21 Homemade Granola Recipes That Slash Sugar

Don't you love granola for breakfast, granola bars for a snack, and those fun little granola parfaits you can get at fast food restaurants anytime? So wholesome right? Well, actually not. Despite its healthy image, some store-bought granola is so loaded with fat and calories it makes our list of fattening foods you should never eat. The solution? Make your own homemade granola, breakfast bars, and parfaits—since you know exactly what's going into it, you can keep it low-sugar, but still totally delicious. Here, some of our all-time favorite homemade granola recipes to pair with fresh fruit and Greek yogurt for a well-rounded, diet-friendly breakfast.

Try this recipe: Golden Fruit and Nut Granola Bars

If you often have to eat on the go, pack one of these bars in your purse for a dose of healthy whole grains and protein. One recipe makes 12 bars, so you'll have plenty for the week ahead.

Ingredients: Flaxseeds, nut butter, light agave nectar, golden raisins, vanilla extract, kosher salt, rolled oats, raw, unsalted mixed nuts, flaky sea salt

Calories: 256

Try this recipe: Cardamom-Vanilla Granola

Dig in: Nuts and seeds (use any you want) plus oats and fruit are transformed with fragrant cardamom.

Ingredients: Honey, ground cardamom, extra-virgin olive oil, vanilla extract, kosher salt, uncooked rolled oats, raw almonds, raw cashews, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened flaked coconut, cooking spray, cranberries

Calories: 265

Try this recipe: Apricot-Pine Nut Granola Bars

You'll love this grown-up version of the classic after school snack. Plus, it's packed with good-for-you nutrients: pine nuts are loaded with minerals, especially iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, and manganese.

Ingredients: Olive oil cooking spray, tart dried apricots, runny wild honey, extra-virgin olive oil, light brown sugar, old-fashioned rolled oats, pine nuts, ground cardamom, salt, ground golden flaxseed

Calories: 176

Adapted from Better Baking (C) 2016 by Genevieve Ko. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Rux Martin Books. All rights reserved.

Try this recipe: Basic Granola

This easy-to-make granola recipe can be used as template for different variations. To save money, look for nuts, oats, and dried fruit in your supermarket’s bulk bins and buy only as much as you need.

Ingredients: Old-fashioned rolled oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes, ground cinnamon, salt, extra-virgin olive oil, maple syrup, raisins or dried fruit (optional)

Try this recipe: Apricot-Hazelnut Granola

Start with our Basic Granola recipe and sub in chopped hazelnuts for half of the almonds, then add vanilla and and chopped dried apricots for subtle sweetness and a hit of fiber.

Ingredients: Old-fashioned rolled oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes, ground cinnamon, salt, extra-virgin olive oil, maple syrup, hazelnuts, vanilla, chopped dried apricots

Try this recipe: Superfood Crunch Granola

Start out with our Basic Granola recipe, but omit 1/2 cup of oats and add 1/2 cup of hempseed to up the nutrition. For an even bigger boost, this version also has turmeric, ground ginger, and goji berries.

Ingredients: Ground ginger, ground turmeric, coconut oil, goji berries, old-fashioned rolled oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes, ground cinnamon, salt, extra-virgin olive oil, maple syrup, dried fruit