Description
Everyone needs a good basic granola recipe. I finally have mine, so I named it after myself…haha. My husband eats this granola every morning before he goes to work, and when I’m pregnant or nursing (which is most of the time at this stage of my life) I love having something quick, easy, healthy, and FILLING on hand to grab for a snack. If you know, you know. You can make it fancy with all the add-ins, or you can just make a huge batch of the basic regular granola. We’re talking maybe 15 minutes prep + baking time. Sound like a win? I give you….*drumroll*…Briana’s Homemade Granola. THM XO, sugar free, pantry staple.
Check out the blog post above for info on how crossovers like this fit into a THM diet, how I like to eat my granola, and customization tips!
I do not have any recommendations for making this recipe into a THM E. You can see the blog post above for my reasons. 😉
Ingredients
FANCY GRANOLA (10 cups)
DRY:
- 6 cups (612g) quick oats
- 2 cups (240g) unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup (112g) chopped nuts (pecans are great)
- 2/3 cup (71g) oat flour
WET:
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (135g) refined coconut oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons THM Super Sweet Blend
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract – I use a cheap vanilla from Walmart for my granola since I make it so often. If you’re using pure vanilla extract you probably won’t need this much.
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons molasses
ADD IN AFTER BAKING:
- 1/2 cup (112g) sugar free chocolate chips (optional)
- 1/2 cup (80g) raisins (optional)
REGULAR GRANOLA (20 cups)
DRY:
- 18 cups (1496g) quick oats (this is one 42-ounce [1.19kg] container + 3 cups [306g])
- 1/2 cup (60g) flaxmeal
- 1/2 cup (54g) oat flour
WET:
- 1 1/4 cups (270g) refined coconut oil
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons THM Super Sweet Blend
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract – I use a cheap vanilla from Walmart for my granola since I make it so often. If you’re using pure vanilla extract you probably won’t need this much.
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 teaspoons maple extract
ADD IN AFTER BAKING:
- 1 cup (160g) raisins (optional)
Instructions
The initial instructions are the same for either granola recipe.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl (and I mean large, especially for the Regular Granola. Mine holds 8 quarts.). Tip: Using a kitchen scales makes measuring easy and quick. Just measure all the dry ingredients into one bowl, hitting the tare button on the scale between measurements, no measuring cups needed.
Add all the wet ingredients except for any extracts (i.e. vanilla and maple, if called for) to a small saucepan or large glass measuring cup and heat on the stovetop or in the microwave respectively until the coconut oil is melted. Whisk in the extracts. Tip: it’s way easier to measure solid coconut oil by mass/weight than trying to pack it into a measuring cup.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix with a large spoon (or your hands) until everything is uniform.
Spread the granola out onto 2 rimmed cookie sheets (half sheet pans). (I do this for the large batch of Regular Granola or the small batch of Fancy Granola – the sheets are just more full for the large batch.)
FANCY GRANOLA: Bake at 325* for 15 minutes. Take the pans out of the oven, stir the granola, then put the pans back in the oven (switching racks so that the top pan is now on the bottom, and vice versa), and bake for 10 more minutes or until the granola is as brown as you want it to be. (The granola will continue drying out as it cools.) If you like, stir in some chocolate chips and raisins after baking (not before!!), while the granola is still warm but not hot.
REGULAR GRANOLA (or a double batch of the Fancy Granola): Bake at 325* for 20 minutes, then take the pans out of the oven, stir the granola, and put the pans back in the oven, switching racks so that the top pan is now on the bottom, and vice versa. Bake for another 20 minutes or until the granola is as brown as you want it to be. (The granola will continue drying out as it cools.) If you like, stir in some raisins after baking (not before!!), while the granola is still warm but not hot.
STORAGE: Let the granola cool completely on the pans, then transfer to a sealed container for storage. It keeps well at room temperature for several weeks. The Fancy Granola makes about 10 cups (but could easily be doubled). The Regular Granola fills a large Tupperware cereal container with a bit of overflow (about 20 cups total).
Enjoy with unsweetened almond milk or your favorite (sugar free) yogurt or Greek yogurt. It would be excellent in yogurt parfaits! If weight loss isn’t an issue you could also enjoy this granola with regular milk.
Notes
Adjust the salt and sweetness level as desired. I like this granola on the salty side; the salt adds a flavor of its own and amps up all the other flavors.
You can clump the granola together with your hands a bit before baking for more chunks. More oil would probably create more clumpage too, but it will also add calories. I tried to find a balance between plenty of yummy clumps and calorie overload. Some honey is a good addition if you’re not worried about weight loss and want to make the granola stick together a bit more. I’ve added 1/2 cup (145g) to the Regular Granola recipe above with good results, and even more would be great for more clumps. I added the honey in addition to the ingredients already listed, but if adding larger amounts of honey you may wish to decrease the sweetener. (Do not give honey to children under 1 year old.)
Bake as long as you like. My husband doesn’t like his granola to get too brown and crunchy.
Quick oats: I prefer quick oats to old fashioned oats in this recipe. Quick oats used to be considered off plan for Trim Healthy Mamas, but the stance on that changed in 2015 (as long as you have protein in your meal to help blunt a blood sugar spike).
Oat flour: You can buy oat flour pre-ground, or you can just grind dry oats into flour in a high powered blender.
Refined coconut oil: Use refined coconut oil if you don’t want your granola to taste like coconut. If you don’t care, feel free to use unrefined. You could try using unsalted butter in its place but the granola may brown faster.
Sweetener: Use your favorite low glycemic sweetener in place of the THM Super Sweet Blend (to taste) if you prefer. Always taste and adjust, even if using the same sweetener I did! Taste buds vary a lot with alternative sweeteners.
Molasses: This is allowed on the Trim Healthy Mama plan in small amounts (1/4 teaspoon per serving) for flavor. I like Grandma’s molasses from Walmart or a local grocery store. Blackstrap molasses is recommended I believe, but the nutrition info isn’t that different from Grandma’s and I don’t like the taste nearly as well. Molasses IS technically a sweetener, but it’s not refined sugar and is only used in a small amount for flavor so I’m still calling this recipe sugar free. 😉
Raisins: Dried fruit is not recommended on the THM plan due to the super concentrated natural sugar content, but Pearl has used a few in her famous oatmeal recipe so I’m fine with a few in my granola.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: THM XO, sugar free
