This easy vanilla almond granola with maple butter is an irresistible, quick homemade granola recipe made with oats, almonds, vanilla, maple syrup, butter, and salt.
About 25% of the oats did not make it to the baking sheet while making this recipe (they ended up in my mouth, haha). The combination of maple + butter and a pinch of salt, with the crunch of the almonds- yum! The baking step does add to the granola, so don't skip it.
Homemade Granola
I use granola frequently for my Greek yogurt breakfast bowls, apple cinnamon granola bowls, and granola cereal (with protein milk). So you can imagine how my mind was blown when I learned how easy it is to make your own granola. Every batch I make is slightly different as I experiment with the flavors I like the most (like maple pecan granola or tahini granola). This vanilla almond granola batch sort of reminds me of the cereal Honey Bunches of Oats.
Store-bought granolas boast a variety of flavors and ingredients. Store-bought versions taste delicious, but you really can't beat homemade granola with high-quality, simple ingredients. I doubt your store-bought granola has the generous ratio of sliced almonds or 100% pure maple syrup.
Ingredient Notes
Use old-fashioned oats and sliced almonds for the base of this homemade vanilla granola recipe. I prefer pure maple syrup to sweeten because it's all-natural and spreads evenly. Melted butter adds a nice flavor when combined with the maple syrup and salt.
How to Make Vanilla Almond Granola
Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Add the oats, maple syrup, sea salt, sliced almonds, melted butter, and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Mix well until the oats are fully coated.
Spread the oat mixture in a thin, even layer on a parchment paper prepared baking sheet.
Bake at 350℉ (177℃) for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Stir the granola halfway through the bake.
For big granola clusters, allow the baked granola to cool on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes. This helps the granola to clump together. Once the granola reaches room temperature, pour it into your favorite storage containers.
Ways To Eat Granola
- Sprinkle crunchy granola clusters on top of yogurt.
- Eat granola clusters dry as a healthy snack.
- Top ice cream with granola.
- Make granola cereal for an easy breakfast recipe.
- Add granola to your smoothie bowls.
📋 Recipe
Vanilla Almond Granola with Maple Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃).
- Add oats, maple syrup, sliced almonds, melted butter, vanilla extract, and sea salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
- Spread the granola mixture on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Stir once halfway.
- Let the granola cool for about 15 minutes on the baking sheet.
Notes
- Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.
- Substitutions:
- Use a variety of nuts, like pistachios, cashews, slivered almonds, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, or pecans. Other substitutions include chocolate chips and flaked coconut.
- Instead of melted butter, use melted coconut oil or olive oil.
- Use honey or agave nectar instead of maple syrup.
Liz says
What are some other substitutions you can make for sliced almonds
Lily Guidry says
I would go with slivered almonds or halved pecan pieces.