Maple Pecan Granola is hearty, satisfying and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. This reader favorite recipe is perfect for lunch boxes, road trips, or breakfast grab-n’-go! Prepped in about 20 minutes, the long slow bake makes the house smell like a bakery.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Recipe Review: “This has been my go-to granola recipe for the last 3+ years! I give it as a gift and my family eats it right up. A little sweet, full of cinnamon flavor, and just make your house smell devine.” ~ Sara
The pictures in this recipe were updated October 2025, however the recipe is unchanged.
Maple Pecan Granola, A Pantry Staple
Where would we be without this go-to, anytime breakfast/snack food? It’s not just for us granola-loving tree huggers.
We made a lot of it in pastry school and at the bakery because it was always a best seller. Granola is such a delicious, crunchy and satisfying food and it’s simple to make at home. I consider it a pantry staple!
This Granola Recipe Is
- dairy and egg free
- crisp and crunchy
- golden and fragrant
If you love simple recipes with oats, you’ll enjoy this tried and true granola.
About the Ingredients
Pecans: one of my favorite Southern ingredients because they have an irresistible sweet undertone, especially when toasted. They can be pricey however, so look for them in bulk for best value. They add chunky texture and sweet nutty flavor.
Old Fashioned Rolled Oats: whole grain and so delicious when toasted. Oats make up the bulk of this granola. They toast and crisp up to perfection in the oven.
Maple Syrup: my sweetener of choice for granola. It imparts an almost buttery flavor when paired with rolled oats and already buttery tasting pecans. It also acts as a binder.
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How to Make Maple Pecan Granola
step by step
You’ll love how this granola makes your home smell! The long, slow bake means the aroma of cinnamon, toasting oats and pecans will linger. Everyone will wonder what you’ve got baking in the oven!
Add Ins: you can stir in chocolate chips before baking or if you’d like, dried fruit, after baking. Melty chocolate or diced dried fruit are perfect partners in this recipe.
Traci’s Tips
- Before baking, stir the granola to thoroughly incorporate all the ingredients prior to baking, making sure all the dry ingredients are covered in the wet ingredients.
- For optimal clustering spread evenly and press the granola in the pan before baking. Do not stir while baking. After baking, allow the granola cool completely before gently placing it in a storage container.
- The long, slow, low-temperature bake allows the granola to dry out. This supports clustering and aids in a long storage life. Plus, it yields a really nice crunch!
Maple Pecan Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups (288 grams) Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, no instant or quick, I like thick rolled oats (gluten free if needed)
- 2 cups (225 grams) Pecans, rough-chopped
- 3/4 cup (65 grams) Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- 1/3 cup (45 grams) Sunflower Seeds, hulled
- 1/4 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (90 grams) Coconut Oil, virgin, unrefined, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup (160 grams) Maple Syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste or Vanilla Extract
- Optional Add Ins: 1/2 cup of chocolate chips* (pre bake – see note). OR a few handfuls of chopped dried fruit such as chopped Turkish apricot, sour cherries, cranberries or raisins (post bake).
Instructions
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set oven to 275F (135C). Place a baking rack in the center of the oven.
- In a mixing bowl, add the rolled oats, pecans, coconut, sunflower seeds, salt, cinnamon, and chocolate chips (optional). Set aside.
- In a spouted measuring cup, combine the melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla bean paste. Stir. You will see separation. If the coconut oil solidifies, gently rewarm it in the microwave to keep it in a liquid state.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix throughly, ensuring that each, individual dry ingredient gets some wet on it. Press the granola into the pan, in one even layer.
- Place the pan in preheated oven and bake at 275F (135C) for 1 hour. Check the granola. At this point it should be slightly golden and fragrant. Rotate the pan, turn the oven up to 300F (148C), and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes OR until golden and fragrant —> keep an eye on the granola during the last 20 minutes of baking due to oven temperature variations – it should be golden and fragrant when done. Do not stir the granola, or clustering will be greatly reduced.
- Remove from the oven. The granola will be golden and soft to the touch. It will firm up as it cools. Allow the granola to cool completely in the pan before transferring to a storage container. Doing this will ensure crunchy clusters. If desired, toss in your favorite dried fruit such as chopped Turkish apricot, sour cherries, cranberries or raisins.
- Store in a covered container, at room temperature, for up to three weeks. Granola can also be frozen for up to one month.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Made it? Leave a comment below!
The most helpful comment may include recipe rating, feedback, any modifications or helping other commentors.
Love this granola! First time using coconut oil. Left out the sunflower seeds and replaced with more pecans. Yum!
Thank you for your note and five star review, Lou! Hooray for more pecans!
Soooo good! It’s replacing my go-to recipe.
Loved this! Quick, easy, ingredients were on hand. I added hemp seeds and flax meal for extra fiber, but other than those I followed the recipe exactly. I’m loving it on top of my yogurt and fruit!
Made Friday And can’t keep out of it. Just had a bowl of ice cream with it as topping.
Hi Gary! Thank you for your note and five star review! SO excited you’re enjoying the granola!
Traci, this recipe is so delicious!! I didn’t have the coconut for this recipe but had some macadamia nuts and threw those in. I also added about a 1/4c of toasted quinoa with a dash of raw sugar. I can’t wait to share this at work tomorrow!
Hiii Katie! Thank you for your note, five star review and sharing your tips! Mmmmm those macadamia nuts sound perfect! Lucky coworkers 😃 !
Yum! First time trying this. Substituted butter for coconut oil, and left out sunflower seeds. Added probably 3/4 cup total of dried cherries/cranberries. I added the fruit with 15 min left to dry it out a bit and attempt to blend the flavors. I did need to bake mine for longer, but I like crispy granola. Wonderful taste. I’ll be making this recipe regularly!
Hooray! I love a comment that starts with “yum!” SO happy to receive your note, Anna. Thank you for sharing your tips… the dried cherries sound perfect!
Hi Traci, yours is my go-to recipe for granola. I have made this recipe dozens of times and have never had a problem with the oven temps/baking time. Picture perfect every time. I do make some adjustments: 1/2 tsp. Maldon salt; walnut oil instead of coconut oil and I replace about 2 T of melted butter for the equivalent amount of oil; reduce maple syrup by 2 – 4 T; 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips every time! While the added butter means my version is not vegan, I love the flavor. And I prefer the nutty flavor (and lower saturated fats) in walnut oil, although I recognize the health benefits may be similar. Excellent with an unsweetened plant-based yogurt and fresh berries. Next up: cashews and pumpkin seeds.
Hi Steve! Thank you for your note, star rating and sharing your success! So happy you’re enjoying the granola. I love how you’re making it your own with a few tips and butter (yum!). Yes to cashews and pumpkin seeds!
The recipe is fine, sounds delicious. I followed it exactly, even checking it at 10 minutes earlier than recommended, so it would be golden and crispy, not overbaked. And yet it was burned to the point that I threw it away. I know you “enthusiastically recommend” an oven thermometer, but I’ve never had trouble with burning anything before, in fact I generally have to leave things in a few minutes longer than recommended.
Between 3 cups of organic oats, 1/2 cup of organic maple syrup, 1/2 cup of organic coconut oil, pecans, etc…I figure I just threw away at least $10 worth of ingredients. With my limited income that’s a lot of money I didn’t save by making my own granola ( which, by the way, I have done successfully many times.)
All of this to say you really need to adjust your cook time or temp or both. I will try this again, drop the temp to 225° and check it starting at 40 minutes. That should work much better.
Hi Sharon, I’m so sorry to hear your granola burned! I know food is expensive and burning is never an outcome I want for anyone making my recipes. This recipe is sensitive to oven temperature variations, reason for my recommendations and additional notes to keep an eye on it. I’m sorry it didn’t work for you.
Made It, but sad to say It is too dark, especially the pecans! Too high temp the ladt 20 min.148 C.. or too long in the oven! Will try again with less time!
Hi Anthony… oh no! Yes, try with less time. Due to oven variations, it’s very important to keep an eye on the granola towards the end of baking. Do you use an external oven thermometer? Ovens tend to be quite off their targeted temperature. It’s a baking game changer! Keep us posted.
This is an excellent recipe! Flavor balance is great and there’s good clustering. The only modification that I made was a subbed in flax powder for sunflower seeds since I didn’t have any on hand. Worked great! And as a bonus, I really love that the measurements are given in grams as well as cups. This way you can measure out the ingredients into a bowl on a scale and not make so many dirty dishes.
Hi Lorianna! Thank you for sharing your tips and recipe rating! Weighing in grams is the way to go in baking… such a time saver for sure! Hooray for good clusters!