Pumpkin Granola
Crunchy and flavorful pumpkin granola with pecans. It’s perfectly sweetened with honey and a touch of brown sugar. Delicious as a snack or breakfast with milk, yogurt, or on its own!
What is Pumpkin Granola?
Pumpkin granola is an easy recipe filled with fall flavors like pumpkin puree, pecans, pumpkin pie spice, oats, and honey. The pumpkin flavor really captures the feelings of the fall and pairs well with yogurt, fruit, or in a bowl with milk.
It’s a great recipe to enjoy now or save some for later. Simply make a double batch and save it in the freezer for up to three months to enjoy when a craving strikes!
How to Give Pumpkin Granola as a Holiday Gift
One of the best things about pumpkin granola is that you can give it to your friends and family as little holiday gifts. Even if they’re not a huge fan of granola, they’ll love this fall twist on a classically bland snack.
To give them as gifts, lay red or green crinkly cellophane paper on the table. Scoop a cup of granola into the middle and fold the paper into a ball around the granola. Use a pretty decorated ribbon to tie around the top, and if you’re fancy, add a label before you tie the ribbon off.
You can also fill a mason jar with granola and tie a ribbon around the neck of the jar. Either option is pretty and special.
Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients for this tasty snack. If this is your first time making granola, you’re in for a treat!
- Oats – Use old-fashioned oats for the best chewy texture.
- Pecans – The pecans will become toasted in the oven.
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar helps make this granola caramelize and become beautifully golden brown.
- Salt – Kosher salt is best for cooking.
- Pumpkin pie spice – It’s a blend of delicious fall spices that add the perfect fall flavor.
- Coconut oil – This healthy oil is perfect for this recipe.
- Honey – Honey adds sweetness and flavor to pumpkin granola.
- Pumpkin puree – Use real pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which gives this recipe a fall twist.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract will enhance the warm flavors of this granola.
How to Make Pumpkin Granola
This is the perfect snack to make during pumpkin season. You can even make your own homemade pumpkin puree if you’d like. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
Combine the dry ingredients: Mix the oats, pecans, brown sugar, salt, and pumpkin spice together in a large bowl.
Combine the wet ingredients: In a small saucepan, whisk together the coconut oil, honey, pumpkin puree, and vanilla over medium heat until smooth and combined.
Mix: Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir until it’s well-coated.
Bake: Spread the mixture on a large baking sheet. The granola should be golden brown by the time it is done baking. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet.
Recipe Tips
It’s easy to make this homemade pumpkin granola recipe during the holiday season. Here are some tips and tricks to help you make this amazing snack.
- Line your baking sheet. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, so it doesn’t stick to the baking sheet. Plus it makes for easier cleaning!
- Spread in an even layer. Use a large baking sheet so you can spread the oat mixture in an even layer so it toasts evenly.
- Stir halfway and towards the ends. Stir the granola halfway through baking to make sure it all gets toasted. Also, keep an eye on the granola towards the end and stir as needed as it can burn easily.
- Let the granola cool undisturbed. Granola will be soft after you take it out of the oven but as it cools it will crisp up.
Variations
It’s easy to make homemade granola, and it tastes so much better than store-bought granola. You get to make it exactly how you like and don’t need to worry about picking out things you don’t like. Here are some variations you can try in this recipe.
- Nuts: Sprinkle in some chopped walnuts, pistachios, or almonds.
- Sweetener: Use pure maple syrup in place of honey. Brown sugar will help caramelize granola so I don’t recommend a substitute for it.
- Seeds: Add your favorite seeds like sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
- Spice: Make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice using cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger.
- Oil: You can use avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil.
- Add-ins: Add dried cranberries or currants, coconut flakes, or chocolate chips.
How to Serve
You can serve this healthy pumpkin spice granola in clusters, add them to bars, as cereal, for dessert, as a snack, over Greek yogurt, or with fresh fruit.
You can also serve it at a party in bowls on the counter along with your other favorite snacks and appetizers, including:
Storing Tips
On the counter: Store your own granola in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.
Freeze: You can also freeze the granola for up to 3 months. This is great if you want to make a big batch and save it for later. When you’re ready to eat it, pull it out of the freezer and set it on the counter to thaw.
FAQs
The best way to make your granola crispy is to bake it in the oven for about 20 minutes. This converts the sticky sugar into crunchy sugar. Also, the granola will crisp up as it cools.
If you don’t like your granola very sweet, use 1/3 cup of honey instead of 1/2 cup.
Yes, as long as you use certified gluten-free oats.
Love granola in the morning? Try these variations: Crunchy Granola Recipe or Vanilla Almond Flax Granola with Coconut.
Print
Pumpkin Granola
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
Crunchy and flavorful pumpkin granola with pecans. It’s perfectly sweetened with honey and touch of brown sugar. Delicious as a snack or breakfast with milk, yogurt, or on its own!
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 3 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix the oats, pecans, brown sugar, salt, and pumpkin spice together in a large bowl.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the coconut oil, honey, pumpkin puree, and vanilla over medium heat until smooth. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until everything is thoroughly moistened.
- Spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet. You can line the baking sheet with parchment paper first for easy cleanup.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes, stirring near the halfway point. The granola should be golden brown by the time it is done baking. Keep an eye on it towards the end and stir as needed as it can burn easily.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet. It will crisp up further as it cools.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Sweetness: We retested the original recipe and increased the honey amount to 1/2 cup from 1/3 cup. If you prefer your granola less sweet, use 1/3 cup of honey.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar not only sweetens the granola but also caramelizes it. I do not recommend a substitute.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 146
- Sugar: 8.6 g
- Sodium: 59.1 mg
- Fat: 6.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.9 g
- Protein: 2.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: on the go, snack, healthy, fall, pumpkin
Recipe originally published September 2016.
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Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
Great mix of topping for my morning yogurt, I even eat it plain as a snack 🙂
★★★★★