The Anatomy of Homemade Granola

Hi friends! Today I’m sharing my homemade granola recipe. Well, it’s not really a recipe because every time I make granola, I add a different combination of things. It’s never the same but it’s (almost) always delicious! I just use whatever is in my pantry because life’s all about using up what you already have, amirite?

Here are the components that I use for my granola – anatomy style because I’m nerdy like that. These guidelines make for 1 1L mason jar full of delicious granola.

1. The skeleton – oats, duh! I prefer using rolled oats, but I’ve also used quick oats (which I’m using in the pics here) and steel-cut oats, and they all work! Add 2 cups of a big mixing bowl.
2. The muscle – this is the good stuff, the meat on the bones. Add 1/2 cup of each creative add-in you can think of. You should limit it to 5 different add-ins though, or else your oats become your add-in. Here I added almonds, raisins, whole flax, goji berries and buckwheat groats. Other favourites of mine are shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries!
   1. Tip: Unless you want fully chocolate granola (in which case you should add cocoa powder), don’t add chocolate chips in yet because they will melt in the oven. Add chocolate chips in after the granola has cooled!
   2. Another tip: roughly chop some of the larger ingredients like almonds so that everything is about the same size.
3. The fat – literally, the lipids. I find that for granola, you can’t skip out on the fats – it just doesn’t taste the same. You can add healthy fats though! I prefer coconut oil, but you can also use olive oil, or even something like peanut butter. Add 2 generous tablespoons.
4. The heart – salty and sweet. Because this makes everyone love the taste of this granola… haha get it? Always add a pinch of salt, this goes a long way. Vanilla extract is optional, but if you like it, add 1-2 tsp. Also add 1-2 tbsp of your sweetener of choice. I usually use maple syrup but my parents just brought me this honey from the Aland Islands so I wanted to try it out!
   1. P.S. I know honey is not technically vegan because bees make honey. This is a whole topic on its own but since I follow a vegan diet primarily for health reasons, I don’t mind eating honey once in a while.

And that’s it! Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Don’t be afraid to use your hands to get everything incorporated. Bake in the oven at 350C for 15 minutes, stir, then bake for another 10 minutes. Let the granola cool completely before transferring to a mason jar for storage.

Enjoy!