This homemade vanilla almond granola is crunchy, toasted and just sweet enough. Naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup, this homemade granola recipe is much healthier than most store-bought granola. The crunchy granola clusters are so delicious served over yoghurt with berries or your favourite fresh fruit.
I love how ridiculously easy this recipe is to make. It's quick to throw together, making it the perfect addition to any meal prep session. Often granola from the grocery store is filled with less then ideal oils and refined sugars. Making your own means that you can choose healthier oils and natural sweeteners.
Oats are definitely my go-to breakfast food. In winter I love a warming bowl of porridge or steel cut oats. But when Spring rolls around I am all about homemade granola. You might also like to try my Honey, Pecan & Ginger Granola or Hemp Seed and Almond Toasted Granola.
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What You'll Love About This Recipe
This really is the best granola recipe. There is so much to love about it including the subtle vanilla flavour and crunchy texture. This is such a great recipe, I love it and I know you will too!
- this almond granola recipe is the perfect healthy breakfast or a great snack!
- it is made using wholesome, nutrient-dense, quality ingredients.
- serve topped with milk (I love almond milk) or yoghurt as well as fresh berries or your favourite fruit.
- this recipe is dairy free, wheat free and refined sugar free.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
This recipe is made using simple and easy to find pantry ingredients. Read onto see what ingredients you will need as well as any possible substitutions that you can make.
Dry Ingredients
- old-fashioned oats - otherwise known as rolled oats. I have used certified gluten-free oats, meaning that they are wheat free and have no contamination from processing. If you're Coeliac you should definitely still check with your specialist as to whether or not they are happy for you to consume oats though!
- sunflower seeds - you can swap sunflower seeds for another seed like hemp seeds.
- pepitas - also known as pumpkin seeds. Again you can swap these for another seed like hemp seeds.
- flaked raw almonds - you could also use slivered or sliced almonds. If you're allergic to nuts you can swap the flaked almonds for flaked coconut.
Wet Ingredients
- tahini - I've used hulled tahini. You could also use unhulled tahini, almond butter or peanut butter.
- macadamia oil - to make this nut free use extra virgin olive oil instead of macadamia oil.
- maple syrup - I prefer to use pure maple syrup and not maple "flavoured" syrup, which is filled with artificial flavours and high fructose corn syrup. You could use honey instead of maple if you like.
- pure vanilla extract - swap for vanilla seeds scraped from the inside of vanilla beans. I love the vanilla flavour in this almond vanilla granola, however if you don't have any vanilla, it's not the end of the world if you don't include it.
For the ingredient quantities see the full recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Vanilla Almond Granola
Not only does this recipe have super simple ingredients but it is also super simple to make. It's basically just throwing stuff in a bowl and mixing it together, what could be easier?
First, add the tahini, macadamia oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract to a medium bowl and whisk together until smooth. It should look like caramel.
Next, to a large bowl add the rolled oats, sunflower seeds, pepitas and flaked almonds. Give it a quick stir before drizzling the wet mixture into the oat mixture. Use a spoon to stir until really well mixed together and all of the oat mixture is evenly coated.
Pour the granola mixture into a large baking dish. You could also use a sheet pan or large baking tray lined with parchment paper. Spread the granola out into an even layer and place into the oven to bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove from the oven briefly to give the granola a quick stir and toss. Throw it back into the oven for another ten minutes.
Once baked, remove the granola from the oven and sit on the stovetop to cool to room temperature. Once the granola is cooled, use a spoon or spatula to break up the large clusters. Transfer to an airtight container or large glass jar to store.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many different ways to serve this granola recipe. Here are a few of my favourites:
- Sprinkle this homemade toasted granola over Greek yoghurt or your favourite yoghurt, topped with berries.
- Make a layered parfait using banana, granola and yoghurt as the layers.
- Enjoy plain, served with your milk of choice.
- Use to top smoothies or smoothie bowls.
- Add granola clusters to school or work lunchboxes.
📖 Recipe
Equipment
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Large Baking Dish
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 cups oats organic, wheat free
- 1 cup pepitas
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 2 cups flaked almonds or coconut if nut free
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup macadamia oil or rice bran oil if nut free
- 4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon hulled tahini
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
- In a large mixing bowl add the oats, flaked almonds, pepitas and sunflower seeds. Mix to combine.2 cups oats, 1 cup pepitas, 2 cups flaked almonds, 1 cup sunflower seeds
- In a small bowl add the maple syrup, macadamia oil, vanilla extract and tahini. Whisk until well combined.¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup macadamia oil, 4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 tablespoon hulled tahini
- Pour the maple mixture over the granola mixture and mix until all of the granola is evenly coated.
- Tip granola mixture into a baking dish and spread out evenly.
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and stir before placing back into the oven for a further 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before transferring to glass jars or containers to store.
Meredith
Yum, thanks for this recipe Sarah. I’ll be making this for sure.
SarahB
You're welcome! Enjoy ????