During the week, my parents love eating granola for breakfast. My dad eats his plain and dry or stirs it into Greek yogurt. My mom adds hers to a bowl with multigrain flakes, a handful of fresh blueberries, and a generous splash of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
When I recently visited them for a week, I thought it’d be fun to surprise them with a batch of homemade granola. I wanted a flavor that they could both enjoy — something that paired well with tangy yogurt and sweet juicy blueberries — but also tasted delicious all by itself, for the mornings where my dad simply poured it into a bowl.
I also wanted to make sure the granola had lots of big clusters. It’s so disappointing to stick your spoon into a bowl and only manage to fish out a few flakes of oats!
Finally, I wanted something that was really quick and simple to whip up. I didn’t feel like standing in front of the stove to baby-sit a bubbling pot and waiting for the liquid mixture to reduce. I much prefer the “one bowl, whisk everything together, and call it good enough” method of making granola!
So that’s how this healthy homemade granola came to be! I tested it a few times to make sure I got it just right before I left… And the batch I brought up for my parents completely disappeared by my final day.
I’d call that a good sign — and a fantastic compliment! 😉
QUICK OVERVIEW – HEALTHY HOMEMADE GRANOLA
Recipe difficulty: Pretty easy, including for most beginner bakers!
Taste: Lightly sweetened with a warm, cozy cinnamon flavor.
Texture: Crunchy — with lots of really big clusters!
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY HOMEMADE GRANOLA
You only need 5 ingredients to make this easy homemade granola recipe! Those are…
Oats. Both old-fashioned rolled oats and quick cooking oats (aka instant oats or one-minute oats!) work. Use certified gluten free oats if you’d like to make this cinnamon granola gluten free!
Rice cereal. This adds crunch! I like using brown rice cereal (like this) because it’s whole grain and often has a short recognizable ingredient list. Regular crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies!) works perfectly too.
Egg whites. They actually bind the ingredients together! That way, this healthy granola is oil free, lower calorie, and low fat — yet it still has lots of big crunchy clusters. The egg whites add a protein boost too!
Hint: No… You do NOT end up with bits of scrambled eggs in your granola. When you make chocolate chip cookies, you don’t end up with bits of scrambled eggs in those, right? Same thing here! If you whisk everything together really well, you won’t find any egg bits in your finished granola.
Sweetener. I like using pure maple syrup, but honey and agave work well too.
Hint: All of these are unrefined sweeteners, so your cinnamon granola will have no refined sugar! Depending on which one you use, your granola may end up a darker brown than what you see in my photos. That’s normal and okay! As long as your granola is dark brown — but not black! — you haven’t burned it. 😉
Cinnamon. Saigon is my favorite for this homemade cinnamon granola recipe because it has a richer, stronger, and sweeter taste. I buy it online here!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY HOMEMADE GRANOLA
The key to making the perfect healthy homemade granola is actually how you bake it.
Do not use a square, round, or rectangular cake pan. That’s what I used to do! I often ended up with clusters that were on the small side and not always crunchy. That was because the pan was too crowded, and the granola ended up “steaming” instead of drying out to the perfect crunchy texture.
Instead, use a large rimmed baking sheet! They’re sometimes called “jelly roll” pans. This is the kind I use.
This larger baking pan has more surface area, so you can spread out your granola in a thinner layer. The thinner layer achieves two things: {a} the granola bakes more evenly and dries out properly (without steaming!), and {b} you don’t have to stir it as much (too much stirring breaks up those big clusters into much smaller bits!).
When you bake your granola with this method, you should end up with really big crunchy clusters. Mine are normally SO large that they can’t even fit on a spoon, so I have to break them apart into three or four smaller clusters once the granola has cooled a bit!
Isn’t that a neat baking trick? It’s how I make all of my granola now!
FAQS ABOUT HEALTHY HOMEMADE GRANOLA
Is this homemade granola gluten free? Clean eating?
Yes! If you use certified gluten free oats (like this) and certified gluten free rice cereal (like this), then your homemade granola is gluten free. If you use one of the unrefined sweeteners that I listed, then your homemade granola is clean eating as well.
Can I substitute something else for the rice cereal? Like more oats?
For the best crunchy texture, I recommend using rice cereal (whether crispy brown rice or the classic variety, like Rice Krispies). In a pinch, another option would be rice pocket cereal (like Rice Chex) that you’ve lightly crushed so it’s about ¼ of its original size.
If you really prefer to use oats instead, then you can. Just remember that your granola won’t be as crunchy, and the nutrition information will be different too.
What can I use instead of the eggs?
I haven’t tried making this granola without eggs, so I’m not personally sure. However, some readers have been able to substitute flax “eggs” for the egg whites in my other granola recipes with decent success, so that might be worth a try.
How do I store this homemade granola? And how long does it last?
Keep it in an airtight container at room temperature. It should last least a week (if not two or more!) when stored like that.
Tip: You can also freeze homemade granola! See the Notes section of the recipe about how to do that.
Ready to make your own? When you do, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy homemade granola!
The Ultimate Healthy Homemade Granola
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites (see Notes!)
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup (see Notes!)
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon (see Notes!)
- 2 cups (60g) crisp brown rice cereal
- 1 ½ cups (150g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free, if necessary, and measured like this)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (highly recommended!) or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites until the egg whites are broken up and slightly bubbly. Whisk in the maple syrup. Whisk in the cinnamon until fully incorporated with no clumps. Pour in the brown rice cereal and oats, and gently stir with a spatula until both cereals are evenly coated.
- Spread the mixture evenly onto the prepared pan. Bake at 325°F for 20 minutes. Gently stir and move the clusters around the pan to break up the granola and prevent the bits closest to the edge from burning. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, then gently stir again. Bake for an additional 4-8 minutes (for a total of 34-38 minutes), or until the granola is crunchy. Let the granola cool for 5 minutes before breaking apart any extra large clusters. Cool the granola completely to room temperature on the pan before transferring to an airtight container.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Almond Butter Granola
♡ Healthy Peanut Butter Granola
♡ Healthy Chocolate Granola
♡ Healthy Maple Pecan Granola
♡ Healthy Vanilla Almond Granola
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy granola recipes!
Hi, if mix ins are added at the end of step 3, how do I incorporate them without totally breaking up the granola to a flakey consistency? I don’t understand.
I love this recipe and it tastes great. I was desperate for a recipe that didnt use oil and didn’t rely on seeds and nuts for crunch. This is perfect. I made it with Lakanto syrup (monk fruit and erythritol) so it’s a little less clean but it does cut the sugars a bit. Thanks for this recipe!
Hi, maybe I’m totally stupid, but I don’t get how much I have to whisker the eggwhites? Just enough to see bubbles, or is it untill white?
Thanks 👍
When I made this I just whisked them up with a fork, as if I was making an omelet. Just sort of bubbly – not thick and white like making a meringue.
I was also wondering how much to whisker them. I tested a few methods and I found a hair over 60 seconds was was the ideal whisker time.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Dan! It really means a lot that you’d rate this recipe so highly too. I’m so glad you enjoyed the granola! 🙂
This recipe is delicious! I made last night and enjoyed this morning like your mom eats it! Usually I eat it with yogurt but wanted to switch things up. I won’t go back to store bought! You can totally taste chemicals in that stuff! I see there’s 8 servings, would you say a serving is a cup? Thanks!!
Jill
I made this and boy is it delicious! I didn’t have brown rice crips so I decided to use 2 cups of oats instead of 1.5 half and it worked just fine!
I can’t wait to eat this healthy granola for cereal this week with some fruit. Thanks for the awesome, easy recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this granola, Daysha! I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe too. It means a lot! 🙂
You used 2 cups of oats, no rice crisps and the same amount of other ingredients as the original recipe?
I also want to make without the rice crisps, but not sure how to replace, with how much extra oats and how to alter other ingredient measurements. Thanks
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Liz! I’ve actually covered how to substitute oats for the rice cereal in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions), below the “Rice Cereal Notes” header. I know it can be really easy to miss though! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of this granola if you try making it!
Hi,
I’m putting this in the oven for the final eight minutes and so far the granola is very soft. I followed the directions however, I substituted rice crispy cereal because I did not have brown rice cereal. Could this be why the granola is soft or will become crunchier as it sits and cools?
Hi,
I just put the granola and for the last eight minutes and so far it’s very soft. I made half the recipe and the only substitution was rice crispy cereal as I did not have brown rice cereal. Will it become crunchier as it sits and cools or was the rice crispy cereal not a good substitution?
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Belinda! Rice Krispies is a great substitute. The most common culprit for soft granola is actually the size of your clusters! If you left your clusters rather thick and tall, then they’ll take more time to bake. If your clusters are flatter and thinner, they’ll turn crunchy in less time.
However, it’s easy to fix that! Just pop the pan back in the oven until your granola turns crunchy. It doesn’t crisp up too much while you let it cool to room temperature, so ideally, you want to remove the pan from the oven when the clusters feel pretty firm and hard.
If your granola is softer than you’d like right now, you can still put it back in the oven to make it crunchier! Just follow the instructions I’ve provided for how to thaw frozen granola. (The granola is generally soft right after it’s been thawed, so that’s why the guidelines will be the same!)
I hope that helps, and I really hope you enjoyed this granola too! 🙂
How do I change the maple syrup and egg white amount if I use all oatmeal and no rice?
I appreciate your interest in this recipe, Carol! From our experience (and what other readers have reported!), the other ingredient amounts don’t need adjusting with that substitution — as long as the oats are measured correctly, as outlined at the link in the Ingredients list! 😉 If the oats are scooped directly from the container, the mixture will end up dry and may need an additional egg white to bind everything together.
We’d love to hear what you think if you try making this granola!
loved this recipe, very easy and great to add with yogurt or açaí bowls after my workouts.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this granola, Lindsey! Thank you for taking the time to let us know. It really means a lot! 🙂
Curious if anyone has attempted using sugar free maple syrup with success? My wife and I are diabetic and I try to find sweetness in other ways to keep that sugar down.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Matthew! I’ve actually had great success using this sugar free maple syrup. It yields the exact same crunchy texture and big clusters! I’ve noticed the granola can taste a bit less sweet when using sugar free maple syrup, so if you’d like your granola to taste sweeter, then follow the modification I shared in the Notes section of the recipe about how to do that.
Also, I’ve used the same sugar free maple syrup in many of my other granola recipes, and it worked just as well in those too. Just in case you ever wanted to try making a different flavor of homemade granola! 😉
I’d love to hear what you and your wife think of this granola if you do end up making it!