Can I Substitute Quick Oats for Rolled Oats in Granola

This simple granola recipe is the perfect base recipe for a delicious granola. Great on its own, or with nuts or dried fruit mixed in! Enjoy with yogurt, milk, or plain!

A large mason jar full of homemade crunchy granola.

When I was in Vienna on my study abroad, my most favorite breakfast was yogurt with muesli on top. Muesli is basically uncooked granola (also known as rolled oats) with lots of fruits and nuts in it. My favorites usually had dried strawberries or banana and chocolate pieces tossed throughout. From there I grew to love the crunchy texture of the cereal on top of my morning yogurt.

Well, fast forward a couple years, and now I love granola on top of my yogurt. I also love just grabbing a handful of granola to snack on, or eating it like cereal in a bowl with milk.

A bowl of yogurt topped with granola, blackberries, and blueberries.

I decided that it would be easier to make my own granola at home. And this granola recipe could not be any easier! This granola is only 6 ingredients and its so delicious! It's such a great granola recipe on its own, but its also amazing with dried fruit or nuts added in to the mix.

A mason jar knocked on its side with granola spilling out.

What type of oats should I use?

For this granola recipe you'll want to use rolled oats, which are also called old fashioned oats, or whole oats. Rolled oats are pieces of whole grains of oats that are steamed till they're soft and then pressed to flatten.

Quick oats, or instant oats are precooked and pressed thinner than rolled oats, so you may be able to use them instead, but they will cook much faster because of their thinner shape, so you'll need to adjust your baking time. I've never tried making granola with steel cut oats. There are recipes using steel cut oats and I would recommend using one of those instead as the nature of the oats are a lot different than rolled oats. But if you try it with this recipe, please let me know!

An overhead shot of homemade granola in a jar.

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What can I mix in with the granola?

Raisins or Craisins
Other Dried Fruit (dried pineapple, bananas, apricots, blueberries, coconut, cherries, mango, etc)
Nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc)
Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, etc)
Chocolate or White Chocolate Pieces

This simple granola turned out so delicious. I'm thrilled to be able to eat it on top of my daily yogurt or with milk! I've also used it to make homemade granola bars, and yogurt parfaits.

Ps. Nate even loves it too (which is always a good sign!), he was hungry last night and had a bowl of my homemade granola with milk.

How to make homemade granola?

Combine the brown sugar, honey, and oil in a small sauce pan and heat over medium until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the oats to a bowl, and pour the sugar mixture over the oats. Stir in the cinnamon and salt too until the oats are evenly coated.

Spread the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake it up for 1 hour, stirring about 2 to 3 times. Remove from the oven and let the granola cool completely. Then break it into pieces. Enjoy however you want!

A close up of simple granola filled to the brim of a large mason jar.

How long does homemade granola last?

Although it never lasts that long for us, this homemade granola should stay fresh in an airtight container for 3-4 weeks.

This granola can also be frozen in small ziplock freezer safe bags for up to 3 months. Remove as much air from the bags as you can, or use vacuum sealed bags and a vacuum sealer for best results. Let the granola thaw on the counter at room temperature over night before serving.

A bowl of yogurt topped with granola, blackberries, and blueberries.

Looking for more homemade granola recipes:

Peanut Butter Granola
Coconut Almond Granola
Nut and Seed Granola
Banana Granola

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A close up of simple granola filled to the brim of a large mason jar.

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil**
4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine brown sugar, honey and canola oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
Cook, stirring often until sugar is dissolved.
Pour brown sugar mixture over oats and add cinnamon and salt. Stir until oats are evenly coated.
Spread granola mixture over a cookie sheet (sprayed with pam) and press mixture down.
Place in oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before breaking apart and into pieces.
Store in a ziplock bag or other air tight container.

**Use your preference of oil, canola, vegetable, or even coconut oil, etc.

Homemade granola recipe

This recipe was first shared on May 24, 2013. Photos and text updated on August 24, 2018.

GET READY TO MAKE THIS SIMPLE GRANOLA BASE WITH THESE GREAT KITCHEN TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS:

Old Fashioned Oats
Small Sauce Pan
Pam Nonstick Spray
Cookie Sheet
Mixing Bowl
Ziplock Bags

This simple granola recipe is the perfect base recipe for a delicious granola. Great on its own, or with nuts or dried fruit mixed in! Enjoy with yogurt, milk, or plain!