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!
I have seen some American sites also give weights (grams) along with cups and Celsius as well as fahrenheit, to make it more appealing to the rest of the world. Would this be possible.
I’ve actually included the metric measurements (grams and mL) for the appropriate ingredients in the Ingredients list already! They’re in parentheses, right next to the US measurements. I know it can be easy to miss! 😉
I’d love to hear what you think of this granola if you try making it, Neil!
About how much is 1/8 of the recipe? Can’t wait to try this recipe!!
It means so much that you’d like to try making this granola, Danielle! The volume will vary some based on how big your clusters are. With larger clusters, the volume tends to be a bit bigger, whereas the opposite is true for smaller clusters (aka they can nestle up closer together, so you can fit more smaller clusters in a measuring cup!). Because of that reason, I didn’t include a specific volume per serving.
However, if you have a kitchen scale and you’d like to know exactly how much a serving is for your particular batch of granola, that’s easy to do! Just weigh the entire batch in grams, then divide that by 8 to get the grams per serving. 🙂
I can’t wait to hear what you think of this granola!
Hello Amy, I make your Ultimate Healthy Peanut Butter granola all the time! I make it last two weeks but it’s not easy. I have had good results subbing either flax eggs or aquafaba for the egg whites and still get big crunchy clusters so it’s easy to veganize. I prefer the aquafaba over the flax eggs. Thank you for your basic recipe! Looks like another winner😊.
susan
You just made my day, Susan!! I’m honored that you make my Ultimate Healthy Peanut Butter Granola all the time. I’m absolutely amazed that you can make it last two weeks… It barely lasts three or four days around here! 😉
I really appreciate you sharing your experience with substituting flax eggs and aquafaba in my recipe too — that’s SO helpful and great to know!!
If you ever decide to take a little break from the PB version and try this one, I’d love to hear what you think of it!
This looks amazing Amy! What a yummy treat for your parents. I’ll take a big handful please! ❤️
You’re so sweet, Ashley! If we both still lived in NorCal, I’d bake an entire batch for you — not just a handful! And maybe I’d get to hand deliver it over dinner at Panera too. 😉 Miss you, sweet friend!! ♡
Sounds perfect friend! Miss you too!
Can I use 100% date syrup instead of maple syrup?
I haven’t personally tried date syrup in this recipe, so I’m not sure and don’t want to lead you astray. However, if you’ve been able to use it to make granola before — or to replace maple syrup in other recipes — then there’s a very good chance it’ll work in this granola too! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this granola if you try making it, Marianna!
Hi Amy:
At what point do you add in your raisins and almonds (if using)?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Beth! Add the raisins and almonds (or any other mix-in’s that you’d like!) at the very end of Step 3, once the granola has cooled to room temperature. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this granola if you end up making it!
Heyho,
I’d like to use erythritol instead of the sirup. Since erythritol is obviously a dry ingredient, how much more egg white would I need to add?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Mike! I haven’t tried using erythritol to make this granola, so I’m not personally sure and don’t want to lead you astray. My best guess would be to start with trying ¼ cup of erythritol and an extra 2 egg whites, but again, I can’t vouch for the results.
However, I have tried using sugar-free maple syrup before, and that worked out really well – just in case your main goal is to make it sugar-free! 🙂
I’d love to hear what you think of this granola if you end up making it!
Oh, that’s a good idea. Weird this didn’t come to mind, yet. Thank you!
I might try both versions. The molten and cooled erythritol might make this even crunchier. Sadly it doesn’t caramelize. I’d like to try allulose but it isn’t approved in Europe, yet.
I’ll report back when I gave this a try.
It’s my pleasure, Mike! I’m really looking forward to hearing how your granola turns out. I was a chemist before I became a baking blogger, so I always love learning about the results of substitution experiments like this! 🙂
Hello, I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. I may have missed this information in your post, but do you have the nutritional information? Thank you!
Yes! It’s included directly underneath the recipe box. I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of this granola once you get a chance to try making it, Randi!
Hi! Can I use puffed wheat/quinoa/ buckwheat or something instead of the rice cereal?
Thanks in advance!!