Skip to Content

No-Stir, Lots-of-Clusters Granola

I first published this ten years ago (!), so it needed a small update, and it now includes a printable recipe card…just scroll all the way to the bottom of the post for that.

A bowl of granola, topped with sliced peaches, in a white bowl.

I am seriously so excited to share this recipe with you. Woohoo!

As you know, I make my own granola on a regular basis, because store-bought granola is ridiculously overpriced. And making granola at home is just not that hard.

My least favorite part of the process, though, is the stirring. Opening the oven frequently lets a lot of heat out, plus even with rimmed baking sheets, I still manage to spill some granola every time.

When I got the America’s Test Kitchen DIY cookbook, this granola recipe caught my eye because it promised perfect granola with no stirring while baking.

Count me in!

Not only does this method save time, but it also produces granola that is nothing but clumps, and if you’re like me, this will make your heart sing.

The granola comes out as one big piece, so you can just break it into whatever size pieces you like.

granola in a plastic container.

This granola is perfectly crispy without being heavy. So good.

Also, baking it flat like this allows for much more even baking; no more burnt bits on the edges of the pan.

I didn’t plan this, but when I lined up all my ingredients, I realized almost everything is from Aldi (yep, even the maple syrup!)

granola ingredients.

In a large bowl, combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and oil.

liquid granola ingredients.

Next, stir in the oatmeal and chopped almonds. I love coconut in my granola, so I added some unsweetened flaked coconut.

granola before baking.

Now, press the granola mixture into a rimmed baking sheet. (I use a half-sheet baking pan, like this one.)

You can use the back of a spatula to make sure it’s evenly pressed down.

granola before baking.

Bake for 30-40 minutes.

If you like your granola slightly less brown, you can always bake it a little less.

baked granola.

Let the granola cool for about an hour. At this point, it should have hardened, and you can break it up into clusters.

granola partially broken into clumps.

The original recipe says you can add 2 cups of dried fruit at this point, but if fresh fruit is readily available at this time of year, I opt to skip that step.

But in the winter, raisins, craisins, or dried apricots are good additions.

A bowl of granola, topped with sliced peaches, in a white bowl.

Store your granola in an air-tight container.

You can eat this as a breakfast cereal with milk, of course, but it’s also really good sprinkled on top of yogurt.

As with most granolas, there’s some flexibility here. You don’t have to include coconut, you can use nuts other than almonds, and you can use coconut oil in place of the vegetable oil.

A bowl of granola topped with peaches.

No-Stir Granola

Scroll down for printable!

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups raw whole almonds, chopped
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 cups raisins or other dried fruit

Heat oven to 325 ° F. Grease a rimmed half-sheet baking pan.

Whisk together the maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and oil. Stir in oats, almonds, and coconut.

Spread the oat mixture into the prepared baking sheet; press evenly to compact granola.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until granola is lightly browned, rotating baking sheet halfway through the baking time.

Remove from the oven and let cool thoroughly. When granola is cool, break into clusters and stir in dried fruit.

Store in an airtight container up to 1 month.

A bowl of granola, topped with sliced peaches, in a white bowl.

No-Stir Granola

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

This granola requires NO stirring during the baking time! Less mess, more even baking, more clumps. Perfect.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups raw whole almonds, chopped
  • 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 2 cups raisins or other dried fruit (optional)

Instructions

Heat oven to 325° F. Grease a rimmed half-sheet baking pan.

Whisk together the maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and oil. Stir in oats, almonds, and coconut.

Spread the oat mixture into the prepared baking sheet; press evenly to compact granola.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until granola is lightly browned, rotating baking sheet halfway through the baking time.

Remove from the oven and let cool thoroughly. When granola is cool, break into clusters and stir in dried fruit.

Store in an airtight container up to 1 month.

Notes

To use coconut oil in place of the vegetable oil, just melt it before mixing with the rest of the liquid ingredients.

Use a combo of vanilla and almond extracts to switch things up.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Liz

Wednesday 25th of October 2023

To make this nut-free (I have a sensitive kiddo!), just add 1 more cup of oats, for a total of 4 cups, and proceed as directed.

I can’t buy granola in the store - every granola sold in my grocery stores is made on equipment that processes the nut versions, which is enough to set off my nut-sensitive kiddo. I was thrilled to discover this option!

It also works great for a quick-and-easy one-serving crisp - just heat up canned pie filling (or previously-cooked fruit), and top with this granola!

Becca

Sunday 13th of November 2022

I love this recipe and and make it regularly with lots of substitutions and alterations. I find it to be a very flexible and forgiving formula.

In case anyone is wondering, I did a cost breakdown of the original recipe using today's prices (November 2022) at Aldi. One batch (which gives me about 14 half cup servings and gives my family about two breakfasts) costs 9.09 as written.

1/3 cup maple syrup 1.33 1/3 cup brown sugar .10 4 tsp vanilla 2.00 1/2 tsp salt .01 1/2 cup veg oil .19 3 cups oats .73 1 1/2 cup almonds 2.25 1/2 cup coconut shreds .77 2 cups raisins 1.71 Total: 9.09

This is still cheaper than the cheapest store bought granola I could find which comes to 11.80 for an equivalent amount (would need to purchase multiple bags), but not by a whole lot. My ideas for reducing costs (if you need to) are to either make homemade vanilla or reduce or omit the vanilla, use peanuts or sunflower seeds to reduce the nut cost, and use another sweetener in place of some or all of the maple syrup. You could also leave out the raisins and use chopped bananas or apples instead. I hope this is helpful to anyone who is really needing to watch their pennies, and thank you, Kristen for such a winner of a recipe!

Becca

Sunday 13th of November 2022

@Kristen,

Vanilla at Aldi is currently 4.99 for a 2 ounce bottle (it went up!) and according to the internet, there are 9.6 teaspoons in 2 ounces, so I think I mathed that right...this recipe would use less than half the bottle, but only slightly less. How much cheaper is vanillin? I don't buy it because I avoid artificial flavors, but I know it used to be much cheaper. I wonder if it still is...

Kristen

Sunday 13th of November 2022

Oh wow, 4 teaspoons of vanilla costs $2 right now??

I usually use a combo of almond and vanilla extract, and since it's a baked product, I use imitation vanilla. ATK's testers couldn't tell the difference when imitation vanilla is in baked goods, so I figure I'm good to go.

I do use real vanilla for things like whipped cream or pudding.

KaLynn

Wednesday 9th of November 2022

I used this recipe for the first time and made a double batch with my 3 year old daughter last night. It was a big hit because she can mix everything "all by myself" :D

Thanks again

Suzanne

Monday 31st of October 2022

We love this granola and I’ve shared the recipe with everyone who has tried it!

Stacy

Sunday 30th of October 2022

I’ve been making this for at least 10 years now and it’s by far my favorite! Sounds great right now for fall…maybe I’ll make a batch this week!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Skip to Recipe