Megan's Granola

Wow! Thanks for the recipe. By far the best granola I have ever had. I eat it 5 or 6 times a week - as cereal, mixed with yogurt or as a dry snack. For variations, try one or all of the following: substitute coconut oil for regular oil (the health benefits are amazing), reduce sunflower seeds (they are a little over powering) to 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup ground flaxseeds, add 1 cup shredded coconut with 10 minutes left to bake. If you want to get the kids to eat it, substitute 1 cup of chocolate chips or m&m's for 1 cup of raisins (not quite as healthy, but still MUCH better for you than a candy bar and boy is it good! Kind of a trail mix granola.) With the shredded coconut and the chocolate chips, it tastes like a healthy magic cookie bar. :-)

This recipe tasted wonderful! My only complaint is that it doesn't explain very much for a novice. This was my first time making granola, and I burned the first couple batches because I kept expecting it to harden and clump as I cooked it, instead of AS IT COOLED. Even then, 20 minutes was too short for crunchy granola. I found 25 minutes at a 300 was just about perfect for my taste. I also left out the nuts, so that could have had something to do with it. I also would have preferred a glaze or sugar dusting on the raisins. I didn't feel they mixed well with the other textures and flavors. Other than that, it was a great recipe, and I kept the slightly burnt granola to eat with yogurt. It still tastes pretty good, just a little toasty. I'll definitely try again, WITH nuts next time.

This recipe is great. I did modify quantities, using 10 cups of rolled oats (to match the size of the packaging), omitted the almonds, added unsweetened coconut, and increased the pecans and walnuts by 1/2 cups each, and wheat germ and oat bran by 1/4 cup each. For the wet ingredients, I largely kept the quantities the same. Instead of using maple syrup, I used sugar free E.D Smith syrup that uses apple juice concentrate and I increased the amount to accommodate for the extra dry ingredients. Once the granola had cooled, I added 1 1/2 cups of flax meal. Adding it at the end, rather than before the cooking process, keeps the nutritional value intact (breaks down in heat). Yummy, healthy and not too sweet. Thanks for this recipe Annie!

I used 1/2 applesauce and 1/2 canola oil and we love it. It's not so heavy and greasy like other granola. I also stirred in miniture chocolate chips as soon as I pulled it out of the oven and stirred them in immediately. They melt nicely into the granola and you taste it but it's not as chunky. We absolutly love it. I used only the honey and maple syrup and it's quite sweet enough. Otherwise I followed the recipe except I omitted the walnuts. This one is truly a keeper. Exactly what I was looking for.

This is my first try at homemade granola. This recipe is easy and -- from the little tastes I took along the way -- yummy. BUT! There is a fine line between "toasted" and burnt. My granola is burnt. Just watch out. Even an extra minute can kill the whole batch!

I make this all the time because it magically vanishes in our house!! This is addictive! The proportions work very well, and of course, substitutions are easily made. I use whatever nuts we have on hand. Craisins are delicious, as well as any other dried fruit you like. I also like to sub a cup or two of cheerios or special K for the oat bran to give another dimension to the granola. **Note** to get the granola to chunk, BOIL the sugar/oil mixture (I just put it in a large measuring cup and microwave it until it bubbles - less cleanup), then stir and bake as directed, but after it's toasty, pull it out and DON'T STIR ANY MORE. Let it cool. It should cool and form a large brick that can be broken into satisfying chunks. Then sprinkle the fruit into the container with the granola. **Also, for those trying to skimp, you can sub applesauce for oil/ fake sugar/ yada yada and it will taste alright but it will NOT be as crispy and scrumptious. If you're going to go to the trouble, make the good stuff and follow this recipe. It's healthy and oh so good. Seriously. Try this recipe!

The organic, nutty, rustic flavor is perfect. I love this recipe. It's the first time I've made granola and I was very pleased. Here's some thoughts: 1) Buying all the ingredients is expensive, but worth it. Figured on a "per bowl" basis, the cost isn't so outrageous though, because, 2) the recipe yields a LOT. I didn't have a bowl large enough to mix all the ingredients, so I used a large roaster, 3) I prepared it as written and though the recipe is versatile and I might experiment a bit, it's really perfect "as is," 4) I am a huge nut fan and the ratio of nuts in this recipe is very high, 5) this is probably common sense, but if you use two baking sheets, monitor the baking sheet closest to the oven heating element closely. The granola closest to the heating element will burn and stick to the foil if baked too long. I wonder what the purpose of the oil is. I would like to use olive oil next time or leave out the oil all together, but I'd like to know what the ramifications might be. I'd hate to spend the money for the ingredients only to learn that the recipe was ruined because an ingredient was left out.

I really, really like this granola. I've been making Almond Maple Granola regularly for over 6 months now, and wasn't sure about trying a new recipe, since I like that one so much. But this one is so very good, also. I really liked the walnuts- left them in big chunks and they're so good that way. I cut the recipe in half and used 2 TBS less honey than listed, and replaced 2 TBS of the oil with water. I baked at 300 for at least twice the amount of time listed- maybe a little more. Just stirred every 15-20 minutes. I'm looking forward to having this for breakfast!

I made this recipe to the letter save for cutting it in half. It's really good. The only thing I would change next time (and it's really because of personal preference) is letting the syrup boil a few minutes longer to make for a crisper, chunkier texture. Tip: if you like a chunky granola, boil that syrup a bit longer and don't stir the granola at all during baking. Also, let it sit until completely cool on the pan before breaking into chunks. It will harden as it cools. If you like a finer granola, stir during baking and stir again right when it comes out of the oven. Thanks for the recipe. We make a lot of granola at my house, so it's nice to have a great new recipe to shake things up a bit.

Our absolute favorite! It's good with substitutions and GREAT as is. I cook this in my CROCK POT for 2 hours on low until it's light brown and that keeps me from burning it (because I'm prone to burning it in the oven). It takes me 15-20 minutes to put together because of the multitude of ingredients, I don't boil it over the stove but just add it in and stir the crock pot every 1/2 hour or so. I make this often and we love it.

Granola was just fabulous. It was my first attempt ever at making it but so simple! I made a huge batch to serve at our office breakfast-folks ate it in the morning and snacked thru-out the day. A real crowd pleaser. Please Note: This recipe costs quite a bit of money-yes, you can vary the ingredients to taste but be aware it will add up at the check-out. I'll be making it again this week for our hungry office bunch:}

This is a great granola recipe. The modifications I made are for the health nuts who are wanting to make this a little healthier. I used ground up flax seed in place of the wheat germ and ground up Quinoa in place of the oat bran. To keep it from being too sweet(and a healthier sugar) and cutting on the calories I only added a little less than 1 1/2 cup of just honey. In place of the vegetable oil I used Coconut oil(extremely healthy for you). I only had to use a 1/2 cup and it was plenty. It turned out amazing and a good healthy snack for the whole family. I leave out the raisins/craisians so we can choose what we are feeling like in the morning or as a snack, dried apricots are also great!

The first time I made this granola, I made a huge batch. It was soooo good that I snacked on it nearly all day every day. Result was I ate a whole lot less at regular meals, became very regular which I hadn't been in years, and finally... I lost 30 pounds in 6 months which was an unexpected but happy side effect. I have another batch in the oven right now.

Fantastic recipe! Thanks! I have made it three times now and it is delicious and healthy. Like other reviewers I enjoy creating my own slight variation, adding flax seeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds etc. My husband and I both love it - with yogurt, milk, or just a handful on the go to snack on. It is somewhat time-consuming to make your own granola. However, I think it's time well spent, especially if you consider how expensive "real" granola is to buy in the supermarket/health food store. It's important to toast the granola long enough that it will be crunchy when cooled, yet not so long it is overdone. Through trial and error, I have found it's important not to overload the baking tray. Also be careful to gently toss the mixture around a bit during the toasting so that it's done evenly. Be particularly gentle if you like lots of big crunchy clusters in the mix. (I do.) Finally, don't worry if it comes out of the oven still a bit chewy: when completely cooled it should be crunchy. Basically, you want to get it a rich golden brown the color of pancakes - not too light and not too dark. I split the finished granola up between three glass storage jars and it keeps nice and crisp for weeks as long as you keep the lid on. Once you've opened the lid a few times, it starts to lose its crunch. I mention this just for any readers who are pondering how much to make, as this recipe as given does make a LOT of granola. My advice: go ahead and make the full batch, but divide it between a

I've been making this Megan's Granola for about a year now. I eat it most every morning topped with vanilla yogurt and fresh blueberries and keep it in a 1.5 Gallon Rubbermaid Flex & Seal Container. I buy dried fruit, including apricots and cranberries for $1 a box at Walgreens. I buy small bags of nuts at Aldi for a good price. I also buy snack packs of raisins instead of a big container. I prefer to shop at a grocery (HyVee) that sells interesting bran, seeds, etc. in bulk and where I can experiment with different ingredients and buy just the amount I need. Some things I add include pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seed, and pine nuts. I delete the salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar. As another reviewer suggested, I put 2T of water in measuring cup before adding the oil. Add the coconut with 10 min. left to bake and add flax seed after cooking to preserve the nutrients. Know that it clumps after it cools.

This granola is excellent! My husband, who is very particular when it comes to food, even raved about it. I made just a few changes to make it a bit healthier, and it still turned out wonderful. Instead of using the whole amount of wheat germ, I used half wheat germ, half ground flax seed, and left out the oat bran and pecans altogether (didn't have any). I added some shredded coconut to it about halfway through baking (for fear it would burn), but I think next time I would just add it from the start - it didn't get as toasty as I would have liked. As for the sauce, I added a couple of heaping spoonfuls of organic peanut butter, and substituted amber agave nectar for the brown sugar (use a bit less than the amount of brown sugar that's called for, as agave nectar is sweeter). Instead of using vegetable oil, I used half unsweetened applesauce, half extra-virgin coconut oil, and I didn't add the vanilla until right before I was ready to pour the sauce over the dry ingredients so that it wouldn't cook off. I cooked it at 300 degrees for about 25 minutes, stirring it once halfway through cooking, and added dried cranberries, cherries, and blueberries after it had completely cooled. Make sure you don't overbake - it won't be crunchy when you take it out of the oven because it hardens as it cools. Let it cool completely before you break it up if you like clusters and chunks. Overall, this recipe was very easy to make and as delicious as anything you'll buy in the store!

FOR LOW/NO FAT: I use apple sauce or home-squeezed orange juice with pulp reduced (squeeze about 2 cups of juice and pulp, then simmer down to 1 cup), or even just water. When using a liquid instead of oil, spread granola thinner on cookie sheets, reduce oven temp to 275 F, take out and stir every 5 minutes. It's done when a cluster is crunchy all the way through after cooling, usually around 30-35 minutes. Water/other liquid instead of oil gets me awesome clusters every time! REDUCED SUGAR: This is only way I make this granola - all of the above, plus omit brown sugar, use 1/2 cup honey, and double cinnamon (or use other spices, I like 1 tbsp cinnamon and 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice). Seems like with less liquid it won't coat as well, but when you use water instead of oil it spreads further. FAVE VARIATIONS: orange juice, craisins, cinnamon and ground cloves. Water, shredded coconut, mini chocolate chips and dried cheeries. Apple sauce, cinnamon, half golden raisins, half dried apples. 3/4 cup apple sauce plus 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin pie spice (must let this one dry out a little longer for some reason). ENJOY!

Wowee Wow Wow! We love granola! It's so expensive these days that we have tried and failed many recipes until now. I didn't have wheat germ or sunflower seeds so I added extra oats and walnuts in their place. I think this recipe is pretty versatile so experiment with different ingredients or with whatever you have on hand. My only note to self was the use of foil or parchment paper. I tried both and prefer the parchment paper. The granola stuck just a little to the foil and it seeded to brown just a little more than I liked. Definetly keep an eye on this stuff the last couple of minutes and if it seems too gooey take it out anyway as it clumps up when it cools into nice chunky granola. This is a keeper, thanks a bunch!!!

Absolutely wonderful. First time making granola. Cut the oil in 1/2 and replaced the other 1/2 with applesauce. Used 1c maple syrup + 2Tb honey, no brown sugar (not fond of it). I will make it again and again.

My kids and husband LOVE this recipe! We have it often as cereal. I also have altered it slightly to make into bars. After some experimentation, I figured out how to make them stick together as bars and not be too dense. I substitute half the oats with puffed rice cereal and instead of spreading onto a baking sheet, press into a 9x13 pan and cook for the same amount of time. After it cools, I cut them CAREFULLY into bars (they are still pretty crumbly at this point), turn them over so the side that was on the bottom of the pan is now up. What I did was purely an accident of circumstance, but I ran out of time so, on my way to work, I stuck them in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and then turned it off. They sat there for 8 or more hours. When I came home, I had perfect granola bars that my kids BEG me for as snacks all the time.

I followed the recipe and cooked it at 315 deg F. Wow - it burned black in 4 minutes. I know my oven cooks on the hot side, but I think the temp you have must be wrong. The small part that survived was good though. Not my favorite recipe though.

Yum Yum Yummy! I was sick of my old granola recipe (which was good, but it's been 2 years of the same thing!). I tried this and it's delicious! Though, because I'm health conscious, I did alter things a bit: I added 1 C. ground flaxseeds, halved the sunflowers seeds and added 1/2 cup of crushed pumpkin seeds, used only almonds for the nuts (not a big fan of pecans or walnuts), only used 2 T. of brown sugar, and instead of vegetable oil, I used coconut oil (I HIGHLY recommend using this - the health benefits are incredible and the flavor is outstanding! - even if you don't like coconut). I used 1 C. raisins and 1 C. dried cranberries. I also used all-natural ingredients. This is fabulous atop organic yogurt finished with fresh fruit :) Thank you for sharing :) *ALSO, if you want your granola a little sweeter, a good alternative is to add in some agave nectar to the liquid mix...incredible!

As many have said, a wonderful recipe. Don't leave out the oil. I don't think oil-free granola would be very tasty, since that is that helps it to "toast". However, I use far less than the recipe calls for - my basic rule of thumb is 2 T of oil for every 2 cups of oats. I whisk the oil into the honey (1/4 cup per 2 cups - because I leave out the brown sugar and maple syrup, but you could use as written) then make sure the granola is coated. You still get a nice toasty result, but with less fat.

This was my first time making granola, and since Megan's Granola had such great reviews, I decided to give it a try - and was not disappointed. To save some money, I used sunflower, almond, and pumpkin for nuts according to other baker's notes (I was a little iffy on the pumpkin seeds, though - they were a bit of a strong taste). I used unsweetened applesauce instead of oil and added a little extra of the maple and honey, cutting out the brown sugar and it turned out great. I also added about a cup of coconut flakes. I made this in a few batches, baking at 325 the first few times, then trying 300 the last few (as was recommended by many). The granola turned out best at 300 in my opinion. Definitely a recipe I will be saving and using as a base for all of my other granola experiments.

I have been making this granola for the past few years. It is a great base and I have tried it with all sorts of nuts and dried fruit. I do like cooking it on convection at 200 for about 50 min. It takes three cookie sheets and with convection and/or a low temp you don't have to fear burning the granola. My favorite addition is coconut and using dried blueberries for the fruit. I usually even heat the oil and honey in a cup in the microwave. I don't think you could screw this up...except by burning it of course!! YUM!! Thank you for the recipe Megan.

Out of this world good! Beats any commercial brand granola out there. I wanted a chunkier granola and was so happy to see CC's review noting to boil the syrup just a bit longer and then to pat it down into the pan and bake without stiring. When it first came out of the oven I didn't think it worked but when it cooled I was able to break it apart in chunks and it was everything I wanted. I added dried cranberries and baked it in with the other ingredients and they didn't burn like raisins. I am so happy to have this recipe and just love it! Thank you!!

This is some really delicious granola. I do, however, make the following changes: 1. I double up on the sauce, I really like my granola to stick together and I found that doubling it does the trick. 2. I add a little ground ginger (about one teaspoon) into the sauce. 3. I cook at 275 degrees for 32 minutes, stirring every 8 minutes. 4. I added crystalized ginger as my dried fruit. It phenomenal especially when eaten with Greek Yogurt.

This granola has gotten such rave reviews that I now give it as a gift, also. My husband loves it & I like that it's gotten him off of pocessed boxed cereal. My only changes are that I use about 8 1/4 or so cups of oats & 2 cups of wheat germ, (no oat bran b/c just haven't been able to find it). Instead of pecans I use 1 1/2 cups of both almonds & walnuts (we love these nuts & they have the most health benefits). Omit the salt. Use just under 3/4 cup Agave Nectar instead of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of maple syrup & 1/4 cup of raw honey. I use more like 1 1/2 tbl. of cinnamon. Thank you so much for this recipe!...it really does make a great gift as everyone loves it.

Excellent recipe! I made this exactly as written, except changed up the sweeteners a little bit. I used 1/2 cup of each, since I've heard it is too sweet and by switching some of the honey for maple syrup, it became less sweet and had more of a maple flavor. Other than that, I made this as written and it came out super delicious! My family loves it; everyone was picking it out of the pan while it was cooling. I stirred up one of the pans for a looser granola, but cooled the other one untouched for some chunks. This worked great! I'll definitely be making this recipe again, as it is great. Thanks so much for sharing it!

yummy. only had almonds and pecans so used 3/4 cup of each. husband thought needed tiny more sweetness but I disagree. baked for 50 minutes at 250 degrees and crisped up nicely after it was out of the oven. I might experiment with applesauce instead of oil next time but for now it's delicious! 2nd time-substitued 1/2 oil for applesauce- could even do more! used walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds and almonds. sprinkled flax seed(ground) on top. delicious. oh and use old fashioned oats!

Great- I impressed MYSELF with this one

Kind of your traditional granola recipe... honey, brown sugar, and maple syrup.. but don't fix what's not broken! When I make granola, I heat the honey, brown sugar, etc. over the stove and add the vanilla last, after its off the heat, that way it doesn't cook out the alcohol and the flavor is still there. Also once i pour the granola onto the baking sheets, i sprinkle more brown sugar on top so that it gives it more of a crisp crunch after it is done baking and had time to cool... its good that way. I always add extra bran, no one can tell, use as little oil as I can get away with to keep it healthy, and just throw in whatever is laying around the kitchen for the mixins.. no batch is ever the same. VERY GOOD.

I make a double batch of this every couple of months and eat it on yogurt for breakfast every morning. I also gift it to people because I think it's so much better than anything you can get at the store! One batch makes about 17 cups of granola. I make just a couple changes: I use 3 cups of any kinds of nuts I can find (almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, etc.), I replace half of the oil with applesauce, and I leave out the dried fruit.

The problem I had was that after the recommended 20 minutes total in the oven it was still very moist....after 30 minutes still very moist. So looked at another recipe and found it recommended 1 hour in the oven....big difference!!

I love the syrup/honey mix! I don't use the wheat germ and oat bran and don't always have all the nuts. But I like to add coconut and extra craisins and raisins. I carry a baggie of it in my bag for school - very easy be healthy on the go! Thanks a lot!

Great recipe! Every time I make it, I use different ingredients and it turns out every time. I soak raisins and dried cherries in honey for an hour and then add them with 10 minutes left to bake. Once I pull it out of the oven, I take a pancake turner and spray with cooking spray then press the granola into the pan. After it sets it's nice and chunky. Thank you for the recipe!

A WONDERFUL recipe! I didn't have Oat Bran, so I don't know what that would have added to it. I used twice the amount of fruit called for (and could still add more based on preference) and added the fruit (plus coconut) when I stirred the mixture at the mid-cook point. The sweetness is fine for us as is. THANK YOU for sharing such a wonderful recipe! Also - if your measure the oil first (I used grapeseed oil) then your honey and maple suger won't stick to the measuring cup.

I make several versions of granola and this one was a keeper. The overall flavor is good but I should have trusted my instincts and not added the full amount of salt. A pinch of kosher salt is more than enough to bring out the flavors the full amount of salt makes it too salty. I lowered the oven temperature like others recommended to prevent scorching. Substitutions/alterations- I used equal parts honey and maple syrup. Substituted unrefined coconut oil for the vegetable oil. Flax seed substituted for the sunflower seeds. 1 cup unsweetened coconut for one of the cups of raisins. I added the coconut only in the last 20 minutes of baking to avoid burning. Next time- pinch of salt only, substitute apple juice for the brown sugar. I thought it was just a little too sweet and the apple juice will lower it just enough to make this perfect. Overall it's a good basic recipe then modify for your own tastes.

Great recipe, my family loved it exactly as written! The second time I made it, I turned it into CHOCOLATE GRANOLA. I followed the recipe exactly as written, but I also added (4) 1 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate squares and 1/4 cup baking cocoa to the liquid mixture that you bring to a boil in the sauce pan. (It stirred into the granola with no problems.) At the end, when the granola was all done baking and COMPLETELY COOLED, I added 1 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. YUM!!!

I've been making granola for several years, but this is the best recipe I've found yet. The only correction/suggestion I would make is to stir the dried fruits into the granola hot out of the oven. That way, little bits of the granola stick to the fruit as it all cools down. It's a nice touch.

I love this kind of granola - everything chopped small and it is crunchy. I wish I had known that it gets crunchier as it cools - I wouldn't have baked it for so long. I also would have added the dried fruit right after the granola came out of the oven so that the fruit stuck to the granola. I used dried cherries and they taste great.

Excellent! I substitute half apple sauce and half coconut oil for the vegetable oil. It is my go to granola recipe! Thanks!!!

This is great granola. I replaced the vegetable oil with coconut oil. The result is very rustic tasting. I don't think it was too sweet at all. I made 1/2 the amount called for to try it out first. I am glad I did because I burned it. I put the two cookie sheets side by side on the same rack and the sides were touching the oven... Big no no. It was burned in 7 minutes. I redid it without it touching the oven and it turned out great.

This is a really tasty recipe for granola. That being said, I do make a few changes now and then...I use ground flaxseed in place of the wheat germ, leave out the sunflower seeds and make up the bulk with extra walnuts, and add about a cup of dried pineapple and a cup of coconut (in addition to the raisins), with about 10 minutes left to bake. The extra fruit makes it sweeter without adding more processed sugars. I also use a large roasting pan, and stir it every 10-15 minutes. It takes close to an hour this way, but gives you a lot more control over the level of toasty-ness.

Best granola ever! I've made this dozens of times, and have used slight variations each time. I like to use almonds only, no other nuts, I always use 1/2 C coconut oil and 1/2 C vegetable oil, and no brown sugar, it's just sweet enough with the maple syrup. Great recipe!

I love this recipe as is, but of course I had to tweak it a bit to suit my family's personal taste. First off, I added 2 heaping tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter to the sauce pan of melted/heated ingredients. We love peanut butter. I also added the vanilla last, after letting the mixture cool to just below boiling, as the vanilla is apt to "boil off" due to the high alcohol content. I also omitted the maple syrup and added 1 tablespoon of molasses, which gives it a nice hearty taste. Try adding any number and combination of nuts and seeds. I usually have at least 5 or 6 different kinds in each batch. It's a huge hit with everyone in my husband's office. I like to eat it "raw" before baking. It tastes great and is healthier as the good fats in the nuts/seeds haven't been altered by the high heat in the oven.

This is the only granola I make. Has become a repeated Christmas thank you mason jar gift. My nuts & dried fruit vary sometimes but my dry & wet ingredients follow recipe.

This is very easy to make. I made the recipe exactly. I halved the recipe and used two cookie sheets to spread it out on. I added a ton of raisins and have stored it in a large glass jar. Stays crunchy.

this granola is amazing. I use some splenda as a sugar substitute for a lower calorie version.

Excellent Granola! Here's a little tip if you're the type of person who doesn't like dirtying up a 3/4 cup measuring cup for one ingredient and instead eye-balls 3/4 of your much used and dirty 1 cup measuring cup. Switch the order of your vegetable oil and honey. Put your cup of vegetable oil in the sauce pan first, then eye-ball your 3/4 cup of honey and add it. The honey slides right into your sauce pan with no sticking and no spatula needed. Other than that, great recipe. As another reviewer pointed out, don't make this thinking it's a "budget" granola. It cost me 12 bucks and I already had about half the ingredients. Make this as a special treat or a holiday gift!

Easy and delicious! So easy to tweak and make your own. This is my 2nd batch of this granola and I used dried apricots and shredded coconut for the fruit. I also use coconut oil and grapeseed oil for the fat. And I used another user's suggestion to cook at 300 for 25 min. Works like a charm. I also add ground flaxseed once it's cooled. Very healthy and delicious. I will be giving some away as Christmas gifts. Thanks for the recipe! :) 8/18/12-Made it again! Delicious. For the fat, I used all coconut oil. Next time, I will try not stirring it, as suggested by some. Because the best tasting granola are the very toasty pieces from the edge of the pan!

This granola is so good. A tip to avoid burning (because the sugar burns quickly) is to raise the oven rack so it isn't as close to the heating element, and stir along the sides and bottom of the pan. I've made at least a dozen batches, and burned a few, but everyone loves this homemade granola!

Stop whatever you're doing and make this granola! Don't eat ANYTHING before hand... Seriously, it's the BEST granola I've ever eaten.

I have been making a similar "Super Granola" for over a year and eat it every day. For sweetness, I omit the brown sugar and syrup and use 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup molasses. Oats, 3 cups mixed nuts and 3 cups mixed dried fruit are essential and anything else is up to what's on hand, your tastes and budget. No parchment paper or foil is needed. I use 3 T. of cinnamon (so healthy) and 2 T of vanilla and 3/4 cup of canola oil. Also add 21/2 cups of water or apple juice to the liquid mixture. To get a less crumbly granola, add 1 cup of whole wheat flour to the mixture before pouring in the liquid mix and it will clump up a lot. Bake at 275 for 60 to 80 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes and chopping up clumps into smaller pieces with a spatula. The lower temperature helps avoid burning.

DELICIOUS!!! I cut the pecans and added cashews and received rave reviews from the family.... and hubby who is deployed.... THANKS FOR SHARING!!! It will now be a staple in our home :)

This is an excellent recipe. Following a few other reviewers I changed the oil to coconut and added blueberries. Its extremely simple to make and tastes incredible. I didnt have flaxseed so I used chia seeds instead. I baked mine at 200 degrees for 45 minutes and it was still kind of soft. I left it overnight to see if it would get crunchy, it didnt. In the morning, with the trays already in the oven, I turned it on for 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Again I let it completely cool and it is very crunchy with brown crispy goodness all around it. Amazing!

Couldn't be better!

I make a variation of this recipe 1-2 times/month and we eat it every morning for breakfast! I found it wasn't quite clumping enough, so I have decreased it to 6 cups of oats, everything else the same. Delicious! I vary the nut and dried fruit combination depending on my mood and the season (dried blueberries and almonds in the summer, dried ginger and cashews for fall, etc.) I have shared it with so many people and everyone is amazed at the flavor!

Delicious granola! I think this is my new favorite granola recipe. I baked the granola 25 mins. at 300 degrees, stirring a couple of times during baking. I used half coconut oil for the oil. I think next time I will try all coconut oil. 8/5/11-I tried all coconut oil and it tastes even better!

This is a wonderful recipe, although I made a couple of changes to make it healthier. I used applesauce instead of oil and flaxseed instead of oat bran. My husband begs me to make this and he usually hates eating healthy. My favorite way to eat it is with vanilla yogurt and fruit, yum!

Made this recipe as written. Soooo good! I've been layering this with fresh fruit and yogurt for parfaits all week. Definitely a keeper!

Made this recipe today with some modifications -- possibly the best granola I've ever had. Added 1 Tbls. (instead of tsp.) cinnamon and vanilla. Omitted the sunflower seeds altogether. Added only the walnuts and the pecans, and instead of almonds added 1/2 C golden flax seeds. Substituted wheat bran for the oat bran. Changed the sugars to: 1/2 C brown sugar, 1/2 C maple syrup and 1/4 C honey. Perfect sweetness with the nuts and flax. Baked at 225 for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Delicious!!! The recipe made a batch that filled a gallon-size freezer zipper bag.

I really loved this recipe. I'm under a gluten-free diet so I used corn flakes and homemade crisp rice instead of the oatmeal etc... otherwise the recipe was a hit in my home, and I'm the only one who suffers from celiac disease... they're stoling my food LOL

I've tried a lot of Granola recipes because we own a B&B. This is hands down the best recipe out there. It's addictive.

Delicious! I have found my granola recipe! I used a cup and a half pecans and a cup and a half almonds because I'm not a big walnut fan. Also I crushed some of the almond slices by hand but not all, the big toasted pieces are yummy too! I did not use Maple syrup either. And only 3/4 cup of oil. I probably won't do this the same way all the time, nice flexible recipe.

Excellent flavor. However, I needed to turn the oven temp lower and cook it longer in order to get it to crisp up without browning too much. I like my granola chunky and the second time I made this, I added 2 T. water to the syrup mixture...it clumped up nicely. I will be making this now instead of buying granola at the store.

I made this for the first time and it was awesome. I would recommend to anyone. The only thing I will add....do not wait for the to get crispy in the oven. It has to cool before it gets crispy, I baked mine for 35 minuts stirring continuely to keep from burning and then I realized it wasnt going to get hard until it cooled. I will make this again!!

None of the store bought granola's are quite right (not to mention the expense), so I finally resorted to making it. This is the best! Not too sweet, and I took another reviewer's suggestion of not stirring so that it would be chunky. Yum, yum!

I just made this..... DELICIOUS!!! This is my second attempt at granola. This recipe turned out much better than the first one I tried. I didn't do the wheat germ, oat bran, pecans or walnuts (personal pref), but I added flax seed and WHOLE almonds. Fantastic. This has a very similar taste to our favorite store bought granola. At a fraction of the cost and waste. Thanks Megan!!!

Finally made this tonight and it's freaking delicious! Made a few substitutions, of course (who doesn't??) and used 1/2 cup of pine nuts instead of sunflower seeds, also left the brown sugar out and used 1 cup maple syrup + 1 tbsp honey instead. Added some chocolate chips with dried cranberries and raisins after cooling. Amazing! The hubby told me to get on here and give it 5 stars! LOL

Love this recipe! It's very easy to make changes that suit your taste. It crisps up after it comes out of the oven - helpful reminder!!!

I have made this over and over and I have others hooked on it too! Don't forget to add 2 cups of coconut if you are a coconut lover - it's the best part! Great recipe, thanks for sharing!

Delicious! I used some Cherry Craisins and it was hte PERFECT touch! I also used cashews and peanuts instead of sunflower seeds since I didn't have it on hand.

This is my go-to granola recipe! I make this several times a year & it’s coveted by my family & friends. I triple the recipe which makes a huge batch!I substitute pumpkin seeds for sunflower seeds and add dried cranberries & cherries. I also add toasted flaked coconut once my granola is baked & all other ingredients are mixed in.

This is a fantastic granola recipe! I did tweak it a bit. I add whatever nuts I have handy and I increase the Cinnamon by double and add a pinch of cloves. A trick I learned in my house. I like it crumbly so I eat it as cereal and my hubby likes it chunky so he can snack on it. As it is cooling keep breaking it up if you want it crumbly if you want it chunky let it cool in the pan for a good hour or two and then break it off in chunks! Everyone is getting granola this year instead of cookies for the holidays!

Pretty good! As others suggested, I cut the oil in 1/2 and used 1/2c applesauce to decrease the oil as well as omit the brown sugar. Ran out of honey so I just used maple syrup in it's place. This actually took more like 30-40 min to cook. Very filling and just the right sweetness. Oh, I did increase the vanilla and cinnamon to 1 TBSP as I saw the review stating the recipe was posted incorrectly. Not too sweet, and makes A WHOLE LOT!

This is outstanding! I took the advice and removed brown sugar. I also reduce the oil to 3/4 cup and worked well.

Delicious! My husband and I both love this. It is rare that we both enjoy something so much. I substituted the oil for apple sauce (plus added 2 tablespoons of oil), it tasted like apple cinnamon and the house smelled of apple crisp. Delicious in any form!

Great granola recipe. Easy to adapt to your own tastes. I use chopped walnuts in mine.

Megan's Granola is eaten everyday at our house. It's cheaper and tastier than Quaker Natural Granola, and it's also healthier! I also use Coconut oil instead, and add whatever else we have on hand. Also, I use proportionately more brown sugar and omit either the honey or maple syrup depending on my mood.

I put whey protien instead of wheat germ to make it into more of a meal replacement and even just a little bit fills a person up!! very tasty!!

This was excellent! The only draw back is that it makes a ton so I had to half the recipe and even then it was two trays. Very easy and yummy!

Excellent-very tasty, keeps well in covered container. I toast the nuts before I chop them for extra toasty flavor.This makes ALOT! I half the recipe. This is a keeper.

I really enjoyed the granola and actually I took a few suggestions from the other reviewers. I, like many reduced the heat to about 250 after the first 20 mins and stirred it about every 15 for another half hour. It dried out and crispped up nicely. I also couldn't find any oat bran so I just used a bit more oats and wheat germ. I also substituted the sunflower seads and walnuts for cashews. Good Stuff

This granola is the best. My college age sons love it they demand vats of it. I do use unsweetened applesauce in place of most of the oil.

Yum! I didn't feel like spending a fortune on all the brans etc, so I found a bad of "porridge oats" that had bran, wheat germ and rolled oats already together. I used that in place of the oats and brans etc. I halved the recipe and needed to add about five minutes to the time in the oven. Don't mess with it when it comes out of the oven. just let it cool on a rack so it can clump up as it cools. I didn't add the raisins 'cause those can be easily added to each bowl but not so easily picked out :)

GREAT tasting granola and very easy to make. I however left out all of the nuts and the sunflower seeds. I did add dried cranberries and mini white chocolate chips...great combo!

I half the recipe because my household consists of my husband and me and the granola gets soft after two weeks in an air-tight container even. I make the changes as follows because we don't eat a lot of wheat: Instead of the oat bran and wheat germ I replace it with milled flaxseeds (1 c for 15 servings) Instead of the vegetable oil I replace it with coconut oil Also, I have cheap cookie sheets which I've noticed the granola gets crunchier on (I have a nice one that I've used too) and mine does get over done at 20 min. so I bake mine for 17! Love the recipe! Thanks for sharing!

I prefer less sweet granola, so I only put in 1/4 c brown sugar, 1/3 c maple syrup, and 1/3 c honey. After the first 10 minutes of baking, per other reviewers' advice, I stirred in 3/4 cup of coconut into each pan. After it was finished baking and completely cooled, I poured it all back into the original large bowl and stirred in 1 cup raisins, 1 cup dates, and 1 1/2 cups of flax meal. Per a friend's advice, I used a coffee grinder to grind flax seeds into meal - it is necessary to break open the seeds in order to benefit from their nutrition and I have found it hard to find flax meal... either at all or at a good price. This solution worked beautifully :) Thanks Megan and Annie for a super yummy recipe!! :)

Left out the sunflower seeds. Baked at 300 for 28 minutes.

Yummy! It is so adaptable to whatever you have in the pantry. Quick cook oats make a great substitution for the oat bran. Coconut is a delicious addition, too.

Awesome recipe! Not overly sweet like some granola recipes can be. I did make some adjustments. I cut the recipe in half, we didn't need that much granola. Also, I substituted pepitas for walnuts (we are not fans of walnuts.) And I added a couple spoonfuls of ground flaxseed. Thanks for the recipe!

Overall very good, not too sweet. My changes where as follows: 1) Mixed the nuts 2) Didn't have any apple butter so used 1/2c apple sauce and one small ripe banana 3) I found it much easier to shred the apple and carrots 4) I didn't want it to sweet to didn't use the maple syrup 5) Didn't have oat bran so didn't use. It took me a about 45 minutes to prepare, which I thought was a bit long, but my family and I have been enjoying it for over a week so it's worth it. Will make again.

I agree that you need to bake for only 20 min! I thought it needed longer and seems like I could have done just the 20 min. I didn't think it was done enough, but would have been fine. I did just 1/2 of the recipe and it made a TON! Will definately make this again. Not too sweet and a nice crunch.

I've made this several times now, omitting the wheat germ and subbing in ground flax seeds, and also swapping the oil for coconut oil for a slightly different taste, and it's come out beautifully every time. I will never be without this recipe for a foolproof, crunch, delicious granola that takes any additions or substitutions like a champ!

Absolutely and in every way fantastic. We halfed the recipe and then stirred in 1/2 c. shredded coconut into one side of the pan and added chocolate chips when it was cool. The other side, I added extra cinnamon and added craisins when it was done. We'll be making this often--thanks!

This is not something I eat, but I make it for my husband. He loves it. You really can't mess it up. I add 1 c. of all kinds of nuts, flax seed, etc. I don't add the dried fruit since he doesn't want any. It does smell wonderful while it is cooking though. He is always asking me to make more.

This was my first attempt at granola and it's wonderful! Followed everything except cooking time. Baked at 300 degrees for 20-25 mins and it's perfect!

I didn't have any wheat germ or dried fruits, but I couldn't tell the difference. It was still DELICIOUS. I love the idea of having a cereal I can feed my family that has zero corn syrup, zero preservatives, and a minimal amount of refined sugar (the brown sugar). I might try to replace that with an unrefined sugar and see how it turns out.