Granola is the blank canvas of breakfast foods. A simple base of oats and nuts plus a little oil or butter and your sweetener (hello, maple syrup) of choice, and you've just paved the way to dozens of variations on this easy, homemade snack. But whether you like yours flaky or clustered, sweet or savory, all great granolas start with some common rules. Here's how to turn out a perfect batch every time.
Savory Granola. Photo: Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott
1. To Cluster or Not to Cluster?
That's up to you. Different techniques result in different textures. Mixtures that have more sweetener, for example, will generally stick together better than drier ones, forming a "clumpier" granola. Among BA digital food editor Dawn Perry's general rules for clustery goodness: lightly press down on the raw mixture when piling it onto your baking sheet, and don't stir it right after it comes out of the oven. You can also try stirring in a lightly-beaten egg white before baking for a more "cookie-like" consistency. For a flakier version, cut back on your liquid sweetener and give everything a stir as it cools to break up any clumps.
2. Make Smart Swaps
One of the best things about granola is how adaptable it is to substitutions. Want to use dried cherries instead of cranberries? Done. Pepitas instead of sunflower seeds? Great. But if you find a recipe you'd like to adapt, keep your ratio of wet-to-dry ingredients roughly the same as the original recipe to ensure the most reliable results, Perry says. Feel free to mix and match the components that make up your dry-ingredient mix to your heart's content. If you want to sub in a different wet ingredient, like olive oil for butter, again Perry says to keep your wet mix's fat-to-sugar ratio consistent. Keep in mind that some sweeteners (like agave) will taste sweeter than others, so you may need to dial back the amount you decide to swap in.
3. Choose the Right Temperature
Slow and low is the key to dry-not-burnt granola. You can safely bake your granola to golden-brown perfection between 300 and 350 degrees, but any hotter and you risk burning parts of your mix before it's ready, says Perry. Higher temperatures can cause ingredients like nuts, seeds, and coconut to burn before the batch has a chance to properly dry out and crisp up, Perry says. Stick with a low temperature, keep an eye on your mixture, and stir it from time to time to help it brown evenly.
4. With Spices and Flavorings, Start Small
We love boldly-flavored granola, but anything more than a teaspoon of dried spices will be overpowering, Perry says. If you're using cinnamon, start with half a teaspoon per sheet tray, or about every six cups; for more intense spices like allspice or cardamom, start with a quarter of a teaspoon and adjust from there. Perry says you can "go for it" with vanilla, but keep in mind that other extracts or scented waters like rose water or orange-flower water can be very intense, so start with just an eighth of a teaspoon of these. Add these to your granola before it goes into the oven so the flavors can infuse the whole mixture as it bakes. And whether you're doing a sweet or savory granola, Perry says, "Don't forget the salt"—it prevents your baked goods from tasting one-dimensional or too sweet.
