Olive Oil Granola: The Best Way to Start Your Day

Preview: This Olive Oil Granola deserves to be your new breakfast habit. Sprinkle it over yogurt or eat it with a spoon. The chocolate version will change your life!

When I tear open a package of storebought granola, I like to eat it like Chex cereal–in whole pieces. Don’t give me a bunch of powdery and dry crumbs. It makes a sad way to start the day.

Each ingredient in this olive oil granola is clearly identifiable, crackly, crunchy, and irresistibly tasty. It’s the best yogurt topper ever!

Don’t miss the chocolate version. You may never eat granola without chocolate again.

Recipe Inspiration

Have you ever made your own granola? It’s not hard at all. All you need is a large bowl and a big spoon. But be warned. Once you make it, you’ll never want to go back to the grocery-store variety.

My favorite granola recipe was introduced to me by Orangette and slightly adapted from Nekisia Davis’ Early Bird Granola and Food 52.

Try this Apple-Cranberry Yogurt Parfait with Olive Oil Granola

Do you like granola with your yogurt? The sweetness and texture of granola contrast perfectly with the tang and creaminess of yogurt.

This yogurt parfait is made with vanilla-flavored yogurt, Microwaved Cinnamon Apples (with dried cranberries added), and topped with Olive Oil Granola. You can easily whip this up in 5 or 6 minutes.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• OATMEAL: This recipe is written for old-fashioned oats. Instant oats are thinner so the bake time would be different. Steel-cut oats are a completely different animal. Save those for another recipe.
  
• OLIVE OIL: Extra-virgin olive oil that smells fruity will set this granola apart from the average. You could use avocado or grapeseed oil, but it won’t be quite the same. Coconut oil has been suggested as another option. I can’t vouch for it personally.
  
• BROWN SUGAR: Brown sugar adds a butterscotch flavor that plays well with the maple syrup. If you use artificial brown sugar as a substitute, watch your granola carefully in the oven. It has a tendency to brown faster than real brown sugar. Read the package for the specific amount recommended to replace regular brown sugar.
  
• MAPLE SYRUP: Maple syrup is a distinctive feature of this recipe. Honey or molasses are both thicker than maple syrup, so they would not be a 1:1 replacement. Read more about how to substitute for maple syrup.
  
• DRIED FRUIT AND NUTS: Because I buy dried fruit and nuts from Costco in large quantities, I feel compelled to add fruit–usually raisins and dried cranberries– to nearly every recipe I can. Gotta use them up before they get old. Chopped dates are good, too.
  
  When it comes to nuts, I play fast and loose. Substitute unroasted cashews, macadamias, walnuts, pistachios, pinenuts, etc.
  
• COCONUT: Coconut flakes (shaved coconut) are my favorite ingredient. Of course, you could substitute shreds, but coconut lovers will appreciate the bigger pieces of coconut. It’s fun to pick them out of the mix and eat those toasty babies individually when no one is looking.

Variation

***Chocolate Olive Oil Granola

I’m telling you. This is the BEST stuff. Can’t keep my hands out of the cookie granola jar.

• Add 2-3 tablespoons of dark (Dutch-processed) cocoa powder to the oatmeal and nut mixture. Do this before adding olive oil and maple syrup.
  
  You can substitute regular cocoa for the Dutch-process cocoa. However, the finished product will not look or taste as chocolatey.
  
• I leave out the dried fruit in the chocolate version. It’s a personal preference.

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If you want to keep your granola lean and mean, check out my recipe for Skinny Granola. That name may be an oxymoron, but it’s leaner than this recipe for Olive Oil Granola.

FAQ about making homemade granola:

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