Autumn Spiced Granola

This Autumn Spiced Granola is sure to be a hit when fall arrives. Packed with oats, nuts, pumpkin seeds, and cranberries and flavored with honey and autumnal spices, you’ll have a tough time keeping your hands out of the granola jar.

It’s nice to keep an easy afternoon snack on hand for a quick pick-me-up, and this Autumn Spiced Granola is the perfect option. Simple ingredients come together to make a flavorful healthy granola recipe.

It has chewy old-fashioned oats, a hearty combination of nuts, salty pumpkin seeds, and sweet-tart dried cranberries all mixed up in a honey and vanilla coating with autumn spices and then baked to chewy-crispy perfection!

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

Oats – Old-fashioned rolled oats are the best option for granola.

Nuts – The combination of pecans, walnuts, and almonds adds a lot of texture to this granola. However, feel free to use whichever nuts you like.

Shelled Pumpkin Seeds – Also called pepitas, they give this granola an added crunch and of course, pumpkin seeds up the fall factor! Look for ones that are roasted and salted. Sunflower seeds would also be good.

Grapeseed Oil – Oil is necessary for making chewy granola since it adds much-needed moisture and helps to bind everything together. Otherwise, you would have very dry granola. Grapeseed oil is my oil of choice since it has a neutral flavor. However, olive oil (not extra virgin), vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil would also work.

Honey – Honey is my sweetener of choice but maple syrup is a delicious option too, especially if you want to keep this vegan.

Spices – For this autumn-inspired granola, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves come together to flavor it.

Dried Cranberries – Dried cranberries add a sweet and tart chewiness to granola. Of course, cranberries are ubiquitous with fall so they fit right in here. Other dried fruits, like raisins, would make a great substitution.

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 10×15-inch baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Step 2:

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, and seeds.

Step 3:

Add the spices and sea salt to the oat mixture.

Step 4:

Then, stir the oil, honey, and vanilla into the dry ingredients. Make sure to mix it well. You want everything to be well coated.

Step 5:

Spread the granola into an even layer on the baking sheet. Don’t worry about packing it down at this point since you’ll be stirring it halfway through baking.

Step 6:

Bake the granola for 10 minutes then give it a good stir.

Once it’s stirred, be sure to press everything firmly down into a smooth layer. This will help create chunks of granola when you start to break it apart later.

Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the granola has become a nice golden brown.

Step 7:

Let the granola cool undisturbed on the baking sheet for at least an hour.

Step 8:

Once the granola has completely cooled, break it up into bite-sized chunks and mix in the cranberries.

Ways to Serve It

• Have a bowl of granola with milk (dairy or non-dairy) for your morning breakfast
• On top of greek yogurt with fresh fruit
• Add chocolate chips for a sweeter dessert version
• Sprinkle it on top of vanilla ice cream

Storage

Store the homemade granola in an airtight container.

It will be good for 1 week on the counter, 1 month in the fridge, and up to 3 months in the freezer.

Gift Idea

This Autumn Spiced Granola would make a great food gift for the holiday season. Simply fill a mason jar with the granola, wrap a fall-themed ribbon and bow around the top, and tuck a small wooden spoon into the ribbon.

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