This delicious maple pecan granola recipe is the perfect way to start off your day! Naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and made with simple pantry ingredients, you’ll love this easy to make recipe!
This maple pecan granola is such a great weekday breakfast idea, and SO delicious! We love easy breakfasts that the whole family will enjoy, like my Easy Breakfast Burritos, and Maple Breakfast Sausage. This is one of my Breakfast recipes you’ll definitely want in your collection!
Maple pecan granola recipe
Did you make any New Years resolutions? I always start off my year by setting some goals, in various categories (business, personal, health, family, etc), but I never really call them resolutions. I guess they’re really kinda the same thing though lol.
I know this is the time of year that a LOT of people are eating a bit healthier. After all the sweets and heavy holiday food, it’s nice to switch it up and go for the lighter foods.
Historically, healthier recipes don’t do very well on the site… which I think is because y’all are just like me. We love our easy comfort foods!
But this recipe, even though it may be categorized as a “healthy” recipe, is something I totally make year round, not just when I’m eating healthier.
Granola is SO expensive in the grocery stores, and I find when I make it myself, I can customize it juuuuuust the way I like it. A little sweet, plenty crunchy, and with fun extras you don’t normally see in store-bought granola (like the hint of white chocolate chips!).
I think you’ll all really love this recipe, as it’s fabulous as is, but also great as a base recipe that you can use to customize your own granola!
How to make maple pecan granola
- Prepare. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine dry ingredients. Add oats, pecans, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to a mixing bowl and stir to mix.
- Add wet ingredients. Add coconut oil, maple syrup and almond extract. Mix until well combined and no dry oats remain.
- Spread in pan. Spread granola mixture into prepared baking sheet in an even layer.
- Bake. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, until oats are turning golden brown, stirring halfway through.
- Cool. Let granola cool completely before stirring.
- Add mix-ins. Add dried cranberries and white chocolate chips and stir.
Additional cooking tips
- Use the right oats – there are times when you can substitute quick cooking oats for old fashioned, but this just isn’t it. You won’t get the same crunchy, slightly chewy texture. It’s worth it to pick up a container of the old fashioned oats, I promise!
- Get clumpy – as written, this recipe will produce some clusters of granola, and some loose granola, which I think is the perfect balance. If you want more clusters, just press down on the granola more about halfway through the cooking time. It causes the granola to stick together more, which in turn, leads to great clusters.
- Oil-less – to have the classic granola texture, you need to have some kind of liquid, otherwise you’ll end up with dry pieces of oats. If you’re opposed to using oil, you can feel free to try this method from Cooking Classy. I’ve not tested it, but her recipes are generally pretty fantastic 🙂
Variations of this recipe
- Nuts – I love using pecan halves in this recipe, but walnuts, pistachios, cashews, etc are all great alternatives!
- Seeds – for extra texture and crunch, try adding some pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, or sunflower seeds.
- Sweetener – this recipe uses real maple syrup, but honey would be a delicious alternative. I haven’t tested this recipe using agave nectar, but if any of you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
- Dried fruit – dried cranberries are great to use, but dried apricots (chopped so things stay bite sized), or even tart dried cherries would be fabulous as well.
- Oil – I love using coconut oil for this granola, but olive oil, avocado oil, or grape seed oil work well too!
- Spices – feel free to play around with the spices in this granola. In the Fall, pumpkin or apple spice are great!
- Chocolate – the optional white chocolate chips add just a touch of decadence to this, but you can either skip them, or use dark chocolate instead!
Making granola ahead of time
Making homemade granola is naturally a make ahead process, since it needs to cool completely after baking. However, it can be made up to 2 weeks ahead of time.
Storage
Granola should be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1-2 weeks.
Shop the recipe
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- Baking Sheets – I love the large size and how sturdy these pans are.
- Parchment Paper – no cutting required, these sheets fit perfectly in the baking sheets above.
Be sure to scroll down to check out other readers’ comments for tips and reviews.
And don’t forget, if you’ve made this recipe, leave a comment and please consider giving it a star rating letting me know how you enjoyed it 🙂
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (I don't recommend substituting quick oats)
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp almond extract vanilla extract can be substituted
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 - 1/3 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Combine Dry Ingredients
- In a large mixing bowl, use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix the oats, pecans, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until evenly combined.
Add Wet Ingredients
- Add in the melted coconut oil, maple syrup and almond extract. Mix everything together until well combined and no dry oats remain.
Bake
- Spread the granola mixture onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.
- Bake until the oats are lightly golden, about 21 - 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Cool
- Let the granola cool in the baking sheet completely, about 45 minutes to an hour. Gently break up granola with your hands or a wooden spoon. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
Store
- Enjoy or store granola in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.
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Chef Tips
- Use the right oats - there are times when you can substitute quick cooking oats for old fashioned, but this just isn't it. You won't get the same crunchy, slightly chewy texture. It's worth it to pick up a container of the old fashioned oats, I promise!
- Get clumpy - as written, this recipe will produce some clusters of granola, and some loose granola, which I think is the perfect balance. If you want more clusters, just press down on the granola more about halfway through the cooking time. It causes the granola to stick together more, which in turn, leads to great clusters.
- Oil-less - to have the classic granola texture, you need to have some kind of liquid, otherwise you'll end up with dry pieces of oats. If you're opposed to using oil, you can feel free to try this method from Cooking Classy. I've not tested it, but her recipes are generally pretty fantastic
Any nutritional information shared is an estimate, and is automatically calculated through a program. If calorie count is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
The Chunky Chef is not a nutritionist and doesn’t provide full nutritional information for recipes as there is a potential for error and we wouldn’t want to potentially and/or unknowingly pass along incorrect information.
Sandra says
This is so good!! My kids loved it too!
Kevin says
This is a great snack! I have to grab a couple things and then I am making it!
Catalina says
I would like to wake up with this granola! Sounds healthy and delicious!
Sara Welch says
Such a great way to start my day! So easy and filling; was just what I needed to get my day going!
Toni says
This is SO delicious!! Love all those flavors!
Cathy says
Our new favorite granola!
Julie says
This is SO yummy. Great flavor and not overly sweet. Absolutely delicious. Thank you. 😁
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
This maple pecan granola is seriously making me hungry!
Daniel Perkins says
Great recipe. I tried it with slight modification in spices and it came out fabulous.