This brown butter granola with walnuts is lightly sweetened, delicious and totally easy to make. In less than 30 minutes, you can have homemade granola for a fraction of the price of store bought varieties.
I created this small batch granola recipe for my husband and sister. My husband loves to have granola for breakfast as a healthier alternative to traditional cereal. My sister and nephew have been eating a yogurt parfait almost everyday for breakfast, and you need a good granola for that!
The key ingredient here is a fragrant brown butter. Brown butter only takes a few minutes to make, but it really takes dishes all the way up to a 10. It has a wonderful nutty aroma, and a toasty golden color.
Once you have made your delicious granola, enjoy it on it's own, with milk, in a yogurt parfait, in an acai bowl, or sprinkled over a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a tasty dessert topping.
More breakfast recipes to try
Why make granola at home?
Store bought granolas are delicious, but are often chock-full of sugar and very expensive. Making your own is so easy! The recipe I am sharing is pretty basic, so feel free to adjust with your favorite toppings. This granola is slightly sweet, but not overpoweringly so. If you want it sweeter, try adding chocolate chips or dried fruit.
Ingredients for Granola with Walnuts
- rolled oats
- finely chopped walnuts
- flax seeds
- ground cinnamon
- sea salt
- honey
- butter
- vanilla
- brown sugar
How to make brown butter granola
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (oats, chopped walnuts, flax seeds, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon)
In a saucepan over medium heat, brown butter. Stir occasionally, until you see light brown flecks start to form. This should take about 4-5 minutes.
Add vanilla, browned butter, and honey to the dry ingredients. Pour over top of the dry ingredients and stir until everything is evenly coated.
Place granola on a baking sheet flat and packed together (this will also help to encourage clumping).
Bake for 30 minutes, turning the granola with a spatula halfway through for even toasting. Be sure to check regularly, so as not to burn the granola.
Let granola cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Top Tip
Regarding texture, be aware that the granola will take about 10-15 minutes to harden or clump up after coming out of the oven. When it first comes out, it will still be malleable. This may cause you to think it isn't finished cooking, but rest assured that it is!
Resist the temptation to move it around, just let it sit on the sheet pan. Let the room temperature air work its' magic. Don't mess around with it until it's hardened, or it won't clump!
Variations
Granola is great because it's a real use 'em up situation. Similar to salads or stir frys, granola can really be made with all kinds of dried fruits, nuts, and oats from your pantry. Here are some ideas for ways to switch up this granola recipe.
- coconut flakes
- dried cranberries
- steel cut oats
- peanut butter
- pecans
- chia seeds
- hemp hearts
- maple syrup
- pumpkin seeds
How to make my granola clump together
This granola is low in sugar and isn't super clumpy. There are a few ways you can make it clump more.
- An egg white. Adding an egg white before cooking will help the granola pieces to stick together.
- Honey. I added a bit of honey to this recipe to clump it up a bit and make it sweeter. The sugar crystals will help the granola stick to itself.
- Chia Seeds. A secret ingredient for clumpier granola is chia seeds! When chia seeds are mixed with a liquid, they create a gel. The gel helps to bind the granola together and create some wonderful clumps. If you do use chia seeds, make sure they are mixed directly into the wet ingredients, and then that mixture is added to the dry. This helps the gel to form.
Storage
Store finished brown butter granola at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
Brown Butter Granola with Walnuts
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup walnuts chopped fine
- ¼ cup flax seeds
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 stick butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (oats, chopped walnuts, flax seeds, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon)
- In a saucepan over medium heat, brown butter. Stir occasionally, until you see light brown flecks start to form. This should take about 4-5 minutes.
- Add vanilla, browned butter, and honey to the dry ingredients. Pour over top of the dry ingredients and stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Place on a baking sheet flat and packed together (this will also help to encourage clumping).
- Bake for 30 minutes, turning the granola with a spatula halfway through for even toasting. Be sure to check regularly, so as not to burn the granola.
- Let granola cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
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