Healthy Homemade Granola

Granola has become very popular in recent years. If you want to buy healthy, sugar-free granola with no other unwanted ingredients, it can be quite a quest. Store-bought granola is usually high in refined sugars, contains unhealthy fats, and is packed with unnecessary added flavorings. 

The great thing about making your own granola is that you decide which ingredients you use. This allows you to control the quality of your food. 

It is very easy to make granola yourself and you can follow your own tastes by choosing your favorite ingredients. Are you gluten intolerant? Then you can even make gluten-free granola using gluten-free ingredients. 

What is granola? 

Granola is a mix of flakes, nuts, seeds, dried fruit and other foods that you will undoubtedly enjoy, such as almond shavings, coconut flakes or grated coconut. Roast it in the oven and your healthy breakfast is ready. With this breakfast you get all the nutrients that your body needs to give your morning a good start. 

How do you make the granola to your own tastes?

Use oat flakes as a base and combine it with your favorite nuts, for example, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, almonds, pistachios and cashews. Add your favorite seeds, such as linseed, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Do you like coconut? Then add coconut flakes or grated coconut. Add your favorite unsweetened dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, apricots, plums, mango or banana. Chop up the larger fruits such as apricots and plums. Add some honey for its delicious taste, and finally some spices. Think of cinnamon powder, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger powder and raw cocoa powder.

While shopping, be sure you are buying 100% pure whole rolled oats. Avoid oats that say “quick cooking” or “instant”; they are highly processed and therefore have a bad influence on your digestive system. Also be sure you are buying raw nuts and seeds, not roasted ones, and without added salt.

Keep your granola in an airtight glass or mason jar or container and preferably use it up in a week, because not only do we love this delicious breakfast, unfortunately so does mold.  

Healthy Homemade Granola Recipe 

This is my favorite combination of ingredients. Replace foods from the ingredient list that you do not like with your favorites.

You can serve granola as cereal with unsweetened, plant-based (non-dairy) milk or just eat it plain. I prefer it plain so that I can use my teeth to chew better, and sometimes I have it with unsweetened oat milk.    

4 servings (400 g) 

Prep time - 10 mins

Cook time - 15 mins

Ingredients:

1 cup whole rolled oats, preferably organic 

½ cup raw nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts), chopped

½ cup raw seeds (linseed, sunflower and pumpkin seeds)   

½ cup unsweetened dried cranberries 

1 oz almond shavings

1 oz grated coconut 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cardamom

4 tablespoons pure honey

1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil (melted)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 150°C/ 300°F.

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix everything well together; use your clean hands. Spoon the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and spread the mixture in a thin layer.

Place the baking tray in the preheated oven and bake the granola for 15 minutes. Turn the granola over halfway through the cooking time.