Homemade granola that’s crunchy, delicious, and inexpensive is far easier to make than you might think! Made with honey and pecans for a sweet and nutty aftertaste, this honey pecan granola is a new household favorite, right up there with my vanilla almond granola recipe.
Honey pecan granola is also easy to customize with your favorite mix-ins, like dried fruit, seeds, and spices! You can add additional seeds and spices before baking, but dried fruit is best incorporated once the granola has baked and cooled completely. The strong honey flavor in this granola complements most ingredients nicely—a hearty dash of a spice like cinnamon or cardamom would be great!
My favorite ways to use homemade granola are in yogurt parfaits and on top of homemade vanilla ice cream—you’ve got to try it!
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Ingredients for Honey Pecan Granola
Homemade granola is easy to both make and customize based on your preferences! This is my base recipe for granola with a strong honey flavor; you’re more than welcome to add in dried fruit, extra nuts, seeds, or spices (like cinnamon or cardamom) to your taste.
- Honey. With the brown sugar, honey acts as a binding agent to hold the granola clusters together. If you’d like to make this granola vegan, substitute with maple syrup or agave nectar.
- Brown sugar. In addition to making the oats shiny once dried, brown sugar adds a bit of molasses flavor and complements the honey really nicely.
- Salted butter. Butter helps the granola crisp up while baking and imparts a great buttery flavor.
- Vanilla extract. I love adding a splash for extra vanilla flavor.
- Pecan pieces. Pecan pieces are generally cheaper than whole pecans, so that’s what I use. You’re welcome to use whole pecans or roughly chopped pecans if you want large pieces.
- Rolled oats. Old-fashioned or rolled oats have the perfect texture for homemade granola.
- Salt. Just a pinch enhances all the flavors.
How to Make Homemade Honey Pecan Granola
For the last two years, I’ve been making my own granola at home. It’s so much easier than I thought it would be to make, and I can customize it based on what my husband and I are craving that week. All you need to do to make homemade granola is melt butter, honey, and sugar together; stir in your oats and pecans; and bake for 30 minutes on low heat. Once cooled, break the granola up into pieces, and enjoy!
Melting the Honey, Brown Sugar, and Butter Together
This buttery syrup is what coats the rolled oats and helps them crisp when in the oven. Add the butter, honey, and brown sugar to a large pot than you think you’ll need (we will be adding the oats and pecans directly to this pot!) and stir together over medium heat.
This usually takes about five minutes, but it may take an extra minute or two if your butter wasn’t already cut into pieces like mine (which is how I leave it when I’m not filming a recipe!).
Once the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
Stirring in the Oats and Pecans
Add the rolled oats and pecan pieces to the buttery syrup, then stir together with a strong spatula. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pot to get all the oats thoroughly covered in the syrup.
I used a large pot and managed to prevent rolled oats from spilling out during stirring this time!
Baking Honey Pecan Granola
Granola will bake the best if it is thinly spread on parchment paper over a baking sheet. I prefer to use dark half-sheet pans for this recipe, as the granola browns a little faster in darker pans, though a light-colored/aluminum half-sheet pan will work just fine, too. If you have a smaller oven, split the granola onto two parchment-lined pans so that it can dry out properly.
Tip the granola out of the pot over the parchment-lined baking sheet, then spread the granola thinly over it. I like to pat the granola with my spatula a few times to ensure it’s in a really thin layer before baking it.
Bake the honey pecan granola for 20-30 minutes at 300°F/150°C, until the edges of the granola are golden brown in color. If your granola hasn’t changed in color much at the 20-minute mark, stir the granola around the pan with your spatula, then bake for another 10 minutes.
Immediately out of the oven, the granola will be bendy, not crispy. However, as the granola cools, the sugar coating on the outside of the oats will begin to harden, and the granola slab will crisp up considerably after about 30 minutes.
Breaking up Honey Pecan Granola
Make sure the honey granola has cooled completely, as it will break into pieces far more easily when cooled and brittle. If the granola bends rather than breaks and feels warmer than room temperature, allow it to cool for another couple of minutes. Storing warm granola can turn the whole batch soggy!
Once cooled, break up the granola with freshly washed hands or a spoon or spatula. I prefer to use my hands, as using utensils often launches stray oats across my kitchen.
Store homemade granola in an airtight container, like a large jar or silicone zip-top bag, for up to a month at room temperature or in the freezer for up to six months.
FAQs about Honey Pecan Granola
You can, but you don’t have to. If your granola is spread in a single layer in the pan and your oven doesn’t have big hot spots, you should be fine to leave the granola the whole time. If you used a smaller pan and have a thick layer of granola, it would be best to stir it halfway through the bake time.
It sure can! Substitute an equal amount of maple syrup or agave nectar for the honey, then substitute a neutral oil or salted vegan butter for dairy butter.
Definitely, and please do! I recommend adding spices, extra nuts, or seeds before baking, but something like dried fruit or coconut flakes should be added as you break up the granola to store it.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy
If you prefer a more mild honey flavor in your granola, my vanilla almond granola is a favorite around here! It has a little less honey and a little more brown sugar to help the vanilla flavor shine through.
If you’ve never topped your ice cream with granola, you’re missing out! This pecan granola on top of my French vanilla ice cream is absolutely incredible. So much so that I may be working on a granola ice cream recipe for this summer…
If you’re looking for more recipes with rolled oats, my gluten-free protein granola bars make a great breakfast or post-workout snack.
Dish Cleanup: Piece of Cake
I rate my recipe cleanups on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is only a handful of dishes, and 5 is everything including the kitchen sink.
My honey pecan granola recipe has a cleanup rating of a 1. There’s one pot, one spatula, and a couple of measuring cups! You can add a knife and cutting board if you want to chop the pecans yourself, but even then, you can have the dishes done in less than 10 minutes. I use an extra large piece of parchment paper to fully cover my baking sheet (including the edges). If you use a smaller sheet of parchment, you may have to rinse the edges of the pan, but the cleanup still isn’t bad at all.
Honey Granola with Pecans Recipe
Honey Pecan Granola
Homemade granola is easier than you'd think to make and bound to be a favorite at the breakfast table! This honey pecan granola is sweetened with honey and loaded with pieces of pecan for a nutty aftertaste.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup honey (115 g)
- ¼ cup brown sugar, firmly packed (50 g)
- 8 Tablespoons salted butter (113 g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10 ml)
- ¾ cup pecan pieces (100 g)*
- 3 cups rolled oats (300 g)
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add honey, brown sugar, butter, and salt to a medium pot. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract, then remove from heat.
- Add the pecan pieces and rolled oats to the honey mixture. Stir together until well combined and no dry patches of oats remain.
- Pour the granola out onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, and spread evenly across the pan with a spatula.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the granola is lightly golden brown on the edges. For extra crispy granola, gently stir the granola once halfway through baking.
- Let the granola cool for about 30 minutes, then break into pieces with your hands. Once fully cooled, store in an airtight container.
Notes
*Pecan pieces are generally less expensive than pecan halves, but you can use either one. Use about 1 cup of pecan halves if you decide not to chop them into smaller pieces.
Homemade granola lasts for about a month when stored in an airtight container after it has cooled completely. If placed in an airtight container while just the slightest bit warm, the granola can get soggy and won't last as long.
If you notice your granola is really sticky the next day, it may not have dried out enough during baking. You can dry the granola out a little more to improve its shelf life: Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 5-10 more minutes at 300°F/150°C.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1/3 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 235Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 75mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 3gSugar: 12gProtein: 3g
The nutrition facts are estimated and may vary based on specific ingredients used.
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