Bringing out one of my fav recipes from the private chef days way back in the day! I'd make vats of this on a weekly basis and store it for breakfasts, yogurt, acai bowls. It's the most perfect granola recipe there is!
When I tell you that this is the best homemade coconut granola recipe in the world - I'm not kidding you. The nuts, the coconut, the dried fruit, the chocolate, all of it combined with the oats make for the most flavorful bites. I throw this into yogurt. I eat it plain by the handful. I've been known to add it on top of a bowl of ice cream. Once I even folded it into the batter of banana bread before baking. It's truly my all time fav. And the beauty of making these at home- you can change it up with different add-ins and I even have a recipe to make them into granola bars!!
Some things to think about when it comes to making homemade coconut granola:
- Dried Fruit - yes you can use any kind of dried fruit! Freeze dried fruit is also delicious in this. Dried blueberries and apricots both make frequent appearances in my kitchen.
- Chocolate - when it comes to chocolate, semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips are my 2 favorites. Only thing to keep in mind, is don't add it to the granola until it's cooled. Otherwise it will melt everywhere - which isn't the end of the world but not quite as pretty.
- Nuts - I love cashews and almonds, but you can use any kinds of nuts you prefer. Walnuts. Pecans. Brazil Nuts. You name it. Just make sure they aren't seasoned and plain. They'll get roasted in the oven so no need to buy roasted nuts ahead of time.
- Oats - Old Fashioned Oats are the way to go! Trust me!! Quick oats and steel cut oats do NOT make the perfect granola if you ask me.
Homemade Coconut Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup whole almonds, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup whole cashews, roughly chopped
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- ¼ cup honey
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips, plus extra as needed
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup dried strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, cashews, almonds, coconut, salt and cinnamon and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, honey and brown sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine until everything is well coated. Spread the granola mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a few large clumps. Bake the granola for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and break up the pieces to ensure even baking. Place the baking sheet back into the oven for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and give it one more toss to break up some of the pieces and place back into the oven for the last 10 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it cool completely. Once cooled, add the chocolate chips and the dried fruit. Give it a quick toss with a spoon and then serve or package and store.
Looks delicious! Can't wait to make this. Is the honey now taking place of the agave listed in the directions?
Congrats on your beautiful bebe, sweet Poppy!
interchangable!!
Granola is my go to thing for breakfast over yogurt and to tuck into gifts I send by mail: my family has come to expect it. The ingredients are terrific - I always include unsweetened coconut - but what really impresses me is your method. Some granola recipes don't pay attention to the fact that the nuts toast in the oven. I will eschew the chocolate chips unless putting over ice cream.
Thanks for sharing this! Can you do the "Gracious Granola" recipe also? I love that one (:
It doesn't say how much is needed of everything.. Like "add the butter" well I could mess it up by not enough butter or too much!
Hi Tiffany! The link to the recipe with exact amounts is at the end of the post!
🙂
This sounds like it'd be great with coconut oil too instead of the butter,
in order to accentuate the coconut-ty taste 🙂
Made this twice now. First was AMAZING. Today I decided to experiment and I used only 1/2 stick butter and 4 T canola oil. In stead of brown sugar I used splenda brown sugar ( measurement conversion on bag). I used rasins instead of chic. chips. Wow it was great too. Browned a little more (prob. because of. the canola oil) Always looking to cut a few calories:).
Thanks Bonnie!! Glad you liked the granola 🙂
This granola is so delicious! I made a batch for holiday gifts, and it's so fantastic that I'm making a second round today! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
I love that it's a snack I feel good about eating because it's so good for you!
I love 18 Rabbits granola which has coconut in it but it's SO expensive! I cannot wait to make this. Thank you! I'm so glad I saw your guest post at EatLiveRun. Can't wait to try the butternut and sage quinoa recipe also.
Cashews and coconut - what a great combo for granola!
Cannot wait to make this for myself. I've been craving this!
Gooooorgeous granola! I can practically smell the cinnamon and coconut baking...
Fantastic mix! I love the exquisite taste. This is definitely what I need in the mornings before a good run. Thanks for sharing!
This sounds so freaking yummy!
Mmmm. I love the way my house smells when I make granola!