Salted Honey Nut Granola
Make a healthy and inexpensive granola at home! This salted honey nut granola makes the perfect yogurt topper or crunchy sweet snack. If you like sweet breakfasts, you’ll also love my protein breakfast crumble, cheesecake chia pudding, and carrot cake baked oats.
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Skip the packaged stuff and try this homemade salted honey nut granola instead!
After all, too many store bought granolas are over-priced and flavorless. And it’s surprisingly easy to make your own granola at home.
This simple granola recipe has got it all. It’s made with honey and a generous serving of salt for the perfect sweet-and-salty flavor. It is loaded with nuts and seeds with the best chunky texture. And it’s prepared in one bowl and is super easy to make.
Bookmark this page and add this salted honey nut granola to your weekly rotation. You’ll never buy boxed granola again!
Why you’ll love my honey nut granola
Minimal ingredients: Making your own granola might seem high maintenance, but it’s surprisingly simple. You’ll only need 10 everyday ingredients to make this recipe.
Naturally sweetened: Listen, sugar is sugar! But as a dietitian, I also understand that some of us have a preference for more “natural” choices like honey or maple syrup. Luckily for you, this granola recipe is sweetened entirely with honey!
Healthy fats: I used olive oil instead of the usual melted butter or coconut oil for extra heart-healthy fats. It also adds amazing flavor!
One bowl: You can make this honey-sweetened granola in one bowl with minimal prep.
Crisp and chunky: I like a substantial, chunky granola… not a bowl of crumbs.
Ingredients and swaps
Here’s what you’ll need to make sweet-and-salty honey nut granola:
- Olive oil — You can sub other fats or oils like melted butter, melted coconut oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil. I like olive oil for its slightly savory flavor and healthy fats.
- Honey — Feel free to sub another liquid sweetener like maple syrup or agave nectar.
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Salt and flakey salt — We’ll use both for the perfect sweet-and-salty balance.
- Old fashioned oats and quick oats — I like the chunky texture of granola when you mix large flake oats with quick oats. If needed, you could use all old fashioned oats instead.
- Raw whole nuts — I use a mix of almonds and pecans, but feel free to use whatever nuts you like. Cashews and peanuts work great too.
- Raw seeds — I prefer pepitas (raw shelled pumpkin seeds), but you could also use hemp hearts, chia seeds, and/or sunflower seeds.
Dietary restrictions
Gluten-free: use certified gluten-free oats.
Vegan: substitute honey for maple syrup.
Lower sodium: skip the sprinkle of flakey sea salt before baking, or reduce the amount of salt added to the recipe base.
Dairy-free: this recipe for honey nut granola is naturally free from dairy and lactose.
How to make salted honey nut granola
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat to 325 F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until smooth and combined.
Add oats, nuts, and seeds. Stir until oats are evenly coated.
Transfer the mixture to the lined sheet pan. Using a spatula, gently press the oat mixture into a thin and even layer across the pan. Top with a generous sprinkle of flakey sea salt.
Transfer to the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway. After you flip, use a spatula to press the granola back down into a thin and even layer. *Bake until the granola is a medium golden brown color, adding more time as needed. This is important for making it crispy!
Remove from oven and let your granola cool in the pan for at least an hour, undisturbed. Then, break it up with your hands until your granola has reached your desired consistency.
Store in an airtight container or jar for up to one week. Enjoy!
How to serve salted honey nut granola
Topper: Crumble honey nut granola on top of yogurt, cottage cheese, or oatmeal bowls.
Sweet snack: Pour in a bowl and snack on granola by itself.
Cereal: Add to a bowl with cow’s milk, almond milk, cashew milk, or oat milk. Eat with a spoon!
What’s a serving size?
This recipe makes about 6 cups of granola. One serving size is about 1/3 cup.
How to make chunky granola clusters
If you prefer a chunky and thick granola clusters (like me!), follow these important tips:
- After flipping your granola halfway through baking, make sure to press it back down into a thin, even layer across the sheet pan. It should look like one large chunk that’s baking together.
- Make sure you bake your granola until it’s a medium golden brown color.
- Allow your granola to completely cool in the pan before breaking it into chunks. If you break it up while it’s still warm, it will be much more crumbly.
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- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon
- Half sheet pan
- Parchment paper (or try these silicone liners)
- Flakey sea salt
Storage instructions
- Allow granola to completely cool before storing.
- Break it into chunks, and transfer it to a food container or jar with a fitted lid.
- Store your granola in a cool and dry location.
- Stored properly, your honey nut granola will stay good for up to one week.
More delicious oat recipes
High protein baked oats
Blender cottage cheese oatmeal pancakes
High protein overnight oats
Nutella overnight oats
Scrambled oats
Blender banana oatmeal muffins
Frequently asked questions
Yes, feel free to use a full sheet pan if that’s what you have available. Just make sure you’re pressing the granola into one large clump before baking (rather than spreading it out on a large pan) to give it a chunky texture.
Nope! I like combining old fashioned oats and quick oats for the texture, but you don’t have to. If you want to use just one type of oats, I’d recommend using a full 3 cups of old fashioned oats.
You could add coconut, dried fruit, and/or chocolate to this granola. To add coconut, add 1/3 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut to the mixture before baking. To add dried fruit (raisins, craisins, chopped dates, chopped apricots) or chocolate, add 1/2 cup dried fruit or chocolate chips to the granola after it’s been baked and cooled.
Leave a rating and review!
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Salted Honey Nut Granola
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 1/2 cups quick oats
- 2/3 cup raw whole nuts, I used pecans and almonds
- 1/3 cup raw seeds, I used pepitas
- generous pinch flakey sea salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat to 325 F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt until smooth and combined.
- Add oats, nuts, and seeds. Stir until oats are evenly coated.
- Transfer the mixture to the lined sheet pan. Using a spatula, gently press the oat mixture into a thin and even layer across the pan. Top with a generous sprinkle of flakey sea salt.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway. After you flip, use a spatula to press the granola back down into a thin and even layer. *Bake until the granola is a medium golden brown color, adding more time as needed. This is important for making it crispy!
- Remove from oven and let your granola cool in the pan for at least an hour, undisturbed. Then, break it up with your hands until your granola has reached your desired consistency.
Soooo delicious! I made it for my family’s Christmas gifts and it was a hit. I love this recipe cause its such a good taste everyone likes. Sweet and salty. It was easy to make, easy to swap out/add what nuts or seed you’d like to use. It cooked longer than the time noted.
Soooooo delicious!! And so easy to tweak it how you like it, with changing nuts and seeds. I did it exactly to the recipe for my family’s Christmas gifts. It was perfect recipe, I knew everyone would like! So appreciate the recipe. It was a hit of a gift! In the future I’ll make this one too.
This came out excellent. In my oven was closer to 35 minutes total to get a nice toasted flavour.
So glad you enjoyed! Thank you for your review!