My son loves granola, which is a bit strange since he is the picky eater of the family. I can’t really complain though since granola is a pretty healthy breakfast, especially when his favorite way to eat it is with yogurt.
The problem with granola though is all our food allergies. Most granola contains tree nuts and/or peanuts. My daughter is allergic to both those things, so store bought granola is not an option in our house.
Well, okay there are a few brands that make nut free granola, but they are expensive and hard to find. I have bought them, but I do not make a habit of it, especially when my 9 year old son can polish off two or more bowls for one meal.
So homemade granola is the perfect option for us. It is easy to make and I can vary the flavors. I have a plain nut free granola that we love. My kids also really enjoy my homemade strawberry granola, but since it is fall I have been experimenting with a few new flavors.
And our new favorite is homemade pumpkin granola. So easy, so good, and perfect for this time of year.
Homemade Pumpkin Granola
The flavors of fall in a delicious homemade granola.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup oil
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup real maple syrup
- 4 cups old fashioned oats
- 3 cups quick cooking oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin
Instructions
- In a small saucepan mix together brown sugar, oil, honey, and maple syrup. Bring to a boil and remove from heat and add cinnamon and pumpkin. Combine well.
- In a large bowl combine oats and add the sugar/pumpkin mixture.
- Stir to coat well.
- Spread into two 9x13 pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
- Stir and turn off oven. Put the granola back into the oven for 3-4 hours. This will finish cooking the granola.
- Remove from oven after 3-4 hours and let cool.
- Store in an airtight container or jar.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 479Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 10mgCarbohydrates: 82gFiber: 8gSugar: 32gProtein: 10g
Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.
This looks great! Thanks for sharing it and the links to the other varieties!
question: do you put the granola back in the turn off oven for 3-4 hours???
Yes, you put the granola back in the oven after you have turned the oven off. This keep cooking the granola without it getting too done.
Thanks for the answer, can’t wait to try it 🙂
I really want to make this but why do you put in two different kids of oats, just wondering because I only have old fashioned oats and do you need real maple syrup because I don’t have that either.
We like the texture with the two different types of oats in it, but you can do it with all quick oats or all old fashioned oats. The real maple syrup helps give it a maple taste that goes really well with the pumpkin. I am not sure if pancake syrup would work for this, but it might be worth trying. I hope that helps.
I was wondering if you could use only the quick cook oats? Is there a reason for using both kinds?
Thanks!
Yes you can. We like the texture of using part quick and part regular ones, but it will work with all quick or all regular oats. I hope you enjoy them!
I cant wait to try this! Your strawberry granola was a HUGE hit at our house!
Our family loves your granola recipes! I just made this recipe today and it is yummy! Thank you for all the wonderful ideas!
Ok, please do not make too much fun of me – but I did not grow up eating granola, as my Mom has a severe allergy to oats … how do you eat granola? With milk like cereal? This recipe sounds divine and we eat a lot of baked / cooked oatmeal, now in my own home and I have always wanted to try some of the granola recipes I’ve seen, but never had the nerve to ask how to eat them!! 🙂
Also, how long does it keep and do you need to store it in the fridge, or is in the cupboard fine?
I keep it in an airtight container just in the cupboard. It should last a week or two easily. Ours is usually gone before it goes bad. 🙂
I don’t mind the question at all! We eat it like cereal with milk or with yogurt. My kids love to layer yogurt and granola in a bowl and eat it that way. I also have been known just to eat it dry as a snack. We love it all those ways. I hope that helps and that you enjoy it! And you could easily make a small batch of this to give it a try. Just make 1/2 or 1/4 of the recipe to see if you like it.
How long will it last in the container?
I would say up to 2 weeks. It usually gets eaten pretty fast at our house, so I am not sure it ever lasts longer than that. But it should be good in a sealed container or jar for 2 weeks.
Lynn, how do you make this gluten-free? I don’t think I’ve ever seen quick-cooking gf ones. I would love to try this, but I would like to make it gluten-free so my dd can eat it also.
Great question. First of all you can use all regular gluten free oatmeal, it will change the texture some, but it will still be good. Bob’s Red Mill does have gluten free quick cooking oats though and that is what I use. I found some at my Whole Foods store and I have also bought them online through Amazon. I hope that helps.
Lynn, your recipes are so awesome! We love your baked oatmeals and granolas. When you teased that this recipe was coming I couldn’t wait for you to post it. Just wondering, this one came out a little softer and chewier that some of your other granolas we have tried. Is that the correct texture or did I take it out of the oven too soon? Thanks so much for your generosity in sharing these recipes! Keep up the GREAT work.
Because the pumpkin is moist, it does not crisp up quite as much as my other homemade granolas, but it does crisp up some. You might try leaving it in a little longer or cook it for the original time closer to 12-13 minutes instead of just 10 minutes. That might give you a texture more like you want. I hope that helps.
When I made this I used pumpkin pie spice and added some pecans, wheat germ and Flax seed. I cooked it for 10 minutes, stirred the granola and cooked it for another 10 minutes. Delish and crunchy.
cait, did you substitute the pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon, also how much pecans, wheat germ and flax seed did you use? This sounds very yummy!
i made this with butternut squash from my co-op omg so good makes it just a little sweeter than pumpkin. i just cooked the squash with a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon on top and added it like the pumpkin but i didnt add any extra cinnamon.
I am glad to know that it worked well with butternut squash and I am glad you enjoy it!
Can you tell me what brand of oatmeal you use? I’m also a gluten-free eater, but the only GF oats I usually find are Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Rolled Oat.
Bob’s Red Mill are the gluten free oats I usually use. They make both a quick and a regular version. I usually order mine online. There are a few other brands out there, but I have found those to be the easiest to get. I have also bought some from a brand name Edison.
I love these recipes. I think I will try the coconut granola. I have been looking for some healthy snack foods. Thanks
This is my FAVORITE granola recipe ever. It is so good. I pass along the recipe and the link to your site to anyone who asks. I am going to try to make it gluten free to take to church this weekend. One day I didn’t have enough honey for the recipe so I substituted 1/4 c. honey and 1/4 c. blackstrap molasses (the healthy kind). We liked it even better! I have two little girls and they love it. A good friend of mine made it after I gave her some and added M&M’s! I refuse to do that, or I would eat every last bit of it myself!