Make Ahead

Olive Oil & Maple Granola From Nekisia Davis

October 11, 2022
4.7
171 Ratings
Photo by Julia Gartland
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 45 minutes
  • Makes About 7 cups
Author Notes

This recipe, adapted very slightly from Early Bird Foods' best-selling Farmhand's Choice Granola, is like muesli after a vampy makeover. Olive oil, maple, brown sugar, and coarse salt form a rich, shaggy crust on wholesome innards like oats, pecans, and coconut shards.

Helpful tools for this recipe:
- Five Two Wooden Spoons
- Food52 x Rosti Ultimate Melamine Mixing Bowl
- Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Baking Sheets


Genius Recipes

Test Kitchen Notes

Granola might be one of those snacks you tend to buy packaged, which is fine, of course, but once I started making my own granola—specifically, olive oil and maple syrup granola—it’s very hard to go back to the store-bought stuff. This Genius recipe from Nekisia Davis was actually inspired by a brand’s granola with a comparable ingredients list; however, when you make your own granola, there are a few major upsides.

First of all, you have more control over flavor: You can add an extra handful of your favorite nuts and seeds in the ingredients list, or if you want to swap in different nuts (almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts would be amazing), no one’s going to stop you! Regardless, when you’re toasting your own nuts, the flavor is just always going to be better than the packaged alternative. Plus, if you feel like adding a bit of extra seasoning, like ground cinnamon or cardamom, or stirring in some dried fruit after baking, you’re only doing the granola a favor. And did you notice the yield here? Seven whole cups! Take that, 12-ounce bag of packaged granola.

But perhaps the best thing about homemade granola is that you ultimately control the price. While a box or bag of the stuff may run you over $10 a pop at the store, when you’re buying the ingredients, you can shop at the bulk bin for the individual components, which is nearly always the more affordable option at the store already. Plus, you probably already have at least a few of this recipe’s ingredients already in your kitchen. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Olive Oil & Maple Granola From Nekisia Davis
Ingredients
  • 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 1/4 cups raw pecans, left whole or coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut chips
  • 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 300°F. In a large bowl, mix the oats, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, syrup, oil, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the salt until well combined.
  2. Spread the mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, for about 45 minutes total, until the granola is toasted.
  3. Remove the granola from the oven; season with salt to taste. Let cool completely before serving.
  4. Do Ahead: The granola can be made 1 month ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Nancy Caravan
    Nancy Caravan
  • Little Piggy
    Little Piggy
  • C.Nielsen
    C.Nielsen
  • Irene Seales
    Irene Seales
  • Angela Morales
    Angela Morales
Genius Recipes

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

291 Reviews

Nancy C. June 8, 2024
A very nice recipe. I've been making granola for a while, and decided to try this one today. I cut down on the oil and sweeteners, (as I always do!) and still found it a bit too sweet. I stirred and flipped it every 15 minutes, and then let it bake a little bit longer--you don't want to burn it-- but wanted to make sure it was not soggy. My husband likes dried fruit in his granola which adds sweetness, so next time I will cut it more.
 
Little P. June 2, 2024
Actually, I would like some input. My granola never crisped up. I made no changes to the recipe and made sure the granola was toasted brown before removing it from the oven. It was still chewy when completely cooled. Later, I tried to toast it up again, but, the same thing happened. IT was soft and chewy when cool. While I love the flavor, I am missing that granola crunch. Any suggestions or advice?
 
Deborah J. June 2, 2024
Did you stir it periodically while it was baking? If not, then that is why it remained chewy. I usually stir mine like every 10 minutes as I like my granola crunchy. People who like more of a chewy granola would probably have not while baking, allowing it to remain chewy when it cools.
 
Little P. June 2, 2024
Hi, thanks for your response! I did stir it, but more like every 15/20 minutes. I'm in Seattle and it's wet and humid here now. Maybe that's a factor?
 
Deborah J. June 3, 2024
I'm in Lacey, WA so I would say no to humidity being the cause as it is quite humid here, too. What quality of maple syrup did you use? I know that the lower qualities tend to have more water in it and that could possibly be a factor. Unfortunately, the lower quality of maple syrups don't list the water factor in their product so it is difficult to check on that. I only use the maple syrups from Trader Joe's so you may want to give that a try. Also, increase the amount of stirring of your granola to help it get crispier. Now I'm going to have to make a batch as you've got me hungry for it, lol!
 
Little P. June 4, 2024
Hi, thanks for the input. Maybe it's the stirring more frequently that I need to try next time. I also used TJ's maple syrup (:
 
Little P. June 1, 2024
Very yummy!! I would reduce the sweetener next time, but, this is a keeper for sure.
 
NYCtoCAtransplant April 23, 2024
I have been making this recipe on repeat for over a year now - it’s super forgiving on proportions (i often use less syrup or brown sugar and swap out all kinds of nuts). My extended family keep asking me to make more and my kids devour it, as do I. Such a delicious recipe.
 
Debra G. March 28, 2024
I have been making this granola for years. I 2X the recipe so we have enough for a few months
 
C.Nielsen March 28, 2024
Probably use this more than any other recipe on this site!
 
Irene S. March 22, 2024
I was inspired to play with the ingredients a bit. I used a lemon olive oil from Sciabica's, and for the nuts, a very generous amount of raw macadamai nuts that I kept saving in my freezer from a trip to Hawaii for a worthy project - toasted before mixing, and raw sunflower seeds+raw sliced almonds. I also used unsweetened, shredded coconut. after the end of the baking, I added 1 cup mixed dry tart cherries and red currants. scrummy delicious results and helped reset my Aloha spirit (I seem to always appreciate the local granola from Anahola Granola when on island but this can make up for it at home).
 
Tamar K. November 8, 2023
This is the best granola recipe. I do cut down on the maple syrup and don’t add the sugar, because I prefer my granola a little less sweet. But it is by far the best granola - no need to buy any once you use this recipe.
 
Cheryl August 31, 2023
I'm never buying granola again. This is so good. Sometimes I've added chopped dates to this and sometimes dried cranberries or cherries to it. All good. I've given this as gifts to people and when I do, everyone wants the recipe. Thanks Food 52!
 
Mary E. August 10, 2023
I've heard that there's a way to make this recipe in the slow cooker, and I'd love instructions on that! I'm really eager to try this.
 
Gabrielle July 27, 2023
Very very very dangerous recipe to have lying around the house.

I threw in a half cup of toffee bits that needed to be used up, plus a sprinkling of maldon salt at the end. The resulting granola was marvelous, but a bit too sweet for me. I’m not sure if that’s because of the toffee bits but I toasted up another cup of oats (frying pan) and threw it in . Problem solved.

That said, in the interests of health, I would probably reduce the sugar and/or maple syrup next time given that pecans are on the sweet side.

A pre-workout snack of Greek yogurt, half a banana and this granola is amazing.

 
Julia S. July 24, 2023
I love this recipe so much, I usually add some pistachios and after it’s baked I add apricots and dryed blueberries in. I cut the sugar and only use the maple syrup and I sprinkle some maldon salt as well.
 
Harv681 July 16, 2023
This granola has become a staple!! It is amazing stirred into yogurt, or sprinkled on ice cream, in a bowl with milk, or just by the handful as a snack! The only change I have made to this glorious recipe is to substitute chopped craisins for the coconut.
 
Harv681 July 23, 2023
Add the craisins during the last 5 minutes of baking!!
 
Kjkennedy70 July 11, 2023
Super easy and the taste?? I was skeptical of the olive oil at first but O to the MG! It's transformational!! The brown sugar and maple syrup combine with the olive oil richness to create eye-roll inducing euphoria! 'Nuff said - get the ingredients - jump in and enjoy the fruits (oats?) of your labor!
 
Annie July 9, 2023
My husband loves granola. He really really LOVES this granola. This recipe is lovely as it is written but also wonderfully flexible – so many variations with whatever is in the pantry.
 
brushjl June 13, 2023
I see there already a ton of reviews here. Just to say, it's great delicious granola.
 
scamm619 April 30, 2023
I've been making variations on this recipe for a few years now and I still can't get enough. It's so easy and so adaptable - from variations of the add ins to the sugar content. I haven't bought granola from the store since I found this recipe and I'm proud enough to give jars of mine as gifts at the holidays!! :D

I've landed on an oven temp of 325 F for around 35-40 minutes that gets the oats toasty enough and keeps pecans/walnuts/coconut flakes from burning. I also don't bother with stirring the mixture throughout the bake and it turns out perfectly delicious. I do make sure to mix/transfer the granola as soon as it comes hot out of the oven - if I wait too long to transfer to a storage container the maple syrup & brown sugar really keep the granola stuck to the pan. 10/10 would recommend
 
Angela M. April 25, 2023
So delicious. I’ve been eating it with pomegranate seeds and soy milk. Next time I might try cutting a small amount of the brown sugar, maybe a couple tbsps but not much. It’s perfect as is and I’d hate to mess it up. The olive oil maple combo is delightful.
 
BFrank24 February 1, 2023
I can’t believe how good this granola is and how easy it is to make. I add cinnamon. Delete the sugar. And add almonds and cashews. It’s fantastic. )and I can’t cook!)
 
Sweet__Kate January 29, 2023
I've tried a lot of granola recipes, and this one is fabulous! It doesn't hold up too well in milk as a cereal, but it is perfect with yogurt or just plain. I can't wait to play around with different ingredients. This is a keeper.