Rolled oats and crispy rice cereal give this cinnamon granola a light and crunchy texture that's a game changer. Trust me, you'll never make granola with just oats again! Brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon add just enough sweetness to this lightly spiced absolutely addictive granola.
Not to brag, but this really is the perfect granola! I've made hundreds of batches of granola over my lifetime and this is my all-time favorite.
This recipe is perfect because it's so easy. Just mix up the ingredients and bake, no stirring needed. The granola turns out light and crunchy with a perfectly sweetened cinnamon flavor balanced by a hint of salt.
Looking for more treats made with oats? Try sunflower butter granola bars or tahini granola bars.
If you like almond butter, you'll also want to try chewy almond butter granola bars or chia bars For a gooey baked treat, try almond butter bars with chocolate.
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Why You'll Love This Homemade Granola
- The addition of crispy rice cereal(similar to Rice Krispies) gives the granola a light and crunchy texture.
- A combination of brown sugar and maple syrup give the granola a caramelized flavor without tasting overly sweet.
- Cinnamon is the only the spice added, giving the granola a distinctly cinnamon flavor.
- No stirring needed! Just put the granola in the oven and let it bake undisturbed.
- Adjust ingredients to make granola that you love! This granola can be made with no-nuts or different types of nuts. You can also add dried fruit or coconut.
Recipe Ingredients & Variations
Oats: Old Fashioned (also called rolled oats) work best for this granola.
Crispy rice cereal: This is a generic name for any cereal that is similar to Rice Krispies. You can use any brand at the grocery store and either "regular" or brown rice cereal. Adding rice cereal to the granola makes it lighter and crunchier and is a magical secret ingredient.
Cinnamon: I use "regular" grocery store cinnamon to make this granola, which adds a wonderful cinnamon flavor. The type of cinnamon found most often in grocery stores is cassia cinnamon. If you can find a type of cassia cinnamon labeled as "Saigon cinnamon" it usually has a slightly spicier flavor.
Ceylon cinnamon can be more expensive and harder to find. It is thought to have a milder but more complex flavor.
Do you love cinnamon? You can enjoy this cinnamon granola with a mug of homemade cinnamon tea!
You can make this granola with additional spices or you can leave the cinnamon out entirely, your choice! Other spices to consider are pumpkin spice, cardamom, ginger or nutmeg.
Brown sugar and maple syrup: I use a combination of these two sweeteners because I think it produces the best flavor and texture. The granola is crunchy and light with a caramelized flavor.
This recipe hasn't been tested using any other type of sweeteners. If you make this granola and have success with other types of sweeteners, let us know in the comments!
(Do you love maple syrup? Try my recipes for almond butter granola bars sweetened with syrup or maple syrup coffee!)
Oil or Butter: Sunflower/canola oil and unsalted butter work equally well, with butter giving the granola a slightly richer flavor. Coconut oil can be used in place of oil or butter, but it will give the granola a slight coconut flavor.
Nuts: Adding nuts to to this granola is optional, but will add additional flavor, crunch and heft. Just make sure to use raw nuts, which will gently roast in the oven with the granola while it bakes. If you only have roasted nuts on hand, wait to add the nuts until after the granola bakes.
Favorite nuts to add to this granola include walnuts, almonds, cashews and pecans.
Dried fruit: You can add any type of dried fruit that you like, including dried cherries, cranberries, apricots, apples or blueberries. Just make sure to wait and add the dried fruit after the granola has baked and cooled.
Coconut: You can add coconut flakes or shredded coconut, but like dried fruit it must be added after the granola has baked. If added too soon, coconut will burn in the oven.
Coconut has the best flavor if it's lightly toasted. Spread the coconut out on a separate sheet pan and bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.
Step-by-Step Instructions
For detailed instructions & ingredient amounts, see the recipe card at the end of the post.
Step 1: Mix together oil or butter and brown sugar. Microwave for 35 seconds.
Step 2: Add in maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients over the oats, crispy rice cereal and nuts. Mix really well to coat. Spread out on a large rimmed sheet-pan.
Step 4: Bake for 50 minutes at 300F without stirring. Let cool, and enjoy!
Helpful Recipe Tips
- Keep the oven temperature low. This recipe recommends 300F, which slowly toasts the ingredients and gives the granola a crunchy texture and toasted flavor without burning the edges of the granola.
- Be patient. You need to bake granola "low and slow" and then let it cool completely before taking it out of the pan and eating it.
Storage
I store my granola in a sealed glass jar on the kitchen counter or in my pantry. I think that it tastes best if eaten within 2 weeks.
To keep the granola fresh longer, keep it in the refrigerator (up to 3 weeks) or freezer (up to 3 months).Recipe FAQs
More Granola Bar Recipes
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Cinnamon Granola Recipe
Rolled oats and crispy rice cereal give this cinnamon granola a light and crunchy texture that's a game changer. Trust me, you'll never make granola with just oats again!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 5 cups granola 1x
- Category: Snacks and Beverages
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats (also called old fashioned oats)
- 1 ½ cups Rice Krispies cereal, or any similar generic crispy rice cereal
- 1 cup raw nuts, chopped (try my favorites, almonds or pecans)
- ⅓ cup sunflower oil or unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300F.
- In a small bowl mix together the oil or butter with the brown sugar. Microwave for 35 seconds. If using butter, make sure the butter melts completely.
- Mix in the maple syrup, cinnamon and salt.
- In a larger bowl, combine the oats, cereal and nuts.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the oats, cereal and nuts mixing really well to completely coat the oats.
- Spread the granola out evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. (17x12)
- Bake for 50 minutes. Do NOT stir! Just leave the granola alone to bake into toasted perfection. The granola should be nicely browned, but definitely not burnt. If you start smelling burnt oats at the 45 minute mark, you can take it out early.
- Let the granola cool completely before touching or eating it. This will take close to an hour.
- Loosen with a spatula and store in an airtight container.
Notes
You can change the ratio of oats and cereal, for example using 2 cups oats and 2 cups cereal. The fewer oats that are used, the lighter and the crunchier the texture will be.
You can use any type of nut, or leave the nuts out completely. Just make sure to use raw (un-toasted) nuts.
I store my granola in a sealed glass jar on the kitchen counter or in my pantry. I find that it tastes best if eaten within 7 to 10 days, after that it starts tasting slightly stale. To keep the granola fresh longer, keep it in the refrigerator (up to 3 weeks) or freezer (up to 3 months).
Coconut oil can be used in place of oil or butter, but it will give the granola a slightly coconut flavor.
If you want to add dried fruit or coconut, wait to add it until after the granola has baked and cooled. Otherwise it will burn in the oven.
Jen
This is a favorite granola recipe, I've had many compliments from family and friends!