Vanilla Granola (gluten-free, dairy free, vegan option) (2024)

Want to venture into the world of homemade granola? Start with this super simple, crowd pleasing Vanilla Granola that’s gluten-free, dairy-free and with an easy vegan option.

I love love love homemade granola.

You just can’t beat it. My favorite before-bed snack is a handful… okay, and my favorite morning snack… and evening snack…

Granola doesn’t last long around here.

Between myself, my two kiddos, and my husband’s occasional handfuls, one batch is gone within a week or two usually!

That’s sort of why I started making homemade granola too. Instead of spending extra money on store bought gluten-free granola, making my own was super simple, tasted even better, had less ingredients, and saved me money.

No brainer! Making granola from scratch was a new go-to. And I honestly love it.

With simple and healthy ingredients, in no time you’ll have homemade granola that you won’t be able to stay away from too! 😉

Let’s talk granola basics.

First, you’ll stir together your dry ingredients:

• Rolled oats (certified gluten-free, if necessary)
• Chopped nuts – You can use walnuts, almonds or pecans. You can even use cashews, but I think walnuts, almonds and pecans give the best texture to the granola.
• Cinnamon – Be sure to use a high quality cinnamon for a nice hint of cinnamon flavor.

Then, you’ll take your coconut oil and melt it. You can use a microwave safe bowl and microwave it, or you can melt it on your stovetop. Either way works great.

After your coconut oil is melted, you’ll add your honey, and whisk the two together a bit. Then heat the mixture up again just a tad, so they blend together even better.

If you want to keep this Vanilla Granola vegan, then simply use maple syrup instead of honey. This granola made with maple syrup does crumble a bit more than the granola made with honey. But, you will still get some great granola chunks and perfectly crunchy texture.

Add your vanilla to your coconut oil and honey, and stir together. Then, pour it on top of your dry ingredients and stir them together well, or till the dry ingredients are completely coated by the wet ingredients.

Spread your mixture onto a parchment-paper lined pan in a THIN LAYER, taking up the whole dang pan! 🙂

The granola will bake best in as thin of a layer as possible. Then bake!

Granola still feeling soft to touch after it bakes?

Don’t worry. The granola actually hardens as it cools. So give it a good while to cool completely (about 30 minutes or so).

Then, break your granola up into as many pieces as you’d like. I don’t break mine up as much, because I like thick, crunchy clusters… that are easier to grab and eat! 🙂

This Vanilla Granola is filled with vanilla, honey and a touch of cinnamon flavor. It’s a great neutral topper for yogurt, or other snacks.. Hey, I’ve even put it on top of ice cream before and it’s AMAZING!

It’s my absolute favorite snack and I think one of my best recipes. I hope you enjoy!

Other fun granola flavors to check out: Orange Turmeric Granola, Lemon Honey Granola, Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Nut Granola, Chocolate Coconut Granola, and Chai Granola.