Healthy, Easy Granola Recipe with Coconut

I love granola, but it’s so expensive.  Recently, I’ve been experimenting with different ways of making Homemade Granola from scratch. I had to play around with ingredients that I know everyone in my family will eat, ingredients that I can afford, and ingredients that will add extra nutrition. 

Once I had the ingredients that I wanted to use, the trick was finding the right proportions so that one ingredient isn’t overpowering the others. Well, I’ve found proportions that I love, and I’m excited to share it with you.

I can’t get enough of it. I actually eat it will milk kefir. If you’ve never made your own yogurt, click here and learn how. It’s super easy!

But you can also make your own milk kefir. Over the past 25 years, I’ve had to reconstitute the kefir grains twice. They last a super long time and make a tangy yogurt like taste and a whole lot of healthy benefits by only adding milk. If you’d like to learn how to make milk kefir yogurt you can get milk kefir grains here.

Homemade Granola Savings

I calculated how much I paid in ingredients per ounce so that I could compare the price I pay in bulk ingredients to store-bought granola. After inflation the past 4 years, everything is more expensive. So calculating if it would be cheaper to grab an organic bag of granola at the store is important.

Here are the ingredients I bought and the cost per ounce:

• Rolled Oats – 0.09/ounce
• Unsweetened Coconut Flakes – 0.38/ounce
• Sunflower Seeds – 0.22/ounce
• Puffed Rice Cereal – 0.16/ounce
• Wheat Germ – 0.38/ounce
• Honey – 0.37/ounce
• Coconut Oil – 0.43/ounce
• Cinnamon – 0.50/ounce
• Raisins – 0.21/ounce

In 2012, this recipe cost me $5.73 per batch! The recipe makes 80oz, so that’s the equivalent to five 1lb bags of granola for under $6.

In 2024, this same recipe costs $14.65! That’s almost triple the cost!

A bag of granola without a lot of added junk today is often only 11 ounces instead of the 16 ounces they used to be. But I tried to find an equivalent. 5 bags of Bear Naked granola (the same 80 ounces this recipe would make) would cost $29.20. So, you’ll save almost $15 by making granola yourself.

Homemade Granola Step by Step

I make this recipe and place it in a large glass container like this one on my counter top. I have a scoop in it so anyone can get some out easily whenever they need to.

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  If there is something you’d like to add instead, or in addition, then just adjust the dry ingredients accordingly.  If you add more nuts, put in less oats or puffed rice, etc.
2. Mix honey, oil, water, and cinnamon in a sauce pan and heat until melted.  Brown sugar can be substituted for honey.  Just add 1/4 cup more water.
3. Stir the honey mixture into the dry mixture until everything is slightly moist.  I tend to use one large spoon and one hand to mix it well. But be careful! Scalding oil will hurt.
4. If you don’t have coconut oil, you can use another oil, such as olive oil or get some here.
5. Spread the granola out into glass dishes about an inch deep and put in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes.  Keep checking and stirring occasionally because the sides will start to brown first and you don’t want it to burn. 

***Don’t over bake*** 

Take it out when it is just starting to brown, otherwise it will taste too well done.  It will continue to dry as it cools. Add raisins or chocolate chips or whatever other goodies you’d like, adding fesh fruit only when ready to eat.

As a fully dry, cooled mixture, you can store it in a large sealed container at room temperature for 4-6 months. SaveI’ve included a printable recipe card below for your convenience.

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