Five Ingredient Homemade Granola
Healthy and Easy Five Ingredient Homemade Granola. We love this gluten free, vegan treat. Delicious with cold milk or just snack on it by the handful!
As a kid, I loved cereal.
My Mom was very health minded, growing our own food, baking the bread we ate and cooking every.single.meal. in our kitchen.
One of the few things we had that was ‘store bought’ was cereal. Only the ‘healthier’ cereals, mind you. We had Shredded Wheat, Rice Crispies, Corn Flakes and Shreddies. Never Frosted Flakes or Fruit Loops, despite my endless pleas. 😉
We never had cereal for breakfast, however, as my mom always cooked us a hot meal. Cereal was reserved for special occasions, like when The Wizard of Oz or Mary Poppins was on TV. We’d settle in front of our huge console television, all comfy in our PJ’s with a bowl of cereal as our treat.
Another favourite was Quaker Harvest Crunch Granola. Up until a few years ago I still bought this cereal and considered it to be ‘good for you’. Well, it turns out to not really be so wholesome. In just a single cup serving, Harvest Crunch has over 18 grams of sugar and a whopping 53 milligrams of sodium. Boo Hiss!
So, I began my mission to make my own granola without any added sodium or refined sugars and this super tasty recipe was born.
EASY FIVE INGREDIENT HOMEMADE GRANOLA
Here are the five simple ingredients you need to make this easy granola recipe:
Oats. I prefer to use the large flake oats for granola. They have a better texture and lend a nuttier flavour than quick oats.
Peanut Butter. My peanut butter of choice is the drippy, crunchy natural variety, meaning the label says “peanuts” and that is it.
*TIP* Once you have opened you peanut butter jar, store it upside down in your fridge. This will prevent the oil from settling on the bottom and will help to keep the peanut butter smooth and soft instead of a hard, solid chunk.
Maple Syrup. I buy the big ole container from Costco. Done.
Vanilla. It is always a nice addition, in my humble opinion.
These three things melt into one over low heat on the stove.
The last ingredient is cinnamon and salt. Yes those are technically two things but you get the idea. 😉 Stir those seasonings in with the oats in a mixing bowl.
Mix it all together well and spread it out on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Pop it in the oven and let the magic happen. 🙂
Have a bowl with some milk and I’ll bet you can’t resist slurping up the milk at the bottom of the bowl.
This recipe is too simple not to try. It’s vegan and can be gluten free if you ensure your oats are certified gluten free and use a plant based milk.
I now own my own copy of Mary Poppins and plan on watching it this weekend with a nice bowl of this granola.
Supercalifragilisticexpelidocious!!
MORE HEALTHY GRANOLA RECIPES:
Sugar Free and Grain Free Granola
Originally posted September 4, 2013. Updated January 16, 2020
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Easy Five Ingredient Homemade Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups large flake oats not quick oats
- 4 tbsp chunky peanut butter natural
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, cinnamon and salt and set aside
- In a small saucepan over medium low heat, melt together the peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla
- Stir the peanut butter mixture into the oats and mix until well combined
- Spread in a single layer on the parchment lined sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Let it cool on the sheet for about 15 minutes for it to firm up
- Break into clusters and store in an airtight container