Master the Basics and Make it YOUR Own
Watch our base recipe video to learn the basic skills, and discover how you can customize granola to your taste!
This is a variation of our homemade granola base recipe. Homemade granola is easy, delicious, and made from pantry staple ingredients! When you make your own, you get to control the ingredients, including the amount of sugar added (store bought granola usually has way too much!). This simple maple pecan granola is a fan favorite, but don’t take our word for it – try it out for yourself!
Must-Know Cooking Skills to Level Up your Kitchen Game
To make this recipe even easier, check out these videos to master the basics:
Plus, we’ve got an awesome Knife Skills 101 course to help you slice and dice like a pro!
Culinary Tips for the Best Maple Pecan Granola
This recipe calls for ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup oil, and ¼ cup maple syrup. Measure the ingredients in that order to make clean-up easier! Technically, you should use a liquid measuring cup, but we realize that adds another dish to be cleaned. Measure the brown sugar first; it needs to be measured in a clean cup, otherwise it will stick to the bottom. Then, by measuring the oil before the maple syrup, the syrup will just slide right out!
Be sure to use real maple syrup, not the imitation kind; any grade will do just fine!
Cook the granola until golden, but don’t expect it to be hard when you remove it from the oven. Just like cookies, it will crisp as it cools!
You don’t have to stir the granola every 15 minutes. If you’re like us, you have crazy kids running around, and you don’t want to be stuck near your oven, so just let it cook! It will still brown nicely and taste delicious.
Be sure to stir and re-spread the granola immediately after you remove it from the oven, otherwise it will stick to the pan. If you prefer chunkier granola, cook the mixture on parchment paper, don’t stir it while it cooks, and allow it to cool slightly before stirring once removed from the oven.
Add the dried cherries once the granola cools to prevent it from hardening.
Ingredient Swaps & Substitutions
- Brown Sugar – Swap in granulated, coconut, or raw sugar, but keep in mind—you’ll lose that delicious hint of molasses!
- Maple Syrup – No maple syrup? No problem! Honey or agave nectar will do the trick.
- Oats – Rolled or old-fashioned oats are our top picks, but quick oats work too. Just skip the steel-cut oats—they won’t soften up quite the same way.
- Nuts – Go all in on almonds, pecans, or mix in your favorite raw nuts. Just avoid toasted ones—they might get a little too brown!
- Dried Cherries – Feel free to swap in any dried fruit you love! If using larger fruits like apricots, figs, or prunes, just chop them into bite-sized pieces first.
Granola Recipe Variations: Make it Your Own!
This recipe is very forgiving; think outside the (granola) box!
Don’t want to turn your oven on? Use our stovetop granola base recipe to make this to your taste!
Prefer a higher protein granola? Add more nuts and/or seeds in place of oats.
Love spices? Feel free to add other sweet spices such as ground nutmeg, cloves, or ginger.
We like to buy our spices from the Spice House. They have great quality, variety, and flavor!
Need some granola inspiration?
Use our base recipe as a guide to make it your own, or check out our other healthy granola recipe variations! We can’t wait to hear what you come up with!
Homemade Granola Base Recipe
Peanut Butter Granola
Vanilla Almond Granola
Almond Butter Granola
Blueberry Granola
Banana Bread Granola
Equipment Recommendations: The Essentials
You just need a few basic tools for this recipe. Here’s your shopping list:
- Nested mixing bowls – great for mixing, great for storing!
- Measuring cups & spoons – precision makes a difference.
- Spatula – for scraping up every last drop of flavor.
- 13 x 18 Baking Sheet – no overcrowding, please!
Want to level up your kitchen game? Check out our Essential Equipment Guide for all the must-have tools!
Is this a healthy granola recipe?
Granola can absolutely be part of a healthy diet—especially when it’s packed with wholesome goodness! In this crunchy, flavorful mix, oats, almonds, pecans, and dried cherries steal the show.
Oats
Oats of any variety are a good source of fiber and complex carbohydrates. Fiber is important for digestion, satiety, stable blood sugar, good cholesterol, and healthy gut bacteria, while complex carbohydrates provide steady energy and focus.
Learn more about the different types of oats in this article!
Almonds & Pecans
Nuts are a great source of plant-based protein and healthy fat. Almonds & pecans in particular are high in monounsaturated fats which are good for heart health.
Dried Cherries
While this recipe does call for natural sweeteners, the amount used only adds up to 1 teaspoon (4 grams) per ¼ cup serving of granola. The dried cherries in this recipe add sweetness along with other nutrients such as fiber and antioxidants. Choose unsweetened dried cherries if possible. If you can’t find any, choose varieties without artificial sweeteners.
Dive into our ingredient guide to discover the freshest, tastiest picks for all your recipes—because great ingredients make all the difference! 🌟🍎
Maple Pecan Granola Serving Suggestions
This recipe is great for an easy breakfast, a satisfying snack, or even a healthy dessert!
- Use it to make a yogurt parfait
- Use it to garnish a smoothie bowl
- Sprinkle it on peanut butter-coated apples or bananas
- Enjoy it on its own for a tasty snack!
Learn how to build a healthy balanced meal with our Whole Life Plate, meal plan, and book!
How to Store Maple Pecan Granola
This granola will keep for at least a month in an airtight container in your cupboard or pantry.
Want more healthy oat recipes?
Do you love oats as much as we do? Check out these other oat base recipes, and as always, make to your taste!
Baked Oatmeal Cups Base Recipe
Stovetop Oatmeal Base Recipe
Avocado Toast Base Recipe
Share the Love – Leave us a Review!
Unlike many other recipe blogs, we actually encourage you to tweak our recipes. Not because they’re in need of change, haha, but because we believe one of the secrets to success in the kitchen is cooking to YOUR taste. Make the recipe, leave us a review, and tell us if you made any changes! We love hearing how you’ve made it your own.
Maple Pecan Granola
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons - ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup raw chopped pecans
- 1 cup raw sliced almonds
- 1 cup dried cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250° F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and salt.
- Add the oats and nuts to the bowl. Using a spatula, stir until well-combined.
- Spread granola in an even layer on one or two baking sheets (depending on size). Cook for 1 hour. Optionally, stir every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.
- Remove from oven and stir. Add dried cherries. Once cool, store in a Ziploc bag or airtight container. Enjoy!
