This oil-free granola is so easy to make and provides that delicious golden crunch that you are looking for in homemade granola! You can customize the ingredients to whatever you like and enjoy your granola in a variety of ways!
Granola is delicious with yogurt and fresh fruit, with your favorite plant-based milk, on top of smoothie bowls, or on its own as a sweet, crunchy snack! It is great to make for meal prep and enjoy throughout the week. And if you want to switch it up week to week, it is easy to change the flavors! Look at the variation ideas further down the post for some inspiration!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
My favorite tip for knowing when your granola is done is when your house starts to smell like cookies!
The nice thing about granola is, you can always put it back in the oven. Even after it is done cooling! So if you pull it out and let it cool and realize you want it more done, put it back in the oven!
Don’t stir your granola while it is baking or cooling. This will prevent it from forming clusters. Once it is done cooling, break off a small piece to make sure it is cooked how you like it. If it is, you can break it up into clusters. If it isn’t, put it back in the oven for a few minutes and let it cool down again before breaking it up. Note that you get better clusters with granola when you use oil; however, you can still get some good ones with this recipe!
This can happen if your mixture is too wet before baking. But more than likely, baking your granola for a longer amount of time will solve this problem.
I mentioned that this oil-free granola recipe is simple to make, but I am going to give you a rundown so that it is foolproof! If you have any questions, be sure to leave me a comment below so I can help!
INGREDIENTS
- Oats - Old-fashioned rolled oats work best in this easy recipe. You can make granola with steel-cut oats, but the liquid ratios will be different. You can use quick oats if that is what you have. If you are gluten-free, make sure to find certified gluten-free oats, as oats are often processed in facilities that also work with gluten. For more information on consuming oats when gluten-free, check out this article and this study.
- Shredded Coconut - You can leave this out if you are not a fan of coconut. It doesn’t leave a strong coconut flavor and gives the granola a wonderful texture! I have also made this with a mix of shredded coconut and unsweetened coconut flakes, and it turned out delicious!
- Nuts and Seeds - You can use whatever nuts or seeds you like in this simple recipe. I love using sliced almonds, buckwheat, and pecans. Feel free to swap out for whatever you have or your favorite nuts and seeds. If you are working within a budget, seeds tend to be cheaper than nuts. Both provide healthy fats. If you want to leave nuts and seeds out entirely, you can swap them out with more oats. Some options include: chia seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, etc.
- Sweetener - This not only works to sweeten your granola, but it also helps bind the dry ingredients together! I love the flavor of maple syrup and coconut sugar combined, but if you want to just use maple syrup, you can. You can also use another type of sweetener, such as agave, honey, date syrup, date paste, brown rice syrup, regular sugar, or brown sugar. Liquid sweeteners help coat the dry ingredients. However, if you don't have any liquid sweeteners, melt your sugar with the applesauce (in the microwave or on the stove) before combining it with the dry ingredients. This will help it coat the oats better.
- Spices - Spices are a fun way to play with your granola flavors! To keep it simple, this recipe calls for cinnamon and salt. You could also use nutmeg, cardamom, pumpkin spice, or whatever you like!
- Vanilla Extract- Vanilla is the humble queen of baking, and she works her magic in granola! You could also use a different flavored extract if you want to experiment!
- Applesauce - Sometimes baking without oil can get really frustrating. In granola, though, it is an easy 1 to 1 swap and works like a charm! One day, I made three separate batches of granola. One batch had 100% oil, another had 50% oil and 50% applesauce, and the last batch had 100% applesauce. The difference in taste was very minimal! Honestly, if I didn’t have the three batches side by side, I wouldn’t have known! You can also swap out some of the applesauce for nut butter if you don't mind the fat content. You can use peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or any other nut butter.
- Other optional ingredients - orange zest (this is our FAVORITE thing to add to granola!), dried fruit (add after the rest of the granola is baked), cacao powder, etc.
HOW TO MAKE
Step One: Preheat Oven to 300° Fahrenheit or 150° Celsius.
Step Two: Line a rimmed large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Step Three: Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Step Four: In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix well.
Step Five: Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until the dry ingredients are coated.
Step Six: Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking tray and press down well into an even layer with a rubber spatula.
Step Seven: Bake for 60-90 minutes. You can rotate the pan halfway through, but do not stir the granola! The cooking time will vary based on your oven and other factors. You will know it is done when your house smells like cookies, and your granola is just starting to turn a golden brown.
Step Eight: Let cool to room temperature completely before serving.
TOP TIPS
- It takes a little more work to coat the dry mixture with the wet when using applesauce. It helps if the applesauce is mixed in with the other wet ingredients really well before adding it to the dry ingredients.
- Parchment paper works well, but a silicone baking mat works the best!
- To get good clumps of granola, do not stir it while cooking! If you press it down in the pan really well before you cook it and let it cool completely before breaking it apart you will get some good clumps of crunchy granola!
- If after cooling your granola doesn't taste crispy enough, you can pop it back in the oven and cook it longer!
VARIATIONS
Use this vegan granola as a base recipe and apply your own twist to make it your own granola! Here are some ideas:
- Chocolate Granola - Use cacao powder instead of cinnamon and add a handful of chocolate chips after the granola is baked.
- Apple Cinnamon Granola - Add a touch more cinnamon and throw in some dried apples after the granola has baked. Dehydrated or freeze-dried apples would work.
- Tropical Granola - Use macadamia nuts or cashews, coconut flakes as well as shreds, and add dried pineapple or mango after it has baked.
- Pumpkin Spice Granola - use pumpkin puree instead of applesauce, and add pumpkin spice to your spice mixture.
- Monkey Granola - Use peanuts for your nuts, swap some of the applesauce out for peanut butter, and after the granola has baked add in vegan chocolate chips and dried bananas. You could also use cacao powder instead of cinnamon if you’d like. Yum!
HOW TO STORE
Store your granola in an airtight container (I usually use a mason jar) and it will last up to a month! Don’t put it in the fridge or it could get soft.
If you would like to freeze your granola, you can freeze it in a ziploc bag for up to nine months.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
- Serve it as a cereal with your favorite milk.
- Top your yogurt with granola and berries.
- Use as a topping on smoothie bowls, like this blue spirulina smoothie bowl, this strawberry mango smoothie bowl, or a Ninja Creami smoothie bowl.
- Eat it plain as a snack.
For other delicious breakfast ideas, try these vegan pancakes or some sweet potato hash.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you!
Oil-Free Granola
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup pecans roughly chopped
- ½ cup buckwheat
- 1 cup shredded coconut unsweetened
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup oil see notes
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300° F or 150 C.
- Line a sheetpan with a silpat or parchment paper
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl
- Combine wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well.
- Evenly spread granola on sheetpan, use two sheetpans if it is too thick.
- Press the granola into the pan really well with a spatula.
- If bake for 60-90 minutes
Kayla DiMaggio says
This granola was amazing! So delicious and easy!
Chantry says
Thank you! So glad you liked it 🙂
Chrissaysnature says
I just love to make homemade granola and this recipe was so good! Thank you, this is my new favorite breakfast recipe!
Chantry says
Thank you! That means so much!
Anaiah says
I love this homemade granola recipe! It's so much healthier when you make it yourself and you don't have to worry about any additives. Thanks for such an easy recipe. It's definitely going to be our go-to breakfast for busy mornings.
Chantry says
I'm so glad you like it!
Daniela M Weiner says
Love a good homemade granola and this hit the spot! Thank you for sharing
Natalia says
This was soooooo good! I made it basic with GF oats, and chopped macadamia nuts, since I run out of pecans. Oh, and I added some dried fruit. Amazing! And so easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
Chantry says
That sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed it!
Lucy says
This homemade granola is so easy to make in a large batch so perfect for meal prep for busy weeks. I love the apple and cinnamon flavours which are perfect for the fall.
Chantry says
ooh apple and cinnamon has always been one of my faves!