How to make granola in 5 easy steps

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Got a serious craving for granola but don’t have any at home? We’ve created an easy guide on how to make granola in just five steps. Many ready-made versions are high in fat and sugar, but a few simple tweaks make ours a healthier but no less special breakfast.

This all-purpose recipe is easy to customise to your own taste too, so feel free to make swaps to suit your own tastebuds.

What’s the difference between granola and muesli?

Granola is a crisp wholegrain cereal based on oats. It’s slightly sweetened with honey, sugar or maple syrup and usually contains nuts and dried fruit. Muesli, on the other hand, is often unsweetened and not baked, so it has a softer texture.

What are the benefits of adding oats to granola?

Oats provide slow-release energy to keep you feeling full and satisfied for longer.

We’ve used natural sources of unrefined sugar – maple syrup, apple juice and dried fruit – to produce a crunchy granola that’s full of flavour without being sickly sweet, and there’s very little oil, making this lighter than a traditional granola.

How to make granola

Ingredients:

500g porridge oats
75g sunflower seeds
30g sesame seeds
175g chopped and flaked nuts (such as hazelnuts and almonds – about double the amount of chopped to flaked)
125g wheatgerm
100g desiccated coconut
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
3⁄4 tsp salt
150g dark brown sugar
185ml warm water
185ml sunflower oil
200g sultanas/raisins or a mixture

Method:

Stir together porridge oats, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chopped and flaked nuts, wheatgerm, desiccated coconut, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt in a large bowl. Heat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3.
Mix dark brown sugar and warm water in a jug until dissolved. Add sunflower oil, then mix well.
Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and stir well.
Spread in 1-2 roasting tin/s and cook for 30-40 minutes until golden, tossing occasionally with a spatula so the granola browns evenly
Break up the granola once it’s cooled by stirring in sultanas or raisins. Keep in a sealed container for up to a month.

Ways to vary your granola

For a more tropical taste: Swap sunflower oil for coconut oil

To use less sugar: Replace some/all of the sugar with honey, agave or maple syrup

If you don’t like hazelnuts or almonds: Use different nuts or add in pumpkin seeds

For a fruitier recipe: Add in chopped dried fruit, such as apricots, apple or berries

For a spicier recipe: Swap in ground ginger or mixed spice

For a sweet treat: Add chunks of chocolate once cool.

You could also replace some of the water with apple juice

Extra granola making tips

Visit a health food shop and pick up your favourite combination of dried fruits, nuts and seeds. As long as you keep the basic quantities the same, you can make this granola your own by using the ingredients you like best.
To make bircher muesli instead of granola, make the master recipe without the liquid mixture (there’s no need to bake either). For one portion, measure out 60g of the dried oats and seeds into a bowl and add 150ml apple juice and 100ml water. Put in the fridge overnight. Serve with extra juice or milk along with some fresh fruit and yogurt.
The liquid added to the oats and seeds before baking softens the oats and helps them to form the characteristic granola clusters. You can squeeze the wet mixture together with your hands before spreading out on the baking sheet to encourage them to form clusters.