Sweet and Salty Three-Seed Granola

Supermarket shelves are saturated with so many types of bagged granola promising you a wonderful start to your day. So, what’s the case for homemade granola? Let me count the ways. Homemade granola is fresher (and tastier because of that!), cheaper, easy to make, a fun recipe to try with kids, and super customizable to your own personal likes and dislikes. Nut-free? No problem. 

A big jar of sweet and salty three-seed granola will keep everyone happy. Serve this granola for breakfast, eat it anytime of the day as a snack or sprinkle it over ice cream for dessert.

What is Sweet and Salty Three-Seed Granola?

With maple syrup, brown sugar, olive oil, and two kinds of salt this granola hops the fence from sweet to salty and back again. Like a bag of potato chips, it’ll have you coming back for more. 

Wholesome oats and lots of seeds make a rugged, substantial granola without bringing any crunchy, health-food store vibes. A lower and slower than usual bake temperature and time toasts the oats and seeds evenly from the inside out for a wonderfully robust, full flavor. 

The Best Oats for Granola

This recipe was designed to use old-fashioned rolled oats. They give the granola a hearty texture and withstand the low, slow bake very well. Steel cuts oats would never cook through in the oven and turn out hard and crunchy. Quick-cooking oats sometimes absorb moisture rapidly and could throw off the recipe. 

Should the Seeds be Toasted or Untoasted?

This recipe calls for three types of seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame. The seeds are added to the granola mix untoasted. They become delicious and golden brown as they bake with the rest of the tasty ingredients. 

Adding the seeds in the mix as opposed to after baking gives them a chance to be coated in the sweet, syrupy, olive oil goodness so every mouthful is perfectly seasoned. 

The Best Olive Oil for Granola

A mild, fruity, everyday extra virgin olive oil is best suited for this granola. You want the faintest edge of flavor from the olive oil without it coming across as bitter or vegetal. Save your super fine stuff for salads.

Flaky Salt for Pops of Flavor

Adding flaky salt as a finisher in this granola provides gentle pops of saltiness that complement the sweetness of the maple syrup and really brings the savory notes of the olive oil forward. Is it sweet? Is it salty? It’s simply addictive! 

If you don’t have flaky salt or don’t love it, simply skip it, and add up to 1/2 teaspoon extra kosher salt in the granola mixture.

How to Tell When Granola is Done Baking

The granola bakes at a low 325°F, which ensures the oats are well cooked and crisp throughout. When ready to remove from the oven, the surface of the granola will be evenly golden brown from edge to edge. Hold back about a tablespoon of the raw granola mixture, if desired, so you can compare the color before and after and better gauge doneness.

Clumpy vs. Crumbled Granola

Granola cluster fiends, raise your hands! This granola was designed for you. By packing in the granola firmly and not disturbing it while it bakes, you get a big sheet of granola at the end for you to break up into whatever size you fancy. 

The maple syrup and brown sugar caramelize in the oven and effectively “glue” the dry ingredients together. It’s super simple to get smaller crumbs or no clusters at all—don’t press the granola down in the baking sheet quite so firmly. Tossing the granola a few times while it bakes also helps prevent clumping. 

More Ways to Delicious Granola

The beauty of making your own granola is you can cycle through so many variations by changing just a few ingredients.

 Switch up the seeds! Try these instead:

• Poppy seeds
• Flax seeds
• Hemp seeds—add them to the granola after baking.
• Stay away from chia seeds in this granola as they absorb so much moisture it can affect the final outcome. 

The Sweetener: Use agave instead of maple syrup for a milder flavor. 

The Oil: Substitute a neutral vegetable oil (such as canola or peanut) for the olive oil. 

Chocolate! Add up to 1 cup of mini or regular chocolate chips to the granola along with the dried fruit at the end.

Ways to Enjoy Granola

Admittedly, I usually eat it by the handful straight out of the jar! While that’s certainly one way to do it, you can also put your granola to use in different ways.

• As a sundae topping over ice cream. I love pairing it with rum raisin flavor.
• Slice a banana in half and spread the cut side with peanut butter. Sprinkle granola over the peanut butter and tuck in! This idea also works with apple wedges. 
• With yogurt, more maple syrup and fresh fruit like berries, bananas, or thinly sliced pears.
• Make granola bark! Melt some chocolate (milk or dark, whichever you prefer) in a heatproof bowl in the microwave. Spread the chocolate in a thin, even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle a handful of granola over the melted chocolate. Chill until firm then break into pieces for an instant pick-me-up. 

 Storing Your Granola

Transfer the fully cooled granola into an airtight container. It’ll keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. 

More Breakfast Crunchies to Try

• How to Make Granola in the Slow Cooker
• Cherry Almond Granola with Vanilla Crumbles
• Crunchy Banana Nut Granola
• Holiday Spice Granola