The crunchy oat and nut clusters in my Apple Pie Granola are full of cozy cinnamon spice flavor and natural sweetness from maple and crispy apple pieces.
I love to sprinkle it on top of a yogurt parfait, chia pudding or cottage cheese along with fresh apples for breakfast. My husband loves to eat it straight up by the handful as a snack.
The best part about this recipe, aside from the rave reviews (see the text below from one of my girlfriends), is how easy it is to make. I make granola every two to three weeks to stock the pantry at our house for breakfast and snacks.
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If you're not into making your own granola, check out Autumn's Gold. They have a grain-free granola with similar simple ingredients.
Crispy Dried Apples
I've been making my original homemade granola for years, but I got a wild hair to make an apple variation after coming across Bare Crispy Apple Chips. They're unsweetened and the only ingredient is apples.
I used the red variety, but the Granny Smith would work great, too.
Another option for the apples is freeze dried apple pieces. I wouldn't recommend regular dried apples because they have a chewy texture, unless that appeals to you.
Instructions
Get out two sheet pans, line 'em with parchment paper along with two big bowls and a spatula and you're ready to go!
- Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients.
- Step 2: Combine the wet ingredients with the spices.
- Step 3: Mix everything together.
- Step 4: Spread it out on the sheet pans and bake for 2 hours at 225F.
- Step 5: Cool for 20 minutes then toss in the crispy apples.
One of the most fun parts of this recipe is busting up the granola into clusters once it's cooled.
Tips & Tricks
- Add the apples and dried fruit after baking, or they’ll become too hard and bitter.
- Don't try to use just one sheet pan. Using two allows you to spread the granola mixture in a thin layer so that the moisture can evaporate, leaving you with a nice crispy granola.
Substitutions
This recipe is highly flexible. It will work great as long as you maintain the ratio of wet to dry ingredients. Depending on what you have on hand, you might want to swap in:
- Sunflower seeds - these can work in place of hemp and/or pumpkin seeds
- Walnuts - if you're not into pecans you can sub really any nut you like
- Avocado oil - if you don't have coconut oil or don't want to deal with melting it, avocado oil has a neutral flavor, perfect for sweet recipes like this
- Flax seed - also works in place of the hemp seeds or the coconut
Storage
I transfer my cooled granola to a large cereal container and it usually lasts in our house about a week or two. It will stay good for up to a month if stored in a cool, dry place.
Easy Apple Pie Granola Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 24 servings
- Category: breakfast
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Apple Pie Granola has crunchy oat and nut clusters packed with cinnamon spice, maple sweetness, and crispy apple pieces.
Ingredients
- 3.5 cup dry, uncooked rolled oats (old-fashioned)
- 1 cup chopped unsalted raw pecans
- ⅓ cup unsalted raw pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup hemp hearts or seeds
- ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- ¾ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground dried ginger
- ⅛ tsp cloves
- 2 cups (3.4oz) crispy apple chips or freeze-dried apple, crushed into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225F and line two large sheet trays (18'' x 26'') with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl combine the 3.5 cups rolled oats, 1 cup chopped pecans, ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup hemp seeds, and ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine ¾ cup maple syrup, ⅓ cup melted coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon almond extract, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground dried ginger, ⅛ teaspoon cloves and mix to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until all the oats are covered and everything is fully combined.
- Divide the granola mixture onto the two prepared sheet pans and spread out into a thin layer. You want it nice and thin so that it toasts evenly and comes out crunchy in the end.
- Bake the granola in the oven at 225F for 2 hours until it becomes a nice golden color. It will still be soft to the touch, but never fear, it will get crunchy after you remove it from the oven.
- Remove the granola from the oven after 2 hours and let it sit on the countertop to cool for at least 20 minutes. It gets crunchy as it cools.
- Once the granola has fully cooled, break it up and toss it with 2 cups crushed crispy apple chips, then put it in an airtight container to store for up to a month.
Notes
- Do not use instant or steel-cut oats for this recipe.
- Feel free to substitute other nuts in place of the pecans.
- If hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds aren't your jam, feel free to swap them with any preferred seeds or other nuts.
- You can substitute coconut oil with avocado oil.
- Do not add the apples before the baking as it will get too dried out and hard to eat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅓ cup
- Calories: 171
- Sugar: 8.3 g
- Sodium: 53.2 mg
- Fat: 8.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.5 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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Rachel says
Sensational recipe, Joanie. Easy to make and delicious. I used 1/2 cup maple syrup which was sweet enough for me and found freeze-dried apple match sticks which were great to break into small pieces. Toddler approved too! Thanks for this recipe.
Joanie Simon says
I'm so glad that you all enjoyed it! And great to know the maple syrup can be reduced, too. You rock!