Any type of rolled oats will work, but old-fashioned rolled oats may provide a better texture than either quick-cook or instant rolled oats.

1 c (225 g) nuts (cashews, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, etc. ) 1 c (225 g) seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, etc. ) 1 c (225 g) other—this could be more nuts or seeds, or another dry ingredient like coconut flakes or puffed millet. However, dried fruit is an add-on that you’ll add later, and doesn’t count here. Likewise, chocolate chips or other add-ons that melt don’t count here and should be added at the end.

Canola oil has the mildest flavor, but extra virgin olive oil and grapeseed oil also work well, depending on the flavor profile of your granola. For liquid sweeteners, try honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, brown rice syrup, or coconut nectar.

Depending on your oven’s temperature accuracy and your preferences on how toasty you like your granola, you may instead choose to set your oven to 275 or 250 °F (135 or 121 °C).

Keep checking often, because the granola can go from golden brown to burned quickly!

If you’re adding chocolate chips or another add-in that you don’t want to melt, make sure the granola is completely cooled before mixing it in.

3 c (775 g) rolled oats. 1 c (225 g) slivered almonds. 1 c (225 g) cashews. 0. 75 c (170 g) shredded sweet coconut. 0. 25 c (56 g) plus 2 tbsp (28 g) dark brown sugar.

0. 25  c (59 mL) plus 2 US tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup. 0. 25  c (59 mL) vegetable oil. ¾ tsp (3. 6 g) salt—while this is obviously a dry ingredient, mixing it into the wet ingredients first helps incorporate it evenly throughout the granola.

Don’t be afraid to use your hand as a mixing tool—just make sure you wash it first!

You can try increasing the temperature to 300 °F (149 °C) and reducing the baking time to 45 minutes, but you’ll run a slightly greater risk of burning some of the granola.

This granola tastes great slightly warm, but don’t store it in a sealed container until it is completely cooled to room temperature.

Warm granola will release moisture inside the sealed container, ruining the granola’s delightful crunch.

If you’re giving granola as a gift—in small screw-top jars, for instance—add a tag with a use-by date.

Once you start making your own granola, you’ll probably never want to settle for the store-bought stuff again.