Homemade Cinnamon Granola With Vanilla
Cinnamon granola has a great cinnamon flavor reminiscent of a healthier cinnamon toast crunch and is way better than store-bought. This easy recipe is very customizable, made using basic pantry staples, and is both dairy free and gluten free.
Looking for more granola recipes? Try my maple tahini nut free granola, 5 ingredient peanut butter granola, or granola butter.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make crunchy cinnamon granola:
- Old fashioned oats – use certified gluten free rolled oats if needed.
- Raw pumpkin seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Raw walnuts
- Ground flax seeds - also called flax meal.
- Extra virgin olive oil – you can also use avocado oil or refined coconut oil, but I love the savory flavor that olive oil adds against the sweetness of the maple syrup.
- Pure maple syrup
- Brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Kosher salt
How to Make Cinnamon Granola
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: oats, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, ground flax seeds, ground cinnamon, and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: olive oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined then pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Use a rubber spatula to press it into a rimmed sheet pan.
- Bake the granola, stirring every 10-12 minutes until golden brown and toasty, about 30-35 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely to allow it to crisp up further.
Helpful Tips
- Swap out half of the maple syrup with honey for a slightly different flavor.
- Use any type of nuts, seeds, or grains to go with the oats.
- Use raw nuts and seeds. They act like a blank canvas to use however you wish. If you use pre-roasted or salted, it can make the granola too salty or taste overdone.
- You don’t need parchment paper. For this particular recipe, the granola crisps up better when it has direct contact with the pan, whereas it tends to steam with parchment paper.
Quick Tip: This recipe makes a large batch of granola and is a great homemade gift.
Storage
Once cooled, store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this cinnamon granola recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No hemp or pumpkin seeds? – use any combination of raw sunflower seeds, chia seeds, or raw nuts such as almonds, pecans, pistachios, macadamias, cashews, etc., you can also use grains such as buckwheat groats, or unsweetened coconut flakes.
- No brown sugar? – use coconut sugar.
- Add-ins – spices such as ground cardamom, nutmeg, or ginger, unsweetened, dried fruit, citrus zest, mini chocolate chips, etc.
Variations
- Make cinnamon apple granola – add dried apples.
- Instead of plain olive oil – use infused olive oil.
- Switch out the olive oil for another type of healthy fat – such as almond butter, tahini, or peanut butter.
- Like a sweeter granola? – increase the brown sugar to 1/4 cup.
How to Serve
Enjoy this easy granola recipe as a delicious snack, on top of a scoop of your favorite ice cream, with your favorite yogurt or milk and seasonal fresh fruit, on top of smoothie bowls, etc.
More Granola Recipes
I hope you love this Cinnamon Granola! If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Homemade Cinnamon Granola With Vanilla
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats use certified gluten free if necessary
- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup hemp seeds
- 1 cup raw walnuts or another type of nut
- ½ cup ground flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt reduce to ½ teaspoon if using anything else
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: oats, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, ground flax seeds, ground cinnamon, and kosher salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: olive oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined then pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Use a rubber spatula to press it into a rimmed sheet pan (I used a half sheet pan).
- Bake the granola, stirring every 10-12 minutes until golden brown and toasty, about 30-35 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely to allow it to crisp up further.