This tasty vegan Maple Pecan Granola recipe is sweetened naturally with pure maple syrup and forms the most glorious little crunchy granola clusters!
It has been far faaaaar too long since I’ve made granola.
This week my gotta-have-granola craving got the best of me and I decided to tinker with a new variety.
This Maple Pecan Granola features old fashioned oats tossed with oodles of toasty pecans and almonds blanketed with a blend of pure maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt
After baking I decided to let a little dried cranberries in on the fun and stirred those in once it cooled. Raisins also make an awesome mix-in!
Crunchy Homemade Maple Pecan Granola
It’s SO. FLIPPING. GOOD.
I love that it’s naturally sweetened (no sugar or brown sugar needed!) and, thanks to the combo of sticky maple syrup and coconut oil, it turns into a sheet of crispy golden deliciousness, perfect for breaking into nice big clusters.
You can snack on it straight up (my kiddo love it as is) or as part of a tasty trail mix, parfait, or yogurt bowl.
Ready to eat? Let’s get our granola on!
Maple Pecan Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup sliced almonds , chopped or left whole for texture
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil , melted and cooled
- ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1/2-3/4 tsp ground cinnamon (add to taste)
- ½ cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 300°F with wire rack in the center/middle position. Line an 11×17-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for best results.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, chopped pecans, and sliced almonds.
- NOTE: If shredded coconut is your optional extra, add 1/4-1/2 cup during this step. Do not add dried fruit or chocoalte to the granola mix, those must be added after baking.
- In a small bowl whisk together melted/cooled coconut oil with maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Pour over oats/nuts and mix well to coat.
- Use a silicone spatula or bowl scraper to transfer the granola mixture onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet and spread out very well in a super thin layer. Almost all the parchment paper should be covered by granola. Pat to flatten.
- Bake on the center rack at 300°F for 20 minutes. When timer beeps, rotate the pan 180 degrees for even toasting and continue to bake an additional 10-15 minutes (I do 15 typically) or until golden and crispy. Keep an eye on it and yank from the oven once it's your idea of crispy golden perfection.
- NOTE: I don't stir at the halfway mark so i can break it into chunky clusters when it cools off.
- Once you remove your granola from the oven, allow it to cool on the baking sheet until completely cooled. This will give it the necessary time to get that signature crunch we all know and love. (The granola will not crisp up until it has cooled.)
- Once it's cooled and crispy – dig in! Granola will keep for up to two weeks in a lidded airtight container. Enjoy as a snack, in your favorite trail mix, or on top of yogurt with fresh fruit and all your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this maple pecan granola recipe, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
optional granola mix-ins + extras
- sunflower seeds
- pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- shredded sweetened or unsweetened coconut
- flaked coconut
- dried fruit
- chocolate chips
- raisins
- chopped walnuts
I added 1/2 cup of dried cranberries as my granola mix-in but feel free to swap for raisins or add a half up of any of these tasty extras. Dried fruit and chocolate will be added after baking to prevent melting and the rest can be baked along with the granola.
Adding too many extra ingredients will require some extra coconut oil/maple syrup to make the recipe work the same as the one above with perfectly sweet sticky clusters of toasty granola. If you need help feel free to shoot me a message!
ga ga for granola?
Around the holidays we love to make my Peppermint Bark Granola. It’s crazy delicious for snacking on straight up and also amazing over yogurt and ice cream.
Joy Food Sunshine’s Healthy Peanut Butter Granola looks so good. I need to try it next!
Looking for a plain Jane granola recipe? Try this Healthy Homemade Granola Recipe. It has rave reviews from friends and family and is my daughter’s all time favorite granola!
Questions & Reviews
I used butter and 1/4 more syrup because the mixture looked a little dry. I also used cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips and those can go into the oven. SOOOO tasty. I’m going to modify this recipe a little and try to make a pie crust out of it.
This was good. I doubled it and mixed the oats and syrup etc in the mixer and everything clumped together so nicely. Thank you for the recipe.
Can this be frozen?
Can’t wait to try it either way! ☺️
Hi Jazmine! I’ve never frozen granola before. Have you had luck doing so? Super interested in hearing more!
Excellent!
Thanks Audrey!
This recipe hits all the right notes for me – not too sweet, simple to make and healthy.
Yay!!! Thank you Bill!
Awesome recipe!
Jenn, is the 1/4 cup of Coconut Oil the measurement before it’s melted or measured out after the Coconut Oil has been melted? Want to make this over the weekend and want to make sure I’m using the correct amount of oil.
I measure it then melt it just b/c that’s easiest for me. The recipe is flexible and measuring either before or after will still work! So excited for you to try it Caryolyn! xoxo
Thank you for the recipe!
I’ve made this recipe at least once a month for the last year. It is spot on good and I’ve share it with others. Store bought premium granola is bland compared to this.
I’m so excited that you’ve been loving the granola, Pam! Thank you!
An amazing recipe! I added a little olive oil and some pumpkin seeds and walnuts, instead of almonds, and the dried cranberries too. So good!
Love your addition of pumpkin seeds and walnuts – so tasty! Thanks Debbie!
I love this recipe! The granola stays crunchy when made with maple syrup. One time I used half honey and half maple syrup. That batch turned out a bit chewier. I think the way the recipe reads is the best
So happy you’re enjoying the recipe, Renee. Thank you! I think I may need to make another batch this week – love it so!
Just made this healthy granola and it is delicious. Easy to follow instructions. Thanks.
This is perfect and NOT *too* sweet! I think I’ll make it for Christmas gifts this year, it’s that good!
So happy to hear it! Thank you, Michelle!
This couldn’t be better to celebrate the start of the fall season! It was crunchy and sweetened perfectly with only the maple syrup. I’ll have to try that maple syrup-coconut oil trick with my own homemade vanilla granola.
Thank you, Linda!
My fave go-to recipe for granola! I do not buy store brand anymore because this is so easy to whip up, tastes delish and you can add anything you want!
I pop in cashews too!
Love it solo as a snack or it is a perfect topping to my yogurt bowls!
I’ve been happy dancing all your Instagram tags of this granola and so so stoked you’ve been loving the recipe! Thank you Melanie!
A fantastic combination of salty and sweet. All the textures are delicious…my favorite topping to greek yogurt or I could just stuff my face by the handfuls. Make it…you will love it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Yazmin!