Description

This healthy homemade granola recipe offers a lightly sweetened, cozy cinnamon flavor with generous crunchy clusters, making it a perfect versatile snack. It’s ideal for serving with milk or yogurt or eating by the handful. The recipe is a great base for adding custom mix-ins like nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate chips for extra flavor and texture.

Ingredients

Scale

Wet Ingredients

3 large egg whites
¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup

Dry Ingredients

2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups (60g) crisp brown rice cereal
1 ½ cups (150g) old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)

Instructions

Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are slightly bubbly. Add the pure maple syrup and whisk together until fully combined.
Add Spices and Dry Ingredients: Whisk in the cinnamon until fully incorporated with no clumps. Pour in the brown rice cereal and oats, then gently fold everything together with a spatula until all the cereal is evenly coated with the mixture.
Spread and Bake Initial: Spread the granola mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for 20 minutes.
Stir and Continue Baking: Remove the tray and gently stir the granola to break up clusters and redistribute pieces, especially from the edges to avoid burning. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
Final Bake: Stir the granola gently again and bake for another 4-8 minutes, totaling 34-38 minutes, until the granola is crunchy and fragrant.
Cool and Store: Let the granola cool on the pan for 5 minutes, breaking apart any very large clusters. Allow it to cool completely to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container for storage.

Notes

For sweeter granola, reduce to 2 egg whites and increase pure maple syrup to 6 tablespoons (90mL) without changing baking times.
Adjust cinnamon to preference: 3 teaspoons for stronger flavor, 2 teaspoons for milder.
Egg whites do not form cooked chunks when mixed thoroughly; they bind the granola like in cookie dough.
Flax eggs can substitute egg whites for an egg-free alternative with some recipe adjustments.
Honey or agave syrup can be used instead of maple syrup but may darken the granola color.
Use Saigon cinnamon for richer, sweeter cinnamon flavor.
Quick cooking oats can replace rolled oats; avoid steel cut oats.
Brown rice cereal is key for cluster crunch; regular rice cereal or crushed rice pocket cereal can be alternatives.
Granola stores well in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.
To freeze, spread granola on foil-lined tray, freeze until solid, then store in a zip bag with paper towel to absorb moisture.
Re-crisp thawed granola by baking at 325°F for 6-9 minutes.
This recipe is gluten-free (with certified ingredients), dairy-free, low fat, and suitable for clean eating.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 38 minutes
Category: Breakfast, Snack
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: Healthy granola, homemade granola, cinnamon granola, crunchy granola clusters, gluten-free granola, low fat snack, maple syrup granola