Crispy, Clumpy Granola that Doesn't Taste Homemade

Have you ever tried making homemade granola hoping for bites of crispy clusters and been disappointed that it turned out all crumbly with tiny loose pieces of nuts and oats? Why doesn’t it stick together in clumps like your favorite store-bought granola?

I discovered a secret addition and a few techniques that yield a granola with snackable clusters.

• The key ingredient is egg whites, which act as a glue, binding all those nutritious ingredients together into crispy chunks of goodness.
• It also helps to press the granola down on the baking sheet to stick everything together before baking.
• When baking, only stir if necessary to keep the edges from burning. Keep stirring to a minimum and do it gently to keep the granola chunks intact.

I have been making this granola recipe for years and I love it because I change up the ingredients every time and it never goes wrong, as long as I use the basic formula.

You might say this is a “customizable-build-your-own-granola” recipe.

Crispy, Clumpy Granola that Doesn’t Taste Homemade

• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup oil or melted butter
• 1/4-1/2 cup honey or maple syrup (use 1/4 cup for a mildly sweet granola; use 1/2 cup if you want it sweeter)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)
• 1/4 tsp salt (omit if your nuts are already salted)
• 4 1/2 cups total of dry ingredients. I use:
  1 cup sprouted rolled oats
  1 cup shredded coconut
  2 cups chopped nuts (almonds, cashews, pecans, peanuts)
  1/2 cup chopped seeds (pumpkin or sunflower)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees (if you have a dehydrator* that is preferable, but the oven works fine, too).

Beat egg whites, oil or butter, honey, vanilla, almond extract, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients one at a time and mix well after each addition to ensure that the wet ingredients thoroughly cover the dry ingredients.

Spread granola evenly on a greased cookie sheet. For extra clumpy granola, press down with a spatula to pack it together.

Bake for 45 minutes. If the edges are browning, stir gently, rotate pan and return to oven.

Bake for 15 minutes. Check to make sure it’s not burning. Stir only if necessary.

Bake for another 15 minutes. Granola is done when it’s golden brown and 99% crispy. It will become 100% crispy as it cools. I found that my granola takes 1 hr 15 minutes total at 250 degrees in my oven.

Granola will store in an airtight container for several weeks.

*If using a dehyrator: Spread evenly on dehydrator trays, packing it down, and dehyrate at 160 for 8-12 hours.

Recipe feedback: "Thank you! I’ve made this three times now and I have to keep making more as EVERYONE in our house loves it :-)"  ~Jennifer M.