Home » Recipe Type » Breakfast » Large Clump Granola
5 from 30 reviews
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This granola is a staple in our house: my children are never happier than when they walk into the kitchen to find a freshly baked batch cooling on a sheet pan. Seasoned with maple syrup and sea salt, and loaded with nuts and seeds, this granola is not only super tasty but healthy to boot. Read below to find my tips for making excellent large-clump granola.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago in the Bircher muesli post, this granola is a staple in our house, one treat my kids never tire of, a great healthy breakfast or after school snack.
Four Tips for Making Granola that Clumps
- Don’t stir. Don’t stir while it’s baking; don’t stir after you remove it from the oven.
- Bake at a lower temperature. I bake this granola at 275ºF for 45 minutes to an hour or until it’s lightly golden all around. The lower temperature allows the granola to brown slowly and evenly without having to stir.
- Once you remove the granola from the oven, let it cool completely on its sheetpan — this allows it to crisp up further and set. Once cool, you can break the granola into big ragged shards.
- Parchment paper sheets: Parchment paper prevents the granola from sticking to the pan and therefore allows it to break away into big chunks. Save the sheets and use them again and again — store the used sheets in a bag.
Large-Batch Granola
If you’re going through the process of making granola, I don’t think there’s any point in making anything other than a large batch. With that in mind, here’s one final tip:
- Invest in a single large sheetpan: I love these 15x21x1-inch sheetpans. The below recipe yields nearly 3 quarts of granola. You can spread the granola over two standard sheet pans, but a single large sheetpan makes the process easier.
PS: Homemade muesli + Bircher muesli, another staple:
How to Make Large-Clump Granola
First, gather your ingredients. Combine rolled oats, almonds, millet, unsweetened coconut, sea salt, maple syrup, and oil (melted coconut oil or a neutral oil such as grapeseed) in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
Spread onto a parchment-lined sheetpan.
Bake until evenly and lightly golden.
Let cool completely; then break into shards.
Store in an airtight vessel at room temperature.
Large Clump Granola
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 30 reviews
- Author: Alexandra Stafford
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups
Save Recipe
Description
You can bake this granola on two sheetpans, rotating them halfway through the cooking. OR, bake the entire batch on a large 15x21x1-inch sheetpan.
Parchment paper sheets — can’t say enough about them. Save them and use them again and again — I fold mine up and stick them in a ziplock bag.
The recipe halves well, too. See notes below the recipe for those proportions.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (160 g) whole millet
- 4 cups (408 g) oats (not instant)
- 1 1/2 cups (100 g) unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 1/2 cups (220 g) sliced almonds
- 2 teaspoons (7 g) sea salt, such as Maldon
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup grapeseed oil or other neutral oil or melted coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275ºF.
- In a large bowl, toss together the millet, oats, coconut flakes, almonds and salt. Pour in the maple syrup and oil. Stir to coat.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the oat mixture out on it. Place it in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to hour, or until the edges look slightly dark.Note: As soon as you start smelling it, start checking it. This may take you 30 minutes; it may take you an hour and 15 minutes depending on your oven and baking pan. Really try to use the visual cues: lightly golden throughout with slightly darker edges.
- Do not stir: As in: Do not stir during the cooking process or when it comes out of the oven.
- Let the mixture cool completely on sheet pan. When ready to store, lift up edges of parchment to loosen the granola — this will create nice big shards. Transfer shards to storage container. Pour in remaining granola — it will inevitably break into smaller pieces.
Notes
For a half recipe, use these proportions:
- 1/2 cup (102 g) whole millet
- 2 cups (204 g) oats (not instant)
- 3/4 cup (48 g) unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 1/4 cups (128 g) sliced almonds
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil or coconut oil (melted)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Granola Dairy Free Breakfast Gluten-free Vegan Favorites
« Previous PostGinger Fried Rice with Poached Egg
Next Post »Strawberry Mascarpone Tart
Want to Chop Like a Pro?
Get your free 8-video tutorial
Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe
Marilyn Z West —Reply
I used quinoa since I didn’t have millet and it was delicious! Question about the salt: I dont have Maldon or sea salt. I subbed the same amount Morton Coarse Kosher salt and it was a tad but salty for me. What amount kosher salt would you suggest? Could I just use table salt? What amount table salt would you suggest? This recipe will become a staple in our kitchen. We love it! Thanks!
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Great to hear Marilyn! Morton Coarse Kosher salt definitely is on the salty side. I typically use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and when I can’t find it and find myself using Morton’s, I always have to adjust, because I inevitably make everything too salty. Yes, you can use table salt or a smaller amount of the kosher salt you are using. I would do no more than 1.5 teaspoons. You could even start with a teaspoon or 1.25 teaspoons.
Diana Rincon —Reply
Wonderful granola! We’ve made it many times.
One question…is there another ingredient that could be substituted for the millet? The tiny grains get stuck in our teeth and so we are wondering if something else could be used instead.
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Hi Diana! Great to hear. I think you could use really any seed — sunflower or pumpkin seeds might work best. I know some people have used quinoa, but quinoa is also small and might cause the same issue.
Mike —Reply
This came out wonderful. Had this bookmarked for a while but finally got around making it over the weekend. Simple instructions, and easy to follow.
Made some changes to the mix – didn’t have millet so substituted with a mix of black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds and chia seeds. Also added some diced dates and raisins for added sweetness. This recipe sure allows to experiment a bit so long suggested proportions are generally adhered to.
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Great to hear, Mike! Thanks so much for writing and sharing your notes, especially about the millet, which lots of people have a hard time finding or simply don’t like.
Jennifer Hansen —Reply
Mike – when did you add the raisins and dates? I’m wanting to make super clumpy granola with dried fruit embedded, but don’t want to burn it. Curious how you did it because this recipe is incredible!
Tia —Reply
Oh my goodness…I was so excited to make this recipe, and I’m still giving it 5 stars, but I’m SOOOOO sad! A friend shared her granola with me about two years ago, and I’ve been waiting to make this for so long because I could never find millet locally.
Welp…I made two giant batches of the granola, using pecans instead of almonds, and it was all ruined due to the millet! Evidently millet needs to be rinsed or it can leave a bitter taste!!! Please, do not use millet, or rinse it first!!!! I’m so sad…I was eager to make this for my mother, but there’s no way she’ll eat it. Oh well! 🙁
But I do absolutely love the recipe!!! Evidently the original batch gifted to me didn’t have millet, and I see most people do not use it.
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Tia, I’m so bummed to hear this, but also confused: I’ve never rinsed millet, and I’ve never had it ruin a batch… maybe some millet can be bitter, but I’ve never had an issue, and I’ve only ever used millet in it. I’m so sorry you ruined your batches 🙁 🙁 🙁
Nye —Reply
Eth —Reply
I made this granola today. It was delicious with lovely large clumps once baked and cooled. It was so easy to make and store cupboard-friendly. I didn’t have millet, so added puffed quinoa and some sunflower seeds that needed using up. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Great to hear, Eth! Thanks so much for writing and for sharing all of these notes — sounds delicious 🙂 🙂 🙂
Lucy —Reply
Wow, I think this is our new forever granola recipe–love it!
I added a pinch of Ceylon cinnamon and the zest of a lemon but otherwise followed as written. And it took about 1.25 hours at 250 (fan/convection setting) in our oven. Hurrah for not having to stir it!
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Yum! And yay 🙂 All sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing these notes.
Mary Ann —Reply
This granola is most excellent! Don’t think I’ll ever be buying any again. Didn’t have millet, put in roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds instead. I’ve found that it satisfies my craving for sweets. Although it is a little bit addictive…!
Alexandra Stafford —Reply
Great to hear! More and more these days we use seeds other than millet. So glad you like this one 🙂 Thanks for writing!
