Homemade Vanilla Granola with Cranberries
This easy Homemade Vanilla Granola with Cranberries makes the best breakfast or snack! Enjoy it with milk, yogurt, or add on top of smoothie bowls. You can even eat this by the handful as a snack or add into trail mix!
If you're looking for more breakfast ideas, check out Everything Bagel Turkey Breakfast Sausages, Cinnamon Honey Cream Cheese Spread, or Blackberry Honey Butter Toast.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Homemade Vanilla Granola with Cranberries
- Ready In: 1 hour
- Makes: 16 servings
- Main Ingredients: rolled oats, coconut oil, honey, cranberries
- Flavor Profile: golden, toasty oats with sweet cranberries
- Dietary Info: eggless, no seed oils, gluten free and vegan swaps available
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: big granola clusters perfect for snacking
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No Seed Oils: I love this granola because it's free of seed oils. While most store bought granolas have seed oils, we're using organic coconut oil and honey here for beautiful clusters!
- Anytime Snack: Granola is a sweet and healthy snack that you can enjoy any time of day! Grab a handful, sprinkle it over yogurt, add to smoothie bowls, or enjoy in a bowl with milk.
- Simple to Make: This recipe is incredibly simple and easy to make. This is a great recipe to make ahead of a brunch or family gathering as you can easily make it the night before and have fresh granola the following day.
- Flexible: Easily make this vegan by swapping out honey for agave or corn syrup. I also provide additional mix in ideas below!
Jump to:
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Flavor Variations
- Baker’s Tips
- How to Make Homemade Vanilla Granola with Cranberries
- What to Serve With Homemade Vanilla Granola with Cranberries
- Recipe FAQ’s
- More Breakfast Recipe Ideas
- Homemade Vanilla Granola with Cranberries
- The Bake Shop
Ingredients
- Rolled Oats: I use organic rolled oats. If you are gluten free, just be sure to use gluten free oats.
- Coconut Oil: I use organic coconut oil for flavor and it helps this homemade granola cluster.
- Honey: I use organic raw honey which provides natural sweetness and it helps form the granola clusters.
- Vanilla Bean: I use organic ground vanilla bean, which really gives this granola the ultimate vanilla flavor.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Flavor Variations
- Classic Raisin: Add in raisins instead of cranberries.
- Blueberry Almond: Add in dried blueberries and almonds in place of cranberries.
- Vanilla Strawberry: Add in freeze dried (or dried) strawberries in place of cranberries.
- Coconut Chocolate Chip: Add in chocolate chips in place of cranberries and mix in 85 grams unsweetened wide flake coconut.
Baker's Tips
- Always use a digital food scale for the best results. It's also quick and easy when you use a scale!
- You can use agave or corn syrup in place of honey if you want to make this vegan.
- Use certified gluten free oats if you are gluten free.
- Stirring the granola half way through baking is essential to ensure it bakes evenly and doesn't burn. Moving the outer granola in an the inner granola out will ensure everything is uniform and you have crispy granola throughout.
- Make sure to bake granola until it's golden brown. Don't be afraid to bake a few extra minutes if needed as all ovens are a bit different.
- Allow granola to cool completely before storing, this will ensure it's not soft.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 1 month.
- Vegan — You can use agave or corn syrup in place of honey if you want to make this vegan.
- Gluten Free — Make sure to use gluten free oats.
How to Make Homemade Vanilla Granola with Cranberries
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, add the oats and vanilla bean and whisk together. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add the cane sugar, coconut oil, water, and honey. Cook on medium/high heat until everything is combined. Remove from heat and add in the sea salt. Stir to combine completely.
- Pour the sugar mixture over the oat mixture and fold to combine and completely coat the oats.
- Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and spread out as evenly as possible. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and stir to rotate granola. Bake again for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Once cool, add granola and cranberries to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine completely.
What to Serve With Homemade Vanilla Granola with Cranberries
- Enjoy as cereal with your favorite milk.
- Make a yogurt bowl with fresh fruit and granola. Berries, bananas, or apples would all be delicious with this homemade vanilla granola!
- Add on top of smoothie bowls like Rainbow Smoothie Bowl With Greek Yogurt.
- Enjoy with protein packed sides like Maple Turkey Breakfast Sausages, Bone Broth Sausage Mushroom Frittata, or Homemade Pork Breakfast Sausage Patties.
- Enjoy as an afternoon snack with an Iced Blueberry Latte or Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie With Collagen.
- Eat with milk and enjoy as a side to Fluffy Scrambled Eggs With Sour Cream.
- Enjoy as a cereal with Creamy Vegan Chocolate Smoothie With Almond Butter for breakfast.
Recipe FAQ's
Usually everything is cheaper if you make it yourself! Homemade granola can be much more cost effective, plus you get to choose your ingredients so you can easily make sure everything is organic!
Organic honey, agave, corn syrup, and organic maple syrup are all great binders for granola. You can use whichever one you prefer in granola recipes. But, keep in mind that if you use honey or maple syrup, then your granola will have that flavor shining through. It woks great if you want that, but if you don’t want a honey or maple granola, then organic agave or light corn syrup is your best option.
First, let the granola cool completely and come to room temperature. Once it has cooled, you can store granola in an airtight container. This can be a Tupperware, a big Ziploc bag, or even a jar with a sealed lid. I actually will store my homemade granola in a Pyrex bowl with a lid. Store in the pantry for 1 month.
More Breakfast Recipe Ideas
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Homemade Vanilla Granola with Cranberries
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Small Pot
- Mixing Bowl
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
Ingredients
- 347 grams rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon ground vanilla bean
- 113 grams cane sugar
- 113 grams coconut oil
- ½ cup water
- 39 grams raw honey (or agave)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 191 grams dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the oats and vanilla bean and whisk together. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add the cane sugar, coconut oil, water, and honey. Cook on medium/high heat until everything is combined. Remove from heat and add in the sea salt. Stir to combine completely. Pour the sugar mixture over the oat mixture and fold to combine and completely coat the oats.
- Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and spread out as evenly as possible. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and stir to rotate granola. Bake again for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Once cool, add granola and cranberries to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine completely.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Notes
- Always use a digital food scale for the best results. It's also quick and easy when you use a scale!
- Use certified gluten free oats if you are gluten free.
- Stirring the granola half way through baking is essential to ensure it bakes evenly and doesn't burn. Moving the outer granola in an the inner granola out will ensure everything is uniform and you have crispy granola throughout.
- Make sure to bake granola until it's golden brown. Don't be afraid to bake a few extra minutes if needed as all ovens are a bit different.
- Allow granola to cool completely before storing, this will ensure it's not soft.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 1 month.
- Vegan — You can use agave or corn syrup in place of honey if you want to make this vegan.
- Gluten Free — Make sure to use gluten free oats.
- High Altitude — Follow the recipe as noted.
Nutrition
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Crunchy, lightly sweet, and so addicting! I love this as a snack or treat breakfast!