Easy Sourdough Granola Recipe (with a nutty flavor)
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My Easy Sourdough Granola Recipe is a great way to use up extra sourdough discard while making a delicious granola loaded with wholesome ingredients like oats, raw nuts, maple syrup, and pumpkin seeds. This homemade sourdough granola delivers a nutty flavor with big clusters of granola that are perfect for a healthy breakfast or great snack.
I keep this sourdough granola recipe in regular rotation because it is a great base recipe the whole family loves. If you enjoy sourdough discard recipes for snacking, try my Chewy Sourdough Granola Bars or my Sourdough Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Quick Look: Sourdough Granola
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Servings: 4 cups
- Calories: 1,174 kcal (whole batch)
- Cook Method: Baked
- Flavor Profile: Crunchy, nutty, and lightly sweet with warm cinnamon, maple syrup, and chewy dried cranberries. Perfect over yogurt or as a grab-and-go snack!
- Difficulty: Easy — Simple to mix, mostly hands-off in the oven, and fully customizable with your favorite nuts and seeds!
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Why You’ll Love This Easy Sourdough Granola Recipe
- Quick and simple to make: This easy sourdough discard granola recipe comes together in a large mixing bowl with minimal effort. Simply mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, combine them, spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake until golden brown. For another easy snack that uses sourdough discard, try my Sourdough Whole Wheat Crackers.
- Completely customizable: One of the best things about this sourdough granola recipe is that you can use your favorite nuts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, dried fruit, or even chocolate chips to make it your own. Whether you prefer smaller clusters or large clusters, you control the final product. Love customizing your bakes? My Sourdough Pop Tarts are just as fun to make your own with different fillings and glazes.
- Nutritious and satisfying: This delicious granola is packed with raw nuts, oats, and maple syrup for a delicious snack or healthy breakfast that keeps you full. The addition of sourdough starter acts as a natural binder for perfect clusters while reducing food waste by putting your extra starter to good use. For another wholesome make-ahead snack, my Sourdough Granola Bars are a lunchbox favorite worth trying too.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Oats: Whole-grain old-fashioned oats is what brings the perfect texture and flavor to this sourdough granola recipe.
- Nuts and/or seeds: Mix and match your favorite nuts and seeds for the perfect homemade granola. I used raw walnuts, pecans, pepitas and flax seeds. Other ideas could include sliced almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, pistachios, peanuts, chia seeds and sunflower seeds
- Oil: I used avocado oil as a neutral tasting oil, but I also love the taste that coconut oil brings to this recipe as well.
- Sweeteners: Maple syrup and brown sugar bring the sweetness to this recipe. Substitute more maple syrup or honey for the brown sugar for 100% natural sweeteners.
- Water: Thins out the mixture to evenly spread over the oats and nuts.
- Spices: Salt brings the perfect contrast to this sweet granola, so don’t skip it! Furthermore, I kept this basic recipe simple by adding just ground cinnamon; however, you can experiment with other spices such as nutmeg, ginger, or pumpkin spice. Alternatively, you could even mix in some cocoa powder for a delicious chocolate granola variation.
- Dried fruit: Adding dried fruit like craisins, raisins, chopped dried apricots, or cherries is optional but brings an extra touch of sweetness and chew to this sourdough granola. Be sure to add your favorites once the granola has cooled.
- Optional mix-ins: Other delicious inclusions include sweetened coconut flakes or chocolate chips. Be sure to add the chocolate chips once the granola has cooled completely – otherwise the chocolate will melt!
How to Make Sourdough Granola
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add the oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, sourdough discard, water, cinnamon and salt and whisk until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, add the oats, chopped nuts and/or seeds. Pour the maple syrup mixture on top of the oat/nut mixture and mix with a rubber spatula until fully coated.
- Pour the granola on the prepared baking sheet. If you prefer granola clusters, press the sourdough granola down with a rubber spatula just before baking.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour or until the granola is golden in color with a toasty aroma.
- Again, if you prefer large clusters of granola, stir the granola only once halfway through the bake with a rubber spatula. Pat down again before continuing to bake.
- Otherwise stir the granola every 15 minutes. Useful tip: Granola won’t be crispy just out of the oven. Instead it will crisp up as it cools. One last attempt to achieve granola clusters, press down the granola mixture just out of the oven and allow it to completely cool before breaking into clumps.
- Once you remove the granola from the oven, add the dried fruit and allow it to cool completely.
- Serve with milk or on top of yogurt and enjoy!
McKenna’s Helpful Tips
- For big clusters of granola, press the granola mixture firmly into an even layer on the prepared pan before baking, and only stir once halfway through. Allow it to cool completely before breaking apart. I use a similar pressing technique for my Chewy Sourdough Granola Bars.
- Use coconut oil instead of avocado oil if you want an extra special touch of wonderful flavor in your chunky sourdough granola. The coconut pairs beautifully with the maple syrup and brown sugar.
- Always add dried fruit and chocolate chips after the granola has cooled completely to prevent burning or melting. Golden raisins, cranberries, and chopped apricots are all favorite add-ins that bring an extra special touch. If you love chocolate chips in baked goods, my Sourdough Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are another great snack.
- Store your homemade sourdough granola in a glass jar or mason jar at room temperature for up to two weeks. For a longer time, keep it in the fridge in an airtight container.
- A little bit of egg whites mixed into the wet ingredients helps bind the oat mixture for even bigger, crunchier clusters. This trick works as a natural binder alongside the sourdough discard. For another crunchy sourdough snack, try my Sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal.
How to Store
Short Storage: Keep your sourdough granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. Additionally, for extended freshness, store it in a glass or Mason jar.
Extended Storage: If you want it to last even longer, you can pop it in the fridge; however, be sure it’s completely cooled first to avoid moisture buildup. Moreover, when you want that extra crunch, warm it up in the oven for a few minutes to revive its crispy texture.
Sourdough Granola FAQs
I have not personally tested making homemade granola bars with this exact recipe, so I am not certain it will hold together as bars after baking. The granola mixture may be too crumbly without additional binding ingredients like peanut butter or extra maple syrup. If you want a tried-and-true bar recipe, I recommend my Chewy Sourdough Granola Bars, which is specifically designed to stick together as sourdough granola bars.
You can try instant oatmeal; however, since it is more finely processed, the texture will likely bake up more crumbly rather than forming those large clusters of chunky sourdough granola that old-fashioned oats provide. Old-fashioned rolled oats hold their shape better and give the best granola texture. If you enjoy oats in other sourdough discard recipes, try my Sourdough Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for another favorite way to use oats.
Yes! You can easily swap avocado oil for olive oil or coconut oil depending on what you have on hand. Coconut oil adds a wonderful flavor that pairs nicely with the maple syrup and brown sugar. The oil helps everything stick together for that perfect even layer of granola.
To achieve big clusters of granola, spread the oat mixture into a thin layer on the baking sheet and press it down firmly. Only stir once halfway through baking, and press it down again. Adding a little bit of egg whites to the wet mixture also acts as a natural binder for bigger chunks. Let the granola cool completely on the pan before breaking it apart. For a snack that is all about crunch, try my Sourdough Goldfish Crackers.
If you tried this Sourdough Granola recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Sourdough Granola Recipe
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Ingredients
- 350 grams old-fashioned oats 3 cups
- 250 – 350 grams chopped nuts/seeds * 1 1/2 – 2 cups
- 100 grams neutral oil * 1/2 cup
- 80 grams pure maple syrup 1/4 cup
- 55 grams brown sugar * 1/4 cup
- 120 grams sourdough discard 1/2 cup
- 60 grams water 1/4 cup
- 1 gram ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon
- 3 grams salt 1/2 teaspoon
- 150 grams dried cranberries 1 cup
Instructions
- See notes below for substitutions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add the oil, pure maple syrup, brown sugar, sourdough discard, water, cinnamon and salt and whisk until smooth.100 grams neutral oil *, 80 grams pure maple syrup, 55 grams brown sugar *, 120 grams sourdough discard, 60 grams water, 1 gram ground cinnamon, 3 grams salt
- In a separate bowl, add the oats, chopped nuts and/or seeds. Pour the maple syrup mixture on top of the oat/nut mixture and mix with a rubber spatula until fully coated.350 grams old-fashioned oats, 250 – 350 grams chopped nuts/seeds *
- Pour the granola on the prepared baking sheet. If you prefer granola clusters, press the sourdough granola down with a rubber spatula just before baking.
- Bake for 1 hour or until the granola is golden in color with a toasty aroma. Stir the granola every 15 minutes. If you prefer large clusters of granola, stir the granola only once halfway through the bake with a rubber spatula. Pat down again before continuing to bake.
- Once you remove the granola from the oven, add the dried fruit, like dried cranberries or raisins, and allow it to cool completely.
- Serve with milk or on top of yogurt and enjoy!
I just made this and it is amazing! I used avocado oil, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts, nutmeg, vanilla, and coconut. Thank you for the recipe! I think this would make lovely Christmas gifts!
Oh my, this combination sound incredible! So glad you loved this recipe.
I make this granola all the time and give it to my grown kids an grandkids. ! Love it. How many calories in one serving and how much is a serving size. Thanks
I love that you’re sharing it with your kids and grandkids! For a 1/2 cup serving it is about 150 kcals. Hope this helps!
Absolutely delicious! I make it on repeat to make sure my jars are always stocked!
For the nutrition macros, are they per 100g?
I’m so thrilled to hear that you are loving this granola! Thank you for taking the time to leave this kind comment. A 1/2 cup of granola is about 150 kcal.
The most delicious granola I’ve ever made! This will be on repeat in our house now – it didn’t last long! I made it with jumbo oats and it made the best clusters. Super easy, and it was the perfect level of sweet. Thank you!
So thrilled you loved this recipe, Jess! It seriously couldn’t be easier and I’m so pleased to hear that it has become a staple in your household. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this sweet comment!
This is now the second recipe I followed from you, McKenna (the first was the discard maple pecan scones), and both are successes! I had previously tried a discard granola recipe from another creator on IG and it just wasn’t as good as yours. The other one turned very hard and I wasn’t a fan of the coconut oil flavor, so I appreciate that yours doesn’t have it. These granola bits are REALLY good, quite addictive. Thank you, and I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Ahh this makes me so happy to hear! I’m thrilled you loved both recipes — especially that the granola turned out perfectly crunchy without getting too hard. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and for baking along with me — it truly means so much!
Easy to make and delicious.
For some reason I got the best results cooking it a total of 42 – 43 min.
Everyone loves it.
How can I make this recipe into granola bars?
My sister keeps raving about this recipe. But I would prefer bars instead of clusters.
Thanks
Can this recipe be used to make granola bars instead of clusters?
Hi Barb! I have personally not tested making granola bars with this recipe, so I’m not certain. I don’t believe it will stick together after being bake, but if you give it a try, please let me know how it goes!
Can you use instant oatmeal?
Hi Denise! You can, however since the instant oatmeal is more finely processed, the texture might bake up more crumbly. If you give it a go, let me know how it turns out. Enjoy!
Hello. Can this be made into granola bars- just for the ease of packing into kids tiffins and handy travel snack? I was thinking may be I can cut them once they have cooled thoroughly.
Hi Manisha! I have not tested making granola bars with this recipe, so I’m not certain. I don’t believe it will stick together after being bake, but if you give it a try, please let me know how it goes!
Can I substitute agave syrup for maple? I have a ton of it on hand and would love to use up some of it🫤
Hi Christina! I personally haven’t made this recipe with agave, but it should be fine! Hope you love this recipe!
How do I Pin your recipes?
Hi Patsy, if you hover over any of the pictures, the Pinterest icon will appear in the top lefthand corner. This will allow you to pin any recipe.
Hi is there a reason why you don’t list butter as a good option for the oil component?
Just wondering if I should avoid it for a specific reason
Butter is just fine!