This homemade sourdough granola is uniquely tangy, lightly sweetened, and full of healthy fats from wholesome ingredients. The addition of sourdough starter and your favorite add-ins means lots of crunchy clusters in each bite of this delicious snack.
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Granola is a fun, healthy, and versatile snack that stays in our regular rotation.
I’ll often make gluten free granola bars and regular homemade granola, but my favorite way to make granola is with sourdough starter.
It’s the perfect crispy crunch over a bowl of homemade yogurt. It’s satisfying, nutritious, and an easy go-to.
Also, have you seen the prices of granola at the grocery store? It’s absurd! (And highly processed.)
Making this delicious granola with sourdough starter has several benefits.
For one, sourdough starter acts as a natural binder, holding the oats, nuts, and seeds together.
Secondly, you’re utilizing excess discard, a resource you’re never short of when you’re in the sourdough world. If you want to get started with sourdough, check out my posts on how to make your own sourdough starter and how to care for sourdough starter.
Finally, offering this great snack helps kids enjoy some otherwise uncommon food choices, such as nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. It’s really customizable, giving you and your family the opportunity to try new combinations or flavor profiles.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Taste and texture: There’s a variety of textures, including chewy fruits and crunchy clusters, as well as a gentle sweetness combined with the slightly tangy flavor of sourdough.
Wholesome snack: The ingredients are wholesome and nutritious. They are nutrient-rich, filling, and an easy solution to snack time.
Versatility: Sure, granola is wonderful eaten on its own or with a splash of milk or milk kefir, but it’s also an amazing topping to yogurt parfaits, smoothie bowls, and homemade raw milk ice cream. It travels well, stores well, and lasts a long time (especially if you double the recipe!).
Ingredients
Chopped nuts: You can use raw or roasted nuts. Raw nuts will roast right along with the granola, adding flavor and aroma. Roasted nuts run the risk of browning too much, but I’ve still had good results with them.
Oats: I like to use organic rolled oats.
Honey: You can also substitute maple syrup.
Oil: Unrefined coconut oil adds wonderful flavor, and avocado oil is a healthy, flavor-neutral choice.
Sourdough starter: For more sourdough flavor, use sourdough discard. For a milder flavor, use a fed starter.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Modifications and Variations
Nuts: walnuts, pecans, pistachios, macadamia, hazelnuts, cashews, or almonds
Seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, flax, and chia seeds
Spices: cinnamon, cardamom, sea salt, ginger, allspice, cloves, etc.
Dried fruits: raisins, dates, figs, apricots, coconut, cherries, banana chips, etc.
Chocolate chips: dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or even peanut butter chips (all should be added after the granola cools)
How to Make Sourdough Granola
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add chopped nuts, oats, coconut, and salt to a large bowl and mix.
Step 2: Add the honey, oil, and sourdough starter, stirring well.
Step 3: Spread the mixture in an even layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. You’ll know it’s done when it’s golden in color, and the honey and oats smell warm and toasty.
Step 4: Add the dried fruit while the granola is still warm, then let it all cool completely before breaking up into clusters. Enjoy!
Tips
- For more sourdough flavor, use sourdough discard. For a milder flavor, use a fed starter.
- Raw nuts will roast right along with the granola. I’ve used roasted nuts with good results, as well.
- Don’t add the dried fruit before baking, as it can become tough and overly dry.
- For the crunchiest granola, wait until it has cooled completely before breaking up into clusters. Break it up as little or as fine as you prefer!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, it’s a great choice as a snack or an addition to a meal! When sticking with whole food ingredients, granola becomes a great source of fiber, iron, healthy fats, and protein.
For sourdough granola, the sourdough starter is an excellent binder, yielding loads of crunchy clusters and an all-around crispy, toasty texture. The honey and oil work to bind the ingredients, as well.
Store-bought granola is expensive – even the more processed, cheap granola. Making your own granola produces a higher quality result and a much larger batch, and you’ll typically have plenty of ingredients left over to put towards the next round.
Sourdough discard can be used in many, many recipes. Here is my list of 35+ sourdough discard recipes that you may enjoy!
Homemade granola can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Stored this way, it can last up to a month, sometimes longer.
More Delicious Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Beignets
- Sourdough Graham Crackers
- Chocolate and Orange Homemade Larabars
- Sourdough Pretzel Bites
- Sourdough Discard Crackers
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Sourdough Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped nuts, I used pistachios, but any nut will do.
- 2 cups oats
- 8 ounces coconut chips
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup oil, avocado or melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard, active starter will also work.
- 1 cup dried fruit, Mix it up and use whatever dried fruit you like
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add chopped nuts, oats, coconut, and salt to a large bowl and mix.
- Add the honey, oil, and sourdough starter, stirring well.
- Spread the mixture in an even layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. You’ll know it’s done when it’s golden in color, and the honey and oats smell warm and toasty.
- Add the dried fruit while the granola is still warm, then let it all cool completely before breaking up into clusters. Enjoy!
Notes
- For more sourdough flavor, use sourdough discard. For a milder flavor, use a fed starter.
- Raw nuts will roast right along with the granola. I’ve used roasted nuts with good results, as well.
- Don’t add the dried fruit before baking, as it can become tough and overly dry.
- For the crunchiest granola, wait until it has cooled completely before breaking up into clusters. Break it up as little or as fine as you prefer!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
In a video you mention finding a place to buy dried cranberries without sunflower oil. PLEASE tell me where! I have a kiddo with a sunflower allergy and I love dried cranberries! I’d really appreciate the info 😀
Here’s a link to cranberries.
Just made this recipe. It is the best granola. Had to do all sorts of substitutions to fit what I have and it is delicious.
Also let it sit for a couple of hours before baking to allow some fermentation. Thank you. This will definitely be on repeat.
Mine did not cluster. It’s all very loose. Did I do something wrong?
I don’t like coconut. Can I substitute something else or leave it out? Thank you for all of your recipes. We are currently LOVING our sourdough crackers!
Yes, you can substitute it or leave it out!
How long would you say this recipe will last? How best to store it?
A week or two! A seal tight container.
This recipe (specifically, the large quantity of wet ingredients) is more suited for a granola bar, as opposed to loose granola, in my opinion and experience. Makes a very chewy product.