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This Vegan Granola recipe is easy, crunchy, healthy, and highly customizable! Enjoy these golden, nutty clusters for an easy breakfast or snack.
Ah, Granola. The perfect breakfast, breakfast topper, snack, dessert…is there anything it’s not good for?! Not only is it easy to make, but it’s ready in just about 30 minutes and is made from only 9 healthy plant-based ingredients!
INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE GRANOLA
Granola was actually one of the first recipes that I ever tried to make on my own. I was tired of shelling out the $$$ for the store-bought varieties, and also needed to use up the various almost-empty bags of nuts and seeds that I had stuffed in my pantry shelves.
The beauty of this recipe is that you can use whatever you have on hand. In this recipe I stuck to my favorite classic ingredients – rolled oats, almonds, coconut, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and dried cranberries. I like to sweeten my granola with maple-syrup, and keep it oil-free with the addition of a nut or seed butter. Tahini, almond butter, peanut butter or even melted coconut butter are all great choices – the drippier the better!
Once you go homemade, though, it’s realllllly hard to go back to that store-bought stuff. Not only does the flavor taste about a thousand times better, but it also makes your kitchen (and house) smell amazing. Like, why-isn’t-there-a-homemade-granola-scented-candle amazing. Heck, I would even settle for an air freshener.
THE 4 SECRETS TO PERFECT GRANOLA:
So, I’ve made a lot of granola in my life. I’ve learned a thing or two about this crunchy, clustery goodness. I’ve had my fair share of failures, but because of that, I’ve also had my fair share of successes. And I’m pretty dang sure that I’ve come up with the perfect formula for crispy, nutty, and perfectly sweet (but not too sweet) Granola. Every. Dang. Time.
(I’ve already shared these pro-tips in a previous blog post, but they are worth repeating. Because this is the ULTIMATE Granola recipe, friends!)
- PRESS the Granola into the tray. This allows all of the ingredients to stick together more, and will create larger clusters! I like to use a large, flat spatula.
- Use the BOTTOM RACK of your Oven. The Granola will be closer to the heating source of your Oven, allowing it to crisp up and cook faster.
- A Silicone Mat takes things to the next level! I use my reusable Silicone Mats all the time in my Baking, but I especially love to use them for Granola. Parchment Paper tends to get soggy, but these mats help keep my crunchy clusters looking perfect every time!
- Store Your Granola in the Fridge for maxiumum crunch. Don’t ask me why, but it makes a huge difference!
One more thing – feel free to add whatever the heck you want to your Granola. Seriously! The only thing that really matters is that you use the same ratio of liquid ingredients (Maple Syrup and Nut Butter) to dry ingredients. I would recommend keeping the same amount of Rolled Oats as well, but use whatever Nuts and/or Seeds you have on hand. And feel free to switch things up with the spices too.
WAYS TO SERVE GRANOLA
I like to make my Granola a little different every time, just to keep things interesting. And as for serving? The possibilities are also almost as endless! I love to enjoy my Crunchy Vegan Granola on non-dairy yogurt, smoothie bowls, with almond milk, on top of a roasted sweet potato, or by the fistful! It’s pretty much the perfect snack in my book.
Looking for more Granola recipes? You’ll also love this Peanut Butter Cup Granola, Chocolate Hazelnut Granola, Tahini Cardamom Granola, and this Pumpkin Spice Granola!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
Easy Vegan Granola Recipe
This Vegan Granola recipe is easy, crunchy, healthy, and highly customizable! Enjoy these golden, nutty clusters for an easy breakfast or snack.
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 27 Minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: ~6 cups
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) grade A maple syrup
- 1/3 cup (~80 g) nut or seed butter*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups (160 g) rolled oats (not instant), gluten-free if necessary
- 1/2 cup (32 g) pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup (54 g) slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup (58 g) walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup (~50 g) unsweetened coconut flakes (not shredded, it will burn)
- 1/3 cup (40 g) dried fruit or chocolate chips of choice (Optional)
Instructions
- Prep: First, preheat the oven to 325F. Add the maple syrup, nut/seed butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt to the base of a large bowl. Whisk until evenly incorporated.
- Stir: Then, pour the oats, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, and coconut into the bowl and fold them into the wet mixture, until all pieces are evenly coated. Transfer this mixture to a greased or lined baking tray and press it into a thin, even layer using a spatula.
- Bake: Bake for 20 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven, then remove and use a spatula to toss/flip the granola. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 6-7 minutes, then remove.
- Add Fruit/Chocolate: Immediately sprinkle the dried fruit and/or chocolate chips over the granola, using a spatula to gently toss the mixture. If you’d like the chips to completely melt, stir them a bit more until they melt completely. Let the granola and chocolate cool completely on the tray before removing.
- Serve: Serve as desired; store leftovers at room temperature or in the refrigerator (recommended for crunchier granola) for up to one month.
Notes
- Sweetener: Maple syrup can be substituted with another liquid sweetener of choice, like agave.
- Nut/Seed Butter: the runnier the nut butter, the crunchier the granola! I prefer to use a smooth tahini or natural unsalted almond butter for my granola
- Substitutions: the nuts and seeds in this granola may be substituted with any other nut or seed you have in your pantry – just be sure to use the same ratio of wet-to-dry ingredients!
This post was updated 10/2021 with better copy, but the recipe remains the same.
Want to save this Easy Vegan Granola Recipe for later? Pin the recipe to your Pinterest boards:
Just made two batches- the reviewer above who mentioned 20 minutes being too long was right for me too- luckily I saw her notes and checked after 15 minutes- it was PERFECT! Delicious delicious delicious. Thanks for the recipe! Can’t wait to share it with people!
Times in the oven can vary a little bit, but glad you got such great results. Sometimes it’s best to check on things as they get close to the end of the cook time! Thanks, Maggie!
Just made this with brazil nuts, almonds, and walnuts, and it is DOPE. Thank you Caitlin!
That sounds like SUCH a great combo! Yum 🙂
Made this recipe 5 – 6 times. Love this sooo much! For the nut butter, I replaced with either peanut butter or almond butter. For the maple syrup, I used maple syrup or agave or honey. Baked for 320 for 16 min. Once ready, add to any dairy free yogurt and add some blackberries, strawberries and bananas. You could really used just about anything and it would turn out delicious.
I agree with you, it’s hard to go wrong with this one!
Great recipe, thanks for posting it!
Thanks! And glad you liked it!
Best granola I have ever made, easiest recipe!
So kind of you, thanks!
Awesome granola! I prefer this to all the other (many, many) granola recipes I’ve made with oil. Granola tastes so much better without oil, I think oil gives it a weird aftertaste. I used half almond butter & half tahini—loved the flavor and texture too. Thanks for such a great recipe. I’m so happy to make amazing granola without oil!
We agree about the oil aftertaste, when it comes to granola it’s best to keep it simple! Thank you!
Amazing recipe. I added hemp seeds, chia seeds and dates. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for sharing.
You’re very welcome!
OMG Caitlin, what a wonderful recipe! Easy, nutritious, vegan, and just the right amount of sweet! I baked mine about 5 minutes longer, and I think I might go a bit longer next time — the baked flavor is part of what takes it to super. Thank-you so much!
You’re very welcome, Mary!
Really tasty! Tried it with tahini and it’s amazing, this will be my new go to recipe for granola.
Yay! I love it with tahini as well 🙂
This is now my go-to granola!! I love it. I usually add about 3/4 of dried fruit (more coconut flakes, dates, and craisins – yum!). Maple syrup is super expensive where I live, so I use honey instead and it’s amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Yum!!! 🙂
Hey! Delicious recipe, tastes amazing. I was wondering if you have any nutritonal information for this? If so, could you put it down below? Thanks!
I do not calculate the nutrition facts for my recipes, but there are plenty of free online calculators that could help you with that 🙂
I don’t see where you put the cinnamon in so I’m assuming you add it in with the wet ingredients and whisk together?
Yes! 🙂
I’ve been on the hunt for a good clean granola recipe for so long. I don’t like to buy in stores and I wanted a recipe with very few and REAL ingredients. This one is perfect!!! I made it- so easy and it’s delicious!!!! I’ve been snacking on it all day!!
Yay! 🙂
Used sun butter that had been sitting in my cabinet forever & it’s delicious. So crunchy!
Tried it again with a can of coconut cream I had laying around instead of the maple syrup & nut butter – another hit!
This was awesome! Super easy and I ended up baking it in the oven maybe 5 more minutes. Everything clumped up well and the flavour is great! Not too sweet and a bit of depth from the tahini
Yay!!! Glad you enjoyed it, Katie!
Delicious recipe and I even cut back the maple syrup to 1/4 cup. Thanks for all you do.
You’re welcome, Kathleen! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
hello Catlin just because I do not have maple syrup you think it looks good if you used brown sugar
No, you need to use a liquid sweetener!
Hi Caitlin! I was wondering if you have experimented with making granola with steel cut oats?
I have not – I believe the oats would be too hard
I just tried subbing half the oats with steel cut oats, and they came out great!
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know and trying it out!
Love the idea of this granola! I tried to make it and unfortunately mine burnt to a crisp. I pulled it out at the 20-minute mark and most of the bottom and right edges were black. I used a silicon baking mat and had my oven set at 325 degrees, as per the instructions. Not sure what went wrong! I’ll pull it out earlier next time. : )
Use parchment paper and bottom shelf. That worked perfectly
I have some apricot jam in my fridge that I want to use up…do you think I could use the jam in a granola?
That could work, but I can’t say for sure as I have not tested it.
cool thanks! BTW, I think a cool video would be recipes using food scraps. I find myself throwing out a lot of scraps that I know are still edible and full of nutrients, but I have no idea what to do with them lol!
I love this recipe, the funny part is, I made it exactly like yours but came up with it on my own through experimentation, I just found yours and your site, what an awesome site. I use gluten free oats and I make my own nut/almond butter and use that. I live in the middle of almond orchards so almonds on the cheap come easy.
Thank you! Great minds think alike! I bet having easy access to almonds is great, we envy that.
I’m intolerant to coconut, so is there something you would suggest substituting it with or could I just leave it out? Thanks 🙂
You can use the same amount of any other nut/seed you like! You could add in extra almonds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, etc…
Delicious. I added chia seeds, ground flax seeds, hemp hearts and coconut oil and used just a smidge of sunbutter. My best batch, yet. Oh, and I doubled the recipe.
Awesome! Love making tons of granola just to have some saved for later!