If you love pecan pie, you will love this maple pecan granola. My kids think this is the best granola recipe. It's made with delicious maple syrup, brown sugar, and toasted pecans. As a result, this granola is sweet like pecan pie and combined with the warm flavor of cinnamon.
Table of Content
What is your favorite granola combination? I honestly can't pick one! How can I? In fact, I have been making breakfast cereals for years at home and I'm always looking for ways to flavor them differently. So, I have tried some really weird combinations and some really different experiments over the years. And, the best part is that you can make the same breakfast granola into a new recipe every single time.
In fact, the options are endless. And yet, it's a new flavor every single time. For example, think almond and cranberry, fruit and nuts, dates and walnuts, almond and blueberry, toasted coconut and cashews. In addition, you can find all my granola recipes here. Also, you can even use homemade granola to make snacks like my no-bake granola date bites.
About this granola
Most of my granolas are sugar-free but this one is not. This one is actually sweeter which is why it is my kids' favorite. Just like a good pecan pie, this one has maple syrup, brown sugar, and beautifully toasted pecans.
In fact, you can add a lot more to this, but for me, the maple and brown sugar do the trick of bringing home that pecan pie flavor. And, like my other recipes, this one is also simple and easy to make with a 5 minutes prep time and 30 minutes baking time.
We love to serve granola with milk and blueberries for breakfast and as a yogurt parfait with yogurt and fruits for dinner. I also use granola to make my granola bites for mid-day snacks
Ingredients and substitutes
- Pecans - This is a delicious and nutritious nut. But, if you can't find or don't fancy pecans, you can also try walnuts, hazelnuts, or even cashews.
- Maple syrup - For me, there is no real substitute for maple syrup. It just has to be maple syrup. Having said that, you can use agave or even honey as a substitute. Although, it will not have the flavor of maple syrup but will still be delicious.
- Brown sugar - The flavor of molasses brought by the brown sugar is really unique in this granola. However, if you want to make it sugar-free but still keep the flavor add a tbsp of molasses instead.
- Cinnamon - I love adding cinnamon and nutmeg to my pecan pie but it's optional of course.
- Coconut oil - I love using coconut oil in my granolas. And yet, cooking oil works just as well. The oil helps coat the oats which help toast them beautifully.
- Optional ingredients - Many people think that chia seeds, flax seeds, wheat germ are absolutely necessary when making granolas. I do sometimes but not all the time.
Quick video
Step by step instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160 C / 320 F.
- Roughly chop the pecans and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients - juice, maple, sugar, oil, salt, ground ginger, and cinnamon - combine well and set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl, combine the rolled oats, chopped pecan, chia seeds, flax seeds, and wheat germ.
- Next, pour the mixture of liquid ingredients over the mixture of dry ingredients.
- Mix well - you want every grain of oat to be coated with the liquid ingredients (this will help toast them beautifully).
- Then, pour the mixture into a baking tray. I like to line my baking tray with parchment paper for easy clean-up
- Bake for 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes until the oats are lightly golden
- Remove from the oven cool completely before you store it in an airtight container. I like to use these glass containers.
- This batch will last for up to a month at room temperature.
Frequently asked questions
Ideally, granola has a long shelf life of about 4 to 6 months. It must be stored in an airtight container. Having said that, nuts in granola can go rancid after a while which is why I always recommend using my granolas in about a month.
I like using coconut oil, or flavorless oil for all my granolas like canola or grapeseed.
It is important to toss the granola at intervals. As the nuts and oats start to toast the kitchen will start to smell of granola. And, if you bite into a grain of oat it will be nice and crisp. However, don't over bake them to prevent the nuts and oats from getting too brown. Remember, rolled oats can be eaten raw and they don't need so long to cook.
Always use old-fashion rolled oats. Never use quick-cooking oats. Since, the rolled oats will absorb the liquid but still hold their shape while the quick-cooking will get mushy and clump up.
Absolutely!! You can use granola and my method with egg whites to make pecan pie granola bars.
First, the combination of nuts, fruits, and sweeteners you use will create a variety. For example, Cranberry almonds, maple, and pecans like pecan pie, date and walnuts, blueberries. In addition, you must check out my other flavors for granolas.
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Printable Recipe
Best Granola Recipe - Pecan Pie
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Video
Ingredients
- 10 oz (300 g) Rolled Oats (about 4 cups)
- ¼ cup (50 g) Brown Sugar
- 1 cup (100 g) Pecans
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) Maple or Agave
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) Apple juice
- 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp chia seeds optional
- 1 tsp flax seeds optional
- 1 tsp wheatgerm optional
- ¼ tsp ground ginger optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160 C / 320 F
- Roughly chop the pecans and set aside
- In a small mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients - juice, maple, sugar, oil, salt, ground ginger, and cinnamon - combine well and set aside
- In a larger mixing bowl combine the rolled oats, chopped pecan, chia seeds, flax seeds, and wheat germ.
- Next, pour the mixture of liquid ingredients over the mixture of dry ingredients.
- Mix well - you want every grain of oat to be coated with the liquid ingredients (this will help toast them beautifully)
- Pour the mixture into a baking tray. I like to line my baking tray with parchment paper for easy clean-up
- Bake for 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes until the oats are lightly golden
- Remove from the oven and cool completely before you store it in an airtight container. I like to use these glass containers.
- This batch will last for up to a month at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- Gluten-free granola – to make gluten-free granola use gluten-free oats
- Nut-free granola – to make it a nut-free granola use seeds such as pepita and sunflower instead of nuts
- Vegan granola – to make a vegan granola use maple syrup instead of honey, and coconut oil instead of canola oil
- Granola is delicious on its own, with milk or with yogurt for breakfast or snacks.
- Try yogurt granola parfait with yogurt and fresh fruits as we did in this granola parfait or breakfast parfait
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Lauren Vavala
This granola is so perfect for breakfast! I love granola like this with milk and mixed into yogurt. I could eat this every day all fall long!
Veena Azmanov
Me too, Lauren. Love a good granola parfait.
Dan Zehr
Now this is my favorite breakfast! I'm sure my kids will be delighted with this recipe. I like how simple a list of ingredients is. This is perfect for me. Looks very beautiful and I'm sure it is very tasty. Thanks!
Veena Azmanov
Absolutely, we love this in our home too. Thanks, Dan.
Mahy Elamin
Love Love Love this recipe! I'm sure these tastes are amazing! So YUMMY! An interesting mix of ingredients. Thank you!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Mahy. Yes, it does taste absolutely delicious