Peanut Butter Granola

This ultimate peanut butter granola is made with just five simple ingredients! It is chunky, crunchy, and loaded with sweet, salty, and nutty flavors.

Crispy and crunchy peanut butter-flavored granola using wholesome ingredients- count me in!

Granola gets an unfair wrap for being a glorified sugar-laden cereal, but that is far from the truth. When made correctly, it can be a healthy, wholesome, and delicious breakfast the whole family will adore!

Table of Contents

1. Why this recipe works
2. Ingredients Needed
3. How to make peanut butter granola
4. Flavor variations
5. Storage instructions
6. Recommended tools to make this recipe
7. Recipe tips and tricks
8. More cereal and granola recipes to try
9. Frequently asked questions
10. Peanut Butter Granola (Recipe Card)

Why this recipe works

• It is way cheaper when you make it at home. You don’t have to spend money on generic granola anymore (or any of those fancy ones, either!). Instead, make your gourmet-style granola at home at a fraction of the price! 
• Scale it up! Like chocolate granola or protein granola, this granola stays at room temperature for a month. So, feel free to make it in bulk and enjoy a healthy breakfast daily!  
• It’s diet friendly. Unless you’re allergic to peanuts, you can enjoy this delicious recipe. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or a meat enthusiast, I promise you’ll enjoy it.
• Healthy and delicious. My favorite kind of food! With no added refined sugars or flour, fiber-rich oats, and healthy fats from peanut butter, peanut butter granola is a healthy addition to your diet.

Ingredients Needed

• Rolled oats. I prefer using rolled oats to make granola, but you can mix rolled and quick oats.
• Nuts. Nuts make up for a large portion of granola, and you can mix in your favorite nuts. I like to have a mix of chopped and whole nuts for various textures. You don’t need to toast them before use as you’ll bake the granola eventually. 
• Salt. Trust me, you must add a generous salt pinch to your granola! It elevates the flavor of this cereal.
• Peanut butter. The World is divided over crunchy and smooth peanut butter. But the good news is that you can use either one to make this recipe.

• Maple syrup. My preferred liquid sweetener. It’s healthier than white or brown sugar and lends itself to a lovely flavor. Honey or agave nectar also works.

How to make peanut butter granola

1. Mix the dry ingredients. Add oats, salt, and chopped nuts in a large bowl. 
2. Mix the wet ingredients. Heat maple syrup and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl or a saucepan until it bubbles. 
3. Make the granola mix. Pour the wet mix into the dry oat mix and coat everything nicely.
4. Bake the granola. Spread the wet granola mixture on a baking tray, and bake it in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F until golden. Then, remove it from the oven, stir, and place it back in the oven until golden brown.
5. Store until later use. Let it cool, break it into smaller chunks, and store it in an airtight container for later munching.

Flavor variations

• Add seeds. A vegetarian diet often lacks omega-3 fatty acids! Add a tablespoon or two of ground flax seeds to the granola mix to get your healthy fats. Add pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, or chia seeds for a crunch and bite. 
• Make it chocolaty. Toss ½ a cup of chocolate chips or shavings with granola for a peanut butter-chocolate granola.
• Double down on the peanut flavor. If you like the peanut flavor, mix in salted and unsalted toasted peanuts with the granola mix.  
• Add more flavors. While peanut butter remains dominant, you can experiment by adding spices like cinnamon or pumpkin spice mix, or vanilla extract.
• Add dried fruits. For fruity granola, stir through dried figs, cranberries, raisins, dates, and banana chips.

Storage instructions

To store. Good news, guys! Granola stays fresh at room temperature for a month when stored in an airtight container.

To freeze. Freeze the granola in ziplock bags for up to six months.

Recommended tools to make this recipe

• Mixing bowls. These sets of mixing bowls are a great addition to your kitchen.
• Baking sheet. To cook the granola evenly and completely.
• Spatula. Mixing the wet and dry ingredients becomes extremely easy with this spatula.

Recipe tips and tricks

• Adjust the sweetness. Depending on whether you are using sweet, salty, or unsweetened peanut butter, you’ll have to adjust the amount of added maple syrup.
• Use good-quality peanut butter. Make peanut butter at home or buy good-quality, natural peanut butter with only peanuts. You don’t want added flavors, sweeteners, and oil.  
• Avoid overbaking the granola. While this recipe is pretty hands-off, you must watch your granola as it bakes! In your quest to get crispy granola, don’t burn it. Blackened and burnt granola pieces are just not fun!
• Cool down the granola. Don’t disturb the granola when you remove it from the oven. Let it cool to room temperature so the sugar recrystallizes with granola to form crunchy and chunky bits.

More cereal and granola recipes to try

• Low calorie cereal
• Keto granola
• Protein cereal
• Cookie cereal

Frequently asked questions