Easy Homemade Low-Fat Granola from Your Pantry

Granola is delicious, nutritious, and easy to make at home. It is nutrient dense, but also a little calorie dense. So, if you’re watching your blood sugar or calorie intake, you’ll want to use granola as a topping, not a cereal. I love a nice spoonful (or two) atop nonfat, plain Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey and berries. It’s also great layered with yogurt and fruit in a parfait.

HINT: Layer your homemade granola with crushed berries and plain or vanilla yogurt in a champagne flute. It makes a gorgeous presentation in a manageable portion size!

This homemade granola also makes a delicious gift! Just fill a mason jar or pretty treat bag and tie it with a bow and voila! I get requests for this granola from friends and family every Christmas. I’ve also given it as a hostess gift and a housewarming present. It’s a welcome, yummy treat.

Good granola starts with nuts. I love using slivered almonds because they toast up so crunchy in the oven. But almost any nut will do. I’ve used chopped pecans, walnuts, pistachios, and even cashews successfully to make this granola. I’ve mixed various nuts at times because I didn’t have enough of one nut on hand. It worked great. You can also add shelled sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds if you like.

Whole almonds are a bit large but give it a try if that’s what you love. I would avoid using sliced almonds. The texture isn’t quite right, and they toast a little too fast for my taste. However, slivered almonds are relatively inexpensive, already a great size and shape, and taste great toasted. So that’s my go-to nut for this recipe.

Every granola recipe I know relies on oats as the primary ingredient. I use old-fashioned rolled oats, but steel-cut oats and even quick oats will work. I would avoid using instant oatmeal since it’s processed to create much more refined grains than the others and could make the granola gritty.

What’s the difference between types of oats? The oats are processed differently, resulting in different finished textures.

According to the folks at Quaker Oats:

• Old fashioned oats are flattened whole grains that cook in 5-10 minutes and have a firm texture.
• Steel-cut oats are chopped whole grains that haven’t been flattened. They cook in 20-30 minutes and are the chewiest.
• Quick-cooking oats are thinner flattened whole grains that cook in about a minute and have a smooth texture.
• Instant oats are thin, flattened whole grains that have been chopped. They cook instantly when boiling water is added or in a minute or two in the microwave. These have the softest texture.

Others will tell you that you need to add oil to make crunchy granola. This recipe is proof that you do not. Between the wheat germ and the nuts, there is plenty of crunch here.

Stir all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. You’ll want to use a bowl that is bigger than you think you need. Trust me on this. You will be glad you didn’t try to do this in a smaller bowl.

This recipe calls for cinnamon, but feel free to experiment with spices you like to make this recipe your own. For example, try using cardamom (cardamon/cardamum) or pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon. Or add a dash or two of ginger, black pepper, or ground red pepper to kick up the spice level.

I call for a blend of honey and agave nectar in this recipe because I love how the two work together. The dark agave nectar brings a rich caramel flavor and a real punch of sweetness, so you don’t need to use as much as you might sugar or other sweeteners. And honey adds a complex sweetness with its floral notes and mineral undertones. You can make this granola using all honey, all agave, or another liquid sweetener like real maple syrup—whatever you like! It’s your granola.

Hint: Spray your measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring the honey and agave nectar. That way, all the sticky sweet stuff easily slides into your bowl instead of being stuck to your measuring cup.

I line my baking pan with parchment paper, but a silicone mat will also work here. You don’t want your granola to stick to the pan. You could line it with aluminum foil in a pinch and then spray the foil with cooking spray. But I have to confess that I haven’t tried that.

Once all the ingredients are well blended, spread your raw granola in a thin layer. I usually turn the bowl out onto the pan. Then I spray a little cooking spray on my fingers and press it out into a thin layer. I have also used a rubber spatula to spread the granola. This is sticky stuff, so a little cooking spray on your utensil can make the job easier.

Once baked, your granola will be golden brown and toasty. It will smell divine! Resist the urge to sample it right away. It is extremely hot and may still be sticky. Touching it immediately after it comes out of the oven is a good way to burn your fingers.

Let the granola cool on the pan for at least 20 minutes. It will dry and get crunchier as it cools. Once cool, break it up. I use a spoon to stir it around on the pan until it’s broken up enough.

Keep your cooled granola in an airtight container. It will stay fresh at room temperature for several weeks. But mine never lasts that long. We eat it too fast.

You can add dried fruit to your granola if you’d like. I usually add dried fruit when I’m using the granola if I want it. However, I don’t always want it, and not adding it keeps the granola crunchy longer.

Easy Homemade Low-Fat Granola

Course: Breakfast & BrunchCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Cooling time

20

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Homemade granola using items you already have in your pantry. This low-fat treat is crunchy and delicious. Customize it to your taste.

Ingredients

• 1 cup slivered almonds

• 1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats

• ½ cup wheat germ

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼ cup honey

• ¼ cup dark agave nectar

• Salt to taste (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine nuts, oats, wheat germ, and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
• Stir honey and agave nectar together.
• Pour honey and agave nectar into dry ingredients and mix well. Make sure all of the dry ingredients are coated in the honey and agave nectar blend.
• Dump the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, spreading into a thin layer.
• Lightly salt the raw granola, if desired.
• Bake in 300°F oven for 15 minutes then stir mixture.
• Bake an additional 5 – 15 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 20 minutes. Then break up with a spoon.
  
  Makes 16 servings of ¼ cup each.

Notes

• Salt is optional in this recipe. It tastes great without it. If you want to add salt, finely ground or flaky sea salt work very nicely. This is a case where less is more. Just a little is all you need.
• You can make this with whatever spices you like. Try using cardamom or pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon.
• Place cooled granola in an airtight container and it will keep at room temperature for several weeks.
• One serving size is 1/4 cup.