Maple cardamom granola with big clusters
A homemade granola recipe with olive oil, maple, cardamom, and the egg-white trick for proper clusters. One bowl, one sheet pan, and a jar that lasts three weeks.
Every skyr bowl and chia jar on this site is quietly asking for this granola. Olive oil and maple instead of butter and sugar, a proper dose of cardamom, a lot of seeds, and the one technique that matters: an egg white and some patience, which is how you get the big clusters that make homemade granola worth making.
It is less sweet than anything in a box, which is what people mean when they ask for healthy granola. I just call it granola that lets you taste the oats.
What you'll love about it
- 01Big, proper clusters, thanks to one egg white and the discipline not to stir.
- 02Half the sugar of the boxed stuff; the maple and cardamom do the flavor work instead.
- 03One bowl, one sheet pan, and a jar that keeps for three weeks on the counter.
- 04It is the finishing move for the skyr bowls, chia pudding, and honestly a scoop over vanilla ice cream.
For the granola
- 4 cupsold-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cupraw almonds, roughly chopped
- ½ cuppumpkin seeds
- ¼ cupsunflower seeds
- 2 Tbspflaxseed or sesame seeds
- 1 tspground cardamom
- ½ tspground cinnamon
- ¾ tspkosher salt
- ½ cupmaple syrup
- ⅓ cupolive oil
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- 1egg white
How I make it
- 01Heat the oven low and slow.Heat the oven to 300°F and line a half-sheet pan with parchment. Low heat is what dries the granola golden all the way through instead of scorching the edges while the middle stays chewy.
- 02Mix wet into dry.In a big bowl, toss the oats, almonds, all the seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk the maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla together and pour over, folding until every oat looks glossy.
- 03Add the egg white.Whisk the egg white until foamy, then fold it through the granola. It is invisible in the finished jar, but it is the glue that bakes the oats into proper clusters.
- 04Press it flat and do not stir.Spread the granola onto the sheet pan and press it down firmly into an even slab with a spatula. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway, and do NOT stir. Stirring is how clusters die. It is done when deeply golden at the edges and fragrant.
- 05Cool completely before touching.Let the slab cool on the pan for at least 30 minutes; it crisps as it cools. Then break it into clusters with your hands, as big or small as you like, and fill the jar.
The parchment folds into a funnel and the whole batch pours in one go.
Round out the table.
- ·01A bowl of skyr and berriesThe reason this recipe exists.
- ·02The vanilla cardamom chia puddingA spoonful on top is the crunch that jar is waiting for.
- ·03Cold milk, honestlyCluster cereal for adults.
Keeping the leftovers good.
Fridge: Not needed. An airtight jar on the counter keeps it crisp for 3 weeks.
Make ahead: It IS the make-ahead. A double batch fits on two pans; rotate shelves halfway.
Freezer: Keeps for 3 months in a sealed bag, and it thaws in minutes.
Maple cardamom granola with big clusters
A homemade granola recipe with olive oil, maple, cardamom, and the egg-white trick for proper clusters. One bowl, one sheet pan, and a jar that lasts three weeks.
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- 2 Tbsp flaxseed or sesame seeds
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg white
- 01Heat the oven low and slow.
- 02Mix wet into dry.
- 03Add the egg white.
- 04Press it flat and do not stir.
- 05Cool completely before touching.
Nutrition information is an estimate. See full nutrition disclaimer.
