This Maple Walnut Granola, made with oats, walnuts, pepitas, and raisins, is an easy and delicious meal prep breakfast or a great snack option to have on hand.
We cannot get enough granola in my house. The whole family loves it... for snacks, for breakfast and my kids sometimes add it on to ice cream. It's such a versatile food. It's also incredibly easy to make and keeps really well!
This Maple Walnut Granola sings autumn to me, with the sweet melodies of walnuts, pepitas, maple syrup, and dried fruit. Raisins are a good choice, but we've also been loving it with dried apple rings from Trader Joe's. We haven't tried it with freeze-dried apple, but that's next on my list as I bet that would be delicious too.
So let's get to making it! The text below offers some tips for making it, or you can scroll down to the bottom for the complete recipe.
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe with quantities is listed below this text in the recipe card. If substitutions are available for this recipe, they'll be listed here. If you don't see a substitution you are looking for, please leave a comment below.
- rolled oats (use old-fashioned oats, not steel cut or quick oats)
- walnuts (swap in any other nuts if you want, or omit them for nut-free)
- pepitas (aka pumpkin seeds--look for the raw unsalted kind)
- maple syrup (if you can find the grade A robust/dark variety, that is best)
- brown sugar (either light or dark is ok)
- maple extract/flavor (this is fun to add in if you can find it--make sure it's all-natural though--the artificial stuff won't cut it and will add an off flavor)
- vanilla extract
- coarse kosher salt
- olive oil (one that doesn't have too strong of a flavor is ideal)
- unsalted butter
- raisins (or diced dried apple is great too if you can find it--I buy mine at Trader Joe's)
Crisp Granola vs. Granola Clusters
This recipe has a higher-than-usual amount of fat, utilizing both butter and olive oil to achieve a distinctive taste and a crispy texture in the granola.
Some people crave cohesive clusters in their granola, but my preference leans towards the separated, crispy variation. Luckily, this recipe offers the flexibility to achieve either preference
If you want separated crisp granola: ensure you intermittently stir the granola during baking, and a couple of times as it cools.
If you want crunchy granola clusters: don't stir the granola while it's in the oven or as it cools.
The only challenge with the latter is that you have to be careful not to burn the granola as it cooks if you are not stirring it. Stirring promotes more even cooking, but it is possible to cook it properly without stirring, so long as you pay close enough attention to the granola as it nears the end of the called-for cook time.
Step-by-Step Overview
This is a quick visual overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. If you are looking for the full recipe, keep scrolling!
Step 1: Add all the ingredients, except for the dried fruit, to a large bowl.
Step 2: Mix them together.
Step 3: Heat up the liquid ingredients and pour over the oat mixture.
Step 4: Spread it evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
How to Tell When the Granola is Done
Nobody wants burnt granola. It's crucial to keep a close eye on the granola towards the end of the cooking time to ensure it's lightly toasted, but not dark brown. Setting a timer is obviously the best way to assist you while watching over the granola.
In addition, use your sense of smell to help you tell when it's done. As the oats, nuts, and pepitas get toasty, they will start to ooze their aromatic scent. When you smell the toasty granola, you'll know it's nearly done.
Serving + Storing
This granola will last at least severely weeks. We usually consume a batch within about three weeks and it's always stayed just as good as the day I've made it. Do keep in mind it has no preservatives in it so you can't leave it for quite as long as you would store-bought granola.
Mason jars with tight-fitting lids are a great way to store granola.
More Granola Recipes
More Breakfast Recipes
Making the recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can!
PrintFull Recipe
Maple Walnut Granola
- Prep Time: 00:10
- Cook Time: 00:25
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: About 6 cups 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup pepitas
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon maple extract (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup raisins or diced dried apple
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 and place a piece of parchment on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, walnuts, pepitas, and salt.
- In a small saucepan set over low heat, warm the maple syrup, brown sugar, olive oil and butter until it’s boiling. Stir in the maple extract and vanilla extract.
- Pour the hot syrup over the oats and stir to coat.
- Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake until dry and lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring granola 1-2 times along the way (see note about granola clusters).
- Remove the granola from oven, sprinkle the raisins (or dried apples) over the granola. Allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to a storage container.
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Mindi
This granola is SO good! I left out the raisins and used avocado oil because I was out of olive oil. The flavor is amazing!! We used it as cereal and also over Greek yogurt. Will 1000% make it again!
Kelli Avila
Mindi--I'm glad it was a hit! --Kelli