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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.
How do I make this granola a THM E?
I’m sorry – you don’t. I don’t wanna be snarky, but I have yet to try a THM E granola that I loved. If you’ve got one, by all means tell us about it in the comments. But granola without fat – or oats – is not truly granola in my mind. I would rather have an easy and cheap crossover (XO) granola that tastes like granola for my husband and children to fill up on and enjoy it myself when my metabolic needs are higher (pregnancy and nursing), keeping it for special occasions when I’m trying to lose weight.
A PLACE FOR THM CROSSOVERS
If you’re trying to lose weight, crossovers are best reserved for special occasions – or those times when you REALLY want to go off plan and need something special to fill the cravings.
But don’t be afraid of crossovers! They have their place!
Crossovers are perfect for
- pregnant and nursing mamas,
- husbands and growing children with high metabolisms,
- and those who are ready to maintain their current weight.
How I like to eat granola
- With milk. Definitely with milk. Unsweetened almond milk to be THM technical. A little skim milk when I’m not in a technical stage of life – i.e. pregnant or nursing. 😛
- With Greek yogurt and berries
- In parfaits
I love using a large stainless steel bowl (mine is 8 quart) and long mixing spoon to mix this granola together quickly. There are few things I enjoy less in the kitchen than trying to mix something in a bowl that’s too small.
Customize!
This recipe has two options as you’ll see in the recipe card below: Fancy Granola and Regular Granola. The Fancy Granola is a smaller batch and has a few more bells and whistles. The Regular Granola is about twice the batch size of the Fancy Granola and is basically just oats with a few raisins thrown in at the end. I usually just make the Regular Granola.
You can totally customize either recipe with whatever you like. They’re already combining carbs and fats so you don’t really need to worry too much about changing the THM fuel type with your additions. Obviously don’t chuck a whole bunch of dried fruit in there (sugar, sugar, sugar!), but other than that, go to town.
TIPS:
- 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 to the Regular Granola recipe 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.
- 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.
A batch of Regular Granola pictured in my favorite Tupperware cereal container – with a little overflow. If I make granola I want it to last awhile! With my husband eating this every morning for breakfast it goes down fast.
My other granola recipes:
- Easy Granola – okay, for a THM E granola this one isn’t half bad. It’s a little funky in that it uses leftover cooked oatmeal and brown rice and is made in a dehydrator (there are oven instructions too).
- Candy Bar Granola – a delicious chocolate and coconut THM XO concoction
- Peanut Butter Granola – a THM S “granola”
- Vanilla Yogurt, Blueberry Topping, and Yogurt Parfaits – this post shows you how to make vanilla yogurt and blueberry topping and assemble some yummy parfaits with your granola
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:
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STARTING THM
-
MY RECIPE INDEX
-
RECIPE INDEX BY FUEL TYPE/ALLERGY/THEME
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All of my breakfast recipes
-
My budget friendly recipes
Briana’s Homemade Granola
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups or 20 cups
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
Could you use rolled oats instead of quick?
I mean, you can, but it might be more like horse feed. XD
I love several things about this granola recipe. I love that it makes a ton. I love that it does not use any special ingredients. It is now my go to granola recipe. I do add about a half cup of honey because my husband likes it better that way.
I love all your recipes! I’m a super picky when it comes to granola, and have my own favorite recipe, but wanted to share that for an “E” version, I watched Plantiful Kiki on YouTube make her granola oil-free using real maple syrup. I had to try it with my recipe, replacing the oil with syrup and reducing the sweetener, and I was so surprised – it turned out perfectly crunchy as always, no oil added!
Thanks for the tip! For my THM readers, maple syrup isn’t really considered “on plan,” even in an E setting, but if people have decided to include that in their diets despite that this would be a carb centered alternative. 🙂
Hello,. I was just wondering if you have ever traded the 1 cup of water for egg whites? In the regular edition
No I have not. I personally find that egg whites often make granola chewy, but maybe it’s just me.
My husband made this on Saturday and we all love it! He did the Not-Fancy Version, and mentioned that since he heated the wet ingredients on the stovetop, it probably would have worked great and saved a dish to do that step first in a large pot, then add the dry ingredients to it.
Thank you so much! We are a granola-loving family and have tried many THM recipes. This one is definitely our favorite!
That is so great to hear, Michelle! Thanks for trying it!
I have a batch in the oven and the babies and I were already eating it raw so I’m sure we’ll enjoy it! I may add chocolate chips while it’s still hot and mix it to make more clumps like I did with the candy bar granola. That was good!
That’s a great idea!
Our favorite granola is from leftover baked oatmeal crumbled and cooked like granola! Any time I make baked oatmeal, I save extra pieces in the freezer until I have enough accumulated to make a few pans full of granola. My husband likes this kind far and above any other granola he’s tried!
That is a terrific idea, Sue! I will have to try that!
Love that you use grams to measure and love that you are economical in ingredient choices. I have both of your cookbooks and the way you have them organized saves me time. Save me time, save me money, and help me to measure certain ingredients more accurately – LOVE IT! I will try to post again after I try the granola recipe.
Thanks for the feedback, Joanie! I don’t measure everything in grams but for some things it’s just so much easier!