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 ultimate 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 – THE ULTIMATE 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 THE ULTIMATE 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 THE ULTIMATE 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 rolled 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!
Followed quite closely with 1/4 cup honey instead of maple syrup, but it was really not sweet at all! Sorry but didnt like it as granola should be at least slightly sweet. Wasted ingredients..
It means a lot that you tried our recipe, Jo! Amy included that it was only lightly sweetened in the recipe description, but I know it can be really easy to miss that bit! We also understand that some people prefer their granola to be noticeably sweeter than others. It sounds like that might be true for you — and it’s easy to make this granola sweeter! You can substitute an additional ¼ cup of honey for 2 of the egg whites. If you use that modification, you’ll use ½ cup of honey in total and only 1 egg white. Should you try that, we really hope you enjoy the sweeter version much more! 🙂
Hi! I love your recipes and would love to try this one. Has anyone loaded this up with raisins dates and other dried fruits, etc.? Thank you so much.
We really appreciate your interest in this recipe, Heidi! Yes, any of those would be a great addition to this granola! Add the raisins and dried fruit (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!
The pan is cooling as I write. Made exactly as written. I agree with comments that avoiding nuts and fats is real plus in this recipe. Also worried slightly when granola wasn’t getting crunchy after about 33 minute, but reading comment section trusted Amy’s assurance that it WOULD get crunchy I prevailed. Also helped to say it would not get crunchier as it cooled. Kept putting back in oven, short times to avoid scorching and it is beautifully crunchy, fragrant with cinnamon. Husband popped in and snagged a small cluster “humm good”. I Thank you, Amy for your recipe, your notes, your website. I’m 78 years old and look for ways to eat healthier. Your dedication to helping me and others achieve that goal.
I’m so happy to hear both of you enjoyed this granola, Patricia! We really appreciate you taking the time to share. Thank you so much for your kind words about Amy and her website, too! I know your trust and willingness to try her recipes means the world to her! I’ll be sure to pass along your compliments! 🙂
This looks so good! Question about the nutrition info though. It says a serving size is 1/8th of the recipe. Do you know how many grams that is by chance or cups? I’m about to math it up after making it but I just want to make sure I am 100% accurate. I track in a paper journal and not an app.
It means so much that you’d like to try making this granola, Liz! 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, we 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!
Hi Amy, could I use the same amount of the Lakanto the liquid sweetener to replace the maple syrup? Don’t have the rice cereal, how many grams of additional oats that need to add? Thank you.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Janice! I haven’t personally tried using Lakanto’s maple-flavored syrup to make this granola, but I’ve had great success using this sugar-free maple syrup as a 1-for-1 substitute. It yields the exact same crunchy texture and big clusters! (I’ve used this 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! 😉 ) If you’d like to try substituting Lakanto’s product, then using the same amount would probably be a good starting point. At the end of Step 2, the granola mixture should be moist enough to hold together — but not overly wet or soggy!
As a quick note, 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.
If you’d like to substitute oats for the rice cereal, then 2 cups of oats is 200g. Otherwise, I’ve shared the best alternatives for the brown rice cereal in the Notes section (located directly underneath the Instructions!). I know it can be easy to miss though! 🙂
I’d love to hear what you think of this granola if you do end up making it!
I was excited to try, but the end results were less than stellar. The mixture was rubbery at 38 minutes. Other recipe use less egg whites and some oil. Wonder if this may have resulted in better results.
It means a lot that you tried our recipe! That sounds disappointing and not like how this granola is supposed to turn out. It should be crunchy and crisp, not rubbery, so we’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. In order to do so, we have some questions for you!
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
Did you use fresh egg whites or ones from a carton?
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure the pure maple syrup, brown rice cereal, and old-fashioned rolled oats?
What brand of brown rice cereal did you use?
What are the dimensions of the rimmed baking sheet that you used? (Length, width, and height!)
Did you use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper?
Approximately how big were your clusters after the first 20 minutes when you broke up the mixture? (For example, ½” bits, 1″ pieces, 2″ chunks, etc!)
How much and how thoroughly did you stir after the 20-minute and 30-minute mark?
Did you bake the granola for any additional time after the 38 minutes had elapsed? (The instructions say to bake until crunchy, and because it sounds like your granola hadn’t yet reached that point after 38 minutes, we wanted to double check!)
Were the bits of granola closest to the edges of the pan crunchy? Or was everything rubbery, soft, and chewy?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but we’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once we know your answers to all of them! 🙂
Also, if the texture in your current batch of granola is still soft and rubbery, that’s easy to fix! Just follow the instructions at the bottom of the Notes section for how to make thawed frozen granola crisp again. That should make your granola turn crunchy!
This recipe turned out so great! My whole family loved it. I added coconut flakes, chopped walnuts and a lot of pumpkin seeds. I pressed it into the pan for the last bit and then let it cool without stirring and it was nicely clumpy. Will make again for sure!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this granola recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to share and rate this recipe! It really means a lot! 🙂
I’ve made this recipe at least a dozen times now and it has become my go-to granola recipe. I use flax eggs and it works great. Sometimes the last few minutes of baking I’ll toss in cranberries, raisins are currents, unsweetened coconut flakes, some nuts or seeds depending on what I have on hand. It always turns out great! This is the first granola recipe I’ve had real success with in terms of clumping together that hasn’t used oil. Thanks Amy!
I’m so happy to hear how much you like this granola recipe, Sandi! We are always honored to hear when someone repeats one of our recipes, especially more than a dozen time! That makes our whole week! Thanks for taking the time to let us know and rate this recipe, it really means a lot. I appreciate you sharing about your add-ins, too…that’s such a great idea! We love hearing about recipe additions or tweaks that work well! 🙂
How big is each serving?
We really appreciate your interest in this recipe, Kathy! 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, we 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’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try this granola!
Hi Amy and Stacey. I made this granola and it came out great! I used raw agave sweetener and added 2 tsp. Of monk fruit golden sweetener for a little added sweetness. I also added 1 tsp. of vanilla. Why? Well because, why not! Lol. Thanks for the recipe! I’m sure I will make it again.
Cindy
Yay! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this granola, Cindy! I love the flavor that vanilla adds, so I’ll have to try that out myself next time! Thanks so much for taking the time to share and rate this recipe, it really means a lot! 🙂