Shortly after I developed my original granola recipe, I purchased a copy of Nourishing Traditions
For the whey in this recipe, you can make it by draining yogurt, kefir or buttermilk overnight through a fine cloth or yogurt cheese funnel over a bowl. The clear, yellowish liquid whey will drain off, leaving you with a delicious creamy cheese – my family loves to mix it with honey and spread on toast. The whey can store for a long time in the refrigerator. (If you have dairy allergies in your family, you can use fresh lemon juice instead of whey.)
Because it is not essential to the success of this recipe, I did not list that most of the ingredients I used were raw and/or organic. I drained my homemade kefir to get the whey, and used fresh eggs from our chickens. Any “real foodie” who reads this recipe will know exactly what to use! 
Ingredient List:
- 12 cups medium rolled oats
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup whey (or buttermilk, yogurt, or fresh lemon juice)
- 3½ cups water
- 2 cups whole almonds (or other whole nuts)
- 1 Tbsp. real salt
- water to cover
- 2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 cup honey
- ½ cup coconut oil (or melted butter)
- 2 eggs, beaten (can omit, but this is the secret to clumps)
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- Dried fruit, if desired
Step 1 – Soak the oats and flour. Mix the rolled oats, whole wheat flour, whey (or other soaking medium) and water together in a large bowl.
Step 2 – Soak the nuts. Mix the whole nuts, salt, and water to cover in a medium bowl.
Cover the oats with plastic wrap and set both bowls aside for 12-24 hours.
After soaking, the soaked oats and flour will really be stuck together, and may smell a little fermented on the top. This is OK.
Step 3 – Drain and chop the nuts. After soaking, the nuts will double in size.
Drain the nuts well through a colander, then chop as finely as you like them. Add to the bowl of soaked oats.
Step 4 – Add coconut and cinnamon. Mix coconut and cinnamon together in a small bowl – add to the large bowl of soaked oats.
Step 5 – Add liquid ingredients. Whisk together the oil, eggs, honey, and vanilla.
Pour the liquid ingredients into a well in the center of the large bowl of oats. In these pictures, I was making a double batch of this recipe, so the bowl was pretty full!
Step 6 – Mix everything together well with your hands. You could use a spoon, but it really doesn’t do as good of a job – with your hands you can feel everything. Take time to break up the clumps of soaked oats, making sure all is thoroughly coated with the liquid ingredients. It will be sticky! That’s good – because that makes it crunchy!
Step 7 – Spread on pans/trays to bake/dry. Spread on baking pans, cookie sheets, or dehydrator trays, depending on how you are going to bake or dry it. This goes a lot faster – and is especially fun – if you have lots of cute little helpers.
The granola mixture will be sticky – spread it as best as you can and not too thinly. This is what it will look like before drying/baking.
Step 8 – Bake or dry the granola until crunchy and crispy.
Oven method – Bake at the lowest temperature possible (170°-200° F) until the granola is dry. If possible, turn the granola over halfway through to make sure it gets completely dried. If you don’t want big crunchy clumps, you may stir it.
Dehydrator method – I use my 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator to make granola – a double batch of this recipe will fill 8-9 trays. Dry at 145° for 12-16 hours (or longer – times may vary) until it is thoroughly dry and crisp. If you are making this with raw, organic ingredients, you may dry it at a lower temperature (115°) to minimize enzyme loss. It will take much longer at that temperature.
Step 9 – Add dried fruit, if desired, and store in a cool, dry place. This granola is delicious with or without fruit. After the granola has cooled, add whatever fruit you like, in whatever quantities you prefer. You can add the dried fruit before storing it, or add the fruit when you serve the granola. For some suggestions of dried fruit amounts and combinations, see my original granola recipe.
You can store the granola in any airtight storage container. I’ve even used 5 gallon buckets before! Refrigerated/frozen storage is optional – if the granola is very dry it keeps quite well on a shelf – ours doesn’t last long enough to be concerned.
Step 10 – Serve and enjoy! Have some granola in a bowl with milk or kefir. Sprinkle it as a topping on yogurt or ice cream. My children like to fill their cups (or hands or pockets!) with it for a crunchy snack.
Linked to:
Tasty Tuesday
Tuesday Twister
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Real Food Wednesday
My granola jar is almost empty, so we will be making granola again next week. I would love to try your recipe, but we have children allergic to dairy and eggs. I have put the Excalibar on my wishlist!
Hi, Anita – I’m updating my post to include that you can use fresh lemon juice instead of the whey if you have dairy allergies. The granola will also work without the eggs – it just might not clump as much. It’s worth a try!
My granola jar is almost empty, so we will be making granola again next week. I would love to try your recipe, but we have children allergic to dairy and eggs. I have put the Excalibar on my wishlist!
How would you make this recipe into granola bars?
That is a great question! I haven’t tried it yet, just thought about it a lot. I would start with the wet granola and add another egg or two and some extra sprouted flour. Then I would form it into bars and dry it in the dehydrator. I’ll be sure to add a recipe if I have a success!
thanks for this recipe! it is currently soaking and am looking forward to mixing the remaining ingredients and baking tomorrow!
You’re welcome! I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Hi there!
I was excited to find your site and I made your recipe and have 2 questions: why do you use flour in the oats? They seem to make the mixture paste-like… and would it be OK to use more water for the oats to soak in?
Thank you!
P.S.: I love the girls in their aprons!
Hi, Petra! I use flour in the oats in an attempt to make clumps that stick together. For soaking, there is also some evidence that the wheat flour helps the oats soak better. The mixture should be a bit paste-like until it dries out. As far as more water for the oats to soak in, I accidentally doubled only the water one time, and while the oats soaked it all up, they tasted much more sour, and took FOREVER to dry. You can experiment as much as you like, though! If you come up with an improvement, I’d love to add it to my post.
I am so thrilled I’ve found your blog! I made this granola yesterday in a half batch because I only have a four drawer dehydrator so far and it is divine! Ate it for breakfast this morning and was totally satisfied. I made one alteration to exclude the egg, but still get the chunks. Substitute 1 ripe banana and mash it into the liquid mix before pouring. Added delicious flavor and sticking power =0) Great option for vegans or egg-intolerant =0) Hope that offers another granola twist!
What a great egg substitute, Julie! And you already tested it.
Thanks so much for sharing it. I’m going to have to try it on my next batch.
If I use Flax seed in place of the almonds should I soak them? I can’t wait to try this recipe!
That’s a really good question, Brianna! Off the top of my head, you can just add the flax seed after soaking – ideally freshly ground, and then you would have to refrigerate the granola. I think that if you soak the flax seed it will get very mushy and make the granola spoil faster.
hey. I just tried this recipe, halved since i only had 6 cups of oats available. Once i soaked, 24 hours, and then add all the ingredients together…what i had was more like oatmeal cookie dough, or paste than granola???? I am trying to dry it out now, so i guess maybe i have made bars without trying. any ideas what i might have done wrong to make the results this mushy??? HELP!
Hi Cyndi, you haven’t done anything wrong!
The result is a bit more pasty and sticky than traditional granola recipes. Remember, my goal in this recipe is to get crunchy clumps… Just spread it out as best you can, and break it up a bit more as it dries, if needed. Also, humidity levels can vary each day, just like with making bread. I hope this helps!
thanks…it took all night in the oven to dry out. I went back and looked at your post and what i had looked nothing like your pictures! lol Now it looks sort of like cardboard chips or homemade paper! it tastes good though! thanks!
Cyndi- Do you think maybe you didn’t half the water but halfed the rest of the recipe? I’m wondering if that’s what I did, it was a long day :{
I’m so glad you asked this, Brianna. I was wondering the same thing, and decided not to ask because I couldn’t think of a good way to word it!
But I have done the same thing before…
My first batch turned out great! Im working on my second batch but it is looking a lot different. After soaking the oats and flour its completely mushy, you cant even see oat shapes in it like in your picture. My crock pot was on next to it on the counter, Im wondering if it cooked the oat partly. On the other hand, if it did it wouldn’t have cooked it so evenly. I bet it will still be delicious!
that sounds like what mine looked like…a bowl full of mush!
I’m wondering what kind of oats you’re using. If it’s quick oats, or even some brands of “old fashioned oats”, those might be thinner. I use organic medium or thick rolled oats that I buy in bulk – they’re pretty chewy. Maybe that’s the issue – it shouldn’t affect the outcome, except to explain why the oats aren’t holding their shape. I like to say it’s not a failure unless it’s completely inedible. LOL
They are organic rolled oats, I buy a 25lb bag and they are from the same bag as last time and I don’t remember it being so mushy. I figured we will be able to eat them one way or another. I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Turned out great!!! I’m pretty sure I did add too much water because it took twice as long to dry. I also omitted the egg this time because it was a little too crunchy for me last time(I have a sensitive jaw) but came out perfect this time. I love it so much, will definitely become a regular around here and I dont miss the store bought stuff at all. Thanks so much for sharing!!!