Homemade Cherry Pecan Granola

I’m hiding behind my hands as I say this, but making your own granola is so easy to do, and I really mean it this time! It’s basically just stirring whatever you want together in a big bowl and throwing it in the oven for a little bit. This version has dried tart cherries and toasty pecans, but it’s a wonderful base to use for anything you prefer here.

What I think this granola achieves is something very light and crisp that still has a ton of great flavor and just the right amount of sweetness. It’s my ideal granola- perfect for your yogurt or in milk. While I am using a few special ingredients here, the process is super simple- let’s get to it!

How to Make Cherry Pecan Granola

I’m using a mix of ingredients here that I think are a perfect base for any granola mix-ins you prefer- the base dry ingredients are old fashioned oats, rice crispy cereal, nuts (I’m using pecans of course), flaked coconut (not shredded), sugar, salt, and espresso powder. I don’t like coconut, but I find that the flakes here just add to the light and crispy texture, but don’t add a ton of coconut flavor to the granola.

For the wet ingredients, I’m using vegetable or canola oil, honey, vanilla extract, and an egg white. The egg white also helps create that crisp texture we want, and it helps to bind everything together. You could swap real maple syrup for the honey if you’d like here- both work beautifully! You want to stir together all the wet ingredients in one small bowl, and all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

I am using dried tart cherries here for a textural difference and a pop of tart fruit flavor, but using dried fruit is optional. Dried cranberries would be another great option here.

Once everything is mixed, pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir everything together super well until everything is completely coated and there are no dry pockets of oats throughout the whole mixture.

Spread the whole thing on a large sheet pan and pop it into the oven for about 45 minutes. You want to stir everything up twice while it bakes so you get even browning throughout.

Then let it cool completely on the pan. This will help you get some bigger clusters of granola along with the small bits. Once it’s cooled, scrape it off the pan and into a bag or container to store and enjoy!

And that’s it- world’s easiest little sweet treat to make, plus you can mix and match all kinds of goodies here if you want to. Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Homemade Granola

Here are my tips to help along the way towards making your ideal homemade granola:

• Do I have to use old fashioned oats or can I use instant? For this recipe, you need to use old fashioned oats. Instant oats will absorb the liquid mixture differently, and you’ll end up with the wrong texture.
• Do I have to use the cereal? I think it has a big impact on the final texture here, and it keeps up with that light, crispy thing we’re going for. Don’t skip it- it’s worth it!
• What if I don’t like coconut? The flaked unsweetened coconut here is another textural element for the granola, but it doesn’t lend a ton of coconut flavor. I’m not a big coconut fan myself, but I love it here. It gets toasty and perfect in the oven!
• Do I have to use the espresso powder? One of the big pitfalls of making homemade granola is that it can lack flavor. The espresso powder does not make everything taste like coffee here, but it adds some much needed depth of flavor and I think it’s a really lovely addition here.
• What can I swap out if I want? You can use any nuts you like here, and swap in any dried fruit you’d like or omit it all together. Feel free to swap out the extract for almond extract if you love that flavor. The honey can be swapped with real maple syrup.
• Do I have to use vegetable oil? You can swap this out as well for any neutral oil you prefer or you could also use olive oil if you’d like for something more flavorful.
• How do I know when the granola is finished baking? The granola will still be fairly soft when it comes out of the oven, but it should be golden brown all over. It will become crisp throughout as it cools.
• I’m at about 5,000 ft. above sea level and I find that most people who live between about 3,000-7,000 ft. above sea level do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes. That said, this recipe should work well at all altitudes!

Enjoy!

Print

Homemade Cherry Pecan Granola

Servings 7 cups

Ingredients

• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 cup puffed rice cereal
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees, and lightly grease a large half-sheet baking pan, preferably with edges.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, pecans, coconut, dried cherries, rice cereal, granulated sugar, salt, and instant espresso powder.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, egg white, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until completely coated. This might take a few minutes, but take your time- you really want everything well coated.
4. Spread the mixture evenly in your sheet pan. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring twice during baking.
5. Cool completely in the pan, and then break up to desired size, and store in an air-tight container. Enjoy!

Nicole Hampton

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!