Cinnamon Lover’s Granola
This delicious cinnamon granola is so easy to make at home! Made with oats, nuts, honey and, of course, cinnamon, it is a perfect breakfast or snack.
I love me some homemade granola, and this cinnamon granola does not disappoint!
Simple to make and super tasty, the cinnamon is definitely the star of the show – a great flavor to pair with the hearty ingredients in the granola!
Cinnamon Granola Ingredients
Making granola at home is so easy!
All of the dry ingredients go in a bowl. In this case, it’s:
- old-fashioned oats
- brown sugar
- ground flax (optional – see recipe notes for some good subs!)
- chopped nuts (I use pecans)
- cinnamon
- salt
Granola Syrup
Next comes the granola syrup! This is what helps everything stick together.
- neutral-flavored oil
- honey
- vanilla
Pour the syrup over the granola, and give everything a good toss until the ingredients are evenly coated.
An Unpopular Baking Opinion
I know most recipes for granola call for the granola to bake at a low temperature for a long period of time. But I prefer to bake my granola at a higher temperature for a short amount of time.
It has served me well for this favorite granola and this super popular granola, so I’m sticking with it.
Spread the granola evenly on baking sheets and bake at 325 degrees for 15-25 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn!
The Key to Perfect Granola
For perfect homemade granola, don’t stir when the granola comes out of the oven!
Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet, WITHOUT STIRRING.
Once it’s cooled, it’ll break into delightful small clusters as you scrape it off the pan.
I like granola with a more “piece-y” texture than granola with large, crunchy, rip-the-roof-of-your-mouth-open clusters. And this cinnamon granola has the perfect combination of crunch, clusters, and finer pieces.
Breakfast or Snack
We eat a lot of yogurt and granola around here. For quick breakfasts. After school snacks. And every opportunity in between.
With a high-protein yogurt, granola makes a deliciously healthy snack for my kids involved in busy athletics and after-school activities. Or as a late night grab because MY TEENAGE BOYS EAT NONSTOP. Literally, nonstop.
This cinnamon granola is a fabulous addition to the handful of granola recipes we already make and love. The cinnamon flavor is prominent without being overwhelming, and it’s tasty by the handful or on any flavor of yogurt!
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Cinnamon Lover’s Granola
Ingredients
Granola:
- 6 cups (600 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup (106 g) packed light or dark brown sugar (see note)
- 1 cup (120 g) finely chopped nuts (I use pecans)
- ¼ cup (33 g) ground flaxseed (optional)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon coarse, kosher salt (use 1/2 teaspoon if using table salt)
Syrup:
- ½ cup (98 g) neutral-flavored oil or melted coconut oil
- ½ cup (163 g) honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside. (See note below for baking both pans at once.)
- In a large bowl, combine all of the granola ingredients and toss or stir to evenly combine.
- In a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the oil, honey and vanilla until well-combined.
- Pour the syrup over the granola ingredients and stir until all the ingredients are evenly coated.
- Scrape half of the mixture onto each sheet pan. Spread into an even layer.
- Bake the granola for 15-25 minutes, stirring once or twice and rotating pans halfway through. Add additional time, if needed.
- Let the granola rest on the cookie sheet without stirring to cool completely. Once cooled, scrape off the pan into pieces and store in an airtight container. The granola will keep at room temperature, well-covered, for several weeks.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: inspired by a recipe a reader, Allison J., sent me – used this favorite honey almond granola as inspiration, too.
Tasty granola with just the right amount of sweetness. I think next time I will add more cinnamon.
This granola is so good. It beats any store bought. I added pumpkin seeds along with the walnuts and it took it to a whole notha level.
Never mind my previous question. I was thinking the half pans were the really small ones. But a half is the size I usually use for baking.
Why do you use two half pans instead of one whole pan?
There’s a nut allergy in our family. Can we make this without the nuts? Or do you have a different, nut-free granola recipe? Thanks!
You could try leaving the nuts out or adding sunflower seeds and/or pepitas at the end of cooking for just a few minutes to lightly toast them.
I really want to try this I just wish it had the nutritional value on the website, but thank you anyway I’m sure I’ll figure it out.
The nutrition information (just a guideline, but a good place to start) is located right below the recipe. Hope that helps!
This is my go-to granola recipe. It’s quick to make, doesn’t take forever to bake, and soooo delicious. We also love the brown butter granola from Mel’s, but it is putzier to make. This one comes together in a flash.
We love this granola
I have this in the oven right now, but seeing as how I couldn’t stop eating the uncooked mixture I can already tell this is going to be delicious.
The only change I made was to substitute 2 cups of the oats for plain puffed wheat, I do this with all my granolas, as it seems to make the texture more appealing to my kids.
This granola is fabulous! It’s delicious, easy to prepare, and uses ingredients I usually have on hand. I made it today for the second time, and plan to make it frequently. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Delicious!
I did 2t of cinnamon instead of 1T. I took out a cup of oats and did a cup of buckwheat groats instead. We used black walnuts ( that my girls shelled from our tree by smashing the hulls between two rocks haha), and I didn’t have the flax.
Holy. Moly. I’m never going to buy granola again. Flavor and texture are out of this world and it was so incredibly easy to make. 10/10.
I have made this recipe twice, and the granola sticks to the pan. I baked it on wax paper and sprayed it before adding the oat mixture.
My current favorite granola. Cinnamon is everything. ♥️
I forgot to add that the higher temp with a faster cook time totally worked for me. I have had bad luck overcooking granolas that supposedly take 2hrs in the oven…but mine tastes a little burnt in 1-1.5hrs.
Another homemade granola recipe . . . another winner! The cinnamon flavor is subtle and not over-powering. So yummy!
Wow, this granola is amazing! I used almonds for the nuts and canola oil for the oil. This came together so quickly! All of my kids loved it. This will definitely be made regularly. Thank you, Mel!
My whole family loved this! My only issue was forgetting about it on the pans after baking it and having both pans turn into granola bricks…that was fun to chip apart! I think next time I’ll try less brown sugar and a little more cinnamon; my girls are still pretty little and they do like granola generally, but I know the sweetness of this version was definitely a factor in how much they loved it!
This granola is delicious!
For years my “go to” granola recipe has been Alton Brown’s, everybody who tries it loves that granola! I just made “cinnamon lovers granola” and this just may be my new “go to” recipe-it is so, so good! Thank you Mel!
I’m really looking forward to making this granola! Your recipes never disappoint Mel. One question…..I am very allergic to tree nuts. Like anaphylaxis allergic. Any suggestions on something I could sub for the nuts?
Hi Heather, you could use peanuts or sunflower seeds!
Super easy and tasty! Thanks for another winner, Mel!
I made this granola today and it is amazing!! SO delicious! I can’t stop eating it! This will be on rotation for sure! Thank you!!
Thanks, Shanna! So happy to hear that!
Delicious! Perfect balance of salty/sweet. Added some shredded coconut instead of the flax seed.
Love that addition!
Wow!!! This is the best granola I’ve ever tasted, store-bought or homemade! I will definitely be making this recipe over and over. Thank you so much Mel! My house smells like cinnamon goodness.
Hi Mel, made this yesterday instead of the brown butter recipe (which I make regularly) since I was short on time. I added unsweetened shredded coconut for that additional texture. Just didn’t get the granola crunchy enough because I was so concerned with burning it, but it was still so good! Question: could brown butter be subbed for the oil with similar outcome?
Yes I think you could definitely sub in brown butter – if using salted butter, just decrease the salt a bit in the recipe.
Wow! I made granola quite a bit, but this is my new go-to. I whipped it up the night before and baked it in the morning. I love that it clumps and the flavor is so yummy! Thanks Mel!
Thanks for the review, Ashley!
I have been on a granola kick lately so I will try this. What does the flax add? My beloved ATK recipe doesn’t include it so I am curious. Also, I am genuinely interested in a post on how you do snacks for your teenagers. What do you have on hand—do you do mostly homemade stuff or packaged stuff? Plus, do they eat as they please or are there limits? Can you even control that? My almost twelve year old has a growing appetite and with four kids, I am realizing snacks and big appetites are my foreseeable future. I am wondering about good options that are relatively healthy, affordable, easy, filling, etc. I’d sincerely love to know your tips/philosophy on snacks!
Can I second this? Thanks for all your good advice and amazing recipes!
Hey Alison, the flax adds a bit of nutritional/fiber boost, but you can definitely leave it out (it also helps bind the ingredients for better clumping).
The whole kids/teens and snacking is an ongoing “thing” at our house! I used to be a lot more particular about when and what they ate, but over the years, I’ve relaxed more and just tried to stock the pantry and fridge with nutritional options and not manage or control too much of when they eat. Having said that – they don’t have free reign completely! We have pretty steadfast expectations that the pantry isn’t getting raided right before dinner (I’m a stickler about everyone eating dinner if I’ve gone to the effort to make it!). But my kids do eat a hefty after school snack and always eat later-night snacks. We do a mix of homemade vs storebought.
My teenage boys are really into weight lifting and building muscle so they naturally go for the greek yogurt + granola or peanut butter + apple options…but I have a few kids that go straight for the ice cream or nutella sandwiches, too. Haha.
I try hard to: 1) help them learn and recognize what a nutritionally balanced meal looks like and encourage them to pay attention to that throughout the day, especially learning what foods fuel their bodies well during school and 2) focus more on what foods make their bodies feel good vs focusing on good foods vs bad foods – I try really hard to send positive messages about this like “our bodies are instruments and not ornaments” and “how does that particular food make you feel?” vs harping on what is healthy and what is not healthy, which means when they do grab the ice cream at 10:00 at night, I usually don’t say much unless it seems to be getting out of control and 3) teach respect about grocery budgets – for instance, eating 8 granola bars in one sitting or several bags of lunch chips is not respectful to the budget and a better option would be to maybe take one store bought/pre packaged item and then make a sandwich or grab crackers and peanut butter or cheese or something that’s more budget-friendly.
It’s definitely a work in progress! I have some kids that are very mentally allergic to having to take ANY time to prepare any food (they want it all prepackaged and in their hands within 2 seconds). With lots of teenagers and a lot of big appetites, too, I have the same thoughts and concerns as you. It’s not always feasible to have homemade snacks on hand, but I do try to stock the pantry and fridge with homemade energy bites (the recipe is on my site), lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and other foods like that. But there are other days when it’s slim pickings and they just have to scrounge around to find snacks!
Soooooo good.
I used maple syrup instead of honey. It’s what I had.
Yay! I’m so happy you made it (so fast!) and loved it! Thanks for letting me know.
Wow! This granola is amazing! I will be making this often. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Mel, hope you are well. I’m still here, reading and enjoying your recipes and you! Don’t cook like I used to anymore with the kids gone, but we both love granola! Do you think I could use maple syrup instead of honey or is the honey really a better choice with this recipe?
Hi Teresa! Looks like several reviewers have already made it with maple syrup and it worked great so I’d say go for it!
I haven’t made this yet, but I know that I will LOVE it. For that reason, I need your advice. Once this delightful granola is completely cooled…or not…on the baking tray..How do I resist grabbing handfuls of it and shoving them directly into my mouth?
Haha, unfortunately, I’ll be no help there! 🙂
Your granola is hands down the best recipes. I always. make them as gifts. Our favorite is the Salty Sweet granola which we all call churro granola since it smells like wonderful churros. Can’t wait to make this for my kid who loves pumpkin oatmeal and would love this as a crunchy topping.
This would be incredible over pumpkin oatmeal – what a great idea!
I don’t see the note about baking both pans at once.
Just readded it (not sure why it went msising). 🙂
We have been going through so much store bought granola lately. I was just thinking last week that I would like to try to make some. This is perfect timing.
I love how easy and inexpensive it is to make granola. I add a little less oil (3T), 1/2 cup honey, 1 cup chopped almonds or cashews, and 1 cup craisins. I’ve also used 2 T molasses and reduced the brown sugar to 2T. This is a no-fail recipe that can be adapted so many ways.
I can’t find the note about cooking both pans at once mentioned in step 1. Or maybe that’s what you mean by rotating in step 6?
Sorry that somehow went missing! Just added it back in.