Sweet, simple, healthy, wholesome, feel-good “hit the trail” granola. This crunchy trail mix granola is simple to make and has so much flavor and texture!
Another January week, another healthy-ish recipe. It’s been far too long since I’ve made granola and I put an end to that this past Friday. Three new granola recipes are coming to you over the next few weeks and I’m sharing my most munchable flavor today.
Three loves of mine: fluffy blankets, granola, and trail mix. Let’s combine two out of three… actually, if I count all the trail mix granola crumbs spilled on my fluffy blanket while watching TV/munching then we have a tasty (and messy) triple threat.
Moving right along…
One of my most popular granola recipes is this Vanilla Almond Granola. And here’s why: it’s easy, it’s crunchy, it’s tasty. For today’s granola variety, I simply switched up a few ingredients and added all sorts of trail mixy things.*
Granola is so simple to make at home. I have no idea why I ever bought it from the store. It’s overpriced, the ingredient lists are usually odd, and it’s likely full of refined sugar and unnecessary fats. Granola is one of the easiest, practically-no-work-involved healthy snacks and you don’t need 27 different weird ingredients to throw it together. My basic formula is usually oats, nuts, dried fruit, something sticky (like maple syrup, honey), and a binder (like coconut oil, peanut butter). I customize it based on the flavors I’m craving or the ingredients I have on hand. Like this pumpkin spice granola, chocolate crunch granola, and even maple almond granola clusters. I get it, I’m a granola girl.
*Let’s discuss trail mixy things.
I have a love/hate relationship with trail mix. I love how it tastes, all the different textures, and anything with cranberries and almonds wins in my book. But then I hate how I can easily polish off 93529736 servings in only 10 minutes.
Almonds, dried cranberries, raisins (sorry!), some cashews, and chocolate chips grace my crunchy granola in each spoonful. The nuts are mixed in with the granola prior to baking and once finished and cooled, the dried cranberries/raisins and chocolate chips may be added. The chocolate chips are completely optional so don’t feel pressured to have chocolate for breakfast. There are worse things. The raisins are optional too. I’ll cry a little inside my raisin loving heart, but I’ll get over it. Especially if you add the chocolate chips. Yay.
Some Important Ingredients
The granola is sweetened with maple syrup. I made this particular granola twice and the first time I used honey. The granola lacked flavor, so maple syrup is my sweetener of choice. Make sure it’s a pure variety. Also important? The coconut oil! You can use canola or vegetable oil instead, but for granola I prefer coconut. Only ¼ cup of it– not too much in the entire batch. But this little amount gives crunch and a little richness. It’s perfect.
The egg white—it’s odd, I know. But a lot of granola recipes actually include an egg white. It’s the perfect binder. Another binder I use is almond butter. You can use any nut butter (or sunflower seed butter) that you have. Between the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and the almond butter—this granola has so much cozy, comforting, wonderful flavor.
I hope you try it! And maybe even snack on it while hiking some trails. Get it? Hit The Trail! So dorky.
Follow me on Instagram and tag #sallysbakingaddiction so I can see all the SBA recipes you make. ♥
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“Hit The Trail” Trail Mix Granola
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups
- Category: Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sweet, simple, healthy, wholesome, feel-good “hit the trail” granola. This crunchy trail mix granola is simple to make and has so much flavor and texture!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (255g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats*
- 3/4 cups (105g) whole unsalted almonds
- 1/2 cup (65g) whole salted cashews*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (56g) coconut oil
- 1/4 cup (60g) almond butter*
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120g) dried cranberries or raisins (or 1/2 cup each)
- 1/2 cup (90g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line one large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Toss the oats, almonds, cashews, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium heat-proof bowl, microwave the maple syrup, coconut oil, and almond butter together for about 30 seconds. Alternatively, you may melt these ingredients together in a small pan on the stovetop. Remove from the microwave and using a fork or rubber spatula, stir until everything is melted together and smooth. You may need to microwave it for 10 more seconds or so. Allow to cool down for about 5 minutes (you don’t want to cook the egg white!). Once slightly cooled, whisk in the egg white and vanilla. Pour over the oats and toss to coat. Make sure all of the oats are moistened.
- Spread onto the prepared baking sheet (it usually always fits onto just one– if too crowded, use two baking sheets and bake at the same time on different racks) and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the granola to cool completely – the air will help the granola obtain a crunchy texture. Once cooled, toss in the dried cranberries/raisins and chocolate chips.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Granola remains fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls
- Gluten Free: Use certified gluten free oats if intolerant.
- Almonds: 3/4 cup (53g) sliced or slivered almonds work as well.
- Cashews: I prefer salty cashews but unsalted are just fine.
- Oil: Either canola or vegetable oil instead of coconut oil is fine.
- Nut Butter: Any nut butter you like may be used instead of almond butter. Sunflower seed butter works as well.
Keywords: homemade granola, trail mix granola
I love almost all of Sally’s recipes, but didn’t love this one (it kills me to say this). I followed the recipe (used peanut butter instead of almond butter, and did not add cranberries or chocolate chips), but the granola did not clump together. The oats are loose, and the nuts are separated. The taste was good, but I like my granola in small clumps.
★★★★
You might try to hand-clump it together as it’s drying. I’ve seen this suggestion on other recipes.
This is very tasty, but I was wondering if there was a way to convert this into bar form? Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Suzy! We’re unsure about turning this granola into a granola bar. How about adding another egg white and baking it in a pan? We also have a couple granola bar recipes that we love: healthy pb granola/snack bars, cashew coconut, and vanilla almond.
This looks good.
However Any substitution for the egg white? I just cannot use an egg white in making granola, it just sounds gross.
Please let me know
You really don’t even notice the egg white. I also see it in candied/spiced nut recipes. As Sally says, it helps bind the granola and add crispiness.
Such a good granola! Love to make this when I’m craving granola. Thanks for sharing!!
★★★★★
Best. Granola. Ever. Seriously! I really can’t stop munching on this– I have a container on my desk at work! Wonderful w/ Greek yogurt & blueberries and a bit of honey. I think the egg white is what really takes it over the top and makes it super crunchy. Just watch as you bake it, I only needed 30 minutes as opposed to the 45. This will be my go to granola. I used almonds, pecans & walnuts, peanut butter instead of almond butter, and 1/2 maple syrup, 1/2 honey. Very forgiving recipe to all the tweaks!
Hello. I have one question. If i don’t have almond butter, can i just omit it or should i substitute with something else? Thanks.
Any nut butter works! Peanut butter is tasty in this.
Yum! Made it nut free for school lunchbox snacks – seed butter (mix of pepitas and sunflower), pepitas and sunflower seeds instead of nuts. Also subbed rice malt syrup (RMS) for maple syrup. Came out really crunchy and sweet enough with the RMS. Thanks!
Wonderful recipe! I make this weekly & only recently tried it with cocoanut oil. It really does make a difference with the ‘crunch factor’ & flavour!
I absolutely love this recipe! I omit the chocolate chips but add some ground flax seed and a few extra berries and nuts. The family loves it! Making batch #4 right now! Thanks Sally!
I just made this Trail mix Granola! So yummy!!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!!! If you can figure out the carbs per 1/2 cup, that would be great as I am a diabetic? Thanks Sally!!!!
Made this and only changed a few things. I used peanut butter and honey, but it was still amazingly good. I can’t wait to make more!
I made this for a Women’s Breakfast at my church — served with yogurt & fresh fruit….. What a delicious recipe! I love the complexity of the flavors & how it pairs well with so many other things, BUT, still tastes so yummy by itself. Well done!
Can I substitute maple syrup with agave syrup? I tried to look for this question in the comments but could not find it. I’m curious to know if it will make a difference, I love me some agave!
That should be fine. Enjoy!
Hi Sally! This recipe is AMAZING!! I can’t wait to try it again. But I’m just wondering if I can bake this as a granola bar (follow the recipe, and then maybe in the last 5-10 mins. I’ll compress them together?). I wanted it to be like “on-the-go”. And what difference does the egg white do? (Well, I’m comparing the recipe of Vanilla Almond Granola,which I haven’t tried yet, and this recipe). Continue making yummy recipes! 🙂
egg white = extra crunch and binding. I love it! Unsure about turning this granola into a granola bar. How about adding another egg white and baking it in a pan? I also have a couple granola bar recipes that I love: healthy pb granola/snack bars, cashew coconut, and vanilla almond.
Hi Sally! i LOVE this granola. Thank you for teaching me how to make granola- I’ll never buy it at the store again!!
I add about 1 1/2 cups of Rice Krispies for extra crunch and double the cinnamon because I love it so much. I also added dried cherries and left out the chocolate this time. So SO good!!!
Thanks for all the time and energy you put into making Your blog a fantastic resource. You teach me something in every post and are seriously helping me be a healthier woman!
I just took mine out of the oven, tastes good but it isn’t clustery. Any suggested on what I should have done differently?
This sounds awesome for after morning workouts with yogurt. Granola is one of those easy enough to make at home snacks, yet we rarely do.
AMAZING!!! I added a little freshly ground nutmeg and some ground flaxseed too. It’s so good! Eating it over my Fage Greek Yogurt– just the perfect amount of sweet to balance it out. Yum! Thanks!
Hi Sally, thanks for posting this! I used toasted nuts when I made these, but they became too dark and overdone after coming out of the oven. Did you use raw nuts in your granola? Thank you!
I do not use roasted/toasted. Raw is best since they are being cooked again.
I just made this and it is amazing! It smelled delicious baking, too 🙂
I made this last night and we couldn’t stop eating it! It is good! We had it on our yogurt with breakfast this morning. I didn’t have any chocolate chips so I substituted leftover red and green M&M’s – yummy! Thanks for another great recipe!
This was awesome! I always make a ton of your recipes. I really love your original granola too. Since the overload of white flour and sugar over the holidays I have been seeking other options to fill my needs and this one really does the trick! Thanks Sally!
Just wondering if quick oats can be substituted for old fashioned rolled oats?
If you like a thinner cut, smaller, more powdery oat in your granola that’s just fine.
This is hands down the best granola I’ve ever made! I had all the ingredients on hand, so I whipped up a batch tonight. It’s lightly sweetened and has the perfect amount of crunch. I can’t wait to dress up my Greek yogurt tomorrow morning 🙂
delicious! and i just love how making granola makes my house smell.
xo, cheyenne