Granola is a super versatile, easy, and delicious option that can be enjoyed on its own, as an ingredient, or as a topping. It's a favorite of kids and adults, especially when it's homemade!
Whether you just made your first batch of chunky granola from scratch or bought a big bag of your favorite store-bought granola, you're probably wondering how you are going to eat all of it.
Look no further! Here you will find twenty ideas of how to eat granola. I will start by listing the simplest ideas and end with more creative ones.
Jump to:
- Single Serving of Granola
- Granola with Milk
- Granola with Yogurt
- Granola with Fruit
- Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
- Mixed in with Applesauce
- Topping for Pancakes and Waffles
- Fruit Crumble
- Ice Cream Topping
- In Oatmeal
- Trail Mix
- Apple Nachos
- Smoothie with Granola
- Smoothie Bowl Topping
- Acai Bowl Granola
- Salad Topping
- Added to Muffins
- In Energy Bites
- Topping for Truffles
- Breakfast Toast
- Granola FAQ's
- More Easy Snack Recipes
Single Serving of Granola
This is as easy as it gets. Granola can be enjoyed on its own as a 'standalone' snack. This makes it perfect for when you are short on time or on the go.
Granola with Milk
That's right, granola can be served just like cereal! Simply pour some in a bowl and pour milk over it as you would with cereal. Serve it with a spoon.
Granola with milk makes an easy breakfast for busy mornings whether at home or on vacation. It travels easy, so all you need to do is find milk when you get to your destination and breakfast is taken care of.
Granola with Yogurt
My kids' favorite way to eat granola is this: top fruit flavored Greek yogurt with granola. They enjoy it as an easy breakfast or as an after-school snack.
Sometimes I pack granola in a small container so they can add granola to their yogurt that they often pack in their school lunches.
Granola with Fruit
Granola makes a delicious addition to a variety of fruits including bananas, apples, peaches, and berries.
Option 1 Chop up your favorite fruit and top it with granola.
Option 2 Slice your favorite fruit. Drizzle peanut butter and a small amount of honey on the sliced fruit. Top with granola.
Option 3 Serve it with yogurt as a dipping option when making fruit kabobs.
Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
Granola is a 'must' for making the perfect fruit and yogurt parfait. Simply layer yogurt, granola, and fruit. That's it!
Some fruit works better than others. And, if you aren't going to be eating it right away, consider waiting until just before you eat it to add the granola to keep it from getting soggy
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Mixed in with Applesauce
Give your kids the option of mixing granola in with applesauce. Whether you are serving homemade applesauce or store-bought, it is fun to mix in!
Topping for Pancakes and Waffles
Serve it on the side when serving pancakes or waffles to kids. Giving kids options like what they want to top their pancakes with helps to increase food exposure and acceptance.
Fruit Crumble
Granola can easily be substituted for oat and flour mixture in many fruit crumble recipes.
Most fruit crumbles, like my Healthy Apple Crumble recipe, call for an oat and flour mixture as part of the topping. If you don't have oats and flour but you have granola on hand, make the switch and see how it works!
Ice Cream Topping
It may sound strange, but it works! The combination of crunch and flavors that granola offers makes it an excellent ice cream topping.
In Oatmeal
Granola adds sweetness and crunch to oatmeal. Sprinkle some on to a bowl of old-fashioned oatmeal or homemade baked oatmeal.
Trail Mix
Simply add dried fruit, like raisins, craisins, or banana chips and nuts or seeds to granola. You'll have a homemade trail mix in an instant!
Apple Nachos
Making apple nachos is easy. Start by laying thin apple slices on a plate either in a straight line or in a circle shape.
Next, drizzle peanut butter or other nut or seed butter on the front half of the apple slices. Sprinkle granola on top of the nut/seed butter.
Then, either drizzle the granola with honey or top it with mini chocolate chips. Eat it like you would nachos!
Smoothie with Granola
Try adding it to your favorite smoothie to give it an extra boost of fiber as well as fun texture. It's also an easy way to increase calories in a smoothie.
Personally, I think it would be a delicious addition to my Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothie! Either blend it together with all of the other ingredients or simply top the smoothie with granola. It works either way!
And this Triple Berry Smoothie with Granola is also a 'must try'. Rebecca MS, RDN of Nourish Nutrition describes her smoothie as being "delicious, easy, and made with ingredients like yogurt, frozen berries, banana, and spinach that you may already have in your kitchen."
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Smoothie Bowl Topping
Often times the best part of a smoothie bowl is getting to choose your toppings! The crunch from granola compliments the smooth and creamy texture of a smoothie bowl just perfectly.
Simply top a smoothie bowl with some of the crunchy goodness and you're set! Or, add it along with a few other toppings like sliced banana and peanut butter. Either way, it will be delicious!
If you've never made a smoothie bowl, you've got to try my Easy Strawberry Banana and Tropical Blue Smoothie Bowl recipes!
Acai Bowl Granola
Granola is a very popular acai bowl topping and for good reason!
Acai Bowls wouldn't be so popular if it weren't for all of the toppings! If you pay close attention, you will never see acai bowls made just with acai.
That's because acai by itself (without any other fruit or sweetener added) is not sweet at all. It does have a beautiful color but without adding other fruit and toppings, you would be saying 'no thanks'.
Trust me on this one. Aside from adding fruit like banana to the acai smoothie bowl base, toppings like granola, banana slices, berries, and chocolate chips are what give acai bowls it's fame.
Salad Topping
Granola can be used in place of croutons on top of salads. I agree with Sheri Berger RDN, CDCE as she says, "Topping Salad with granola is a great way to add crunch, fiber, protein, and a sweet touch!".
Afterall, most kids love crunch and almost all love everything sweet!
Sheri suggests topping baby spinach with grapefruit or Cutie segments, fresh strawberries, and granola. Then make a simple dressing by whisking together fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and honey or agave.
Drizzle a small amount of dressing on the salad and you're set!
Added to Muffins
Adding granola to muffin batter adds incredible flavor along with a boost of fiber and texture. Simply add one half of a cup of granola to muffin batter and mix well.
Try it and you'll see! Add one half of a cup of granola to one batch of my Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip muffins. It's so good!
When added to the batter, granola adds bulk to these muffins while keeping them moist.
The other option with muffins is to add a small amount of granola to the tops of muffins before you bake them.
In Energy Bites
Use granola to make energy bites as a quick snack. Mix together one cup of granola with about one-quarter cup of peanut butter and one or two tablespoons of chocolate chips.
Roll into one-inch round balls and refrigerate. No baking required!
They are a crunchy version of traditional energy bites (also known as bliss balls).
Topping for Truffles
Simply roll a homemade truffle in granola before you refrigerate. My Easy Vegan Chocolate Avocado Truffles are made with just chocolate and avocado before they are rolled into a topping of choice.
Granola would make a delicious topping for these! In fact, let your kids roll the truffles in the granola. They will be more likely to eat them if they help make them!
Breakfast Toast
Granola makes a tasty addition to breakfast toasts! Let your kids sprinkle the granola on to increase acceptance. They will feel like they made the whole breakfast themselves!
Simply spread a thin layer of nut or seed butter on a slice of toast. Then, add sliced strawberries or banana and a drizzle of honey. Top with granola and serve!
Granola FAQ's
You really should not eat granola with braces. Hard and sticky foods can break off brackets, bend wires and loosen bands.
Yes! Make sure the granola has cooled completely. Then, place it in a sealed, airtight container to freeze.
More Easy Snack Recipes
Do you love all of these ideas of how to eat granola? Please leave a 5-star rating below or a review in the comments section!
Don't forget to snap a pic of how you use granola and tag @carrots.and.cookies on Instagram so I can see it. Enjoy!
Momof3
I love all of these ideas!