How to Make Your Own Granola

Finding plastic free alternatives to everyday food like cereal can be difficult. I love eating granola as its a healthy, tastes incredible and comes in so many different flavours. It is also super easy to make with a just a few ingredients. I have made it a few times and have found it to be the best granola i've ever tasted, that is not me blowing my own trumpet but making it yourself means you can add exactly what you want and make it fresh. 

 

Zero Waste Granola

I also love this recipe as it can be achieved zero waste or low waste. Rolled oats are easily and cheaply available from a local zero waste shop or online, a large jar costs me less than £1 which is just amazing. You can also find the other ingredients like Cinnamon and nuts easily available packaging free from zero waste shops. There was actually no plastic waste whilst making this and i already had everything in my cupboard already. 

 

Ideas for Granola Toppings

I used a range of seeds and raisins on my granola as I had these in my cupboard and I try and add seeds to all my meals as they are full of nutrients and flavour. they also taste amazing when baked. Granola is great because you can mix and match and try different toppings, Seeds, Fruit, Raisins, Dark Chocolate are just a few examples. In this recipe I chose to use Raisins, Pumpkin seeds, Flax seeds and Pecans. These packed in some great flavour but also helped keep my cholesterol levels in check. 

 

Ingredients

You only need a few key ingredients to make this granola with the toppings completely optional. Here is what i use: 

3 Cups of Rolled Oats - bought from the zero-waste shop

1/2 Cup Oil - I used Coconut oil but you could use Olive Oil
 
1/2 Cup natural sweetener - I used maple syrup, but honey could also work. 
 
1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon - bought from the zero-waste shop
 
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
 
1 Cup of your toppings such as Seeds and Raisins

 

 

I really think the Cinnamon makes this homemade Granola recipe, it makes it smell and taste wonderful and warm. You also don't taste the coconut oil which I why I prefer it to any other oil. I buy the coconut oil in a jar and heat this up so its melted. 

 

Method

Heat the oven to 135 degrees C (I have a fan oven)

Mix the oil, Natural sweetener, Salt & Cinnamon together in a bowl

Add in the rolled oats and toppings (if you are using chocolate, add this in at the end) and coat these well with the oil. 

Spread the coated oats out on a reusable baking sheet like the EcoLiving reusable sheet I used here. Spread into an even layer, if you want more chunks of granola, pack it in using a spatula. 

Bake for 25-30 mins, checking and gently stirring it half way through. It will be slightly golden-brown when it is ready. When you take the Granola out of the oven, it may still feel wet but this is ok, it will eventually dry. You can also add any other toppings or more seeds if you wish. 

Leave the Granola to cool and dry. You can leave this overnight if you want but I always get too excited and start eating it after a a few hours. 

Eat away!! It's perfect with oat milk or vegan yogurt. You can also top with further fruit like blueberries or strawberries. 

Store properly in an air-tight container to keep it fresh for longer. Keep it at room temperature for up to 1 month. 

 

I would love to know if you've tried this recipe and what you think. Leave your comments below. 

Lucy x