I just found Newt eating dried apples and raw oatmeal, straight from the canister. I think it’s time to make some more granola.
I’ve always loved homemade granola, but I missed the big clumpy clusters that made up the store bought kind. You know those big granola chunks, just perfect for snacking? I needed to know how to make that kind at home with healthy ingredients.
I searched high and low, never wearying in my quest. And guess what?
I’ve found the secret. Want to hear it?
Lean in close here.
Closer…
I said closer!
Whispered: egg whites
Here’s my recipe. Printable format at the bottom of the page.
clumpy granola
4 cups rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dried fruit
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1 cup nuts
5 tablespoons melted coconut oil or olive oil
1 tsp real vanilla
1/3 – 1/2 cup real maple syrup or honey (I go with 1/3 cup, but I like a lightly sweetened flavor)
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
- Preheat oven to 300°
- Mix together: oats, cinnamon, salt, fruit and nuts in a big bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together maple syrup, oil, egg whites, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir, making sure all dry ingredients are well coated. Split mixture between two oiled baking sheets. Spread evenly and press down firmly into a thin “donut” shaped single layer with a spatula. (This prevents an uncooked middle.)
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes until granola is golden brown and crisp at the edges. Do not stir while baking. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on baking sheet before breaking into lovely, clumpy, clusters.
Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks, if it lasts that long.
Eat by the fistful or spooned over homemade yogurt.
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup dried fruit
- ¼ cup coconut flakes
- 1 cup nuts
- 5 tablespoons melted coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 tsp real vanilla
- ⅓ – ½ cup real maple syrup or honey (I go with ⅓ cup, but I like a lightly sweetened flavor)
- 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
- Preheat oven to 300°
- Mix together: oats, cinnamon, salt, fruit and nuts in a big bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together maple syrup, oil, egg whites, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir, making sure all dry ingredients are well coated. Split mixture between two oiled baking sheets. Spread evenly and press down firmly into a thin “donut” shaped single layer with a spatula. (This prevents an uncooked middle.)
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes until granola is golden brown and crisp at the edges. Do not stir while baking. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on baking sheet before breaking into lovely, clumpy, clusters.
looks like a keeper! I’ve been wanting to make granola again and I think I found my recipe!
That is too funny! For years I wondered about that too. I adore homemade granola, but I miss those clusters. I discovered the egg white trick recently and it has taken my granola to a new level.
Thanks for sharing. This recipe looks great.
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Thanks for this recipe
I tried it (my first time making granola) and it was amazing! I love the clumps; I was definitely looking for them when I chose this recipe. Plus, I love that the granola isn’t too sweet, tastes great, and is pretty healthy. Store-bought granola can be good, but I like knowing exactly what goes into mine!
Thanks for letting me know how it turned out. I’m glad you liked it! I was just thinking this morning that I needed to make another batch. Thanks for the motivation.
So, first of all, let me say that i LOVE this granola! I just made it for the second time tonight and it’s definitely a keeper.
That said, it should be noted that while it is theoretically healthy (since all the ingredients are things your body needs), it’s definitely not a cheap or low-calorie snack. I’ve started a new thing where when I add recipes to my cookbook, I also calculate how much it costs and how many calories it has per serving, just so I’m aware.
For this recipe, I’m not sure how much is a serving size, but I did calculate the total amount of calories and cost to make it. I used walnuts and craisins, and the recipe cost a total of $6.79 and contained 3024 calories. Not that either of those two facts are going to keep me from enjoying this homemade granola and making it again, but it’s at least good to know when you’re sitting in front of the tv and are tempted to eat the whole delicious bag in one go
Oh my goodness – that is a lot of calories. Good to know. I might have to take some with on a hike, when I can really use them.
I think you can cut the cost slightly by buying bulk, but yeah, with the exception of the oatmeal, these are not cheap ingredients. Worth it though, in my book.
Thanks for commenting. I’m glad you liked it.
Fantastic recipe! This was my first attempt at homemade granola. I added flax seed, sunflower seeds and craisins. Way better than any store-bought. Next time I’ll substitute brown sugar for maple syrup. The real stuff is a little too pricey to not exclusively use it for pancakes or waffles. Cheers!
Thanks for letting me know, Keith. I ‘m glad you liked it. i love your add-ins. Yum!
Thank you! I just googled how to make homemade granola clusters to take to girls’ camp, and I’m sooooo happy that I found your blog! I’ve been trying to eat healthier (though my husband still loves junk food, too, lol!), and I love to write! I almost squealed out loud when I saw a comment that revealed that you are LDS, too. I just attempted to subscribe to your blog, and I will as soon as google gets that fixed like the note that popped up promised
Anyway, reading your posts feels like reading letters from a friend! Love it! Thank you! Now, back to my mission to feed 25 young women healthy food for 5 days 
Shallin
Oh, btw, I like flax seeds, chia seeds, and almonds in my granola
And I’ve found that 1/3 cup of it, with unsweetened almond milk or homemade yogurt on top, fills me up until lunch, so the way I make and eat it, I don’t think calorie density is a problem.
[...] Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks, if it lasts that long. Recipe adapted from the Frantically Simple blog. [...]
[...] adapted from: Frantically Simple [...]
So… I like pretty much nothing in my granola. Like just the oats and some almond slivers. If I decide to omit the coconut, fruits, and nuts, will it still turn out clumpy??
It sure will. Just don’t leave out the egg whites. That’s the secret clumping ingredient.
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Hi! I just pulled two pans out of the oven a few mins ago and they are perfect!!! Thanks so much. I am trying to let them cool but can’t stay out of them! The whole house smells wonderful too. (The only change I made was I took some of the oats and pulsed them in my blender and added 1/2 cup of the resulting oat flour to the mixture to act as a “thickener” around the whole oats.) The egg whites furthered this process and it has made wonderful clusters!! Thanks again
Thank YOU.
The idea with the oats is excellent. I can’t wait to try it.
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Great recipe, but I am curious if it should be clusters that truly stick together. Mine has some semi-clusters, but easily fall apart. Still good and will be eaten though!
Dear Heidi,
Thanks alot for your time to post the recipes, esp for the Granola recipe, cant wait to make it!
Cheers,
Matt
Jakarta, Indonesia
You’re welcome! Enjoy.
I haven’t tried this with egg whites yet, but I am very excited to try it. Prior to discovering the egg white secret, I found out that including some wheat germ or some type of bran, or its equivalent also helps make the clusters.
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Can you use flax meal instead of the egg whites?
I’m not sure. If you try it, will you let me know how it works out?
Sure! I’ll be making that version tomorrow. Your recipe, btw..amazing! Made it tonight.
Thank you so much!
The flax/water egg replacement works!!
Excellent! Thanks.