Easy Homemade Snacking Granola

This is the best Easy Homemade Snacking Granola, great for being on the road, afternoon snacks, and any time you need something easy to munch on with oats, nuts, seeds, and other whole ingredients.

💡Recipe Inspiration

Recently I took a flight for a trip across the country. I always find meal planning (or sourcing takeout) difficult and expensive while traveling. By the end of the trip, I am inevitably talking about how all I want to eat when I get home is lots of salad, fruit, and vegetables.

Breakfast can be particularly hard because the easiest options are usually cereal or pastries. Yogurt or the right kind of milk can be hard to find while traveling, and I find it’s even harder to locate the exact brand that I like.

This recipe for snacking granola is designed to solve this on-the-go problem.  It can be eaten for breakfast (without yogurt) or any time of day for a snack. It's super crunchy and a little bit sweeter than we make our typical weekday granola. It's full of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. It’s a great option to bring packed in a little bag, particularly when you’re across time zones and eating at irregular intervals or subject to plane food or even on a road trip.

🏡 Easy and Homemade

Easy: This recipe takes only five minutes of prep involving chopping pecans and mixing sweetened condensed milk (gives it that sweet crunchy texture), olive oil, cinnamon, and salt. The oven does most of the work, aside from tossing the ingredients to ensure even toasting.

Homemade: Making granola at home rather than buying store-bought granola means you can control exactly what is going into your snack or breakfast and avoid any additives. You can reduce the amount of sugar by adding less sweetened condensed milk or increasing the amount of nuts or seeds. It also makes the whole house smell so good when baking.

🛒 Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed to make this Easy Homemade Snacking Granola as well as a few tips as to where to get the ingredients and what to look for.

• Rolled Oats: Use old-fashioned oats, not steel-cut oats. Not all oats are created equal. I’ve been making granola with rolled oats for years and sometimes I’m disappointed with oats that are super dry and brittle. I like the rolled oats from Trader Joe’s, Costco, and even Quaker Oats. Steer clear of the Whole Foods rolled oats. For gluten-free granola be sure to buy gluten-free oats.
• Pecans: This recipe calls for a fair amount of pecans which can get expensive. If you plan to make more than one batch, consider buying a large bag from Costco which tends to be much less expensive per volume.
• Pumpkin Seeds: There are two kinds of pumpkin seeds that you might find at the store. This recipe calls for the little green pumpkin seeds, often labeled as pepitas. You might also find pumpkin seeds that look like the ones you see when you carve a pumpkin. These do not work as well as the little green pepitas. You can substitute pepitas for sunflower seeds.
• Almonds: I recommend using sliced almonds, rather than slivered or whole, but feel free to use what you have accessible to you and whatever is less expensive.
• Coconut Flakes: I like to add coconut flakes but I err on the side of using less so that the granola doesn’t end up tasting like coconut. Use unsweetened coconut flakes rather than shredded coconut, or omit it altogether if you prefer.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use a mild-tasting olive oil so that it does not overpower the taste of the granola. You can use coconut oil, but it's not an ingredient I tend to keep in my house.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk: This is an atypical ingredient for granola, but it adds a sweet crunchy consistency, inspired by Kelly Senyei from the Secret Ingredient Cookbook.
• Cinnamon: It’s the one spice that makes a big difference to buy and use a high-quality version. Poor-quality cinnamon can ruin the taste of the entire recipe. I recommend Ceylon Cinnamon from a brand called Simply Organic.
• Salt: To balance the sweetness.
• Dried Cherries: I like using dried cherries here because they often do not come with added sugar (which is a nice balance when using sweetened condensed milk) and they add a hint of sourness. Feel free to use cranberries or other dried fruit.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Prep: Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Step 1. Toast the Oats: Spread the oats out over a baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes. Remove and toss.

Step 2. Toast the Nuts, etc: Spread the pecans, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and unsweetened coconut flakes over the baking sheet. Bake for another 8 minutes.

Step 3. Mix Wet Ingredients: While the oats, nuts, etc. are in the oven combine the extra virgin olive oil, sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.

Step 4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Add the oat, nut, and seed mixture to the wet ingredients and toss to coat.

Step 1. First Bake for 10 Minutes: Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss.

Step 2. Second Bake, 10 More Minutes: Bake the granola for 10 more minutes until it is golden brown. Add the dried cherries on top and allow to cool. Break the granola into large clusters.

Let the granola cool fully before storing, otherwise, the heat/steam will soften the granola that you just worked so hard to make crispy.

🥄 How to Store and Serve Easy Homemade Snacking Granola

• To Store: Store this homemade granola recipe in an airtight container at room temperature. It will last 1-2 weeks. We often store ours in mason jars or jam jars.
• To Serve: Serve as an on-the-go snack, pack in snack baggies, or small Tupperware, or serve over Greek yogurt, with milk, with fresh fruit, on ice cream, or any other way. Serve it over a Smoothie Bowl, or use it as a topping for Banana Bread. I've even added granola to s'mores! It's very versatile!