Packaged cereal has become a breakfast staple in America, but we gave it up long ago. In fact, we stopped buying cereal regularly long before I before I began this whole sustainable quest of mine, mostly because even after two (expensive) bowls full of cereal, my boys were hungry again by mid-morning. It just didn’t stick with them. Instead, I make homemade granola and I do it without a recipe. That means no measuring. Which means I can throw together a batch really quickly.
Here’s how I do it:
- Oil the bottom of a large roasting pan to prevent sticking.
- Fill the pan to the halfway point with rolled oats.
- Add “extra” ingredients like puffed millet, chopped nuts, flaked coconut, or sesame seeds (whatever you have in the cupboard) so that the pan is about 3/4 full.
- Pour one-half to one cup of honey or maple syrup over the dry ingredients, stirring it in as you pour.
- Bake in an oven set between 300-350 (F) degrees. (The variable oven temperature allows you to cook the granola while you’ve got something else in the oven, making the most of your heat.)
- Stir every 10-15 minutes* for about an hour or until the granola is toasty brown.
- Once the granola cools down, you can stir in dried fruit like cranberries or raisins if you like.
- Store it in an airtight container.
If you don’t have a large roasting pan or just want to make a smaller batch, these instructions will still work. Just use less sweetener than what I call for here. (Unless you like your granola really sweet, in which case you don’t need to make any changes.) A smaller batch will likely take less time to brown, too, so keep an eye on it.
*Use a timer or I guarantee you will step outside only to find that the dog has run off with one of your shoes and while you’re off looking for it you’ll discover that someone left the hose on causing a minor flooding issue that you need to remedy Right Now and while you’re here you might as well put a load of laundry going. And when you smell something burning you will think, “Oh, those neighbors! Burning something again.” until you realize that the smell is actually coming from your own kitchen even though you can’t quite remember if you have anything on the stove. I know of which I speak.
Does your family eat granola? Or are they stuck on boxed cereals? Do you think they’d be willing to make a switch?
My kids loved the batch of granola we made together after reading this post. The “no measure” recipe made it easy for my 3 and 5 year-old children to help me put it together. I used what I had on hand, and best of all no packaging to deal with. I’ll be skipping the cereal aisle at the store from now on!
Glad you liked it!
I know of what you speak, too…too well. Home-made granola, on the other hand, is something I’ve never attempted. I will now (but will only do that…no laundry or chasing the dog in between)!
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I’ve been looking for a recipe like this–when I made it in the oven, I don’t know it just didn’t turn out how I wanted it too. Do you think if I used a wok this would still work?
I’d never thought of using a wok. I think it could work, but you’d have to be pretty judicious about making sure to stir it so that it didn’t burn. Report back if you try it!
I’m inspired by this post! I’ve been making granola for the family for maybe four years now. It cuts down on packaging and is so much cheaper. But I’m stuck in my ways and glad to try a new recipe.
Cool website by the way!
I love this and am going to make a batch tonight. Hey everybody, did you know that if you’re in the grocery store and can’t remember what she suggested in this (or any) post, you can just CALL KRIS UP and ask? Really! I know this because I did it. Really, go ahead. Any time of the day or night. Her number is 29834729834729.
[...] food store. That quantity lasts my family of four about 4-5 months. We use it primarily for making granola and granola bars but also for oatmeal and other baking. Tweet This Post Post to Facebook [...]
Approximately how much (weight) of the oats and other ingredients does this recipe use? I typically don’t buy any more that I need when trying out recipes and wanted to try this.
Stephen, you know the plastic produce bags that most stores have? I use one of those about 3/4 full of oats – I’d guess it’s 1-1.5 pounds? The other ingredients combined will be roughly equal to the quantity of oats. But if it’s not, no worries. Truly, this is a very forgiving “recipe.” I just made some yesterday with local honey – yum.
Thank you.
[...] your diet, but it’s still not real food. Instead, try homemade breakfast alternatives like granola, oatmeal, or muffins. Snack on baby carrots, apples, and sunflower [...]