Peanut butter granola is the perfect salty & sweet topping for your next yogurt parfait. Filled with peanut butter and peanuts, lightly sweetened with honey. Perfect for breakfast or midday snacking.
Making your own granola at home is easier than you think. With just a handful of ingredients, you'll have enough peanut butter granola to last you all week long.
This granola recipe makes a chunky granola filled with big clusters. It's perfect for adding to your next trail mix or topping a breakfast parfait.
Or, add milk and sliced bananas for an instant breakfast cereal. Granola also makes a great on-the-go snack between meals!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Old fashioned oats - I recommend using old fashioned oats. They have the best texture for granola. Quick cook oats can be used, but they're thinner and have a powdery texture. This will change the texture of your finished granola. They'll also bake faster. (see the recipe card for substitution baking times).
- Peanut butter - Can be substituted with your favorite nut or seed butter, like almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter.
- Peanuts - Can be substituted with your favorite nuts or seeds, like sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, cashews, walnuts, or pecans.
- Honey - Can be substituted with maple syrup to make this recipe vegan.
- Vanilla extract - Adds an extra layer of flavor to your granola. Can be omitted entirely if needed.
- Salt (not pictured) - Enhances the flavor of your granola. If using salted peanuts, this amount can be cut in half.
What kind of oats to use
The best oats to use are old fashioned oats. They have the perfect texture and thickness, and are (in my opinion) a great all-around oat to keep on hand in your pantry.
If you only have quick cook oats on hand, they'll technically work. Your granola will bake faster, so you'll want to keep an eye on it in the oven.
Quick cook oats are thinner and more powdery than old fashioned oats, so the texture of your granola will turn out a little different than pictured.
Steel cut oats take longer to cook than old fashioned oats. I have not tested steel cut oats with this recipe, so I can't say for sure how it would turn out. If you give it a try, let us know in the comments below!
Big granola clusters
Want a granola with big chunky clusters? This peanut butter granola recipe is my favorite for clusters, because the peanut butter acts like a glue to hold the other ingredients together.
Tips for making big clusters:
- Don't stir your granola while baking.
- Allow your granola to cool completely on the sheet pan before breaking apart into clusters.
- Don't substitute ingredients. I had best success with nut butter and honey (or maple syrup). Testing with brown sugar did not give me the big clusters I was looking for.
Crunchy granola
Baking your peanut butter and honey granola for 30 minutes will get you a crunchy granola with a little bit of chewiness.
If you like a very crunchy granola, try adding another 5 minutes to your baking time.
Your granola will continue to harden as it cools on the baking tray, so keep this in mind!
Storing granola
Homemade coconut granola will keep for about two weeks in a sealed container at room temperature.
Granola can also be frozen! Store in a tightly sealed, freezer safe container for best results. It will keep for up to three months.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Granola
Ingredients
- 4 cups (356 g) old fashioned oats
- 1 cup (142 g) dry roasted peanuts
- ½ cup (168 g) honey
- ½ cup (135 g) peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add oats and peanuts. Stir to combine, then set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add peanut butter and honey. Stir until peanut butter is melted and ingredients are incorporated (or, carefully heat in the microwave until warm and melted). Remove from heat, add vanilla and salt, stirring to combine. Pour over dry ingredients. Toss until evenly coated.
- Pour mixture onto lined baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating pan once halfway through.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on baking sheet. Granola will continue to harden as it cools. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Old fashioned oats are highly recommended, but can be substituted with quick cook oats. They'll take less time to cook because they're thinner - about 20 minutes.
- One serving = about ½ heaping cup of granola
- Honey can be substituted with maple syrup.
- If using salted peanuts, you may want to reduce the amount of salt by half.
- Homemade granola will keep for about 2 weeks in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. Or, frozen for up to 3 months.
Hi Heather, could I use the use the powdered peanut butter PB2 instead and any other adjustment? Thank you.
Hi Janice, I haven't tried making this recipe with PB2 so I can't say for sure how it would turn out. You may need to add a tablespoon or two of liquid (water or any milk is fine) if the powdered peanut butter makes the liquid mixture too thick to coat the oats.