12-minute Quick and Healthy Homemade Granola using Air-Fryer (2024)

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Healthy and easy granola recipe made with whole ingredients that are good for you. Learn how to make it in your air fryer in half the time.

I now declare air-fryer to be my second-favorite device in the kitchen. The first spot, of course, goes to Instant Pot.

I started with making bread rolls, then I made a slew of recipes – french fries, chicken tikka, roasted nuts for nut butter and this delicious, perfectly browned granola recipe is my latest creation that I am so excited to share with you.

What you’ll love about this air fryer granola recipe

1. It cooks in 12 minutes instead of 30 minutes that the oven takes!
2. Air-fryer evenly browns the oats and makes it perfectly crunchy. This homemade granola looks as good as it tastes.
3. Made with ingredients that are good for you.
4. Completely customizable – I share a winning formula that will allow you to mix-up your granola every time you make it. You can make it vegan too.
5. It also makes a great gift!

What is granola and how is it different from muesli?

Granola is a mix of rolled oats, honey, nuts, oil, seeds, nut butter, honey, and brown sugar. This mixture is then baked till it is golden brown and crispy and served as breakfast with milk or as a topping over yogurt sweetened with honey.

Granola vs muesli

While the ingredients are similar in both these recipes, there are a few differences –

• In muesli, all these ingredients are uncooked whereas granola is made by baking these ingredients.
• Also, muesli can be served with hot or cold milk, granola is usually served cold.
• If you have never heard of muesli it is because it is more popular in Europe and Asia whereas if you live in the Americas as I do, we are more used to granola.
• Muesli doesn’t need oil or binders such as honey and is considered healthier compared to granola.

How to make granola

The fun apart about making granola is you can mix up the ingredients every time you make it except for the key ingredient which is rolled oats. There is a formula I use when I make it so that it comes out perfect every time.

For every 1.5 cups of oats, I use 1/4 cup of liquid (honey + oil), 1/4 teaspoon salt and one tablespoon brown sugar. Don’t fret over it – you can always add more honey + oil, if the mixture is too dry or if it is too wet, add some more rolled oats.

Ingredients

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• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup avocado oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cupmixed nuts (pick 2-3 kinds)– pecans, walnuts, cashews, almonds, etc.
• 1/4 cup nut butter (pick 1) – either almond, cashew or peanut butter, optional
• 1/4 cup seeds (pick 1-2) – sesame seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc, optional
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes, optional – added ideally midway through the cooking.
• 1/4 cup dried nuts (pick 1-2)- cranberries, raisins, chopped apricots, dates: added after the granola is baked.
• 1/4 cup chocolate chip morsels, optional – after the granola has cooled down.

Variations

1. Substitute for avocado oil – coconut oil or melted unsalted butter. If you like the taste of ghee, you can use that too. [Check out this easy recipe to make ghee in an Instant Pot]
2. Vegan version– Instead of honey, use maple syrup or agave nectar.
3. Gluten-free version – Use gluten-free rolled oats (I recommend Bob Mills – Gluten-free oats).
4. Egg whites – to make it clumpy. I don’t because I don’t like the idea of having eggs in my granola.

To make granola, go through the following steps –

1. Add oil to a mixing bowl, followed by honey, nut butter and brown sugar (if using). Mix well.
2. Add all the dry ingredients such as rolled oats and nuts to the honey-oil mixture. Mix them till they are well- combined.
3. Cut a parchment paper to the size of the base of the air-fryer. Cut a few holes so that the hot air can circulate properly.
4. Place the parchment paper at the base of the air-fryer. Add the rolled oats mixture and spread it out evenly.
5. Set your air-fryer at 325°F for 5 minutes. When the timer is up, open the air-fryer, add seeds and coconut pieces (if using) and using a spatula, stir the granola mixture properly.
6. Air fry it for another 5 minutes at 325°F. Open the air-fryer again and give the granola a good mix.
7. For the last run, reduce the temperature to 300°F and air fry for 2 minutes.
8. Once the cooking cycle is complete, transfer the granola mixture to a baking sheet. Add the dry fruits, if using and mix it well.
9. When the granola mixture is completely cooled off, mix in the chocolate chips and store it in an air-tight glass container for about 3 weeks.

Instructions for making granola in the oven –

1. Once you have the mixture ready either bake it at 325°F for 30 minutes while stirring every 5-10 minutes.

Tips

1. Do not use steel-cut oats or quick oats for this recipe. Quick oats will burn quickly and steel-cut oats will not cook through.
2. Always measure and add the oil first and use the same measuring cup to measure the honey. The oil will ensure that the honey will just slide off the spoon and not stick to it.
3. Granola can be made chunky or can have loose breakfast cereal like consistency. If you like it chunky don’t break the clumps after it has cooked.
4. Add seeds midway during cooking.
5. Add dried fruits after cooking is complete.
6. Always add chocolate chip morsels once the granola has completely cooled down.
7. Keep an eye on the granola – aim for golden brown. It will continue to darken as it cools.
8. Let it completely cool before storing.

What are the benefits of eating granola?

As per this article on Healthline, granola can be a good source of micronutrients and fiber, if not overloaded with oil, sweeteners and chocolate chips. The oats and nuts keep us satiated for a long time. It also helps reduce cholesterol levels, improve blood pressure and gut healthy while reducing blood sugar.

Recommended reading – Health benefits of granola

How do you eat granola?

Homemade granola is a healthy treat for breakfast, after school snacks and even dessert. Here’s how we savor our granola

1. As a cereal with milk.
2. Use it to top chia pudding or oatmeal.
3. Add it to sweetened yogurt that has been loaded with fruits.

If you are looking for more ways to use your air-fryer, here are some of my favorite recipes for you to try –

1. Roasted nuts – Making roasted nuts at home is easier than you think and barely takes a few minutes! Learn how to air-fry this oil-free, one-ingredient healthy snack at home today.
2. Tandoori Salmon – Spicy and tangy bite-size pieces of the salmon are grilled to perfection to make this delicious dish that takes less than 30 minutes to make.
3. Chicken tikka – This quick and easyTandoori chicken tikkarecipe is a delicious appetizer dish that is slightly charred on the outside and succulent on the inside. Make this over the stovetop or air fry it using Mealthy CrispLid. All it takes about 30 minutes of cook time!
4. French fries – These crispy veganair-fryer French friesare so damn good that they could give the deep-fried ones a run for their money.
5. Homemade trail mix – If you are looking for a healthy and delicious snack, this homemade trail mix recipe is for you! Packed with healthy nuts, seeds, fruit, and more, it’s a simple snack everyone will enjoy!