Healthy Homemade Granola Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is eating homemade granola healthy? ›

On the downside, granola can be high in added sugars, hidden calories, and saturated fat, making some options less healthy. Choosing the right type of granola, controlling serving sizes, and homemade options can make granola a part of a healthy diet.

Once you try homemade granola, you won't go back to store-bought granola. It's so much better! This granola recipe is also a far more healthy granola option, since it's made with whole grains, unrefined oil and naturally sweetened.

High-fiber foods, like the oats and whole grains found in granola, fill you up and keep you feeling fuller longer. Dietary studies have found eating a high-fiber diet can help you lose weight. Dried fruit and nuts also contain antioxidants, like vitamin E, which can lower inflammation in the body.

The Bottom Line

Granola is healthy in small amounts, especially because oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruit in granola provide some fiber that's good for heart and gut health. However, granola can also be a rich source of calories, saturated fat and sugar, depending on the brand you buy.

Because granola contains carbohydrates, it can spike blood sugar levels in some people with diabetes. However, whether or not granola spikes your blood sugar levels, and how quickly it may cause a blood sugar spike, will vary depending on what type of granola you eat and what you pair it with.

Bake low and slow.

Cook at 300 degrees F slowly for about 30 minutes or until it is golden brown and toasty. Cooking at too high of a temperature will likely burn the honey coating, the oats, and the nuts. A lower temperature ensures even baking for crispy, crunchy granola.

Which One Is Better for Breakfast? Both oatmeal and granola make for a healthy, nutritious breakfast, but the winner for us is granola—the added nuts, seeds, and dried fruits give you a source of fiber and healthy fats that oatmeal can't quite compete with.

While both granola and cereal may seem similar, there are significant differences between the two. Granola is a healthier, more nutrient-dense, and joyfully versatile option that will not only make your taste buds dance but also keep your body happy and healthy.

"Granola or granola bars may seem healthy, but can cause inflammation, depending on the ingredients," says Amy Davis, RD, LDN. "Granolas and granola bars that are high in added sugar from sources such as corn syrup, chocolate chips, and cane sugar can contribute to inflammation.

“For active people, granola is best known for being a source of carbohydrate to fuel the muscles and provide energy for a busy day,” Clark says.

Why is granola so high in calories? ›

Granola is also calorie dense – some contain a little more than 300 calories per cup, but others can pack up to 600 calories per cup, from added oils, coconut, chocolate and added sugars including evaporated cane juice, honey, maple syrup, molasses, cane sugar and brown rice syrup.

High Fiber, Nutritious Oats Keep Your Gut Happy

Things like oatmeal and granola provide that signature contrast of fiber and crunch when it comes to choosing the perfect pairing for yogurt. Fiber helps to slow everything down in the body during digestion, preventing a blood sugar spike after eating.

You can frequently enjoy this combination as a healthy and nutritious breakfast option or a tiered, parfait-like snack. Yogurt and granola both have several possible nutritional benefits, and eating them together or separately can become a healthful addition to your daily diet.

Granola is a significant source of important vitamins and minerals. It is typically made from oats, which contain micronutrients like Vitamin E, folates, zinc, iron, selenium, copper, manganese, choline and more. These all play crucial roles in the human body. Vitamin E is vital for immune function and skin health.

Items made from whole foods — such as granola made with oats, dried fruit, and no added sugar, or polenta made with whole cornmeal — are also considered minimally processed and therefore “healthy.”

Smoothie with Granola

Try adding it to your favorite smoothie to give it an extra boost of fiber from the whole grains, healthy fats and added flavor. It's also an easy way to increase calories in a smoothie. Personally, I think it would be a delicious addition to my Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothie!

There's no wrong way to enjoy granola. It's just as good when sprinkled on as a crunchy topping, baked into healthy bars and bites, or eaten on its own like cereal. Adventurous cooks could even try sneaking it into baked goods or using it as a nutritious whole-grain breading for fried foods.