I haven’t purchased granola in over two years because it’s so easy and inexpensive to make your own granola at home. This copycat Trader Joe’s maple pecan granola recipe is crunchy with big clusters of oats and perfectly sweetened with maple syrup. There’s just the right amount of cinnamon and pecan pieces for me, but you’re welcome to add a little extra of both if you like!
I usually make pecan granola with honey, but maple syrup-based granola is perfect for the fall! It adds a subtle maple flavor that you can then emphasize with a little maple extract. Make this maple cinnamon granola to enjoy all fall long—when cooled completely before storing, homemade granola lasts about a month in the pantry! And if you’re looking for more copycat Trader Joe’s granola recipes, try this vanilla almond granola.
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Ingredients for Maple Pecan Granola
The best part about granola recipes is that they’re really easy to customize. Make this cinnamon granola recipe as written, or add in extra nuts, seeds, or spices (like cardamom or nutmeg). You can also easily add dried fruit after the granola has cooled.
- Maple syrup. With the brown sugar, maple syrup acts as a binding agent to hold the granola clusters together. Maple syrup has a small amount of invert sugar to help the oats clump together once baked, too.
- Brown sugar. In addition to making the oats shiny once dried, brown sugar adds a bit of molasses flavor and complements the maple syrup really nicely.
- Salted butter. Butter helps the granola crisp up and turn golden brown, and it adds a great buttery flavor.
- Salt. Just a pinch enhances all the flavors.
- Cinnamon. A full Tablespoon ensures there are specks of cinnamon on every single oat.
- Vanilla extract. A vanilla undernote complements the maple and cinnamon beautifully.
- Maple extract. I add just a little to help the maple flavor shine. Without it, the maple flavor is present but not as strong.
- 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.
How to Make Homemade Maple Pecan Granola
For the last two years, I’ve been making my own granola, and I’ve documented it on TikTok. It’s so much easier and cheaper than I thought it would be to make, and I can customize it based on what my husband and I are craving that week. To make homemade granola, all you need to do is melt butter, maple syrup, 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!
If you’d like, you can also watch me make this maple granola on my YouTube channel below:
Make the Maple Syrup Coating
This buttery syrup is what coats the rolled oats and helps them crisp up in the oven. Add the butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and salt to a larger pot than you think you’ll need to prevent spills. Stir together over medium heat, until the butter melts completely. This usually takes around five minutes.
You could also microwave this mixture in a large microwave-safe bowl until the butter has melted!
Once the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and maple extracts, along with the cinnamon. It’s okay if the cinnamon doesn’t quite dissolve completely.
Stirring in the Oats and Pecans
Add the rolled oats and pecan pieces to the buttery maple syrup, then stir together with a strong spatula. You want to get every single oat and pecan piece coated, so scrape the sides and bottom of the pot.
I’ve learned my lesson from previous granola batches and no longer use small pots when making granola. It’s far too easy to spill oats over the sides onto the stovetop!
Baking Maple 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 most granola recipes, as the granola browns a little faster in darker pans. A light-colored/aluminum half-sheet pan will work just fine (in fact, I recommend it for my chocolate granola recipe), but you may need to bake it for an extra few minutes. If using a smaller oven, like a toaster or countertop oven, I recommend splitting the granola onto two parchment-lined pans so that it can dry out properly.
Pour the granola onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, then spread it into a thin layer.
Bake the maple cinnamon granola for 20-25 minutes at 300°F/150°C, until the granola is lightly golden brown. I’ve found that maple syrup-based granola bakes best if it is stirred once midway: Around the 10-15-minute mark, use your spatula to stir the granola in the pan, then flatten back down.
Immediately out of the oven, the granola will be bendy, not crispy. However, as the granola cools over the next 30 minutes or so, the sugar coating on the outside of the oats will crisp up and harden.
Breaking up Maple Cinnamon Granola
Make sure the maple granola has cooled completely, as it will break into pieces far more easily when cooled and brittle. If the granola is even slightly warm, it can be hard to tell if it has dried out and baked completely. And storing warm granola can turn the whole batch soggy!
Once fully cooled, break up the granola with freshly washed hands or a spoon or spatula. Use caution with utensils, as they tend to launch granola all over the kitchen. Ask me how I know…
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 Maple Granola
Most of the time, yes, it’s a pretty simple swap. Or, you could use this honey pecan granola recipe and add cinnamon.
I wouldn’t recommend it. The brown sugar in this recipe helps the oats to crisp up nicely; using only maple syrup won’t have quite the same effect.
This is a copycat Trader Joe’s maple pecan granola recipe, but I think the homemade version is even better than Trader Joe’s!
Once the granola has cooled completely and you break it up into pieces, transfer it all to an airtight container. Store in the pantry for about a month, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy
I have a growing collection of granola recipes here on The Floral Apron! My vanilla almond granola, honey pecan granola, and dark chocolate granola are all well-loved by my readers.
I’ve recently discovered that granola makes a great ice cream topping. This one pairs especially well with vanilla frozen custard.
A less crunchy way to use up your rolled oats, these gluten-free protein granola bars are a favorite breakfast and post-workout snack around here.
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 maple pecan granola recipe has a cleanup rating of a 1. There’s one pot, one spatula, a few measuring cups, and a few small bowls. Most of what I had could go in the dishwasher, and because I overline my baking sheets with parchment paper, I didn’t have to wash my pan this time. You can add a knife and cutting board for chopping the pecans, but you can also just break them with your fingers.
Maple Pecan Granola Recipe
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If you’ve made this granola and love it, don’t forget to rate this recipe five stars—even better if you get the chance to leave a quick, written review!
Maple Pecan Granola
Easier than you'd think to make at home, maple cinnamon granola comes together in about an hour with simple ingredients, like maple syrup, pecans, and rolled oats.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup maple syrup (80 g)
- ¼ cup brown sugar, firmly packed (50 g)
- 8 Tablespoons salted butter (113 g)
- pinch of salt
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon (8 g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10 ml)
- 1 teaspoon maple extract (5 ml)
- ¾ cup pecan pieces (100 g)*
- 3 cups rolled oats (300 g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, and salt to a medium pot. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon, vanilla extract, and maple extract, then remove from heat.
- Add the pecan pieces and rolled oats to the maple syrup mixture. Stir together until well combined and no dry patches of oats remain.
- Pour the granola out onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread evenly into a thin layer across the pan with a spatula.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring once halfway through baking,** until the granola looks golden brown.
- Let the granola cool for about 30 minutes to firm up, then break into smaller pieces with your hands, if desired. 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.
**My other granola recipes haven't needed to be stirred, but I've found maple syrup-based granolas crisp up best with one stir midway through baking. Simply pull the pan out from the oven, stir the granola around once or twice with a spatula or wooden spoon, flatten out a little, and put back in the oven.
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: 225Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 75mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 3g
The nutrition facts are estimated and may vary based on specific ingredients used.
I’d love to see how your granola turns out: Take a photo and tag me on Instagram @floralapronblog to share with me, or use the hashtag #floralapronbakes.