Coconut and Cashew Granola
Get this recipe for homemade coconut and cashew granola if you are looking for a fast, fresh, and totally delicious from-scratch granola.
I’m sad to report that ever since I posted about these fabulous granolas, I haven’t made granola since.
I blame it all on my dad.
You see, he’s kind of a granola, in an old-fashioned, outdoorsy kind of way. He’s into hiking, gorp, scaling the highest peak in every state, four-wheeling and that kind of stuff. And he loves him some granola.
He and my mom (who is not granola in any sense of the word) came to visit us recently since we made our cross-country move to the depths of Wisconsin. I knew in honor of their visit I needed to make my granola dad some granola.
Enter my Aunt Marilyn (who happens to be my dad’s sister but who is not a granola). She sent me a recipe for granola weeks ago and insisted I must try it. But of course I hadn’t because I only make granola when my dad comes to town.
I made it the day before my dad arrived. And there was barely enough left when his plane landed because…
…who knew that my non-granola husband loved granola? Not I.
Three devoured batches later, we are officially in love with this granola. (And so was my granola dad.)
Coconut and Cashew Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups (300 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 1 cup cashews
- ¾ cup (64 g) shredded sweetened coconut
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut and brown sugar.
- In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine maple syrup, oil and salt.
- Combine both mixtures by slowly pouring the liquid over the oatmeal mixture and stirring well. Divide in half and pour onto two 11X17-inch rimmed baking sheets, spreading out into an even layer on each sheet.
- Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden.
- Remove from the oven and transfer into a large bowl, slightly breaking up the clumps. Add the raisins and gently mix until even distributed.
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Recipe Source: from Aunt Marilyn
84 Comments on “Coconut and Cashew Granola”
This is a fabulous recipe! I know this is an old post but I just tried it. (Your peanut butter granola is bomb though!)
I make granola often as I’ve stopped buying store bought cereals/granola. Not only are they terribly expensive for such a little portion but even the healthier options aren’t that great for you. I love the ability to be able to add whatever I want.
I did change the recipe a bit according to what I had on hand. I subbed the oil for grapeseed oil and used whole almonds instead of slices. But for some odd reason this took way longer to cook then expected. Could be my oven. I think next time I’ll cook on higher heat for shorter time and just keep an eye on it. I was really thinking it wasn’t going to come out good. (It wasn’t super crunchy to what I’m used to) But still shocked it came out delicious. Not disappointed!
Best granola ever! Store bought granola doesn’t even come close to how good this is.
Love this! My new favorite granola!!
I absolutely love this recipe and have made my for years. Where I live now though, I don’t have access to brown sugar or molasses. Will the recipe still work if I use a sugar similar to light brown sugar?
I can’t say for sure without trying it myself or knowing what sugar substitute will be used, but it’s worth a try!
I’ve made this many, many times! It’s my go-to granola recipe, minus the coconut and raisins. I’m wondering – I only have quick oats on hand at the moment. Can I substitute these for old fashioned rolled oats? If I use my quick oats, do you recommend any alterations to the other ingredients?
Hi Mary, yes you can sub in quick oats but the granola will be more dense and not quite the same as the classic granola texture.
Granola – Totally Toasted
(Dr. Dream’s Toasted Granola Rocks)
6 heaping cups old fashion rolled oats
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ plus ½ to 1 cup of wheat bran
1 cup shredded or flaked coconut
3/4+/- Cup water
1 cup of canola/light olive oil
1/8 +/- cup dark sesame oil (Asian grocery)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ to 1 cup malt powder/syrup, adds depth if available (beer making or Asian grocery store)
½ cup jelly/jam etc (something you have but are not using up)
2 tsp vanilla – real or artificial
1 Tbsp seasoned, mineral or sea salt
1 tsp of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger (should not be recognizable spice flavor)
1 cup sesame seeds (toasted if available) (Asian grocery)
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw green pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw walnuts (English and/or some black if you like them)
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw pecans
1 cup raw cashew pieces
1 cup banana chips
1 cup freshly ground flax seeds (gold or brown).
Put all liquid ingredients in a pot on low heat, stir occasionally. If using powdered malt put in with some of the water first and mix it into the liquid on low heat.
Mix all dry ingredients together. Add liquids (if using two/three bowls, add one large spoonful of liquid to each bowl alternatively) until half gone. Mix ingredients. Add rest of liquid in same alternating manner (this assures equal amounts of oil in the bowls). The resulting mixture should be thoroughly just moist, not quite wet. The wetter the mix the chunkier/crunchier the granola – I like a little of both, chunks and crumbles. The mixture should press into a “sheet cookie”.
Spread mixture onto greased cookie sheets 1” thick. Press into semi solid “mass”. Bake at 400 (30 min +/- depending on thickness) until browning/toasted on top/edges, rotate (or use convection) to keep toasting even. Keep close watch when heat is high. When edge starts to brown remove from oven, move edges into center by turning them over, then run spatula under “cookie” just breaking it into chunks and leaving it “jumbled” to allow heat all around it for toasting and drying. Lower heat to 300 +, check often until a little toasted again (15 min +/-). Repeat spatula turning once. Lower heat to 250 for 15 minutes, remove from oven and turn again. Leave to cool/dry on wire rack. When cool taste/test for dryness. If not completely dry return to oven for 15 min at 250. When completely cool/dry store in air tight containers, adding dried or fresh fruit if desired when served. Make notes for recipe/baking adjustments. Easier/better each time.
I usually make a triple recipe, since its bone dry it keeps for a long time (keep some in your car for emergencies). It is a labor of love, don’t expect too much from the first small/single batch. It will still be better than anything you can buy, but maybe not quite giving-away quality first time. It is my standard/requested present for people who don’t need anything. Heavenly house smell.
Why in the world would you post a recipe in the comments of a recipe? If people were looking for a different recipe they wouldn’t be here. You bring absolutely nothing useful. Not to mention your recipe sounds disgusting compare to Mel’s.
Wouldn’t it be kinder to simply skip over Mark’s recipe if you are not interested rather than say it looks disgusting and berate him for taking the time to post? A little kindness goes a long way, and if you can’t be kind you can at least be quiet.
This recipe has been on my to-do list for some time, and I finally made it today. It’s delicious!! I shouldn’t have waited for so long. This one is definitely a keeper. Thanks.
Delicious! Made it as written except used pecans for cashews. I cut the sugar and maple syrup back to the 1/4 cup since the first time. Nice and crunchy.
What the heck. This is my calorie breaker. Just made it today (even though I have my own longstanding granola recipe) and there’s no going back. It is SSSOOOO good. Didn’t have dark brown sugar so I just added 1/4 T of molasses to the wet ingredients. Also was lazy and didn’t want to wash two pans so I just used one jumbo jelly roll/cookie sheet pan. Worked great. Thanks again for another great recipe!!!
This Coconut and Cashew granola was thee BEST! It was simple to make too. I didn’t have enough almonds so i just added pecans …but i ALSO added a lil Cardamon and it took it over the top! THIS recipe will be repeated over and over again, my husband loves it as well!
Thanks Mel for sharing!
This recipe is so good that I almost burned my tongue snitching it hot off the pan!
Did a half batch (my oven isn’t deep enough to do 2 jelly roll pans side by side) & it took 40 minutes, flipping/stirring once. It’s the perfect balance of salty and sweet and fantastic over plain yogurt.
Delicious granola. I just made two batches for Christmas brunch. Out of curiosity, I’m wondering why the salt is added to the wet, not dry, ingredients. Is there a kitchen chemistry reason?
Great question, but I don’t know…it’s just the way I’ve always made it. Sorry I’m not more help!
Can you bake both pans at the same time, rotating the pans half way through the cooking time? Or is it better to bake them separately?
Sure – just keep an eye on them so they don’t over bake.
This was super delicious!! My kids loved it. I used pecans in lieu of almonds because I didn’t have almonds on hand. Canola oil was an easy switch. So good and the perfect crunch!
You say in your peanut butter granola post that you use coconut oil in this (as have a few other commenters). Do you just use the same amount as the vegetable oil? Do you melt it first or use it in its solid form? Thanks! This is my all time favorite granola recipe, but I would love to try it with coconut oil.
Yep, I use the same amount of coconut oil and melt it first.
Just made this for the first time tonight and I am so glad I did. It is amazing! I used coconut oil and added in some walnuts. It is just amazing!! My entire family was enjoying it. Thanks for the great recipe!
This granola is FANTASTIC! Everyone I have shared it with loves it too. I baked mine on a sheet pan lined with parchment and it came out perfect. Like you, I used coconut oil to up the coconut taste. I am so glad that I tried this recipe!
This is so super delicious! I couldn’t stop eating it!! To use what I had on hand, I subbed marcona almonds and pepitas for the nuts and dried cherries. If you are using light brown sugar, just add 3/4 tsp. molasses to the oil/maple syrup mixture. I know I will make this again and again! Thanks again Mel!
Mel, I’m really loving this granola. It’s been on my “recipes to try” list for quite a while. Since I live overseas in the tropics, the price of maple syrup (imported from Vermont) is through the roof. What we have found that’s the next best thing here is maple-flavored honey, so that’s what I used in place of the maple syrup. It tastes great, but I wonder if using honey made the granola more likely to burn. I was having to stir it around to avoid burning from about 10 minutes into the baking, and I left it in only 40 minutes total because I was risking ruining the whole batch. What do you think? Perhaps other environmental factors played into the burning issue (90 degree heat, 100% humidity, small quirky Asian oven, etc.)
Hi Julia – yes, I think the honey could definitely make the baking a bit more finicky. If it’s done after 40 minutes, though, then you should be ok. The other thing you might try is decreasing the oven temp by 25 degrees and see how that goes.
This is amazing! I will never even try another recipe. I used coconut oil instead of canola since I like the flavor of coconut but not the texture and it’s delicious!
If i could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be this!! i <3 it!!!
I just made this this morning and it is wonderful! I used coconut oil instead of vegetable and used honey instead of brown sugar. Oh, and the coconut I used was unsweetened. It turned out great! Even my extremely picky 7 year old is sitting down with a bowl of it right now. 🙂 Thanks!
Thanks – I’ll try those –
Can this be make into Granola Bars? One tray and all mushed together? Is it gooey enough to stick together?
Auntiepatch – nope, this isn’t a good recipe for granola bars (although there is a great one here).
We have not forgotten this one! I made it yesterday! This one is our favorite and usually has my hubby and I sneaking around the house with a handful of granola 🙂
This is great!! I can’t believe it, but I actually like the raisins in it! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing this!
I just had to give an update on the new variations I tried because I made 3 batches this week. It was such a big hit with everyone in the house, especially my husband. But with my last batch today I tried something different.
Someone asked about using honey, so I tried honey with a little maple flavoring instead of the maple syrup. Don’t even waste your time doing that. It tasted completely different. The real maple syrup is the key ingredient.
Then I substituted pecans for the cashews. We definitely liked the cashews better. Also tried craisins instead of the raisins, but we liked the raisins better too.
The only change from the original recipe that I’ll keep using is the coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. Otherwise, the original recipe is the best!!!
This granola is sooooo delicious! I’m really not a granola person myself but I had to try it when I read all the reviews. It’s so good eating it plain as a snack or as a cereal with milk on it. Reminds me a little of Kashi cereal but doesn’t have the bad gassy side effects and tastes so much better. (I use almond or coconut milk because I’m staying away from dairy products.) My husband loves it too, which is very surprising because he isn’t a granola either. The revision I made was to use whole raw almonds because I didn’t have any slivered almonds, and I used coconut oil instead of the vegetable oil. I melted it before measuring and then added it to the sugar and syrup mixture, and then heated that up in the microwave for a few seconds before adding it to the dry ingredients. The cashews were okay but next time I’m going to use pecans instead.
For those of you who have never used coconut oil, there is a difference in the quality from one brand to another. The kind I prefer is from Vitacost and has a light coconut aroma and sweet taste to it. I use it instead of butter on toast, for frying eggs and anything you would need butter or oil for. I even use it as a moisturizer on my skin. If you don’t like the coconut taste or smell, you can get it without it. The best kind of coconut oil is made from certified organic coconuts, and is cold pressed without heat or chemicals. If you’re interested in getting a $10 coupon off a Vitacost purchase, please contact me and I’ll send you a link.
OK thanks 🙂
Kandel – I’ve never tried it with honey. It will definitely alter the flavor but having not tried it, I can’t say how it will turn out. If you try it, let me know!
Hi! I love all of the recipes I have tried of yours! One question, do you think I could substitute honey for the maple syrup? All I have on hand is honey 🙂 Thanks again!
I made this today and everyone loved it! I used pecans instead of cashews since I made it for breakfast and it was fab.
Love this recipe! I’ve made it countless times (especially for road trips) and it NEVER lasts long! I’m throwing it up on my blog tomorrow (with a few changes to adhere to my calorie-watching friends). Thanks a ton!
Just made it and it’s so delicious. Why did I ever buy store bought granola at a premium price?! Never again. It’s too easy to just make your own and by shopping at Aldi we were able to make it fairly inexpensively – they usually have good deals on nuts and oatmeal. Thanks Mel for another great recipe!
OK, so we are on batch #2 of this wonderful, awesome, granola in less than a week 🙂 My son doesn’t want any more “store bought granola” for now on. We have been making fruit/yogurt/granola parfaits all week and I even baked peaches with the granola on time for a tasty dessert. Thanks, again, Mel for all of the wonderful recipes!
I just made this yesterday and will have to make another batch tomorrow. This is the best granola I’ve made. The only change was to put dried tart cherries instead of the raisins. Thank you for the deliciousness!
Melanie,
It was great to see you last week, you looked great! I’m trying to get ready for school mornings and made your granola today. It is FABULOUS! It made my house smell amazing too. 🙂 I used pumpkin seeds instead of cashews, because I love them in granola, but I loved your recipe and will use it again often! Thank you, thank you! Oh, and I love your oatmeal pancake mix too…..use it all the time! 🙂 You are an amazing woman!
I just wanted to say a friend recommended your blog about a month ago and it has QUICKLY become my most favorite of my list of favorites! Thank you for your efforts. I am the busy mom of three little boys who love home-cooked meals and treats and your blog is always a go-to when I need a new idea! This granola is our new favorite snack!
My husband tasted the granola when he walked in from work. These were his comments: “Can I just eat this by the handful?!” and “I know why I married YOU!” Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Mel – Just wanted to let you know that the Yogurt Parfait Bar was a big hit…thanks to this yummy recipe! If you ever do a parfait bar for a shower, check out my post for more ideas! http://triedandtriedagain.blogspot.com/2011/01/yogurt-parfait-bar.html
Thanks again for the fabulous recipes!
Melanie — first of all, I just have to say that I LOVE your blog. My mom and I live across the country from each other and we always talk recipes. We talk about you like you’re our friend! It’s always: “Where did you get that recipe?” “From Mel’s blog of course!” he he
Second — I am throwing a baby shower this weekend and we’re having a yogurt parfait bar as part of the brunch (so fun, right?). I made this granola to go on the “tropical parfait”, which will have chopped fresh pineapple, kiwi, mandarin oranges and bananas, along with vanilla yogurt. This will go perfectly…if I can stop eating it! Thanks so much for all of the wonderful recipes!
THANK YOU so much for this recipe, it is truly the BEST granola recipe I have ever had…to any who haven’t tried it, I guarantee you will LOVE it! It is also delightful with honey roasted cashews. Also, the second time I tried it I used regular maple syrup with excellent results. Thank you thank you!!!!
Kristen – what a nice comment. Thank you!
Thank you to Melanie who is my fabulous neighbor that brought us some of this great granola and we are not granola people but we are now. I plan on making a batch x four for an upcoming road trip. With a little fresh milk this is better than chocolate cake.
So as I made this for the umpteenth time today I thought, “I should probably tell Mel how much we love this!” So I’m telling you….we LOVE this! I usually make quadruple batches and always give some away (when I take dinner in to a family I usually add this so they can have something for breakfast too), the hubby takes it to work for snacks and I throw it on top of yogurt, ice cream or just straight in my mouth. Like so many of your recipes, it provides such a great framework to change it up. I do almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, craisins, pepitas–or whatever I have on hand. It’s fantastic every time. I see a lot of granola recipes out there, but I can’t possibly believe they’d be any more delicious than this.
Reyna – love your reviews. Have I mentioned that? I agree with you…I can’t bring myself to try any other granola recipes now that I have this one. Love all the additions you’ve tried.
WOW! Just made this and it’s a HUGE hit! My husband is as non-granola as they come and he is eating it up! He loves it 🙂 Thanks again for a seriously awesome recipe!!
Melissa – wow, that’s huge praise if your non-granola husband loved the granola. Yay!
Hi Melanie,
How long does this keep (assuming room temp)?
Lori – my best guess (since we eat it pretty quickly) is that it will easily last at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 weeks.
Krista – thanks for your comment! I’m so glad you were able to wow your family with the truffles and granola. I hope your significant other is wowed over, too!
I came across your blog recently and love it! I made your chocolate truffles and this granola for some family members who were going out of town. They loved them! My mom and sister kept saying how divine the truffles were, and I agree!
Needless to say, ALL your recipes look divine and I can’t wait to try them out on my guy who is quite the food snob. 🙂 Thank you!
Mmmm…I love granola!
Super yummy! I had two bowls with yogurt, before i even got the raisins into the mix. This will be a staple in my house. Thanks!
mini-mcgoo – I’m really glad you liked this! It is a staple around our house, too. Thanks for letting me know.
This is Alton Brown’s recipe from Good Eats. His stuff is always great! I like to use pecans instead of cashews.
Katy – thanks for letting me know!
This was so yummy! My parents were in town visiting and really liked it as well.
Thanks!
Oh, I love cashews and coconut! Yummy!
Yum!! I too am not a garanola–but LOVE granola! I forget to make it–but I will now! Thanks for the reminder! And Happy Halloween Mel!
Looks great!
I love it.
I am NOT a granola, but think I might become one if I made your recipe!
Granola is an all time favorite, but I have never found a recipe that didn’t taste . . .well . . homemade. I can’t wait to give this one a try!
Mmmmm-looks delicious!! Another must try from you!!
BTW-I made your chicken and corn chowder Monday night and it was such a huge success with my family. Absolutely divine! I’ll be posting it soon and will be giving you huge “shout outs” for the amazing recipe. 🙂
i bet the cashews were the nuggets of gold in this recipe. mmmm they are the BEST nuts out there.
Cammee – you are so nice! And no, I don’t care if you comment about non-granola things on the granola post. 🙂 I’m glad you liked the chowder and bread bowls!
Britney – thanks for your comment! I’m glad you’ve liked some of the recipes and thanks for sending people my way!
This is exactly like Alton Brown’s granola recipe. WE LOVE IT. It’s seriously the best ever. My husband made it about a month ago and has made it twice since doubling the batch. We eat it with yogurt, vanilla ice cream, and with milk. We didn’t like the cashews in it though, and we both love cashews…something with the flavors not blending right. We doubled the almonds the next two times instead and we add crasins. So delicious!
Looks awesome!
I LOVE love love your blog. I have made so many of your recipes – can’t wait to try this one! Keep them coming…I send so many friends and family members to your site because of your delish food! Thanks!!
I love when I haven’t been on the computer for a few day and get three MKC posts at once! This granola looks fabulous and your post was hilarious! I made the corn chowder last night…BIG hit!! Fabulous. So are your bread bowls. Do you hate it when I comment about food that isn’t granola on your granola post? Sometimes (all the time) I’m just a little behind!
coconut, maple, and almonds, for me at least, equals magic. the cashews are a nice bonus (but i’d pick out the raisins). 🙂
This looks like a fabulous recipe ~ I’m going to try it soon!
This is VERY similar to Alton Brown’s granola recipe. We love his, so I know exactly what you mean when you say even the non-granola lovers will love it! Tastes great with yogurt too.
Not just “very similar”… Identical to Alton Brown’s recipe. Would be good to have referenced this in the description.
I love granola!! I always make it homemade and I have it for breakfast every morning.I am definitely going to try this one out!!Thanks for sharing the recipe!!