Sweet & crunchy vanilla almond granola is easy to make and tastes about a thousand times better than store-bought. Wholesome oats and almonds cluster together with the sweet flavors of maple syrup and vanilla, without the long list of unrecognizable ingredients. Sprinkle it over yogurt for breakfast or enjoy it on its own as a snack you can take on the go—this delicious homemade granola is a reader favorite for a reason!
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos.
I have several recipes for homemade granola on my site, like pumpkin spice granola and chocolate peanut butter granola, but this vanilla almond granola is the gold standard. My flagship granola, if you will. Aromatic vanilla, pure maple, almond, and cinnamon mingle together in perfect harmony, bite after crunchy bite. This stuff is seriously the best.
Since I first published this recipe many years ago, I still make it regularly. Sprinkled on yogurt or oatmeal, served in a bowl with milk, used as a garnish on maple vanilla baked pears or a bowl of fresh berries, or simply enjoyed with a spoon, my vanilla almond granola is a staple in many other kitchens, too:
One reader, Sheila, commented: “This granola is delicious and so easy to make. My husband, who never met a granola he liked, puts this on his oatmeal every morning and on his yogurt as well. I will never buy granola again. I added some pepitas before cooking and cranberries afterward... ★★★★★”
One reader, Christina, commented: “I have made this granola so many times that I’ve lost count. My friends and family all love ‘my’ (i.e., Sally’s!) granola and I get so many requests to make it! It’s great to have on hand for a quick breakfast for the kids but it’s rare that it lasts more than a day in our house! ★★★★★”
And one reader, Brittany, commented: “I made this twice just this week! My whole family absolutely loves it! So glad for a healthier and tastier option to store-bought and it’s so quick and easy to make. Can’t go wrong with this recipe! ★★★★★”
Here’s Why You’ll Love This Granola
- 8 simple, recognizable ingredients
- Crunchy, nutty, a little salty, a little sweet
- Sweetened naturally with pure maple syrup—no refined sugars
- As delicious as a snack on its own as it is over yogurt for breakfast
- Unlike store-bought granola, you have control over the ingredients
- Easy to make—only 3 steps! Wonderful recipe for beginner bakers
- And homemade granola makes a great gift!
- Vegan, egg free, and gluten free (if using certified-GF oats)
See all vegan recipes, all egg-free recipes, and all gluten free recipes.
8 Simple, Recognizable Ingredients
- Oats: Old-fashioned whole rolled oats are key in this recipe, making up the bulk of the dry ingredients. I don’t recommend quick or instant oats here.
- Sliced Almonds: Almonds add crunch, texture, and flavor. I usually use sliced, but you can use slivered or roughly chopped almonds instead. Raw or roasted—the choice is yours!
- Cinnamon: A little cinnamon lends its warmth to the flavor of this granola.
- Salt: Just a pinch, to enhance all the flavors.
- Pure Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup adds flavor and sweetness, and you’ll appreciate that the sugar in this recipe is natural and unrefined. It also helps bind the ingredients together.
- Coconut Oil: Do not leave this out! Coconut oil is the key to the CRUNCH in every cluster, just like when we make granola clusters. You can use vegetable oil or melted butter instead if needed.
- Almond Extract: A touch of almond extract adds the BEST flavor to this granola. The smell brings to mind sugar cookies and birthday cake pancakes!
- Vanilla Extract: We’re using a whole Tablespoon, for maximum vanilla flavor.
How to Make Vanilla Almond Granola in 3 Steps
This recipe only has 3 steps. That’s it! Honestly, it’s starting to sound like going to the store to buy granola is way more work.
- Mix together dry ingredients.
- Mix together wet ingredients.
- Combine the wet + dry, spread on a baking sheet, and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet. This is where a lot of the crispy-crunchiness happens.
Once you’ve tried these naturally sweetened, nutty clusters, I’m confident you won’t want to go back to the pricey store-bought stuff.
More Homemade Favorites
- Healthy Bran Muffins
- Chocolate Crunch Granola
- Whole Wheat Pancakes
- Pumpkin Spice Granola
- Homemade Fig Bars
Vanilla Almond Granola
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Yield: 2.5-3 cups
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sweet, sticky, and crunchy granola exploding with vanilla and almond flavors. Ditch store-bought, because healthy homemade granola is easy! This recipe is vegan, egg free, and gluten free (if using certified GF oats).
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (213g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (100g) slivered or sliced almonds*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (56g) coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract (yes, Tablespoon)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Toss the oats, almonds, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the maple syrup and melted coconut oil together until combined. Whisk in the almond and vanilla extracts. Pour over the oats and toss to coat. Make sure all of the oats are moistened.
- Spread out onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow granola to cool completely—as the granola cools, it becomes crunchy.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Granola is the perfect recipe to make ahead because it stays fresh for so long. Store this in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula
- Almonds: Sometimes I use honey roasted slivered almonds from Trader Joe’s—they’re delicious! If you use honey roasted almonds, the granola will no longer be vegan.
Reader Comments and Reviews
The recipe calls for slivered almonds, but the pictures look like sliced almonds. Will that make a difference in how long it bakes and/or in the texture?
Either works!
It’s so yummy!
I plan to make this for Christmas gifts. Personally, I like a little dried fruit in my granny. But what is your opinion? Yes or no about adding dried fruit? Is there any pros or cons to adding dried fruit or just personal preference?
Hi Tatum, It’s just personal preference! I do have several other flavors of granola recipes that use dried fruit!
I’ve been making this granola regularly for years! It’s amazing! Just some things I’ve learned- I always make a double batch and put three egg whites in the wet mixture. This makes for really clumpy, crunchy granola. Today, in an homage to fall, I used pecans and maple extract (instead of almond and almond extract) and it is incredible!
love, love, love.
I’ll never buy granola again!!!
Added benefit is the fibre and low sugar content.
Its perfection.
Thank you so much! This is a new family favorite and pantry staple for us.
This is amazing granola and definitely my “go to” recipe! The only issue I have is mine only needs to bake for 30 minutes. When I put it in for 45 it’s over-cooked.
I’m glad you enjoy it! Have you ever tested the temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer?
Love this! My kids and hubby are always asking me to make it! Thank you!
I cannot get enough of this granola. The flavors and textures are amazing! I agree with one of the other writers that I won’t ever buy granola again! This is just wonderful!
I really liked this granola recipe and it was surprisingly filling! Unlike the store brands, it’s not too sweet and perfect for eating as cereal or adding to yogurt. Thanks for the recipe!
this is amazing! while it was cooling, i drizzled some honey and tossed the granola to kick up the sweetest a notch and it was PERFECTION!
I absolutely love this granola. Never thought to make my own and my cousin gave me her recipe which was a bit more on the savory side than the sweet. I love almond. I love vanilla (I make my own) I love cinnamon. You get the idea. This was perfect. Got my son and husband on the bandwagon but I am now regretting it because I used to have it all to myself and now I have to constantly make more.
So – thanks for sharing!!
This was my first attempt at homemade granola. Wonderful recipe! I don’t think I’ll be buying store-bought granola again. The pumpkin spice recipe is next on my list.
I have used this granola before and love it!!
However, I’m in a pinch and don’t have coconut oil… what could I use instead!?
melted butter works!
So. Yummy! I made this today and it is delicious. I added chopped dates and dried pineapple pieces because they had those at Sprouts and they looked good. The almond extract adds a great layer!
My son thinks it is the best granola ever!! I added 3/4 cup of walnuts and 3/4 cup of quinoa. Delicious :0)
Made this today, substituted honey for the maple syrup and added hemp seeds as well. Sooooooooooo yummy! I’ll never buy grandpa again!
Hi Sally, I just made another batch of granola today and wanted to let you know that I love your recipe. I actually use this one as a kind of basic granola recipe – I always use the oats of course, but I like to play around with the other ingredients. It’s usually 50g of slivered almonds plus 50g of whatever other nut or seed I have left over from baking. Today it was a combination of peanuts and sunflower seeds 🙂 I always add some chocolate chips after baking and often throw in a handful of cranberries also.
Sooo much better than the store-bought stuff! Love your granola bars, too!
I just wonder about one thing: Do you think it would be possible to create a peanut butter granola?
I’ve made this a couple times now, and I love the ingredient combinations! One thing I would say is this: WATCH IT CAREFULLY IN THE OVEN. Especially if it’s your first time making granola! My oven cooks a lot faster, and this granola barely needed 15 minutes… 😀 Also, I added another half cup of oats and increased all the other ingredients likewise. (I didn’t end up needing all of the liquid ingredients though, as the increase made extra.) Great recipe!!
Can this be stored in the pantry? Is it considered a wet or dry granola? I’ve never seen so many liquids for a granola recipe but I just bought the almond extract for it but I have no idea how to store it.
It’s not a wet granola at all 🙂 See my make ahead tip for how to store it.
This is my go to recipe for granola. I did add some unsweetened flaked coconut to mine during the last few minutes of baking and it turned out great. I also found some awesome organic unblended maple syrup. I made a double batch the other day and it’s almost gone!
This is AMAZING!! I added a little cardamom and it’s insane! I could put this on top of anything! My husband even puts it on his ice cream! Thanks for the awesome recipie!
I have made this for my husband a few times now and he loves it! And the whole house smells sooo good. Thank you for sharing this recipe, it’s delicious.
Clumpy granola has eluded to me … until today. I love this recipe, and I have been making it as my go-to morning granola, but I always make it with maple syrup. I have a bunch of raw honey that has granulated, so I used that, melting it with the coconut oil. I couldn’t get it to combine completely, like I can the maple syrup, but I forged ahead. I let it cool after taking it out of the oven and went to pour it into my storage container only to discover I have twompans (doubled recipe) of wall-to-wall solid (and slightly sticky) granola! I was a bit vague when I doubled it, using 4 cups of oats, because I also added 1 cup shredded coconut (along with 2 cups of sliced almonds). After microwaving the honey/coconut oil, it was closer to two cups than 1-1/2 but it looked like I misjudged the honey in its fairly solid state, because I could see 1/2 cup of oil sitting on top of the now fairly liquid honey. I typically put the maple syrup in the measuring cup, then add the coconut oil till it reaches the added amount (doubled, 1 cup maple syrup +1/2 cup coconut oil). I am fairly new to honey. I thought I didn’t like it because I only had ever had cheap grocery store honey. Local, raw honey is a revelation! Anyway, it’s obvious my liquid was well over the designated amount, but I think that didn’t make the difference in outcome, because I’ve gone over with the maple syrup before, and it never came out clumpy like this batch using honey. I think it’s the honey. While delighted in theory, I am a little sad because I actually like it not clumpy for my breakfast with blueberries and yogurt. Oh, well – my suffering is going to be delicious!
I made this to pair with the Greek yogurt I made last night. I’m not a fan of maple so I subbed honey. I also added chocolate chips after it came out of the oven. I was trying to duplicate the flavor in a granola cereal I once purchased so I had to tweak the recipe a bit. This is a great granola recipe! I topped my fresh Greek yogurt with this, sliced a banana on top and had the best breakfast ever! Thanks so much Sally! Next up, your chocolate frozen yogurt made with sone of that Greek yogurt I made 🙂
Thank you very much for the alternative baking tip. I throw this together and bake for the 10min @375°, turn it off and go upstairs to go to bed. I LOVE this Granola!!! When I wake up in the morning it is perfection! Crispy, Clusters of Delicious Granola Heaven!