Community Pick
Healthy Granola
"This recipe has been in the making for several months. I have tried a number of combinations and this works best. The sugar and fat have been reduced. I can only get two pans in my oven at a time so the cooking time reflects cooking two at a time."
photo by Callan54
- Ready In:
- 1hr 50mins
- Ingredients:
- 16
- Yields:
-
20 cups
- Serves:
- 40
ingredients
- 10 cups old fashioned oats
- 1⁄2 cup wheat germ
- 1⁄2 cup milled flax seed
- 1⁄2 lb unsweetened dried shredded coconut
- 1 cup sesame seeds
- 1 1⁄2 cups slivered almonds
- 1 1⁄2 cups chopped pecans
- 1 cup brown sugar substitute (regular brown sugar can be used)
- 1 1⁄2 cups water
- 3⁄4 cup canola oil
- 1⁄2 cup honey
- 1⁄2 cup sorghum (molases can be used but the sorghum produces a lighter flavor)
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 cups dried fruit (combination of raisins, blueberries, cranberries)
directions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine oats, wheat germ, flax seed, coconut, sesame seeds and nuts, mixing well.
- In a large saucepan, combine the brown sugar substitute or brown sugar, water, oil, honey, sorghum, salt, cinnamon and vanilla.
- Heat until thoroughly mixed; do not boil.
- Pour the syrup over dry ingredients and stir until coated well.
- Spread into five 13 x 9 inch jelly roll pans.
- Bake 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- For a crunchier texture, bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cool mixture and add dried fruit.
- Store in airtight container in a cool dry place.
- Will keep up to 6 months; but it doens't make it that long in our house.
Questions & Replies
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Reviews
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I've made this recipe 5 or 6 times and still absolutely love it. I feel like I have a good, solid start to the day with just a half cup of this. Lots of good energy. I do leave out the brown sugar as I am trying to reduce sugar in my diet, and the molasses adds tons of flavor. I usually cook it longer than stated to get the right crunch. Thank you! -
AMAZING! This is the best granola reipe I have ever made, and I have made plenty. I like that this is a loose granola as I am not a fan of clumpy versions. It is so easy to make substitutions on the recipe. I am making it this Christmas to give a gifts instead of cookies. My parents, in laws and best friends are now addicted to it and ask for it constantly. Thanks for the great recipe! PS stir often when making this. I stir every 8 minutes. -
Excellent granola. I increased the fruit because I like it. I did not heat the ingredients before mixing, just put it all in a big ss bowl and stirred it up, came out great. I vacuum sealed it, that was a waste, didn't last that long. Need a bigger bowl!! -
First time ever making granola. I always substitute applesauce for oil when baking to make things healthier and I did that here with perfect results! Stirred every 8 mins as a prior reviewer suggested. Thanks!
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Oh my god. This is soo good. Made it a couple of days ago and had to put it far back into my cupboard. Out of site, out of mind. I Couldn't stop eating it. I omitted the coconut and sesame seeds but added pumpkin seeds and it was great! Big hit with the whole family. Thank you for the recipe it is a keeper!
see 34 more reviews
Tweaks
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Love Love this granola. I don't use the shredded coconut because the family doesn't like it, and sometimes I use molasses instead of sorghum. I take it to work and everyone uses it on their yogurt.
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Thank you, PaulaG! This is a wonderful configuration of ingredients. I only tweaked it a little, adding a cup of oat bran and a generous cup of pepitas. (I slightly increased the wet ingredients to accommodate this.) I substituted walnuts for pecans, but I know pecans would have been terrific, too. For the brown sugar substitute I used coconut palm "sugar," and that worked really well. This NOT a super-sweet granola, but definitely sweet enough. Just what I was looking for, and I was told by a friend that "this is the best granola I've ever eaten!" -
First time ever making granola. I always substitute applesauce for oil when baking to make things healthier and I did that here with perfect results! Stirred every 8 mins as a prior reviewer suggested. Thanks!
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An excellent granola! I left out the nuts and dried fruits for the nut and fruit haters (!) and used molasses instead of sorghum. Cooked it longer than stated to get it crunchy. This will be my standard granola from now on! -
I've made this several times now, and I just love it! This stays in my fridge, and I eat it every morning with fresh berries. I do make a half batch, only so that it will fit in my container, but it gets made almost weekly. The only subs I make are for personal preference: I substitute walnuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds for the pecans. I haven't been able to find sorghum, so I just increase the honey and brown sugar a bit, and I leave out the dried fruit, since I eat it with fresh fruit. The coconut is perfect, and I love the flavor and texture of the extra grains as well. This is excellent, not like the overly sweet candy they sell in the store. LOVE IT!! Thanks for posting!
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
PaulaG
Hixson, Tennessee
I came to this site in March of 2004. It was then called Recipezaar. This site was the first on-line site that I ever joined. I first popped in 2003 while searching for a Peach Cobbler Recipe. In March of 2004, DH was having shoulder surgery and I was looking for a Split Pea Soup. Once again I found myself on Zaar as it came to be called.
Over the years I hung out and learned from some of the best home cooks in the country, I posted over 700 recipes on the site, reviewed over 3500 recipes and posted over 3000 food photos. Over the next 10 years the site made many changes and in 2010 it was sold to to Food Network and became Food.com.
Until last year we played games, talked and shared with one another. As a result of the community and the relationships I built I got to meet some wonderful people from all over the country. I also have a great number of friends that I have never meet face to face. Some of us still hang out at various places across the net.
Zaar was more than a cooking community. It was an internet community of friendship. Life is an adventure ever changing.
