All it took for me to be convinced that I should no longer buy granola cereal from the store was seeing the ingredients list. Talk about extensive and full of words I can’t pronounce.
So I needed an alternative, and this easy vanilla almond granola is the perfect replacement for any storebought granola cereal. It’s inexpensive, incredibly easy to prepare, crunchy, sweet, and healthy!
I like to sprinkle granola cereal on my yogurt in the mornings for a quick and healthy breakfast. It’s perfect for busy mornings because you can just pull it out of the cabinet, sprinkle it on some homemade yogurt, and devour it. Usually in seconds, but that might just be me.
I am in love with this granola cereal. I’ve tried many, many granola recipes in my lifetime and none have yielded such an amazing result as this vanilla almond granola cereal. It has such an intense vanilla flavor without being too overpowering.
None of the other granola recipes I tried got quite as crunchy as this one without being overly sticky. You still get those nutty jumbles, but less of those extremely hard to chew caramel jumbles.
Normally, I don’t share recipes that have tree nuts like pecans, walnuts, or almonds in them due to the fact that there are two people in my family with a severe tree nut allergy. But I really wanted to make some granola cereal for my dad, who’s a huge cereal/granola eater. And the granola I made for him today is so much healthier than the stuff from the store.
The beauty of granola cereal is that it’s very customizable. Don’t have almonds on hand? You can easily sub in pecans or walnuts. Want to throw in a sprinkle of flax seeds or chia seeds? Go for it!
After trying a small handful of this granola cereal, I knew the recipe was a definite keeper. And something I wouldn’t mind making on a weekly basis. This recipe can easily be gluten free by using certified gluten free oats.
I think you’re going to love this easy and healthy vanilla almond granola cereal. It’s become my favorite and soon it’ll be yours too! It’s perfect for breakfast or a light snack in the afternoon.
Here’s the recipe:
- 2½ cups old-fashioned oats
- ¾ cup slivered almonds
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 300 F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla together. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Make sure you evenly combine everything.
- Spread the granola onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Once you take the granola out of the oven, allow it to cool completely. Store granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
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Robyn @ simply fresh dinners says
Hi Margaret Anne,
This is the granola I’ve been looking for! Like you, I put it on my yogurt in the morning because I need a little crunch in there. Lately I’ve been using walnuts because I haven’t had a good recipe but I will be using this. It looks delicious and I love the ingredients and flavours.
I am visiting from the Boogieboard Cottage party today and what a pleasure to find your beautiful, healthy blog! I’m a new follower.
Have a great day.
Lou Lou Girls says
This looks amazing! Pinned. Please come and party with us tonight at 7 pm. It just wouldn’t be a party without you! http://loulougirls.blogspot.com
Happy Labor Day! Lou Lou Girls
Miz Helen says
I love Granola! Hope you have a great week and thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Your post has been pinned with the party!
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Nici says
This granola looks delicious! I love how easy it is to make it too! Thanks for sharing at my Creative Ways Link Party! Hope to see you again this week!
Blessings,
Nici
Heidy McCallum@ The McCallum's Shamrock Patch says
Thank you for sharing your fantastic blog post on #TheWeekendSocial! I adored it and hope to see you this Thursday at 9 Pm! I am excited to see what you will bring this time!!!
Heidy L. McCallum
Kathy says
Wonderful recipe – looks delicious! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
Kathy
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
I need to try my hand at making granola! This looks easy enough and so delicious! So glad to see you back at Foodie Fridays! Pinning! Have a great weekend!
Laura@Baking in Pyjamas says
I love granola, the flavour of this one sounds delicious! Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!
Shari Eckstrom says
Stopping by to let you know I am featuring you on Foodie Fridays this evening. Hope to see your there.
Blessings,
Shari
Diane Balch says
I spend a small fortune on granola. will try your recipe. Pinned. Thanks for visiting Weekend Bites (formally Foodie Friday.)
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
I love homemade granola because I get to control the amount of sugar that goes in. This looks perfect for me.
Kirsten says
I love homemade granola. Thanks for a simple recipe, that I look forward to trying. Stopping by from the Friday Flash link up. Pinning this!
Claire says
This granola is so good! I like to alternate between making this and your skinny chocolate granola! The only change I made was to add some chia seeds and hemp seeds (1 TBS of the chia seeds and 3 TBS of hemp seeds). Thanks for the great recipe!