How to Make Homemade Coconut Granola

Making homemade granola is actually one of the easiest recipes to make – loaded with shredded coconut, coconut oil and naturally sweetened with honey and maple syrup! It is super simple, and this coconut granola is the perfect “grab and go” snack for summer!

If you’re like most of us, summer is such a wild time of year with family vacations, barbeques, and on and on. I wanted to create a simple “grab and go” snack to take on all our summer adventures – this homemade coconut granola is it!

The hint of coconut flavor gives it the perfect “summer tropical” vibes, but truthfully I love this healthy granola year-round! It makes me “sort of” feel like I’m on a vacation, ha!

It’s naturally sweetened with honey and maple syrup and loaded with delicious flavor! Enjoy it on its own or with milk or yogurt. You can even get fancy and make a layered coconut granola parfait!

Here are a few of the ways I’ve been loving this coconut walnut granola this summer…

Ways to Serve Granola

• As is! I fill it in little snack cups or baggies and toss in my purse. It won’t melt, even in that summer heat, like so many other snacks do.
• On top of yogurt to create a coconut walnut parfait. I served mine up in a coconut shell for some extra fancy. ;)
• Smoothie bowls. My husband has been topping his morning smoothie bowls with a sprinkle of this granola.
• Bake apples with some cinnamon and add this granola on top! It reminds me of an apple crumble dessert, yum!
• Add it in oatmeal for a crunch!

There are tons of ways to use this homemade granola! I love that it’s simple to make and you can make a large batch at once. Just store your granola in an airtight container (lasts about 3 weeks, if you don’t eat it all up at once).

Homemade coconut granola is also such a fabulous gift to give. Fill up a fun container, add a bow, and done! So if you’re headed to the lake this summer or maybe the beach, pack up some for your family, trip-mates, and friends. They’ll be asking for this recipe, trust me!

Let’s talk about how to tailor this granola to YOUR favorite flavors! You know how I like to give you options.

Customize Your Coconut Granola

• Feel free to change up the spices. I loved a bit of cinnamon, but try out your faves – think pumpkin spice or apple spice too! Or leave it out if you want it simple.
• The coconut oil helps bind everything together but only adds a subtle coconut flavor, so I added unsweetened, shredded coconut as the granola finished baking. Feel free to leave the shredded coconut out if you’re not a coconut lover. Or add sweetened coconut for a sweeter granola.
• I added roughly chopped shelled walnuts. You could leave your walnuts whole, finely dice them, or a rough chop. Or swap for almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, you name it. Whatever you prefer!

Coconut Granola Ingredients

OATS

Grab old-fashioned, rolled oats. Not quick cooking oats!

COCONUT OIL

Coconut oil contains the healthy fatty acids that will give this snack that energy boost. It’s readily available in markets now, usually found by the cooking oils. You can also use olive oil, if preferred, it’ll produce a slightly more toasted/savory flavor.

NATURAL SWEETENER

You can use several different sweeteners, I chose honey and real maple syrup because I love the flavor combination they give this coconut granola. You can also substitute in agave nectar if you want!

SHREDDED COCONUT

Be sure to note that the shredded coconut is added at the end of the baking process, nobody wants burnt coconut! You can use sweetened or unsweetened.

NUTS/SEEDS

This is where the fun begins! You can add in any type of chopped nuts or seeds like almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, pistachios, chia seeds, flax seeds, etc. They give granola the perfect crunch!

SPICES & FLAVORINGS

Add in your favorite spices and flavorings. I chose cinnamon and vanilla extract. You could also use almond extract! Remember, a little goes a long way.

MIX-INS

Shredded coconut is the perfect addition to coconut granola, of course, and it toasts up to perfection in this recipe. You could also add in dried fruit too!

More Delicious Breakfast & Brunch Recipes:

• Banana Walnut Crumb Cake
• Apple Cinnamon Walnut Rolls
• Orange Cinnamon Mini Rolls
• Blueberry Banana Bread

I hope you love this Coconut Granola full of crunchy nuts, shredded coconut and naturally sweetened flavor! Enjoy!