up for! can’t wait to try this!

sorry for the poor typing…baby in my arms!
Vicky says on April 24 2009 at 12:58 pm:

Wish you cold smell my kitchen! I baked vegan scones, rye bread rolls and now YOUR GRANOLA. Can’t wait to taste it. I am going to try the bars too.
Kaela at Local Kitchen says on April 25 2009 at 6:24 am:

I’ve made two batches now and will have to make a third this weekend as my fiance’ can’t stop eating it - thanks for the great recipe!

I did substitute brown sugar for honey, and recently I’ve been experimenting with trying to get it to cluster more - if anyone has any good ‘clustering’ techniques, please share!
humblepen says on April 26 2009 at 3:04 pm:

Beautiful pictures.
Sophie says on May 12 2009 at 6:12 am:

A simple search for ‘homemade granola’ came up with this, and with so much wonderful feedback, I’m not going to search any more. This will be my first go at making granola, and I’m off to the healthfood shop right now with the list of ingredients. If you sniff the air later, you might just catch the aroma drifting across the Atlantic from Oxford!
Leora says on May 12 2009 at 9:29 pm:

Sophie, you’re smart! Just lower the temp and watch very closely….. imho.
Leora says on May 12 2009 at 9:33 pm:

I just want to add that I’m totally obsessed with this recipe and can’t stop making this stuff…. you were right to warn us, Kristin…
Josh says on May 16 2009 at 5:24 pm:

Just made it for the first time and it turned out great! This was the first time I’ve made homemade granola and I can’t wait to make it again. Thanks Kristin.
k* says on May 18 2009 at 12:36 pm:

Yum! making this in 3…2…1…
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on May 18 2009 at 2:01 pm:

Josh: Great to hear!

k*: Enjoy …
Jackie says on May 23 2009 at 10:41 am:

I’m making this again today. I had to double the batch because it is already a staple breakfast with us! I used walnut oil instead of canola oil and a mixed of whole steel cut oats and quick cook ones. I love this recipe because it is so versatile, and I can use whatever nuts or dried fruit I have on hand. I even tried using date sugar instead of brown sugar and that worked too! Thanks for a great recipe.
Robyn says on June 01 2009 at 4:33 am:

Wonderful recipes! Great site! Looking for some clustering ideas also. Anyone help there?
MM says on July 13 2009 at 11:11 am:

As for the clustering ideas…I read on another blog to form balls with your fist right before transferring to the pan to bake. Be sure when you spread it on the pan that you don’t break up too many clusters.

Kristin, I’m really excited to try this recipe! More excited to stay away from the box cereal aisle and the high price tag of granola.