I used to absolutely love granola and granola bars. Anything crunchy and sweet with oats. In fact I still really like those kinds of things, but I’ve come to the realization that granola is more of a topping than a whole-bowl-full kind of food because a tiny bowl with just granola wont cut it for me. What helps is making it yourself. Then you know exactly what’s in it and you can control just how much sugar and oil is in it. I still have yet to create a granola with those awesome clusters though(but I do have a few things to try, and plenty of flavor ideas to keep me going :))
Fortunately, granola is super easy to make, throw everything together and bake until it’s golden. This granola didn’t turn out too crunchy, just slightly. I’m sure if you cook it longer than I did it will get a little crispier, but it’s also fairly low in fat and sugar so don’t expect it to be just like store bought. I find I like this way better than I remember store bought granola being and as a plus, this is way cheaper too.
Coconut Granola
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups rolled oats not quick cooking
- 1/2 cup oat bran or more rolled oats
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut bigger flakes would work best but I used shredded and it worked fine
- 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil liquid
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- small pinch of sea salt
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar or sucanat
For the breakfast bowl:
- 1/2 cup thick Greek yogurt vanilla is best
- 1 cup grapes cut in half
- 1/4-1/3 cup your favorite granola
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Mix the wet ingredients, the honey or maple syrup, oil, vanilla and the salt and brown sugar. Then add in the oats, oat bran and coconut and mix well. Spread out evenly over one rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently stir pushing the golden brown parts away from the edges of the pan so they don't burn. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes then remove and stir again. Repeat baking for 10 minutes then stirring until the granola is golden and crunchy. To test how crunchy it is take a small amount out and allow to cool before trying. When the granola is done, remove from the oven and let cool completely. Then store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature.
For the breakfast bowl:
- Place yogurt in a bowl, mix in the grapes and top with granola or another crunchy cereal. You can also use other fruits, diced apples with a sprinkling of cinnamon, a whole banana sliced, any kind of berries or even pineapple would be especially good with the coconut granola recipe above.
Comments & Reviews
Hanna says
Another great recipe! I’m going to try one of your breakfast bars next!
sally says
Looks like what I just ate for breakfast! I love granola too! I’ll have to give your recipe a try soon.
Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli says
I am also one who thinks of granola as more of a topper than the focus of breakfast. I love the grape dish! I always forget how good grapes are with yogurt! And I can imagine this coconut granola taking it over the top!
Can you believe I’ve never made my own granola? I mean, I’ve tried a couple (like literally two) of recipes, but I’ve always been a bit intimidated to try my own experiments!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
I was always intimidated too. So I just jumped in and made so many mistakes. I made one once with shredded coconut and cooked at at too high of a temperature and all the little coconut bits burned 🙁 And then I tried one with pureed fruit instead of the oil. I’m sure it could be good, but my experiment was totally not! Oops, haha. I hate wasting ingredients 🙁 But I love experimenting now that I’ve jumped in!
Rosa says
A wonderful breafast dish. That granola must be very addictive.
Cheers,
Rosa
Ari@ThE DiVa DiSh says
Ok…I would seriously love love love to have you cook every meal for me! Everything you make is so yummy looking! coconut granola just speaks to my heart!!
Jess@Healthy Exposures says
the granola looks wonderful. i love how many flavor combinations you can come up with when making it from scratch, though i do love the love grown foods kind i recently tried! i also prefer it for topping things, though 🙂
Raquel @ Erecipe says
Love this breakfast, very light and nutritious