Over the past year, granola has become quite the staple in my every day diet. You can find me snacking on a handful of granola either mid morning, mid afternoon or in the evening (or any combination thereof). Granola is such a healthy and delicious way to curb your hunger in between main meals (especially when paired with plain Greek yogurt).
Recently, I have been making my own granola at home to save a bit on my grocery bill. This recipe for Olive Oil Granola is utterly amazing, simple and so versatile! Not a fan of cardamom? Try nutmeg instead. Don’t like pumpkin seeds? Substitute in slivered almonds or chopped walnuts. The possibilities are limitless. Continue reading for the recipe.
Olive Oil Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (make sure you don’t use quick cooking oats)
- 1 ½ cups raw pistachios, hulled
- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flake
- ¾ cup pure maple syrup (good quality maple syrup really makes a difference here)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¾ cup chopped dried apricots
- Plain Greek yogurt, for serving (optional)
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened coconut flake, maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Mix well to make sure everything is coated in maple syrup and olive oil. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Spread mixture onto the lined baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and well toasted.
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Transfer granola to a large bowl and add apricots, tossing to combine. This granola works very well with plain Greek yogurt or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Molly from Playablehours.com! says
Brandon,
I’m trying this granola recipe immediately… it looks delicious! Happy ramp hunting 🙂
Molly
Adriana says
This looks delicious! I will be getting the gluten free oats out tonight and having a go. What great photographs and interesting recipes. I’ve been looking for a good panna cotta recipe to add to the repertoire- with a kid friendly twist, so will be trying out your version too. All the best Adriana
Brandon Matzek says
@Adriana Thanks! Please let me know how it turns out. I’m not sure if cardamom is too “exotic” for children. You could always just omit the cardamom and make a vanilla panna cotta. Topped with fresh fruit, this would be a perfect kid friendly dessert.
dawn hutchins says
I love the fact that you use olive oil rather than butter in this!
Stylish1 says
This looks great!
Debby says
I got to try it soon 🙂
RavieNomNoms says
Great post! Thanks! Looks delicious too!
Tiffany says
Wonderful ingredients!
Eileen says
What a great snack! I would love all those seeds, nuts and oats.
Evan @swEEts says
I have all of these ingredients waiting for me at home.. I can’t wait to get back!! And I can’t wait to use my cardamom! This looks soooo goood!
Heather says
WOW. This looks incredible. I’ve been on a granola kick for…about a year now. 😉
Liz says
This would be my perfect granola, too! Looks divine!
Debbie says
healthy and delicious!
Shree says
How wonderful! I’ve been making my own granola too. Very similar in fact 🙂 I’ll put up the recipe soon.
Gree says
I love the pictures! We make our own granola as well as Izzie has to be wheat and gluten free, it’s fun to experiment! You should try some millet in there as well…adds an interesting crunch.
turkey's for life says
Oh, never had granola before. All of those ingredients are readily available on the Turkish markets, we eat them all the time – just not like this. Will give this a try I think – would it work if we substitute the syrup for honey? (Lots of honey here but no syrup.)
Eliot says
Thanks for the tip on using olive oil. And, I never thought about cardamom. I do want to share this recipe with http://eliotseats.com/?p=773. This one is my fave but I want to try yours. Thanks!
HappyWhenNotHungry says
This granola looks amazing! I haven’t used my cardamom since rhubarb season, so I will definitely have to give this a try. Thanks for sharing!
Arla says
This looks super yummy!
Rosemary @ Sprigs of Rosemary says
You have so many good things I want to try . . . but I think this granola is going to the top of the list. Thanks!
Polly Motzko says
I searched what recipes I could make with the pistachios that i bought with the intent to make some kind of baklava (and I still could) but then I saw this, and sure enough it was you Brandon!
I noticed your last name and we could be not so far off distance cousins or something! 😉
I will surely make this and if I make changes to it I can print my version for ya.
Polly Motzko
Brandon Matzek says
@Polly Thanks Polly! Our last names are very similar. My dad’s side of the family is Hungarian, Polish and Czech. Please let me know if you try the recipe.
Joe Ann says
Hi Brandon, I have been making my own granola also. This looks really good. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks again, Joe Ann