I was thrilled when Crystal gave me permission to post this yummy homemade granola recipe, originally found on her Biblical Womanhood site. I make a double batch late in the evening to have on hand for rushed mornings. It stores nicely in an air-tight container in my pantry.
Lazy Granola (the name speaks to me!)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup oil (I use
Canola) – Now I use coconut oil and/or butter- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 7 cups oats (I use old fashioned, NOT quick cooking)
- Mix brown sugar, oil, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a low boil.
- Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla.
- Pour over oats in a large bowl. Stir until well coated.
- Spread oats in a 9×13 pan. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.
- Take out and stir.
- Return pan to oven. Turn oven off.
- Go to bed.
Wake up to a delicious, cinnamon-y sent wafting through your kitchen!
Tips and Tricks
- I sometimes add chopped pecans or toasted almonds to the mix before baking.
- Delicious as a cereal with dried fruit (we love it with raisins) and milk.
- Adds a yummy crunch to yogurt. Easy to pack for lunch!
This recipe is linked to
Looks yummy!
I think I can smell that through my computer
Thanks for sharing!
~Liz
I made this once and my family loved it. I need to make it more often.
This looks TOO easy… My kind of recipe!
Yummo!!
This sounds a lot like the granola my mom used to make for us growing up! I LOVE homemade granola, especially the easy kind
I just mixed some up with butter instead of oil. *crosses fingers* Hope it works.
@Liz, please let me know how it turns out! I’ve been too chicken to do that, but I know that butter is healthier than oil.
@Amy,
I’m going to try it w/ just honey and butter next time. I’m afraid I’ll never get it off the pan but, I’ll try.
It’s great. REALLY crunchy and tastes like, well…granola. I should make it w/ oil so I can fully report on the difference but, why bother? It’s good. Thanks for the recipe. I may not have made it if you didn’t post one called “lazy”!
@Amy, Actually, oil is healthier than butter
Any fat that is solid at room temperature is worse for your arteries than fat that is liquid at room temperature. Regardless, this recipe looks fabulous! Thanks for sharing.
@Stacey, Well… it depends on what you read and the sources you trust. Right now, I’m trusting the real (natural, not processed) food information.
@Stacey, I actually heard this from a friend who is a dietitian. I usually try to stick with what is natural too, and refuse to have margarine in my house. But in this case, I can see her point. There are oils that are not really processed anyway. If you think of Olive Oil, it’s just pressed. I would say that butter is just as processed as a pressed oil
But either way, butter or oil, I think it’s a much better choice than margarine!
So coming back and reading my comment 2 years later. It’s kind of funny, because I can look at it and laugh at how silly I must have sounded to you
I’m now a butter/coconut oil/olive oil girl. No more canola oil in this house!
Ha! No worries… it’s good to be willing to learn new things and adapt as we learn. I feel like with the internet I learn something new all the time!
awesome! I love homemade granola. My recipe is similar, but I use a 2 T butter in place of the oil, and 1/8 C water to the 1/2 C brown sugar. I haven’t tried vanilla though — maybe I will next time!!
what a great idea! I’ve never seen this before but I have to try it!
Looks really yummy!
I’ve never made granola, lazy or unlazy.
This looks so good…haven’t had any granola for 6 years. I saw your post last night and I’ve been thinking about how to make it gluten & sugar-free. Nothing yet, but if I come up with something I’ll let you know. There has to be a way.
I bet your kids love it!!
That is so easy!! I will be making this! Thanks, Amy.
Yum! Yum! Homemade granola and so easy too! Thanks for sharing.
I work for Bass Pecan Company If you have any pecan recipes of your own enter them in a chance to win $1000 at our website http://www.basspecan.com
Thanks for reposting this. I am definitely going to try it. When I go to visit my family, my brother always brings this SUPER YUMMY granola with him. It’s sort of homemade… he doesn’t make it, but buys it at a special place. This looks similar, at a small fraction of the cost.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!! I have been looking for a good granola recipe and I love this Lazy Granola – I have a 22 month old and 2 month old, so I don’t have a ton of time to spend in the kitchen! I will definitely be trying this soon!
This looks yummy and so so easy! Can’t wait to try!
Just wanted to put in a quickie review… I did actually make this. It was so yummy! My husband even ate it and he doesn’t eat granola. We just ate handfuls for a snack. I will definitely make it again.
Thank you!
I made this recipe the other night. DH and DD love it. DH ate it with milk as cereal. Thanks for the recipe!!
@cris, Glad you like it! Thanks for letting me know.
It was so easy to mix up! It’s in the oven now and smells so good! I can’t wait to try it in the morning!
Thanks!!
Love it! I made a batch at home and took some to my coworkers also. Everyone loved it. Instead of the oil, I used a 1/2 cup of apple sauce. It tasted great!
@Jen, Thrilled to know the applesauce substitution will work. Thanks!
Looks so good and I’ve been craving granola! All we have are quick cooking oats-what would happen if I used them?
YUM! I am totally drooling. I love granola insanely and this looks delicious! And I love lazy recipes.
I’m going to have to get around to trying this someday soon – I love the lazy part! Thanks for linking in to the un-processed foods carnival – sorry I hunted you down so mercilessly.
Katie
I made this recipe last night! How wonderful. I think I will try making it with applesauce as well. I bet that will be good too!
I love that the ingredients are simple and those that I usually have on hand! I try to incorporate oats often into my diet and this is a great way to do that!
Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
Last time I made it I subbed the oil with 1/2 applesauce and 1/2 butter. Worked great! Love flexible recipes.
Ooo! This looks great. I’ll definitely give it a try.
Question – I made this last night. It’s now a block in my 9×13 pan and I didn’t have time to deal with it before work this am…It did smell delicious and my husband was even drooling. I also added a cup or so of raisins, but that’s just our preserence.
Should I have greased the pan?
Did yours crumble or do you need to crumble it as it comes out? I’m guessing if I soak the pan in hot water, I can get it out and break it up, but what did I do wrong? Sheesh – this isn’t quite so lazy now!
Hmmm… very odd. Did you spray your pan before? Mine is in a block, but a very crumbly block. I just wedge a spatula under it and start scraping. It breaks up and comes out just fine. I do wait until after baking to add the raisins, though.
I have a block this morning, and I think my problem was that I went past a “low boil” with the coconut oil/brown sugar/honey mixture. Sigh. The bits I have chipped off so far are delicious, but I’m not sure how the rest is going to come out!
Oh no!!!!! I’ve used coconut oil the last two batches, so I know it does work.
In fact, the texture on mine has been better recently. I think that’s more to do with me spreading it out (double batch) into 3 pans instead of 2. It’s nice and crisp. Sorry about your block. 
Eh, I’m positive it’s from overcooking the sugar syrup. To get it out of the pan, I put the whole thing in a garbage bag and CAREFULLY hit the granola with a hammer, avoiding the edges of my pan. Seriously. After some work, I now have a large bowl of yummy granola, and a clean pyrex 9×13. I was worried for a bit there, but it worked out! I’ll know not to let the syrup get to much of a boil next time.
Oh, and I was a cup short of oats so I put some (soaked & dehydrated) almonds in the food processor and chopped them well and mixed them in. I highly recommend that way! :>) (I also used soaked & dehydrated oats, by the way…)
Yeah. Me again. It seemed I ended up with a brick no matter what, and I broke my pan using the hammer the second time around. (I totally should’ve known better…) Now when I make it, I use a rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Since I use my food processor to chop almonds, I just leave that out and in the morning, I put chunks of granola in there and pulse a few times (or more than a few…) and I’m good to go. Yum!
Next time I’m in Nebraska, I’m going to supervise your granola-making and see what in the world is going on.
If you don’t have your own pair of safety glasses, I’ll be happy to provide you with one. :>) (PS – is your preschooler going as crazy as mine these days? We’re grandma detoxing, but whoof, it’s been pretty cranky around here…)
We’ve had Easter, 1st Communion/Birthday, and a Baptism three weekends in a row. Doing a little detox around here, too. Now… where’s my chocolate?!
I made this Saturday evening into Sunday for the first time, and it is delicious! At first, I was a little concerned it would be too soft (I prefer a crunchy granola), but it came out perfectly! It was a very solid block and I actually had to use the bottom of a glass to break it up, but it’s fantastic and oh so easy. Thanks!
i’ve heard alot of people talking about freezing their granola, how do you suggest freezing it and then what do you do with it when you are ready to eat it after freezing?
I don’t freeze ours. Just store it in an airtight container. Freezer bag or tupperware-type containers work well.
I am feeling very inspired! thanks!
I made up a batch of this yesterday and it is delicious! It also gave me lots of ideas for other flavors, like peanut butter, or hazelnut, or …. I will never buy granola at the store again. This was SO easy to make. Thank you!
I’ve been looking for a easy and tasty recipe for granola and this looks like it’s the one. I can’t wait to try it.
Just a follow-up. I’ve made my peanut butter version (twice now), and OMG, it is SO good. I added about 1/2 – 3/4 of a cup of creamy peanut butter to the recipe above (minus the cinnamon) and it turns out REALLY yummy! It actually turns out a little bit chewy, which I really like. This version doesn’t last very long in our house, my husband and I just keep eating it until it’s gone! It’s great dry, as a snack, or with milk as cereal. You’ve got to try it!
I bet my kiddos would really, really like that!
Has anyone ever made this with Quaker Quick-Cooking oats? I have 4 canisters of quick cooking oats from a great sale, but no old fashioned oats.
It might not have quite the same texture, but should work fine otherwise, I would think.
THANK YOU!!! I was finding a few granola recipes and they had so many ingredients. This is one that I can definitely do and think my kids will actually like too. Thanks for sharing
I made mine with 1/2 butter & 1/2 apple sauce and added shredded coconut and dried cherries – amazing! Thank you so much! I’m going to try the peanut butter recipe next time! Great healthy snack.
Oh my goodness, that sounds delicious! Did you use the same overnight method? oh, the possibilities!
I did use the overnight method and no “block.” I added the cherries in the morning.
can’t wait to try this..do you think it will work with quick cooking oats?
I’ve never tried it with quick cooking. I would guess that it would work fine, but would have a different texture.
Could I post this recipe on my website? I am all about healthy, happy living!
Gwendolyn
I so appreciate you asking, but would rather you just link to it for copyright issues. Also, google search nixes both of our sites if duplicate content is found. Thanks!
I make a very similar recipe that I found in Jonni McCoy’s book Miserly Moms. It uses apple juice concentrate in place of oil. The first time I ever made it, I did not have that, so I used applesauce instead. I have made it that way ever since and my hubby and I love it! Have you ever tried it that way?
I LOVE this recipe! We eat it every day with homemade crock pot yogurt! (Google that, it’s fab, too!) We’ve been out of the granola for several days and my 2 year old asked for his “pie” this morning! Yes, he calls granola pie. It works for me! =) The quick cooking oats work fine for this and a dash of pumpkin spice is really yummy, too! I use parchment paper on my cookie sheet and it all just crumbles up and slides off so easily with no clean up!!!
Love it! Thanks!!
“Granola Pie” sure sounds like a treat for breakfast!
I need to try making my own yogurt…
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I love it. It’s just great
I tried this recipe and the whole family loves it. We use 1 tsp of almond flavoring in place of one tsps of vanilla, and it gives it a great flavor.
I posted a link to it on FB and have emailed it to several friends. Thanks for the link. We’ll be saving money on cereal for certain now.
Mmmm, almond flavor would be good! And it would go great with the toasted almonds I sometimes throw in.
I’m out of honey! I wonder how it will taste if I substitute pancake syrup for the honey? Guess I’ll find out!
BTW – the boys here LOVE the PB version! I make up double batches and it doesn’t last a week here! (14 c. of oats is a LOT of oats!)
Well… how’d it go with the syrup? Also, I always make a double batch, too. So easy just to dump the whole canister of oatmeal at once.
I made this with coconut oil, and 1/4c agave- and 1/4 honey. I also added about 1/4c cocoa powder and a tablespoon of flour. It’s delicious!
Mmmm, cocoa powder. My hubby would enjoy that addition!
This sounded so good! I’m baking it right now. It is the middle of the day, so I’m assuming I’ll just leave it in the oven until the oven is cool? I’m excited. Every other recipe I’ve seen for granola calls for all kinds of expensive ingredients that I don’t keep on hand.
Thanks so much!
Whoops! I didn’t answer this in time. Hope your granola’s not still in the oven.