Chunky Apple Cinnamon Granola

A simple breakfast or after-school treat, this chunky apple cinnamon granola can be made in under an hour with just 8 pantry ingredients. Serve it up with milk, fresh fruit, and yogurt, or enjoy it by the handful!

Jump to:

• 📋 About the Recipe
• 🛒 Ingredients
• 📓 Instructions
• ⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
• ❄️ How to Store
• 🔍 FAQs
• 💭 One More Tip
• 🍴 Related Recipes
• Chunky Apple Cinnamon Granola
• Reviews

📋 About the Recipe

• This apple cinnamon granola is wonderfully chunky, as it is full of crushed chunks of apple chips and chopped pecans.
• It's also kid friendly with sweet, yet savory, fall flavors, like apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup, that are also great year-round!
• It's a homemade, healthy treat made with protein-rich nuts and fiber-rich oats, and sweetened with pure maple syrup. A great combination for snacking!
• Chunky apple cinnamon granola is a quick and easy recipe made from simple pantry ingredients. In just a few steps and 30 minutes of bake time, you'll have a yummy healthy snack in no time.
• Serve for breakfast with milk or a milk alternatives (like almond milk, soy milk, or oat milk), yogurt, and fresh fruit. Or gobble it up as an after-school snack!
• Try other delicious homemade granola recipes, like my crunchy vanilla almond birthday cake granola! Or other healthy breakfast options, like my chocolate baked oats or baked oats for one!

🛒 Ingredients

A few notes about the ingredients:

1. Old fashioned oats - oats are a very common base for granola recipes. Make sure to use old fashioned oats, instead of instant, quick, or steel-cut. Instant and quick oats will absorb too much of the oil and maple syrup, making the granola soggy, while the steel-cut oats will be too tough.
2. Raw pecans - the pecans toast in the oven as the ingredients cook, so make sure to start with raw, un-toasted nuts. The pecans add great flavor and crunch.
3. Apple chips - apple chips are real apples that have been baked and dehydrated until they're flat and crispy. They are one of the main components of this chunky granola. They can often be found in the snack, fruit, or nut aisle of your grocery store. Make sure to buy unsweetened, unseasoned apple chips. The only ingredient listed on the package should be "apples."
4. Maple syrup - maple syrup helps sweeten the granola, while also caramelizing it so it sticks together. You can also use any of your favorite sweeteners instead.
5. Coconut oil - coconut oil prevents the granola from drying out. It helps bind it and keep it all together.
6. Ground cinnamon - cinnamon adds a delicious seasoning to the granola. It pairs perfectly with the apples and pecans. It gives it a warm, comforting fall flavor that can also be enjoyed year-round. I also love the addition of cinnamon in these apple pie cinnamon rolls!
7. Vanilla extract - vanilla extract brings additional flavor.
8. Salt - salt helps in balancing the sweetness. It prevents the flavor from falling flat without a salty taste.

📓 Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Cover a large sheet pan with parchment paper to prevent the granola from sticking.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt.

3. Add oats and chopped pecans to the bowl. Mix to fully coat in the maple syrup and coconut oil mixture.

4. Spread the mixture onto the pan and pat it down with your hands so it lays flat in a single layer.

5. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. If the granola starts to turn dark brown, remove it from the oven before the 30 minute mark.

6. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and crush the apple chips over top.

7. Allow granola to cool completely (about an hour) before storing in an airtight container. It will dry and stick together as it cools.

⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations

Instead of pecans: you can substitute with any of your favorite nuts. You will want to make sure they are unsalted and raw. This will ensure that they don't burn and the flavor remains fairly similar. Additionally, you'll want to chop them so they're easy to bite into.

Instead of apple chips: you can choose other dried fruits, such as cranberries, cherries, apricots, or banana chips.

Instead of coconut oil: you can use any neutral-flavored oil, such as olive oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil.

Instead of maple syrup: you can use any of your favorite sweeteners, such as honey, agave, or brown sugar.

Instead of cinnamon: you can choose to leave out the cinnamon altogether or use a pinch of nutmeg, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice.

❄️ How to Store

To store: Allow the chunky apple cinnamon granola to cool completely for at least 1 hour, once removed from the oven, before scooping it into an airtight jar or container. Store in a cool, dry spot up to 6 months (not in the refrigerator!)

To freeze: Allow the granola to cool completely for at least 1 hour, once removed from the oven, before scooping it into an airtight jar, bag, or container. Store in the freezer for 3 to 6 months.

🔍 FAQs

💭 One More Tip

Don't skip the oil! You may decide to leave out the coconut oil for a "healthier" granola, but in the end, you'll wind up with a very dry granola. Therefore, the oil is essential to the recipe.

Oil is important in toasting the oats and nuts, as well as in keeping the rest of the ingredients together.

If you're worried about the fat content, opt for healthier neutral-tasting oils, such as coconut oil, olive oil, or sunflower oil instead of vegetable oil which is higher in saturated fat.

🍴 Related Recipes

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