Brown Sugar Almond Granola

Name: Brown Sugar Almond Granola
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 cups old fashioned whole rolled oats; 2 cups raw almonds, roughly chopped; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 2 teaspoons cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup melted vegan butter; 1/3 cup maple syrup; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

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This crispy, delicious brown sugar almond granola is quick and easy to make with just 10 ingredients and 30 minutes of baking time. It's perfect for topping granola, smoothie bowls, oats, or plain with your favorite milk!

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close up view of brown sugar almond granola on a sheet pan.

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🥣 Why We Love This Recipe
🍯 Ingredients
📋 Ingredient Notes
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
🍽 Related Recipes
📖 Recipe

🥣 Why We Love This Recipe

Quick and easy: just 10 ingredients, about 10 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of baking to make this easy almond granola.
Vegan and gluten free: this almond granola is made with vegan ingredients (although you can make with regular butter if preferred) and is naturally gluten free (although make sure to use GF certified oats if needed!).
Versatile: it's delicious on top of yogurt, with milk, on chia pudding, smoothie bowls, overnight oats, ice cream, by the handful....you name it!
Addictive: I won't lie...this brown sugar almond granola is majorly addictive. It's usually gone within a day or two at our house, so we usually make a double batch. I definitely find myself grabbing a handful here and there!

🍯 Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make this brown sugar almond granola:

📋 Ingredient Notes

Oats: be sure to use old fashioned whole rolled oats in this granola, NOT instant or quick cooking oats. If you have Celiac disease or a severe gluten allergy, make sure you are using certified gluten free oats.
Butter: we use nondairy butter to keep this almond granola vegan. However, feel free to sub with regular butter if preferred, or use melted coconut oil or another similar oil.
Maple syrup: use the good stuff here, not pancake syrup! You can sub with another sweetener like agave or honey (if not strictly vegan), but we love maple paired with almonds and cinnamon.
Nutmeg: a small pinch of nutmeg adds so much flavor to this granola, but if you don't have any, you can leave it out.
Almond extract: although technically optional, it really boosts the flavor of this almond granola!
Almonds: we use unroasted (raw), unsalted almonds in this granola. They get toasted when baked in the granola, so if you use pre-roasted almonds, they may burn. Salted almonds would change the flavor of this granola.

🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions

PREP: Preheat oven to 300˚F/150˚C.

(1 & 2) In a large mixing bowl, stir together oats, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

before and after stirring together dry ingredients for pumpkin muffins.

(3) In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, vanilla, almond extract and maple syrup.

(4) Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir well until evenly coated.

before and after stirring together wet and dry ingredients for pumpkin muffins.

(5) Transfer granola to a large baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring once halfway through baking time.

(6) Remove from oven and let cool completely.

before and after baking almond granola on sheet pan.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

Storage: Store your homemade almond granola in an airtight glass jar or container. Homemade granola can last for up to a month or two if stored properly. We highly recommend these vacuum sealed containers, which keep food fresh up to 5x longer than regular tupperware. They're a great investment and work well for just about anything!
Great for gifting: If you can refrain from eating the whole jar yourself, this almond granola also makes for a lovely DIY gift for hosts/hostesses or for the holidays. Package the granola in a simple glass jar and add a ribbon and hand-written note!
Serving suggestion: When it comes to eating this brown sugar almond granola, there's really no wrong way to do it. We like to keep it simple with some oat milk and fresh berries or banana slices.
You can also serve atop yogurt, chia pudding, smoothie bowls, oatmeal, or even ice cream!
Want super crispy, big granola clusters? Once you remove the granola from the oven, wait to break it up until it's completely cooled. This allows the granola to set so you can break it up as desired. If you stir the granola while it's still hot, it won't set up quite as well.
Make it nut free: sub almonds with pumpkin seeds or another seed of choice if you have a tree nut allergy. Coconut flakes are another great alternative.

How do you prevent granola from burning?

The key to perfectly crispy (yet not burnt) granola is a relatively low oven temperature of 300°F. It's also important to give the granola a stir about 30 minutes in to ensure even cooking on all sides.

almond granola on top of yogurt with fresh figs and honey.

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