This Maple Vanilla Granola recipe uses natural ingredients like coconut oil, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract for a sweet and crunchy granola snack to put eat in yogurt, a smoothie bowl, or just straight up!
Have you ever made food that was so good that you got worried? That’s the weird reaction I had when this granola came out of the oven. It was so good that I was sad about how addictive I knew it would be. (Self-control is hard with granola in the first place.)
But seriously, I’ve made granola before, and while it was all fine and dandy, it wasn’t as outrageously tasty as this stuff. I think the degree of deliciousness was a result of the flavor combo—vanilla, maple, and cinnamon—along with the perfectly crunchy texture brought on by the nuts and oats covered in maple syrup and coconut oil. I’m pretty sure I’ve made the mother of all granolas.
The ingredient list is filled with items I usually have on hand, so this recipe is easy for me to throw together. Actually, it hasn’t even occurred to me to try a different a granola recipe since I created this one three years ago.
This takes about 30+ minutes to bake, and as it starts to toast, the heavenly aroma of maple and vanilla will start to flood your home. It’s one of my favorite parts about making this granola.
Pro tip: DO NOT mix it around while it’s cooling. You want to remove it from the oven and let it cool untouched. This will help the granola form crunchy chunks instead of a bunch of small pieces (though still crunchy; it’s just not as satisfying).
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 Tbs vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix the syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla.
- Pour over dry ingredients and stir until well incorporated.
- Spread out evenly onto a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let cool for 10 minutes WITHOUT touching the mixture. Then break up into smaller bits and store in an airtight container for a week or two.
You can store the granola in an airtight container for a week or so. I recommend enjoying it on yogurt, as a smoothie bowl topping, as part of an overnight oats concoction, on top of a pile of fruit, in the form of cereal (just pour milk over a small bowl of granola), or just eat it by the handful. If you choose the latter, be careful…because it’s easy to go overboard (I may or may not be speaking from experience). Hope you like!
The original version of this post was published in November 2015.
Right when my granola stash starts to dwindle…I have to bake more! My latest was made in my new cast iron skillet…omg…it was great!
That’s such a good idea! I’ve been really wanting a cast iron skillet, so if/when I get one, I’ll have to try that.
ooh yum I love that combo! looks great
Hi there ! Made this yesterday and it is SO AMAZING!!! I changed it up a little and used pecans and cashews instead of walnuts, and I also added more oats so the 1/2 cup of syrup wouldn’t make the entire batch too sweet.
Mine came out very granular and I didn’t have any of those bigger chunks (which I was really hoping for!) Any tricks to achieve more of the larger pieces than the granular ones?
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it!! My biggest tip would be: once you remove it from the oven, let it cool and don’t touch it or mix it. That helps the syrup mixture solidify (since it may still be soft when it’s hot), causing all the granola to stick together in lager pieces. Hopefully that helps!! (Otherwise, you might just have too much of the dry ingredients compared to the wet, causing it to crumble apart.)
Okay thanks! I’ll try that! 🙂