I’m not a picky eater per say, but there are a few things I (mostly) only like when I make them. Granola is one of them. My issue with most store-bought granola is that it’s either too dry, too sweet, not sweet enough, or I just don’t like the add-ins. While making your own granola requires a solid 10 minutes of your time, I know that it can seem like a pain to carve out that time for something you can so easily buy. If you share the same sentiment about store-bought granola, I implore you to try making your own just once.
For years I’ve exclusively made the granola recipe in my book, but I’ve recently started to branch out. You too can use this recipe as a base to make your own version. I follow the ratio of six parts dry to 1 part wet ingredients for the ideal granola. For dry ingredients, you can experiment with swapping in nuts, seeds, cocoa nibs, coconut flakes, and dried fruit. For the wet ingredients, I love the combination of olive oil and maple syrup, but you could use other types of oil like coconut or grapeseed, and sweeteners like honey or agave.
A few notes to consider:
I use two egg whites in my recipe, which ensures glossy granola that clumps together. If you’re vegan, you can omit the egg whites and the flavor of the granola won’t be impacted.
Do not use quick-cooking oats! I’m all for swaps, but quick-cooking oats are pre-steamed and can quickly turn into mush rather than crisping up and getting golden.
Granola lasts in a sealed container at room temperature for about one month.
Makes 6 cups granola
Ingredients
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Side Dish to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.