This vanilla nut granola recipe is so simple and better than any granola you’ll find at the grocery store! Crunchy oats, nuts and flax seeds are sweetened with honey and then oven toasted to a perfect golden brown. This is seriously good granola and perfect for your breakfast or snack rotation.

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Why you’ll love this

This homemade vanilla granola recipe is simple, delicious, and made with healthy ingredients like oats, honey, and flaxseed. It has the perfect crunchy texture and tasty clusters of nuts and oats.

It makes a huge batch and stores really well so you can enjoy it all week. It’s perfect for a busy morning breakfast on top of Greek yogurt and fresh fruit or for a healthy snack any time of day.

You only need a few simple ingredients to ditch the store-bought granola. It’s fast, easy and packed with nutrients like fiber and healthy fats from the nuts and flax seeds. Seriously, it couldn’t be simpler to make your own granola.

One granola serving has 7 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, making it a great for the top of yogurt, cottage cheese, a smoothie bowl, or even your favorite ice cream- I love topping my Ninja Creami Peanut Butter Ice Cream with it.

Let’s get into what you’ll need for your new go-to granola recipe!

Ingredients

• Old fashioned oats: Crunchy oats are the base for this granola, they are packed with nutritious fibers that help keep you full and healthy. 
• Pecans: Adding a buttery, sweet nutty flavor, pecans are a personal favorite in granola.
• Almonds: Raw almonds work best for this recipe since they get nicely toasted in the oven. You can use whole almonds or save time by using slivered or sliced almonds. 
• Flax seeds: Whole flax seeds give this granola and added crunch, plus a nutrition boost of fiber and polyunsaturated fats.
• Honey: For the perfect amount of sweetness and flavor to compliment the vanilla I like to use honey. If you prefer you can swap the honey out for maple syrup, agave or sugar free syrup. You could also add some brown sugar.
• Avocado oil: Oil helps to toast up the oats and form the signature granola clusters. Avocado oil is great because it adds healthy monounsaturated fats without adding flavor. You can swap it out for melted coconut oil or canola oil instead as well.
• Vanilla extract: It wouldn’t be a vanilla granola recipe without a healthy amount of vanilla extract. I use 2 whole tablespoons of pure vanilla extract in this recipe to give it plenty of flavor.
• Salt: Just a little salt helps to balance the sweetness of the honey and enhance the flavor of the nuts and oats.

How to make vanilla nut granola

How to store

Store leftovers in an airtight container (a glass jar, mason jar or any other resealable container) for 1-2 weeks in a cool, dry place at room temperature. You can also freeze granola for up to 3 months in a sealed freezer-safe bag or container.

Serving suggestions

This homemade granola recipe is perfect for snacking on by the handful, but here are a few of my other favorite ways to eat it!

• Yogurt parfait: Layer with Greek yogurt and fresh berries for an easy healthy breakfast or snack.
• Granola with milk: Enjoy it as a cereal with a pour of your favorite milk.
• Cottage cheese granola bowls: Use as a topper for cottage cheese with fruit for a super easy high protein breakfast.
• Sliced fruit topper: Top apple or banana slices with a drizzle of peanut butter and a sprinkle of granola for an easy snack.
• Smoothie bowl or smoothie topping: Top your smoothies and smoothie bowls with a sprinkle of granola for extra fiber and crunch.
• Toast topping: Add it to whole wheat toast with nut butter.

Variations

• Mix up the nuts and seeds – try walnuts, cashews, peanuts, coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds or hemp seeds.
• Add dried fruit like cranberries, golden raisins, apricots, diced dates or figs.
• Just use almonds for a homemade vanilla almond granola and ¼ tsp almond extract for extra almond flavor if desired. 
• Add chocolate chips when there’s about 5 minutes left of baking for chocolate chip granola.
• Use all pecans and swap the honey for pure maple syrup for a maple pecan granola.
• Add spices like cinnamon, cardamom or pumpkin pie spice for a pumpkin spice granola.
• Make this gluten free by and safe for celiac disease by using gluten free oats.

More snack recipes you’ll love

• Coconut Protein Balls
• No Bake Protein Cookies
• Chocolate Date Bark
• High Fiber Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Dark Chocolate Covered Walnuts
• No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Cups

Food photography by Marie-Catherine Dubé