Crispy, crunchy, salty, sweet, and nutrient packed! Homemade vanilla almond granola is a delicious gluten-free treat. Perfect for sprinkling on yogurt or enjoying with almond milk for a quick breakfast or by the handful for a healthy snack.
This post was first published in March 2021. It has been updated most recently as of July 2023 with new recipe notes.
If you regularly buy granola or cereal at the grocery store, try this easy vanilla almond granola! It’s delicious, simple to make, and you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry already to make your own homemade gluten free granola. All you need is just nine ingredients!
I could seriously eat half a batch of this granola in one sitting. I like to make it on a Sunday so I have it for the week to sprinkle on Greek yogurt with fresh fruit, eat like cereal with almond milk, top my smoothie bowl or just grab by the handful for snacking. I’ve even used it as an ice cream topping. The crispy crunchy clusters – It’s just SO GOOD.
I also highly recommend you also check out this other recipe for Homemade Pumpkin Pecan Pie Granola.
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Why you will love this recipe
- Store-bought granola is often laden with sugar and preservatives. Making your own granola is not only easy, it’s so much healthier.
- This homemade granola recipe has quinoa for added texture and a boost of healthy protein. Bonus – you don’t have to cook it first, just toss the uncooked quinoa right in with the dry ingredients!
- Not only is this recipe gluten-free, it’s also egg and dairy free and can easily be made vegan.
- It’s crispy, crunchy, sweet, salty and nutrient-packed. It also keeps well in the pantry for several weeks to have on hand for a quick, healthy breakfast. How awesome is that?
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need is nine simple ingredients to make this easy recipe. I always have everything stocked in my pantry so I can make this regularly.
- Gluten free rolled old-fashioned oats – oats are naturally gluten-free, however it’s possible that they can become contaminated by other products during the harvest and manufacturing process. Look for a label that specifically states that they are certified gluten-free oats – this means that they were processed with gluten-free equipment and handled with care at a dedicated facility to protect consumers with celiac disease. It’s also very important that you use rolled old-fashioned oats and not quick-cooking or steel cut oats. My favorite is Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Organic Rolled Oats.
- Raw sliced almonds – sliced almonds work best. It’s important to use raw nuts as they will toast along with the rest of the ingredients in the oven.
- Raw quinoa – this adds another layer of nutty flavor, more texture and a healthy boost of protein! No need to cook it first.
- Honey – I prefer the flavor of honey but you can also substitute an equal amount of pure maple syrup to make this vegan. The syrupy goodness is what helps achieve that sticky sweet texture of homemade granola clusters.
- Brown Sugar – helps the granola caramelize and get super crunchy! I would stick with brown sugar and substitute white or coconut sugar. Brown sugar holds more moisture and helps to form the crunchy granola clusters we all crave.
- Avocado or Coconut Oil – I prefer to use avocado oil for a more neutral flavor but melted coconut oil works too!
- Vanilla – use good, real vanilla. This recipe calls for a whole tablespoon! Vanilla bean paste is my favorite but a good vanilla extract works too.
- Cinnamon – this is optional, but I love a touch of cinnamon for more flavor and a bit of warmth.
- Sea Salt – the salty sweet combo is what makes this so irresistible!
- Variations – once the granola has come out of the oven but before it cools, sprinkle some chocolate chips, coconut flakes or dried fruit on top.
Method
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds and uncooked quinoa.
In a small bowl whisk together honey, oil, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
Pour wet ingredients into dry and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to combine until all of the oat mixture is thoroughly coated.
Turn the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet and spread out into an even layer.
Bake at 300°F for 30-35 minutes until golden. Stir it around once, halfway through cooking. Start checking at around 25 minutes, it should be light golden brown and smell nutty but not burnt.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it cool completely, undisturbed. It will be sticky while warm and crisp up as it cools.
Once cooled, break up into clusters and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three weeks.
Tips and Notes
- A big pinch of salt helps to balance the sweetness in the granola, making for a tasty salty-sweet bite. Perfect for breakfast!
- Only stir the granola once during the cooking process. This will help it cook evenly and form super crunchy clusters.
- Be sure to let it cool completely on the pan for it to crisp up after baking. This also allows the clusters to form. It will be a bit sticky when first out of the oven, but crisps as it cools down. If you’re adding chocolate chips, dried fruit or coconut flakes, sprinkle them on top while it’s still warm and sticky, but do not stir.
- Don’t omit the brown sugar, it’s part of what makes the granola crunchy! Just a couple tablespoons make all the difference.
- You should definitely not skip adding the quinoa to this recipe. Not only is it super healthy, but it also gives the granola an extra crunchy texture and a delicious nutty flavor that plays so well with the honey, almond and vanilla. No need to cook the quinoa first – just add raw, uncooked quinoa right to the dry ingredients.
How to store homemade granola
- The most important thing is to wait until the granola is completely cooled before storing it. You can use glass jars, zip top bags or any type of airtight container to preserve freshness.
- Homemade granola keeps well in an airtight container in the pantry for about 3 weeks.
- If you need it to last longer, freeze it! Add the granola to freezer bags or a freezer safe container and store it for up to six months. You can thaw it on the counter for about 30 minutes or just enjoy it frozen.
- If you live in a particularly hot and humid climate, you can also store your homemade granola in the refrigerator.
More Great Breakfast Recipes with Gluten Free Oats to Try
Easy Homemade Vanilla Almond Granola {Gluten Free}
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ⅓ cup uncooked quinoa
- ¾ cup sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup honey
- ⅓ cup oil
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste yes, a whole tablespoon! or vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds and uncooked quinoa.
- In a small bowl whisk together honey, oil, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry and use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to combine until all of the oat mixture is thoroughly coated.
- Turn mixture out onto baking sheet and spread out into an even layer.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden. Stir it around once, halfway through cooking. Start checking at around 25 minutes, it should be light golden brown and smell nutty but not burnt.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and let it cool completely, undisturbed. It will be sticky while warm and crisp up as it cools.
- Once cooled, break up into clusters and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three weeks.
Elizabeth
We are home for a snow day today so we decided to make this recipe. It’s divine! This is the best granola I’ve ever had. It’s perfectly sweet, salty, and has that amazing crunch. The only complaint is it was so good I had a second bowl and now I’m too full lol 😂 I will definitely make this again and share with my friends.
Immaculate Ruému
I never would have thought to add quinoa to granola. It really elevated the flavour and the added crunch was nice!
Tamara
This granola is so delicious! It is super simple to make, and it stores well. We eat it pretty much everyday, either as a snack, or added to our granola. Thanks for sharing
Jazz
This was perfect with Greek yogurt and blueberries. I’m adding it to my weekly meal rotation!
Kaluhi
Perfection!! I tried this with coconut oil and it turned out so great! I love how crunchy it was and the bold nutty flavor of it all!
Eric & Shanna Jones
So good! We’ve made this granola and have enjoyed it the last few days paired with Greek yogurt for breakfast. Those clusters are addictive! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Robin Sparks
I had never made granola before but this one is everything I would have dreamed of – vanilla, quinoa and gluten free too!
Marta
I double the recipe and for the last three days, my breakfast was vanilla almond granola and yogurt fruit parfaits. Amazing!
Chenée Lewis
I made this yesterdat to have for breakfast throughout the week, but I already finished most of it! It’s so good! And I love the boost of protein from the quinoa!
Lisa Voitsidis
Just took this out of the oven and it smells divine! Had a taste of the raw mixture before it was cooked and loved the addition of salt that offset the sweetness of the honey. I can barely wait for this to cool down!!