Easy Stovetop Granola

Published September 4, 2021

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An easy granola recipe made on the stovetop and ready in under 20 minutes! You only need 5 ingredients and to follow a simple skillet cooking method to achieve a delicious granola in no time! 

Homemade granola shown in a small serving bowl served over yogurt and fruit.

A Quick and Easy Granola Recipe!

Sometimes I just don’t have the patience for how long a lengthy-cook time granola traditionally takes in the oven. And so I set out to test granola over the stovetop to see if I could get a similar result in a fraction of the time.

And believe it or not it works! It’s sweet, nutty, crisp, toasty, made with nutritious ingredients, and deliciously fresh. In other words much better than what you buy in a box or bag.

Plus it makes a smaller batch because you may not always need a big batch of granola.

There are endless ways to use it, or you can simply snack on it plain because it’s completely irresistible!

Ways to Use This Homemade Granola

  • Add to yogurt or finish it over berry parfaits.
  • Toss into a berry salad instead of croutons (love this one!).
  • Bake some diced, lightly sweetened fruit and use this for a finish.
  • Add to grilled fruit, such as peaches with mascarpone.
  • Sprinkle over ice cream, a banana split, or pudding.
  • Dip fruit into a fruit dip or caramel dip then dunk in the granola.

Honey granola shown in a glass jar.

Stovetop Granola Recipe Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 3 Tbsp honey
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans
  • 3 Tbsp finely shredded coconut (optional)

Photo of ingredients used to make an easy granola.

How to Make Stovetop Granola

  1. Measure out ingredients and have ready to add. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Melt coconut oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat.
  3. Add oats and cook, while stirring and spreading even almost constantly, until oats are slightly crisp and dried (just lightly deepening in color), about 4 to 6 minutes.
  4. Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour in honey and salt. Stir right away.
  5. Let cook, while stirring and spreading even constantly, until just starting to turn lightly golden, about 1 minute.
  6. Add pecans and coconut and cook mixture just until barely golden brown, about 1 minute longer.
  7. Immediately pour and spread over parchment on baking sheet, press down using spatula until you get clusters.
  8. If you’d like it to set faster chill in fridge or freezer about 5 minutes until cool and crisp. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for longer shelf life.

Collage of six steps showing how to make an easy granola in a skillet.

Possible Variations for This Granola

Try adding a few tablespoons of various mix-ins:

  • Dried fruit
  • Different types of nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, peanut, macadamia, pistachios)
  • Seeds (flax, hemp, chia, sesame, poppy, pumpkin)
  • At the end off heat drizzle in a splash of extract for another boost of flavor (1/2 tsp vanilla or coconut extract, or 1/4 tsp almond extract)

Homemade granola recipe shown spread out on a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Helpful Tips

  • Don’t try to use a different sweetener in place of honey. Maple syrup and sugar won’t give it the same crisp finish.
  • You can substitute butter for coconut oil.
  • I recommend that you use rolled, old fashioned oats, not quick oats, for a better texture.
  • Use unsalted nuts so granola isn’t overly salty.
  • To quickly “chop” pecans just place in a small resealable bag and crush up with a meat mallet.
  • Preferably use a heavy non-stick skillet for even heat distribution.
  • Store in the fridge for a longer shelf life and crispiest texture.
  • Crispier tip: If you find the granola didn’t crisp up to your liking, you can try heating on the prepared baking sheet at 250 in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Granola, yogurt and fruit bowl shown from above.

More Tasty Granola Recipes to Try

16 Quick & Easy 30 Minute Recipes! (plus weekly recipe updates)

Granola, yogurt and fruit bowl shown from above.
5 from 2 votes

Easy Stovetop Granola Recipe

An easy Granola recipe made on the stovetop and ready in under 20 minutes! You only need 5 ingredients and to follow a simple skillet cooked method to achieve a delicious granola in no time! 
Servings: 6
Prep5 minutes
Cook10 minutes
Cool5 minutes
Ready in: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Measure out ingredients and have ready to add. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Melt coconut oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat.
  • Add oats and cook, while stirring and spreading even almost constantly, until oats are slightly toasty and crisp (just lightly deepening in color), about 4 to 6 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour in honey and salt. Stir right away.
  • Let cook, while stirring and spreading even constantly, until just starting to turn lightly golden, about 1 minute.
  • Add pecans and coconut and cook mixture just until barely golden brown, about 1 minute longer.
  • Immediately pour and spread over parchment on baking sheet, press down using spatula til you get clusters.
  • If you'd like it to set faster chill in fridge or freezer about 5 minutes until cool and crisp. Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for longer shelf life.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Stovetop Granola Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 222 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Sodium 51mg2%
Potassium 124mg4%
Carbohydrates 24g8%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 3IU0%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 16mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.