My kids are granola snobs — there, I said it! Trav, Harrison, and Mara love it so much, I have to make a big batch once a week just to feed their habit! And they won’t eat just any granola, they only like one brand—and if that wasn’t bad enough, they only eat the big chunky pieces then pick over the rest. After a while, I got tired of feeding our dog half bags of expensive, organic granola, just to get rid of it—so I thought I’d try my hand at making some from scratch, using my grandma’s recipe.
The first time I made it, it was a hit! They ate the whole batch in two days…even the small bits! Over the next week and a half, I played with the recipe and made half a dozen batches of granola, until I found their favorite, and the kiddos been hooked ever since.
So, are you ready for the world’s easiest, tastiest, and chunkiest granola? Well, I won’t keep you in suspense too much longer. Have fun with it and remember, that you can add anything you want to it to make it your own. We’re super picky eaters, so my kids like to keep it pretty basic, but feel free to add anything you like —dried fruit, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, etc. It’s a recipe so simple that ANYBODY can make it, it’s yummy, and it’s picky-eater approved!
The Easiest, Chunky Granola Recipe Ever!
This delicious and healthy homemade granola recipe, is super easy to make, and is served just the way granola should be — CHUNKY!
- 4 1/2 cups extra-thick rolled oats
- 1/2 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Optional
- 1 cup nuts or mix-ins of your choice (sliced or chopped)
- 1 cup dried fruit (chopped)
- Heat the oven to 300°F and arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the oil, honey, and brown sugar in a bowl and whisk together. Once combined, stir in cinnamon, cardamon, and salt
- Add the oats and nuts — you can leave the nuts out, for your picky eaters, then stir to coat.
- Spread the oats out onto the prepared baking sheet, into an even layer. Using a spatula, firmly pack the mixture into the baking sheet.
- Bake for 38-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The granola is ready when golden-brown and the almonds have toasted — it will still feel wet coming out of the oven but will dry as it cools.
- Remove the granola from the oven, and place the baking sheet on a wire rack. Sprinkle dried fruit over granola, then press down firmly on the granola and let cool for at least an hour — preferably overnight.
- Once cooled completely, use clean hands to break the granola into large chunks.
- Store in an airtight container for up to two months.
