Simple and Crunchy Cranberry Almond Granola
This Cranberry Almond Granola is a breakfast or snack food that consists of rolled oats, dried fruit, and roasted nuts. Honey and brown sugar sweeten the granola and give it a slight caramel flavor. What I love most about this recipe is how easy and fast it is to make. In almost no time, you will have your own homemade granola for a fraction of the cost in supermarkets.
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Ingredients for Cranberry Almond Granola
- 3 cups (265g) old-fashioned oats (i.e., NOT instant or quick-cooking oats)
- 2 cups (290g) raw almonds (cut in half)
- ¼ tsp (1.7g) salt
- ½ tsp (1.3g) ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp (0.1g) ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup (165g) honey
- ¼ cup (51g) light brown sugar
- ½ tsp (2g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) dried cranberries
Equipment
Making the Cranberry Almond Granola
Preheat the oven to 325°F/163°C
Add oats, almonds, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl, stir to combine and set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat butter, honey, and brown sugar over medium heat while stirring constantly. Once combined, remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.
Pour the honey mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until everything is evenly coated.
Baking the Cranberry Almond Granola
Spread the granola mixture evenly on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake the granola for 25-30 minutes (or until golden brown). Stir the granola halfway through to ensure it cooks evenly.
Remove the granola from the oven and sprinkle the dried fruit on top. Avoid adding the dried fruit while the granola is baking in the oven, it can burn.
If you like granola clusters, stir in the fruit to evenly distribute it and use the spatula to press the granola back into a single layer. Allow the granola to cool for 1 hour (or until it is completely cool). Storing the granola before it cools completely, will cause the granola to soften instead of remaining crunchy.
Storing the Cranberry Almond Granola
After cooling, gently break the granola into small pieces and store in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks. This recipe will make approximately 6 cups of granola.
This Cranberry Almond Granola is delicious as a cereal, sprinkled over yogurt, added as a crunchy element when eating ice cream, or even when eaten as a standalone snack. The sweetness from the honey pairs beautifully with the toasted almonds and the tart, dried cranberries. This is definitely a recipe you don’t want to miss.
Make the Granola Your Own
Granola is a fantastic treat because it can be customized based on your taste. Do you like different dried fruits? Substitute them in place of the cranberries. Would you like other nuts and seeds? Add them in. The most important thing is to keep the substitutions equal to the amounts for the dried cranberries and almonds (i.e., 3 cups) so that the honey mixture will still be able to evenly coat the mix-ins.
More Breakfast Ideas:
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Cranberry Almond Granola
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Silicone spatula
- Small saucepan
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone mat
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cranberry Almond Granola
- 3 cups (265g) old-fashioned oats (i.e., NOT instant or quick-cooking oats)
- 2 cups (290g) raw almonds (cut in half)
- ¼ tsp (1.7g) salt
- ½ tsp (1.3g) ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp (0.1g) or a pinch of ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup (165g) honey
- ¼ cup (51g) light brown sugar
- ½ tsp (2g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) dried cranberries
Instructions
Making the Cranberry Almond Granola
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/163°C
- Add oats, almonds, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl, stir to combine and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, heat butter, honey, and brown sugar over medium heat while stirring constantly. Once combined, remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.
- Pour the honey mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until everything is evenly coated.
Baking the Cranberry Almond Granola
- Spread the granola mixture evenly on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake the granola for 25-30 minutes (or until golden brown). Stir the granola halfway through to ensure it cooks evenly.
- Remove the granola from the oven and sprinkle the dried fruit on top. Avoid adding the dried fruit while the granola is baking in the oven, it can burn. If you like granola clusters, stir in the fruit to evenly distribute it and use the spatula to press the granola back into a single layer. Allow the granola to cool for 1 hour (or until it is completely cool). Storing the granola before it cools completely, will cause the granola to soften instead of remaining crunchy.
Storing the Cranberry Almond Granola
- After cooling, gently break the granola into small pieces and store in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks. This recipe will make approximately 6 cups of granola.
Make the Granola Your Own
- Granola is a fantastic treat because it can be customized based on your taste. Do you like different dried fruits? Substitute them in place of the cranberries. Would you like other nuts and seeds? Add them in. The most important thing is to keep the substitutions equal to the amounts for the dried cranberries and almonds (i.e., 3 cups) so that the honey mixture will still be able to evenly coat the mix-ins.
This is one I can certainly make. Thanks Sara!