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Vanilla Granola with Dried Fruit

posted by Liz Berg on June 21, 2012 (updated 6/6/23)

Perfect doused with milk, atop yogurt, or eaten out of hand, this homemade Vanilla Granola with Dried Fruit tastes amazing!

This Homemade Granola trumps grocery store versions by a mile!

Vanilla Granola with dried fruit in a cereal bowl.

Why You Must Make

This fruit-packed granola is sweetened with sugar and honey and dosed with a generous splash of vanilla extract for a delicious breakfast treat.
It keeps well in an airtight container for weeks and even longer in the freezer.
This out-of-this-world granola also makes a great hostess gift.

Ingredient Notes

Kitchen Staples – Sugar, Salt, Brown Sugar, Ground Cinnamon, Vegetable Oil
Old-Fashioned Oatmeal – Sturdier than Quick Cooking Rolled Oats
Slivered Almonds – Or your favorite nuts. I like pistachios, too.
Honey – Local honey may actually help with allergies, but any type of honey will work well.
Vanilla Extract – Make sure to use real vanilla extract, never imitation
Dried Fruit – Dried Cherries, Cranberries, Diced Apricots, Raisins, or any combination of bite-sized dried fruit.

How to Make a Homemade Granola Recipe

One of my blogger friends, Lori of All That Splatters, shared this fabulous recipe on her blog. When a girlfriend wanted to learn how to make granola from scratch, I pulled out three of my favorite recipes. She popped over for a cooking demonstration and selected Lori’s honey granola to try first. I think she was genuinely surprised at how easy this was to throw together. We declared it a success, after a lot of quality control sampling. In less than an hour, we had a wonderful breakfast treat to serve our families (or just me in my case). I promise you, this is SO much better than any lackluster store-bought granola.

Preheat the oven and spray the sheet pans with cooking spray or line them with nonstick foil. Set aside.
Mix the oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Combine the oil, honey, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour over the oat mixture and stir till well combined.
Divide the mixture between the two baking sheets. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Remove from oven when golden brown and mix in dried fruit. Cool on rack. Store at room temperature or freeze in an airtight container.

Recipe Tips

Granola is highly adaptable, so if you don’t like dried apricots, use another dried fruit. Want raisins instead of craisins? No problem. Allergic to nuts? Leave them out.
When you spread the oat mixture out on a baking sheet, squeeze it into clumps with your hands so you’ll have chunkier granola.
Make sure you stir your granola 2-3 times during the baking process so it all browns evenly.
Note that the edges will brown more quickly so relocate some of the granola around the perimeter to the middle of the pan so it doesn’t get too dark when you stir it.
Let cool completely before storing.
Store in an airtight container. This granola cereal can also be stored in the freezer. I hope you give this irresistible Vanilla Granola with Dried Fruit a shot!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Substitute the Types of Dried Fruit and Nuts?

Yes, this recipe can be adapted to use your favorite dried fruit and nuts. I’m not a big fan of raisins, so I don’t add those. I like almonds and pistachios so those are often included in my homemade granola recipes. Coconut is also another yummy addition, but add it towards the end of the baking time so it won’t burn. You can make the Best Granola Recipe for your palate by tweaking what you add to your batch.

How Long Can You Keep Granola?

Granola has a decent shelf life if you store it in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for about a month at room temperature and for 3-4 months in the freezer. Just defrost it overnight on the counter or in the refrigerator.

How Do You Serve Granola?

I like a bowl of granola for breakfast with sliced bananas and some milk. You can also make a breakfast parfait by layering yogurt, granola, and fresh berries in a bowl or glass. You can also use it as a crunchy topping for an ice cream sundae.