How about some yummy nutritious granola for a nice quick breakfast (especially that Sunday morning rush)? Or top some fruit and yogurt with this delicious concoction! This is a simple recipe that includes the nutritional benefits of soaking the grains, if you so desire. It is quite delicious and actually rather simple to complete.
I have been wanting to make my own cereal ever since reading about the wonderful processing, heating, and destroying of all nutritional value that goes into preparing store-bought cereals (a process called extrusion), even the healthy organic kinds. Sally Fallon discusses it in detail here.
This granola has a great balance of grains, nuts, seeds and fruit, and it adaptable to your own creative choices – making it a very well rounded balanced breakfast, especially topped with some milk!
I normally make 1/2 of a batch at a time and that makes 2 1/2 quarts, so one whole batch should make about 5 quarts of granola.
- 8 cups rolled oats
- 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 1/2 cups kefir or cultured buttermilk (yogurt often produces a very tart flavor, unless you are skipping the soaking step)
- 1-2 cups water (use only as much as needed to produce a moist consistency for soaking)
- 1/2 cup raw honey
- 1/2-3/4 cup maple syrup (I increased the sweetener just a tad from the original, and I think it was almost perfect – so flex as you desire!)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 4 tsp cinnamon
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried shredded coconut
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds or chopped pumpkin seeds (I used the pumpkin seeds!)
- 1/4 cup minced dried figs (optional)
- 1 cup nuts (optional) – chopped almonds is wonderful!
- 1 cup dried apples, chopped
Directions:
Mix oats with the melted butter and oil, kefir and water in a large bowl. Cover with a cloth and/or plate and allow to sit at cool room temperature for 24 hours. After the soaking time, preheat the oven to 200° F (93° C).
Place honey, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla in a glass measuring cup in a small pot of warm water on the stove. Bring water to a gentle simmer, stirring honey mixture, until honey becomes thin.
Combine honey and oat mixtures, mixing to incorporate.
Spread mixture out over two parchment paper-lined cookie sheets (don’t use regular paper – I learned this lesson the hard way!). Bake for 2-4 hours, until granola is dry and crisp. Four hours was perfect for a slightly softer granola in our oven, which was what we like. Allow to cool in oven before removing to a container. It will get crisper at it cools.
Mix in coconut, raisins, sunflower seeds, fruit and nuts, as desired. Store in an airtight container. Serve with chilled raw milk.
This recipe is a modification of Natural Food Recipe for Granola. Thanks to Michele at Frugal Granola for passing on the recipe.
Where does the salt get added? I added it with the honey, syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon, but wasn’t sure. This is in my dehydrator now and I’m so excited for when it’s done!
Oh my goodness…once again Lindsay has blessed me with another fabulous recipe!! I made a granola recipe last week and so disappointed with the lackluster flavor. Then the thought hit me…go to your favorite website! Just finished off my first bowl and it is THE BEST granola I have ever had. WOW!
I baked @ 200 degrees for 4 hours then turned off the oven leaving the granola overnight. It was perfect with a little chewyness. I can’t wait for my family to wake and try this.
The added bonus of course is that my house smells so fabulous!!
Thank you again!
Oh I forgot…I only added 1/2 cup of water.
My family loves granola. I don’t have any buttermilk or yogurt but have raw whole milk. Can I add white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to the raw milk instead?? I could buy some yogurt tomorrow if needed; I haven’t made any for awhile…..
Thanks!!
I made this about a week ago, and substituted a bit of the oatmeal with flax meal! Added diced dried figs, dried apricots and also sesame seeds! Yummmmm
Does the honey have to be “raw”…not having much luck finding that specifically in our town
Thanks for the awesome recipe; I’m hooked since my SIL shared hers with us but, we’ll see how mine turns out… lol
This is great! My hubby is thrilled. I put in low sugar, unsulphured dried pineapple and sunflower seeds at the end. Also, a reader asked if sucanat could be used to substitute the honey and maple syrup. I also can get sucanat at a cheaper price, so I made a syrup from it using a generous 1 c sucanat and adding 1/4 water, along with the vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. I think next time when I make the sugar syrup, I won’t add the extra water, since the vanilla is liquid enough to make it a syrup. I did find making the whole recipe that it was taking way too long to dry in my oven at 150, so I turned it up to 200 after about 4 or 5 hours. I’ll keep experimenting with my oven and liquid amount. So happy to find a soaked granola recipe!!!
We love homemade granola, and I am so excited to find a recipe that includes soaking!! I will be trying this as soon as I can get to the store and get some more soaking medium. Can’t wait!! Thanks!!!
First of all – this is a great recipe. I printed it out and am headed home to make it tonight! Second of all – your link to Sally Fallon’s article is awesome. I mean awesome. So awesome that I had to write about it myself!
Amanda
http://mommyinthemaking.tumblr.com/post/628813492/dirtysecretsofthefoodprocessingindustry
This granola is DIVINE!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!! First, we woke up to a home that smelled like a bakery! Then I felt like it was Christmas morning as the aroma caused me to anxiously go down the stairs to peek at my present……..the best granola I have ever tasted!!!! I dehydrated mine overnight. I added some apple and strawberry instead of the nuts (just b/c I didn’t have any on hand) and it was just “perfect chewiness”! My kids are crazy over it too. They are thrilled that they can actually have “cereal” for once in their lives (if I don’t eat it all myself)! Just an FYI to those who said they couldn’t use their dehydrator b/c of the holes in the trays…..I lined mine with parchment paper which can be re-used for future batches. Thank you Lindsay for this incredible recipe!! You made our day today and I’m sure this will be requested in our home for eternity!!! God Bless!!
I just made the full recipe and it’s wonderful!! I love granola, but have missed it since moving toward a more healthy diet. My nine year old boy is eating it as I type. His comment: “It’s really good, and I would recommend adding fresh strawberries.” Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I'm getting ready to make this for a second time, and just had a thought…Why do you add the sweeteners after you soak? I've noticed in many of your other baked good recipes, you add if before.
I wondered if by adding the sweeteners before, you could lower/omit the water, while still insuring that your oats are wet enough for proper soaking(???) Just wondering…
Either option is workable.
Looks great! I assume I could use coconut kefir rather than milk kefir for the soak? Or when I don’t have kefir on hand, do you think I could use warm water and whey, per the Nourishing Traditions suggestion for soaking oats to making porridge? Thank you.
Yes to both!
I have made this a few more times and I decided to leave out the water last time, and I love the result. I checked with our local Weston Price gurus and they tell me that soaking the oats in the fats and yogurt (without water) will accomplish the goal (of improving digestibility of the oats). Voila! I love it. With the water, my granola was coming out with a texture that masked the beauty of the oats; without the water, I get to see and enjoy the texture of the oats. Just personal preference, but I thought I’d share in case anybody else was having texture issues…
I have to admit that the first time I tried this recipe I bombed out miserably! It was like goopy oatmeal that I could never get to a crispy state. I so wanted to find a soaked granola recipe b/c regular granola was hurting our tummies. I just could not figure out what in the world I was doing wrong. I am so glad I came back to the site and read this post! I left out the water and it turned out great. Also, I realized another crutial problem I was having. I was only using 1 tray, not 2. I must have read right over that part in the recipe and I was also used to putting that much on a tray with my old recipe. Anyway, texture issues solved. Thank you.
Concerning the texture, I discovered that if I use the “thick” rolled oats, my granola looked like granola…the oats remained whole instead of becoming oatmealish. I had always bought the “rolled oats” from a dispenser but one day just happen to notice that the store had another less noticable bin labeled “thick rolled oats”. My granola looks great now!
I tried to make this but the mixture was off by morning and smelt terrible. I checked all of the ingredients (butter, coconut oil, oats etc) and they were all good. Should I have used lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar or is it possible that our room temp was too warm? It is summer here in Australia but the house wasn’t overly warm. Is it possible to soak the oats successfully in the fridge or perhaps in an insulated bag with an ice brick?
I am not sure what to say. Did you bake it? You might try it and taste it. It may be perfectly fine. I don’t think the temperature is a problem. Just make sure all your ingredients were not bad prior to putting them in. Soaking oats in the fridge would make the process ineffective.
Yes I baked it for 4 hours and it was really crispy, but smelt and tasted very bad (we had to air the house for hours afterward and the oven still smells a little). I will certainly try again though as I love the sound of this recipe!
You can’t soak oats in the fridge. You need the acid medium (the yogurt) to work its magic in preferably around 90 degrees in order for all the phytates and other junk to reduce. I’d say it was definitely the apple cider vinegar. Use lemon juice or whey instead. I’ve had flops using vinegar and it gives it the weird “off” smell. Also, check the quality of your oats. If they were rancid to begin with, they’ll turn.
Instead of adding dried apple, which can be expensive to buy, I grated (shredded) up a couple of apples and added them to the mixture before I dried it in the oven….worked great, just took a little longer to dehydrate
Ooh, great idea!
Hello,
Thank you so much for this great blog!
Question… Can you store soaked oats in the fridge for a few days? I soaked my oats to make the granola but I’m waiting on my cocunut oil and I don’t want the oats to go bad. It’s already been 24 hours. Any idea? I couldn’t find info on the net anywhere.
Thanks much!
~Gina
Sure! I have done that before as well. It may affect the taste of the final product (more sour possibly), just so you are aware.
Looks great – I would love to try this. I am new to soaking and I have a little with a dairy allergy. Can I soak my oats in just lemon juice or lemon water?
Yes, of course.
Do you think you could use all sucanat instead of the honey and maple syrup? (I can get sucanat cheaper than honey and maple syrup). Another question: I just made my 2nd batch of this and it turned out a lot more crumbly this time…almost all crumbs ~ any idea what I did wrong? It still tastes as good though
TIA.
If you use sucanat it will definitely be more crumbly. The honey/maple syrup helps hold the ingredients together.
Some of us in the family don’t like the taste of coconut. Can you suggest another oil to use to replace the coconut oil. Thanks starting first batch today.
Butter!
Refined coconut oil has not flavor, so you could consider that as well! I think the coconut oil gives a crisper result.
Thanks for the recipe!!
I am eating this plain and dry right now for a snack and just had to come say how much I LOVE it. thank you for the recipe! I cannot get enough of it. I bake it for five hours at 200, then break it up into large pieces and put it in our dehydrator overnight so it’s nice and crunchy (I’d do it all in the dehydrator if I had trays that would hold liquidy stuff). YUM. And, it makes my house smell absolutely HEAVENLY all afternoon while it’s baking!
I have mine in the oven baking now, and I was wondering, Do you stir it while it’s baking at all? (I ask because this is how my other recipes were done, but yours didn’t say to)
You can stir it occasionally as desired, but I don’t think it is totally necessary. Use your judgment. If it is not drying all the way throw than definitely rotate it.
Thank you for this terrific recipe! I’ve been wanting to try a soaked oat granola for a while, and this weekend I’m finally going to give it a go. Looking forward to reading more of your blog!
Love the looks of this recipe.. it is similar to Sally Fallon’s granola recipe in Eat Fat, Lose Fat. My question for you is about texture when it is done: does it look like the picture at the top of this post? that is, can you see each oat? Or are the oats more clumped together in gobs, with less definition, so that you couldn’t necessarily tell that they are oats? I know this probably sounds like a strange question, but I ask because when I make the recipe from Eat Fat, Lose Fat (which includes soaking, like this recipe), my granola comes out sort of undefined–I have to break it apart and it looks like chunks of something, but not really like little oats (but it is made of rolled oats!). I’d love to try your recipe here if it is going to look like the picture at the top of the page! Many thanks for any feedback.
The picture above is a picture of this recipe. I usually do break it apart somewhat after it is done because as it dries on the tray it naturally will dry in small clumps, unless you can spread it out very thin on the pan. But what you see is what I get!
Thank you, Lindsay. I realized I was baking my granola too long… my last batch came out looking more like the yummy picture you have posted above. Thanks, again!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. For all who had an issue with softness, I would make sure you’re using long-cooking oats. When I tried to adapt my granola recipe to soaking, I used quick oats (all I had at the time) and it took all day to dry them out. They act just like a sponge, and hold in all the liquid. HTH, and thanks for another great recipe!
Hi…love your website!! You may have answered this somewhere but I haven’t found it yet: Sally Fallon recommends an oven temperature of not over 150 degrees F but you say 200 degrees. Why? Like most stoves today mine will not go below 175 degrees so I like your criteria better but just wondering how you came up with 200 degrees.
thanks
Debra
Yes, it is preferred to dehydrate the granola at 150 degrees, but my oven also does not go down that low. Eventually I would love to get a dehydrator! Anyway, the temperature is really flexible to adjust to meet your desires.
Thanks for posting this recipe – I’m very excited to try it out !
I’m in the process of making it right now. I’ve soaked my oats, combined the sweeteners and put it in the oven to dry.
My questions are: What should the pre-bake texture be like ? I’ve never made granola before and it seems like there’s quite a lot of moisture – almost like a cake batter but thicker because of the oats.
Also, When it is dried do I just crumble it up and add the remaining nuts, seeds and fruit ?
My questions are probably silly but I’m new to granola and NT. Thanks, Julie
You are on the right track! Yes, the texture will be somewhat wet. When it has completed drying, remove it from the tray, crumble it with your hands and add the remaining ingredients as desired. Enjoy!
I just made this granola. Our whole family is enjoying it. I did have a question though: Do you add the extras (nuts, dried fruit) before you place it in the oven or after? If after, how do you incorporate it into the granola?
Our granola is soft and chewy. I don’t mind it but would like it a little crunchier. Do I leave it in the oven longer? We did 5 hours @ 200 degrees.
Thanks Lindsay!
I add the remaining nuts/dried fruit after the granola has baked in the oven. If you like your granola crunchier you will want to bake it longer in the oven.
I’m so surprised you don’t add flax seeds to your granola.
That is definitely a good addition!
I love granola, and have been trying different recipes for over a year now. This is by far the tastiest! I love the combination of butter and coconut oil, which lends such a wonderful flavor. I was also happy to find a recipe that produced a softer granola rather than an overly crunch one. Other recipes I have used had to bake for about an hour and a half on a fairly high temperature, and required me to turn the granola every 10 minutes! I am so happy that my search for the perfect granola is finally over. Is it the soaking that gives the softer texture or the low oven temperature?
Soaking normally results in a softer/lighter final product. Isn’t it wonderful?!
Thanks so much! Just before I got my copy of Nourishing Traditions, I had made 5 gallons of granola – unsoaked. I read NT and haven’t made granola since – until I found this recipe. I plan to make another huge batch very soon. We like a “clumping” crunchy granola that doesn’t fall apart, so I’m going to compare your recipe with mine – adapt/convert/blend – and we’ll see what happens!
I’ve also had a chewy result. Very tasty, but not crunchy at all. I tried increasing the baking time, increasing the temp, but it still comes out pretty chewy. Should I decrease the amount of liquids??
You could cut back on the liquids. If you use buttermilk instead of kefir it will naturally be more liquidy, so you would probably want to cut it back. Did you soak the recipe? That can make a huge difference as well because it will absorb alot of the liquids in the soaking process.
Yes, I’ve been soaking it. When I don’t soak, I don’t have a problem…what should be decreased? The water in the soak step?
Yes, cut back the liquids for soaking and see if that helps.
I thought I had heard you should add flour to the oats while soaking to help break down the phytic acid?
Yes, I did discuss that in my soaking oatmeal post. You can add a bit of ww flour to this as well. You really only need about 1/8 cup or so.
Instead of the buttermilk/kefir can I use water w/ whey added (1 T per cup, as in most other soaking recipes)?
Definitely!
My one-year old son has a milk allergy and I am in the process of converting our home to dairy-free. I would really like to make granola. Do you think rice/oat milk + lemon/vinegar will work instead of the buttermilk? Any ideas for the butter? I have many butter alternatives when baking but not sure what would work here. Thanks for your web site – I am encouraged to keep trying new recipes!
You can use coconut oil in replacement for the butter. That is what we do over here frequently. You can definitely use your dairy free alternative milk with a bit of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. For more ideas, visit my diary free soaking post.
I’m wondering if it’s OK to make this recipe, only with just 1/2 cup water (instead of 2 cups) when I soak it. I tried that, and it turned out much better (not all mushy), but I wondered if the drier “soak” was truly effective? The oats were moistened with water/kefir, but not drenched in it. Anyone know if that still does a sufficient job of neutralizing the phytic acid? Also, I soaked the nuts, hoping to get the benefits of that as well (but maybe they need to be soaked in water…)
I have never had an issue with mushiness. After drying in the oven it turns out perfectly crunchy. Maybe you did not dry it long enough? You do want to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed and moistened for the soaking to be effective. If you want to cut back on the water, I would try adding more than just 1/2 cup. That seems too little to me personally.
Thanks for the recipe, Lindsay. I’m not a huge granola fan, but my husband is. We also read a suggestion a while back that granola is a good thing to have available to offer to homeless people. I thought that was a great idea. We already carry some blankets in the car so that we have something to offer if anyone asks and now I have little baggies of granola in my glove box. So far I haven’t been able to give any out because the last guy I offered it to was missing teeth and he said he wouldn’t be able to chew it. (Hadn’t thought of that!) I have been trying to find something I could carry that would be filling and nutritious and could be carried in the car for a good length of time…and didn’t require a can opener–not an easy bill to fill, but I think the granola works! Thanks!
I just had to leave a note about this: AMAZING! I have been devouring it for breakfast with a kefir/banana smoothie poured on top. Thanks for the great recipe!
I love granola that is fresh made without all the added stuff I can’t pronounce. Your recipe is versitile and lets me adjust the ingredients I want to add later. I want to try this now. Have to wait till I finish with the Orthodontist. Thanks for the recipe.
I have made this in the oven and my Excalibur and it has turned out sooo wonderful. I like it because the kids can each flavor it by adding their favorite toppings. I will definitely make this every week and the best part is that it is healthy!
I am SO excited to try this. We are cold cereal eaters and that clashes with our traditional foods preferences
Thank you for posting this!
I also had this problem, but concluded either I need to store it in the fridge or cook it longer. This is a tasty recipe.
How do you keep it from going bad? I love your recipe but the granola turned moldy in a few days. I had it stored in an airtight container in my pantry?
That is very odd, and with the several batches that I have made, I have not experienced this problem. Did you cook it long enough? It must have either not been sufficiently cooked or one or more of your ingredients was bad previous to using.
Love your website! Praise you for sharing. I would love to know the texture of your granola. My is almost tough and chewy. Any thoughts on what could be wrong?
Thanks so much!
I would recommend to try experimenting with the baking time. I find that it will be somewhat soft when I remove it from the oven and then it hardens as it cools. The result is a pretty standard crunchy granola!
I’m putting this on our list to buy this week! Yum!
Thank you so much for posting a soaked granola recipe! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it is soo good. We like it best with cranberries and coconut. : )
Thanks!
Kim, Yes. I am 90% sure this will work. If the lemon juice or vinegar is raw, that’s even better! The acid medium in the milk will clabber it and it will help break down the phytic acid in the oats.
HTH,
Carrie
http://oreganicthrifty.blogspot.com
Oh goodie!!!! We LOVE granola, but had to give it up when we gave up gluten and such. I hadn’t been able to find a recipe that didn’t include wheat! I’ll be sure to put “Gluten Free Oats” on my next Azure order and make some of this for my family! My 3 year old thanks you in advance!!!!
Just out of curiosity, can you use sour milk, you know a cup of milk with a tbs. of vinegar or lemon juice, to soak grain? I’ve heard you can but I’ve never tried it and thought it would come in handy in a pinch. We don’t have a raw milk source yet(waiting for a cow!) Thanks! I’m really learning a lot from you!
Thanks for the recipe…I have been wondering if I could soak the oats before I made granola or if it would just turn to mush..now I know it works! Thanks again
Cammie
Oh, a soaked granola recipe! My husband loves cereal but I just don’t want to buy him the garbage at the grocery store. I’ve been wanting to find a good recipe to make for him, so I will definitely try this one!