Vanilla Almond Granola

The homemade granola recipe to make over and over. Made from pantry ingredients, Chunky Vanilla Granola is the granola your yogurt is craving.

Some of the best homemade granola I ever had was in Switzerland. And it was a looong time ago at a little boutique hotel where a European continental breakfast was included.

Oh—and some of the best made beds I ever slept in loaded with soft, pillowy duvets. Sigh.

Anyway, back to the granola.

To have a whole buffet of things to pair with yogurt seemed like breakfast heaven to a girl who looked forward to Life cereal every morning. Don't get me wrong...Life cereal is ...life. And this chunky vanilla granola loaded with dried fruits, cinnamon, chocolate and coconut would be right at home on that Swiss spread.

Why homemade granola is better

There is no comparison between store-bought granola and homemade. By the time you find the car keys and drive to the store, your homemade granola would be coming out of the oven. It’s an under 40 minute thing tops. If math isn't your thing (and we'd agree on that), granola still can be.

And you get to make it the perfect granola because you choose what’s going in it! Dontchya just love a little granola control?

Come closer my friend because I’m about to share the secret to great granola...

The Magic Granola Ingredients Ratio

6:1

That’s what you need to know. Six parts dry ingredients to 1 part wet ingredients.

It’s a tried and true granola ratio that I’ve relied on without fail.

And it’s partially why this is such an easy granola recipe. You are going to need:

6 parts of dry ingredients like:

• oats 
• chocolate chips
• nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts)
• coconut
• seeds (flax, chia, etc.)
• dried fruits (cherries, apricots, blueberries, cranberries, etc.)
• spices like cinnamon
• cocoa powder

-with-

1 part wet ingredients:

• Fat: Coconut oil (or any kind of oil you like)
• Sweetener: maple syrup (see below)
• Flavoring: vanilla (or almond, or your fav extract!)

Thanks to this ratio, you'll be the master of small-batch granola in no time!

Granola without honey

You might notice that I didn't mention honey. That's because this granola recipe is honey-free. 

And don't get me wrong - I ♥️ honey. It's something I recommend for you to always have on hand in my Pantry Basics checklist. Honey just isn't something in this granola because it's definitely on the stickier and sweeter side and it’s not necessary to make the granola clusters that you’ll dig in this recipe.

Chunky Granola Clusters

The best part about this granola are these big hunks of chunky love. The dried cherries and chocolate chips mingle with the almonds and coconut to make these crunchy bites that contrast with creamy yogurt so well. And adding some fresh berries to the whole shebang catapults this easy granola recipe to the next level.

Tips for making big granola chunks

• DON’T STIR WHILE BAKING. Trust me - this is the key to big clusters of granola.
• Use parchment paper to line your sheet pan.
• After spreading out your oatmeal mixture on the pan, use your hands to create little mounds of granola. These will become the big clusters. 
• Packing the granola together into a tight slab also works well that you’ll then break up after baking.
• During the last five minutes of the granola baking time, sprinkle the coconut on top so that it gets all nice and toasty.
• Let the whole thing cool before sliding off the parchment into big beautiful chunks.

Now take a big ole bowl of granola (made your way, of course) and head out into your backyard. Pretend you’re looking at the Swiss Alps. You’re welcome.