Learn how to make this Easy Granola Recipe (Low Sugar) with 6 simple ingredients and one bowl in 20 minutes from a dietitian! It's sweetened with maple syrup and tastes so much better than store bought!
If you ask me, there can never be too many granola recipes. It's always nice to change things up once in a while, you know?
And this granola made with maple syrup will have your whole house smelling like homemade goodness! The incredible aroma of maple and vanilla will have your kids drooling! You'll never want to buy store-bought granola again. 😍
This is a crunchy granola recipe, but it's not chunky, like my original granola recipe that breaks into chunky clusters. The texture of this granola actually reminds me of cereal which makes it perfect for making yogurt parfaits and topping a smoothie bowl.
Wondering what you are going to do with 5 cups of granola? Thankfully, there are so many ways to eat it, that you'll find yourself making your own granola again in no time.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy You just mix all of the ingredients together, spread them out on a lined baking sheet, and bake it. That's it! There is no need to mix the dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients and you only need one large mixing bowl, so cleanup is a breeze!
- 20-minute recipe Need I say more? 😊
- Naturally Sweetened Using maple syrup to make granola makes mixing easy and tastes so incredibly good! Still, maple syrup is considered an added sugar. This recipe provides 4g of sugar per serving which meets the 'low sugar' criteria. 4g per serving is much less sugar than you will find in traditional granola recipes.
- Kid-Approved My kids absolutely love this recipe. In fact, they are thrilled when I pack it as a lunchbox snack or travel snack in small containers for them.
- Vegan Granola Recipe This recipe is completely vegan because it is sweetened with maple syrup instead of honey.
- Low FODMAP granola recipe This recipe meets the Low FODMAP criteria as long as your serving is limited to no more than one-half of a cup. See notes section about almonds in a low FODMAP diet.
Dietitian Tips
I'm sure you've noticed that I've referred to this granola recipe as being 'vegan' as well as meeting the criteria for a 'low FODMAP' recipe. If neither of these words pertain to you, it doesn't mean that this recipe is not for you. Nor does it mean that I think you should decide to be vegan or follow a low FODMAP diet 😉
I try to include these words in recipes when it's relevant for families who find it helpful. For instance, not only does the term 'vegan' mean something to those who follow a vegan diet, but it is also a signal to families who worry about food allergies that the recipe does not contain dairy or egg, two of the most common food allergens.
Optional Add-Ins
A small amount of these suggested add-ins can be used in place of any of the dry ingredients in the same proportion. For instance, if you'd like to add one-quarter of a cup of an ad-in, reduce the amount of oats, hemp hearts, or almonds by one-quarter of a cup.
- Sunflower Seeds Not as crunchy as almonds, but they still taste great in granola.
- Chia Seeds Chia seeds will stand out more than hemp hearts. Still, if you like them in granola, add some!
- Pumpkin Seeds I love pumpkin seeds! I don't usually add them to granola, but many people do.
- Coconut Flakes If you like the flavor of coconut, feel free to sprinkle some in!
- Vanilla Extract Feel free to add an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract for even more vanilla flavor.
Ingredient Notes
- Oats Use Old-Fashioned Oats, not quick oats. Rolled oats are easy to find and are inexpensive (especially when purchased in bulk). Oats are a whole grain and are an excellent source of soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, phosphorus, thiamine, magnesium, and zinc.
- Almonds Excellent source of monounsaturated fats, fiber, and a variety of minerals. Almonds are considered low FODMAP if limited to 10 almonds. One-quarter cup serving of this granola recipe has about 4 almonds in it.
- Hemp Hearts Hemp hearts are an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Specifically, they provide 10 grams of protein and 2090mg of Omega-3 fatty acids in 3 tablespoons.
- Maple Syrup Use pure maple syrup. Pure maple syrup is low FODMAP.
- Olive Oil I used extra virgin olive oil. Avocado oil or coconut oil can be used instead.
How to Make This Easy Homemade Granola Recipe
Here is a brief overview of the steps to make this low sugar granola recipe. For a full list of ingredients and complete instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Chop almonds. If you are using pre-sliced almonds, you can skip this step.
- Add all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix the ingredients well.
- Pour mixture out on to a large baking sheet (rimmed) lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven for 1517 minutes, until the oat mixture is light golden brown in color.
Helpful Tips
- Use the back side of a spoon to spread the oat mixture out evenly.
- Let cool completely before storing.
- Spread the granola out on one single layer, covering as much of the surface of the baking sheet as possible. This will allow for even browning.
- I like to use a hand held food chopper or the chopper attachment that came with my Smart Stick Hand Blender to chop the almonds into small pieces. A food processor would also work well.
- The size of the almond pieces will determine how crunchy this granola is. The larger the pieces of almond, the crunchier it will be.
- Slivered almonds can be used in place of chopped almonds.
- Honey can be used in place of maple syrup, but then it will no longer be considered vegan, and it will take a little more work to spread out the oat mixture. Also, the mixture will be stickier if you use honey, so you'll have to use the palm of your hand or back end of a flat spatula to press and smooth the mixture down onto the parchment paper before baking it.
- This granola is not very sweet. Even granolas made with natural sweeteners can have so much sugar added that it tastes like a sugary cereal. The amount of sugar in this recipe is pretty low for granola, with only 4 grams of sugar per serving.
- If you've been advised to follow a strict gluten free diet, use certified gluten-free oats.
- If your kids like dried fruit like raisins or dried cranberries in granola, feel free to mix some in!
Questions You May Have
Granola is so versatile! It can be eaten alone as a snack, with milk (like cereal), sprinkled on fresh fruit, added to Greek yogurt, and so much more.
In fact, there are so many ways to serve it, so I compiled a list with 20 ideas of how to eat granola. Let me know if you can think of more!
FODMAPs are sugars that aren't absorbed properly in the gut, triggering symptoms in people with IBS.
Although I haven't tried it yet, I think chopped walnuts or pumpkin seeds would make a nice substitution in this recipe.
Yes, you sure can! Honey is not considered low FODMAP or vegan, if you care about that. Otherwise, you can substitute it equally for the maple syrup.
The mixture will be stickier when using honey, so you'll need to use the palm of your hand or the back side of a flat spatula to flatten and spread out the mixture before baking it. Then, once it cools, break the pieces apart.
Once granola is completely cooled to room temperature, it can be stored in an airtight container and used within a few weeks.
While I have not tried it myself, I've also heard that granola freezes well.
Related Recipes
More Easy Recipes
Did your kids love this easy granola recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating below or a review in the comments section!
Don't forget to snap a pic of their granola and tag @carrots.and.cookies on Instagram so I can see it. Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Low Sugar Granola Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups Rolled oats Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
- ⅔ cup Almonds Chopped
- ¼ cup Hemp hearts
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ⅓ cup Maple syrup Pure Maple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil I like to use extra virgin olive oil, but any neutral-flavored oil can be used instead.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir well, until all of the dry ingredients have been mixed in with the maple syrup, vanilla, and oil.
- Pour mixture onto a lined rimmed baking sheet. Spread out evenly using a spoon. Mixture should cover the entire surface.
- Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes, until the mixture is golden brown.
- Remove and let cool.
Notes
- This recipe, as written, contains 4 grams of sugar per serving according to the database responsible for calculating the estimate.
- I like to use a hand held food chopper or the chopper attachment that came with my Smart Stick Hand Blender to chop the almonds into small pieces.
- Can use pre-packaged sliced or slivered almonds instead of whole, chopped almonds.
- The size of the almond pieces will determine how crunchy this granola is. The larger the pieces of almond, the crunchier it will be.
- Use the back of a spoon to spread the oat mixture out evenly to cover the base of the lined baking sheet.
- If your kids like dried fruit like raisins or dried cranberries in granola, feel free to mix some in!
- Honey can be used in place of maple syrup, but then it will no longer be considered vegan, and it will take a little more work to spread out the oat mixture. Also, the mixture will be stickier if you use honey, so you'll have to use the palm of your hand or back end of a flat spatula to press and smooth the mixture down onto the parchment paper before baking it.
- Remove granola from the oven when it is golden brown. Do not over-bake it.
- Let the granola cool completely before storing.
- Store in an air-tight container or jar at room temperature. Can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
Rave says
This granola recipe is fantastic! when I first took it out the oven I wasn't sure if it was going to get crunchy but it did. I love that it's lower sugar and the options for add ins.
Kristi Ruth RD says
Good point - it's definitely misleading when you first take it out of the oven, haha! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe!