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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
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.
Peanut butter substitute
Even though this is a ‘peanut butter’-esque recipe, you can swap it out for any nut or seed butter. These include almond butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter.
- 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
- Mix the dry ingredients. Add oats, salt, and chopped nuts in a large bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Heat maple syrup and peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl or a saucepan until it bubbles.
- Make the granola mix. Pour the wet mix into the dry oat mix and coat everything nicely.
- 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.
- 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
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between granola and muesli?
While both recipes have oats as their primary ingredient and contain dried fruits and nuts, they differ in how they’re prepared. While muesli is uncooked, granola is baked with fat and sweet components.
Can I refrigerate granola?
I don’t recommend storing granola in the refrigerator. It becomes soggy and loses its crunch.
Can I revive soggy granola?
If your granola goes soft or soggy over time, toss it in the oven for a few minutes. It’ll be crispy and fresh.
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.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats use gluten free for gluten free option
- 1 cup nuts
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup mix-ins of choice pretzels, nuts, seeds etc
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the rolled oats, salt and nuts.
- In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, heat the peanut butter with the syrup until it just begins to bubble. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and combine until fully incorporated.
- Spread the granola mixture evenly on the lined sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges start to go slightly golden. Remove the granola from the oven and give it a good mix. Place back in the oven for another 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Let the granola cool completely, before breaking it apart and adding your mix-ins of choice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 203kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 6gFat: 11gSodium: 149mgPotassium: 199mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 3IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 2mgNET CARBS: 18g
Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!
sweet and salty is where it’s at. granola and milk, also where it’s at. granola for dinner? pretty sure that has happened here, more than once. rarely for breakfast, you are right!
If granola is eaten as a breakfast food, it is pretty much the same as committing sin 😉
Looks totally yummy, but I will not make this granola! Because if I do, it will be gone in a flash and I will not be the better for it. But maybe I could make it for someone else and having a shipping box at hand, so that I am compelled to make sure it gets out of the house pronto.
hahaha that is EXACTLY what happened to me!
Nope, I don’t eat it for breakfast either. I snack on it. And in fact, I have never made it, because I have a friend that opened a granola business and I buy hers. Actually now I am craving it, thanks to you. I might have to make a batch of my own too.
Why aren’t my friends in the granola business. I have the wrong kind of friends!
You certainly had me at Dark Chocolate but the addition of pretzels (sweet-salty and yum!) is genius!
I love making granola and am seriously intrigued not only by the sweet and salty but by the use of the nut butter with the honey – going to try this for my next batch!
Thanks so much, Beth! Definitely a good option on not using oil or butter 🙂
Arman,
It’s 5 degrees out (that’s F, so -15 to you), I’m out of milk AND cream for my tea, and my car is in the shop because the spouse feels that working brakes are important. He’s cuddly that way. There’s a grocery store a mile away from home, and if it was even 25 degrees out I’d be all over walking down to pick up a gallon for the kids and cream for my beloved tea.
However, it’s just too damn cold for that. I was thinking I’d chow on a piece of PB toast, but you’re reminding me I’ve got a bit of granola left in a jar and Meghan’s reminding me I’ve got yogurt in the fridge.
Clearly, I will not starve.
I think this would be amazing with those PB-filled pretzel pillows from Trader Joes thrown into the mix.
Thanks!
THAT, my friend, is genius. Why? I bought a bag of THOSE EXACT ONES FROM TJ’s when I was in America! I also bought the flax salted peanut butter but that has sadly run out.
Arman,
I’m delighted to learn that your time in America included a trip to TJ’s. Sure, we’ve got some great museums and natural wonders, but so do you Down Under. However, we have TJs . . . and now you know what the fuss is about!
haha yup – a handful of granola cures all the hangry feelings!
I knew I liked you.
I would totally eat this for breakfast. or dinner. or both. with ice cream.
You are NOT allowed to eat it with ice cream. Unless you share.
Peckish and twat in one post? Priceless.
If you could just ship me a box of this that would be great. Actually, seriously, you should start a mail or service or something. You and Davida. You’re both welcome for that fabulous business plan.
Yum! The saltiness from the pretzels must make this granola amazing! Thanks for linking up to #RECIPEFRIDAY 🙂
I could go for a few handfuls of this right now!!!! YUM!
More like bowl fulls 😉
Besides the fact that even a small spoonful of this would send me straight to the ER, I’m loving it! You know I live for sweet ‘n’ salty, and the combo of oats, nut butter, and honey is the love of my life. I canNOT be trusted around granola, though — I mean, how many times have I complained to you about giving myself a stomach ache by eating too much of it? Story of my life…
YES. Let’s just swap the PB for the AB and you’d be in spoons heaven. and i blame you for the 4 dinner servings of it.
Chocolate covered pretzels are my absolute favorite. I loveee this. I’ve been a salt fanatic lately (blame all the running). I need to go get pretzels to make this ASAP!!
YES. Get white chocolate ones too, it would be like whoring out chocolate!
I’m so jealous, granola for dinner sounds way too awesome! Pretty sure that’s they way I’d eat if I lived alone and had no more home cooked meals to eat. I haven’t had granola in a very long time because I literally grabbed a handful of it every time I passed the bag of granola. The store bought kind tasted pretty good, but probably wasn’t to healthy so I had to refrain from buying it. This looks super duper good! I save tons of your recipes, particularly the dessert ones, but still haven’t gotten around to making any of them. I actually printed out one of your recipes and bought all the ingredients for it at the supermarket, that was at the beginning of summer break, but still haven’t gotten around to making it. This summer I’ve been way too lazy in every way possible, but I definitely need to make a batch of this for study breaks once school starts, because I’ll be super hungry from all the hard core study. At least I hope, I really hope I turn things around this school year. 😛
Shawn! Hope everything is going well! Definitely try making granola…but turn the air conditioner on 😉
Gimme a spoon and some ice cold almond milk and call it a dayyyyyyy. Seriously, the sweet and salty harmony that’s going on here is just like the most serious swoon city ever!
A spoon? dude you can use your hands..or a tortilla chip and use it to scoop to be fancy like Iggy Azalea.
i LOVE sweet / salty. its the most amazing taste combo ever invented. As is dark chocolate. I may or may not have been living off red wine and dark chocolate for most of this primal eating challenge 😀
Those would be my saving grace during a primal challenge too. Pumped to hear how it’s all going for you!
yum!! I feel like this would taste just ike chocolate covered pretzels… which are dangerously addicting. Since I basically always have the ingredients for this recipe on hand, I think I’m going to have to try it… tomorrow
It tastes like that…but ten times better! You need to try it out, Nicole 🙂
During the work week, I eat granola for breakfast almost daily. I mix mine with some plain (although full fat) Greek yogurt and fresh berries, if I have them. It’s perfect fuel for my workouts actually. The Hubby eats his as a giant snack though. He also temporarily banned me from making any more Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola because according to him, it’s like crack.
I love the use of pretzels here, and I’m digging the sweet and salty combo. You are a rock star. I shall even share my granola crown with you. Hmm, maybe we should start a granola business. Now there’s an idea.
Um…full fat yogurt is the ONLY kind of yogurt. Kind of why I need to move to Cleveland- FAGE TOTAL. None of this chobani 0% crap.
Please share your granola crown with me. And ps. Yes.
I am a granola freak and this just looks amazing!!!! making ASAP!!!! Or you could send a batch of this when you send the breakfast cookie 🙂
Haha, that sounds like a plan…maybe
Yummm! You do realize that somehow four of my favorite things on earth are in the TITLE of this post? Granola is amazing, and I am one of those people who eats it for breakfast, lunch or dinner (or all three.) I just had way too much as a snack, in fact… whoops. 😉
Whoops is the wrong word. Success is more like it 😉
I love making granola. And eating granola. And I love Mayvers so this sounds amazzzzing. My roommate dropped her jar of the chocolate superspread and there was glass everywhere. LUCKILY the spread was safe.
As long as the spread was safe, THAT is the main thing 😉 right :p
You know what’s awesome? The fact that you’re going to meet me at the end of my 18-miler this weekend with a big ol’ bowl of this granola. Perfecttttttt 😉 And my lazy, go-to meal? Sweet potato topped with ground turkey, spinach, avocado, salsa and an egg. Simple and it covers all of the major food groups… besides chocolate and Nutella.
How did you know? I was going to dress up as a sexy burrito too.
So the first word that came to mind when seeing your post was genius! Pretzel granola?! I love the idea of a sweet + salty treat. I’m definitely going to try this when I get back to Miami. The only issue is that all willpower will go out the window when I make this – I just know it!
The fact that I’ve made it twice and don’t have the biggest sweet tooth says something 😉
I could not agree with you more! Granola is the ultimate snacking food. I’m always snatching handfuls of it throughout the day. I also really like it with yogurt and fruit for breakfast.
I still haven’t really done the whole chocolate + pretzels combo, but I trust you that it’s good!
If only I had this granola in the cannister in my kitchen right now instead of the mediocre batch I made out of a cookbook. I should haven’t known better when I saw that the granola was only sweetened with apple juice and like a teaspoon of maple syrup. Not sweet and no clumps = the ultimate granola fail.
TEASPOON of maple syrup? Can we please burn that book when we hang out?
Pooh!.. salmon and burger dinners are for boring old fuddie duddies. This granola though, wow. Sweet and salty with chocolate majorly involved – yes please. And here’s where I make an earth-trembling, hernia inducing confession: I’ve never had granola. I know.
WHAT! Ms.J, you need to make this recipe STAT
Oh I see this being a big hit. People go nuts for anything with pb in it! I love yogurt covered pretzels and also like chocolate covered pretzels, so I think I’d like this if I tried it (but I’d have to replace the pb so as not to die).
We don’t want you to die so don’t try it with peanut butter! I love yogurt covered pretzels, especially as it’s got no yogurt on it haha!
I’m so lazy when it comes to making homemade granola but I think I’d have to get past that laziness to make this – chocolate, peanut butter and pretzels? Some of my favourite things right there.
It barely takes any time and the fact that it ticks all three boxes? Hello! 😉
this would be so good just on top of plain yogurt or just consumed by standing there and eating hand after hand 😉
The latter is perfectly acceptable. 😉
Granola, in my opinion, is best on ice cream. Yes to that!
Wow, I’m yet to try it on ice cream. MUST. RECTIFY!
You can never go wrong with granola 😉
Very true!
glutino has dark chocolate pretzels, so yes, making this. and love the word peckish. haha , new fav
Peckish cotter. Hello peckish cotter.
I can totally get on board with this! Sweet and salty is the world’s best flavor combination. One of my favorite things in the world is extra salty pretzels covered in chocolate so I can only imagine this granola topping some yogurt or something.
YES. It literally is- confession- I eat oatmeal with the salt shaker next to me.
I used to eat a lot of granola and for some reason stopped. I think I just stopped buying it randomly one day and that was that…I should buy more though. This looks really good but I think I say that about all of your recipes.
Haha, thanks Hollie. Granola should be served at diners.
Love this! And YES! I could not agree more, I am constantly eating granola…handfuls of it a lllllll the time, especially as it is sweet, but does not count as a sweet….so its like free pass cheating 😛 What a great combination of flavors…..love love love! Oh, and I have granola for dinner somedays too…….not a great idea for my running, but its just tooooooo good!
It most definitely counts as a free pass! I legit ate it for dinner 4 nights in a row. After swearing not to the day before….
Oh my gooooood. This is one of the best recipes I’ve ever seen on a blog! Dying over here with my carb-free breakfast.
I will make you a bloody batch of 100.
Why would you do this to me right now? I’m still homeless and am supposed to looking for a place but now all I want to do is make this!
Pinning for later when I actually have my own kitchen and oven to make it in haha
Hahahaha this is something worth borrowing an oven for….or maybe a campfire (no don’t do that).
Mmm I want to be your real life friend who makes me this granola…pretty please?? Everything about this sounds perfect- you know I’m a sucker for the sweet & salty combo! Like you, I am not big on granola for breakfast (unless it’s added to a smoothie for crunch) but as a snack with some iced cold almond milk? YES PLEASE!
So good! Come on over to Australia!
Why didn’t I have this for my moving weekend? Sweet, salty, crunchy – perfection. Granola was meant to be a snack. Whoever decided to pretend pouring milk over it and thereby turning crunch into mush clearly didn’t think far.
And when did you say you were going to start sellling this in stores??!
Expect a giveaway next week!
Granola is made to eat from the hand. Without milk. At least that’s how I do it.
I love this – pretzels!! We only have salty boring pretzels here, so clearly, you have to send s jar over here. Go.
I’ll make them when you come.
Scrap that, I’ll make it WITH you.
Eggs are ALWAYS my lazy meal!
Ideal choice!
Hahaha, same here – granola is not a meal unless it’s followed by at LEAST one refill and a protein shake or something. Although my habits might not be the healthiest metric…I stared at a bottle of jack in the fridge yesterday morning and had to convince myself that a pre-breakfast shot on a Sunday morning was NOT a wise choice. 😉
LOL- I eat granola bars with a side of protein shake many times…. 😉
YUM!! I hear ya on loving salty and sweet! I honestly don’t really eat granola much… but this looks good!! …I’m more of a salmon person… but I LOVE chocolate! So …yum!!
Thank you! Enjoy!
I’ve never been a fan of pretzels–ever. I don’t know what it is about them, but their texture has never appealed to me. Granola, on the other hand, I used to eat by the handful!
Pretzels are delicious!
I don’t have self-control when it comes to any kind of muesli, so no granola for me. When I was younger my brother and I sometimes ate enormous portions of muesli for dinner. I mean , not from a simple breakfast bowl, but from a serving bowl!! That’s how champions eat muesli 😀 (and then have a serious sugar rush afterwards)
Oh and of course with milk… The sweet (Chocolatey) milk that’s left at the end is the best part of the fun!
We would have been epic childhood friends…pretty sure I ate out of salad bowls (as long as it were fruit loops)