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    Home » Breakfast

    Published: May 12, 2013 · Modified: Feb 11, 2022 by Meryl Downing 12 Comments

    Apple Pecan Granola

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    Once you make homemade granola, you may never go back!  Apple Pecan Granola is the perfect breakfast, loaded with oats, pecans, walnuts, maple syrup and that delicious combination of cinnamon and applesauce!  Use it to top yogurt, oatmeal, plain cheerios or chex, or just eat it by the handful!

    Applesauce Granola with Pecans

    Why We Love It!

    • Homemade Granola is so delicious! - If you haven't tried it, try it!  This apple granola is especially great because it uses applesauce and cinnamon to give you that classic flavor.  It's a staple in our house and we alternate between our 2 favorite kinds, Apple Pecan Granola and Almond Spiced Granola.  
    • It's better for you! - Fresh from the oven, that apple pie smell, homemade applesauce granola is made with REAL, better for you ingredients.  It's far superior to its store-bought counterpart, no refined sugar or preservatives here!  Just lots of protein from good quality ingredients like oats, nuts, seeds and apple sauce.  The applesauce takes the place of some of the oil needed in granola.  
    • Customize it to make it your own! - You need to keep the wet to dry ingredients proportioned the same.  But, from there you can try different nut and seed combinations, honey instead of maple syrup, different dried fruits (adding dried apple chips would be amazing!), make it your own!  If you want to use less nuts to make it more affordable, just sub extra oats.  Or, if you want to use more nuts to make it healthier, again, just sub less oats.  
    • Let the kids help! - Homemade granola is one of my kid's favorite things to help with in the kitchen.  They've been making granola since they were two, they love to measure, stir, smell, mix, and sample!
    Apple Pecan Granola

    Ingredients & Substitutions

    • Regular Rolled Oats - Not steel cut or quick oats.  I like to get these out of the bulk bin at the store.
    • Pecans & Walnuts - You can leave the nuts whole or chop them, and sub any nuts you like.
    • Seeds - I like to use any combination of pumpkin, sunflower, flax, or chia seeds.
    • Shredded Coconut - Adds a hint of sweetness.
    • Cinnamon & Salt - Don't leave out the salt!  It gives you that salty sweet combo and gives lots of flavor to the granola!
    • Applesauce - Applesauce gives you that autumn harvest apple flavor, which marries perfectly with the cinnamon and maple syrup.
    • Coconut Oil - Can be melted in the microwave.
    • Maple Syrup - Be sure to use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup.  This is the sweetener for the granola, you could also use honey.  The maple pecan granola flavor is truly my favorite!  It has such a rich depth to it that store-bought granola, sweetened with sugar, just doesn't have.
    • Raisins - Don't bake the raisins!  Add them after the granola is baked and cooled.  Any dried fruit will work here such as cranberry, cherries, sliced apricots, golden or regular raisins.  Or try apple chips or any form of dehydrated apples, added when the granola is cooled.
    Apple Pecan Granola Ingredients

    Step-By-Step Instructions

    Step 1 - Preheat oven to 250°. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl (not raisins).  Mix wet ingredients in a small glass measuring cup (coconut oil can be microwaved and then measured).

    Apple Pecan Granola Instructions

    Step 2 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well. Spread granola on two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper (parchment paper can be reused again and again for granola!).

    Apple Pecan Granola Instructions

    Step 3 - Bake for 75 minutes. When the time is up, turn oven off and leave granola in the oven a few hours or overnight, do not open oven or stir it (this gives you nice big clusters).

    Apple Pecan Granola Instructions

    Step 4 - When cooled, add dried fruit and store in a jar.

    Applesauce Granola with yogurt and berries

    Tips for the Best Granola

    • Use two large sheet pans to spread the granola out.  Bake it on parchment paper, which really helps your nice big clusters stay intact and keeps your apple granola from sticking to the pan.  You can reuse your parchment paper several times for making granola (go green!).
    • While the granola slowly bakes for 75 minutes, don't open the oven or stir it!  That ruins your clusters.  And when the timer is up, just turn the oven off and leave the granola in for a few hours to cool.  Again, the clusters are forming!!
    Cinnamon Apple Granola

    How to Use Apple Pecan Granola

    We use our cinnamon apple granola to top yogurt, Crockpot Steel Cut Oatmeal or my Homemade Instant Oatmeal, or cold cereal (add some excitement and protein to cheerios or chex).  We add it to trail mix, put it on ice cream, or sprinkle it over sliced bananas or apples and peanut butter for a healthy kid's snack.  I steal a handful when mom needs a sweet and healthy quick afternoon bite!  When you make your own granola, it's a healthy addition to breakfast or snack time!   

    Apple Pecan Granola
    Apple Pecan Granola

    More Breakfast Favorites!

    • Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
    • Easy Weekday Protein French Toast Bake
    • Kid's Healthy Breakfast Ideas
    • Easy Protein Pancakes

    If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think! Hit the share buttons and leave a star rating and a comment below, or tag me in a pic @sungrown_kitchen! You can also follow along with Sungrown Kitchen on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK to see more garden recipes and what we've been up to!

    Apple Pecan Granola

    Apple Pecan Granola

    Meryl Downing
    Once you make homemade granola, you may never go back! Apple Pecan Granola is the perfect breakfast, use it to top yogurt, oatmeal, plain cheerios or chex, or just eat it by the handful. Made with applesauce, maple syrup, and lots of pecans!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 15 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 25 mins
    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine American
    Servings 9 cups

    Ingredients
      

    • 5 cups rolled oats
    • 1 cup pecans roughly chopped or left whole
    • 1 cup walnuts roughly chopped or left whole (any nuts can be substituted)
    • ½ cup seeds any combination of sunflower, pumpkin, flax, sesame, or chia seeds
    • ½ cup shredded coconut
    • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ cup applesauce
    • ½ cup coconut oil
    • ½ cup maple syrup honey can be substituted
    • ½ cup raisins any combination of raisins-regular or golden, craisins, dried apple, or any other dried fruit

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 250°. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl (not raisins).
    • Mix wet ingredients in a small glass measuring cup (coconut oil can be microwaved and then measured).
    • Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well. Spread granola on two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper (parchment paper can be reused again and again for granola!).
    • Bake for 75 minutes. When the time is up, turn oven off and leave granola in the oven a few hours or overnight, do not open oven or stir it (this gives you nice big clusters).
    • When cooled, add dried fruit and store in a jar.

    Notes

    • The recipe can be altered in any way as long as the wet to dry ratio remains the same. For example, if you want to make the recipe more affordable, you can use more oats and less nuts as long as it totals 7 cups, etc.
    • Don't open the oven or stir the granola while it's baking, this ruins the big clusters!  
    Keyword Apple Granola, Apple Pecan Granola, applesauce granola, Maple Pecan Granola
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dave Rice says

      August 15, 2021 at 11:01 pm

      5 stars
      I had it for breakfast Friday with a peach and vanilla yogurt. Very good.

      Reply

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