Name: Maple Pecan Granola
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 6 cups old fashioned oatmeal; 2 cups roasted and salted sunflower seeds; 3 cups pecans (or walnuts) (- chopped); 1 Tablespoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 3/4 cup pure maple syrup; 3/4 cup honey; 1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce; 1/4 cup canola oil (- or avocado oil); 3 Tablespoons water; 1 Tablespoon vanilla; 2 cups dried cranberries (- Craisins)

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Maple Pecan Granola combines old fashioned oats, pecans, sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries – with a simple mixture that makes it slightly sweet, without refined sugars. A healthy, delicious granola that we eat on the daily, and you should too!

Try some Grain Free Granola Bars for another delicious breakfast snack!

Overhead shot of a sheet pan of baked maple pecan granola.

Cinnamon Granola

My large batch cinnamon nut granola finally made it to the blog. I’ve been making it forever now, after deciding that my “smaller-more-ingredient-granola” was just too small of a batch for my granola loving family.

It’s still a good one, and tastes basically the same, but this one is the new and improved recipe for several reasons.

less variety of ingredients
more quantity (bigger batch)
same great taste!

My Healthy Chocolate Granola is another delicious granola recipe too. Try them both!

My hand holding a large piece of maple pecan granola.

Making granola is so easy. It’s hard to believe that it took me years before I made my first batch, and we’ve been enjoying it big time ever since. THIS recipe has fewer ingredients but MORE of them. Does that make sense? 😀

Homemade Maple Nut Granola Ingredients:

The dry ingredients:

old fashioned oatmeal
chopped pecans (OR walnuts)
sunflower seeds
cinnamon plus salt
Craisins (dried cranberries – added at the end)

The wet ingredients:

pure maple syrup
honey
cinnamon applesauce
canola oil (or avocado oil)
vanilla
plus a touch of water

A corner of the sheet pan of just baked granola.

So let me ask you. Are you ready to make the most delicious crunchy granola, meanwhile making your house smell like heaven, and your family screaming for joy? I thought so!

How to make Maple Pecan Granola

Step 1
Combine dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients (except the Craisins) in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.

Step 2
Combine wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for a couple of minutes and stir well.

Step 3
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry. Drizzle the wet mixture over the dry, and use a spoon to mix well.

A bowl of the granola mixture after adding the wet to the dry ingredients.

Step 4
Add granola to pans. Pour the wet granola inside two prepared pans.

Step 5
Bake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake on two racks for 20 minutes. Rotate pans and bake another 15 minutes or until nice and golden brown and fragrant.

Step 6
Cool granola. Remove pans to cool. Then add Craisins to granola.

A baking sheet with the granola with raisins before breaking it up.

Step 7
Break up the granola. Use your hands to break up the granola into smaller chunks.

Step 8
Store. Store the granola in large mason jars or freeze in freezer bags.

** TIPS REGARDING BAKING GRANOLA!

First…a question. Do you have an oven that bakes hotter or colder than average, or just somewhere in the middle? This is important.
Bake your granola on two separate racks at 325 degrees (or 350 in my case) for 25 minutes.
Rotate pans and bake again for another 15-20’ish minutes, but be really careful to avoid burning it. I would suggest checking it every five minutes or so, until you make it enough to know if it’s prone to burning in YOUR oven.
This can burn very quickly, and I don’t want that to happen to you. Just be vigilant. You will know when it’s done when the granola is nice and golden brown, and your house smells like heaven!

Side shot of a large jar of maple pecan granola.

All The Delicious Ways to EAT GRANOLA:

Let’s talk about how we eat our granola, because this is VERY very important. Trust me. Or head to my post for Yogurt with Granola that explains it all too!

Sprinkle granola over fruit and yogurt. This is definitely Mike’s FAV way to eat it.
Combine it with milk. Granola as a cereal? Yes please.
Add it to your oatmeal (or steel cut oats). I’m liking this A LOT.
Eat it straight out of the bag. Is this ok to do? Asking for a friend.

I’m betting there are other ways to add granola to your meals, but these four are “ways the Ringsdorf fam eats granola”.

Enjoy!

Closeup on a bowl of fruit, granola, and yogurt, with a drizzle of honey.

Make this granola recipe next: White Chocolate Gingerbread Granola

xoxo ~Sue