The Trick to Perfectly Crunchy, Toasty, Never Hard Homemade Granola

Granola with nuts and dried fruit

Deep winter is the perfect time of year to stay inside, cozy up and find a fun project (or two). This year I have my eye on getting the pantry in shape, finally figuring out how to organize all of our pots and pans and making our breakfasts a little more fun than opening a box of cereal.

To that end, I've been thinking about granola, specifically homemade granola. Making granola is great because you can choose your ingredients, get more nuts and dried fruit in your life and save a lot of money (have you seen granola prices lately?). It's great with milk, sprinkled on yogurt with berries or as an afternoon snack.

The only down side is that making granola at home takes some time. That's why I was thrilled when I ran across @graceelkus's genius 5-Minute Microwave Granola recipe. Grace is the person behind one of my favorite breakfasts of 2023 (and still now in 2024), the crispy feta-fried egg, so I felt confident this recipe would be a winner too. Plus, I'm always here for a microwave-cooking shortcut. Here's what happened when I gave the recipe a shot at home.

Related: The IHOP-Approved Secret Ingredient for Tender, Fluffy Omelets

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Ingredients for 5-Minute Microwave Granola

You likely have all (or most) of what you need in your kitchen, or you could easily make some swaps. Grace calls for maple syrup, olive oil, peanut butter, water, rolled oats, flaky salt and any nuts, seeds and dried fruit you like. For subs, you could swap in honey or agave syrup for the maple syrup, melted butter or vegetable oil for the olive oil and any nut butter you like. I bet tahini would be great in this recipe, too, if you wanted to avoid nut butters.

How to Make 5-Minute Microwave Granola

This is a simple mix-and-stir operation. You start by mixing the maple syrup, olive oil, peanut butter and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the oats, the nuts and seeds and a pinch of salt and stir until coated. And don't worry, we didn't forget about the dried fruit. That'll go in once the granola comes out of the microwave. If you put it in with the rest of the stuff the fruit will burn and/or get hard as a rock.

Put the bowl with the granola mixture in the microwave and cook for a minute and a half. Stir well, then give it another minute and a half. Keep cooking in 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst, until the granola is as toasty as you want it. Mine took 4 minutes total, though the cook time will vary by microwave. Spread the warm granola on a plate and let it cool. Stir the dried fruit into the granola and you're ready to eat!

Related: 11 Granola Recipes for a Better Breakfast

What I Thought of 5-Minute Microwave Granola

I'm an enthusiastic cook and a poor planner, so this is a great recipe for me. I love being able to make granola whenever the craving strikes and I almost always have the ingredients for this in the house. It made enough for a generous portion on my yogurt in the morning and a little snack in the afternoon.

Cooking it in the microwave was fast, but it also was a great way to control the browning, which can sometimes be an issue when you make granola in the oven. The 30-second bursts at the end let you take it just as far as you like it, which I really appreciated. I also liked the nutty depth of the peanut butter and the slight sweetness from the maple syrup. I love recipes like this that can easily adapt to what you have and what you like. My first batch has already inspired my next batch. I really liked my original combo, but the next time I think I'll swap in tahini for peanut butter and date syrup for the maple syrup and use chopped dried apricots instead of dried cranberries.

It's also such an easy recipe that my 9-year-old son can whip a batch for an after-school snack. He's finally getting interested in cooking (music to his food editor mom's ears), so it's great to have a recipe that he can do all by himself.

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Tips for Making 5-Minute Microwave Granola

• Keep an eye on it. After the two 1 1/2-minute bursts you might think that nothing is really happening, but trust that it is. The browning happens quickly, which is why the 30-second bursts are key. If you think it needs just a tiny bit more, you might want to try a 15-second burst after one or two 30-second bursts. I mentioned this above, but different microwaves can cook very differently, so it's important to pay attention to what's happening. 
• Mix things up. This recipe is a great way to use up small amounts of nuts and dried fruit. Let your pantry be your muse!
• Scale it up. I haven't tried this yet, but I suspect you could double or triple this recipe for a bigger batch.

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