We love homemade granola, but I hate making it. This sounds easy! I like to add wheat grem but not sure if that is a GF thing to do or not.

i love granola!!! this one is a winner for sure!


so excited about thanksgiving recipes!!!!!!!

This is so cool! I'll definitely be trying this one.

I make granola in the oven and burn it almost every time, but my kids love granola, one of them asking this weekend if I'd make it. I can't wait to try it in my cp.
I may be asking for another cp for Christmas!

Steph,

Can't wait to try this...thanks! One question. You have 1/4 cup slivered almonds listed twice. did you mean that or should it be something else? Thanks! Lisa

I am soooo ready for the Thanksgiving recipes! Yay!


:)

lol, Lisa! nope. that's just me needing more coffee... :-)
xxo
steph

so i just made the Java roast.....YUMMY!!!!! and now i want to make this! I love granola with greek yogurt so I think i will go to the store tomorrow and get every thing...cant wait.

I'll have to try this. My mom used to make us granola all the time as kids, but I've never made it for mine. :( I think my mom put peanut butter in hers. Any idea on what the ratio would be with that?

I have really enjoyed reading your blog. I think you are a great writer and are a joy to read. I just wanted to mention that you can order Certified GF rolled oats from Amazon.com. Here is a link: http://www.amazon.com/Gifts-Nature-Certified-Gluten-free-44-Ounce/dp/B0010P9JNI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1226332972&sr=1-1 I don't know if this is a better price than you're getting at your local "fancy pants" grocery store, but figured it was worth mentioning.

And, BTW, my aunt told me that when making peanut brittle, you have to be careful of the weather. I think she said it wouldn't set up if there is too much humidity. FWIW...

Thanks for a great blog!

Just discovered your website, amazing! Thanks for all the great ideas!

My crockpot only has a "low" setting. Will that work at all?

I have a similar crockpot granola recipe (we add dried cranberries) but mine never gets dry enough. But I see your "chopstick" in the cooking time and I will have to try this! Thanks again for all of the trials and errors you do for this!

You can also use real maple syrup instead of honey (I like syrup flavor better) and vegetable oil instead of butter. We do ours with walnuts, dried cranberries, raisins, and wheat germ. Yum! Will have to try the crockpot recipe...

I can't wait to try this. I just did a big shopping trips and have all kinds of dried fruits in the pantry.

I love your blog. Have you ever tried replacing the butter with frozen apple juice consentrate. I have a low fat recipe that suggests this. Its worked out pretty well for me in the oven.

I've had good luck with the clumpiness and non-burning when adding peanut butter (oven granola). You might want to try it. (Plus, it tastes awesome.) Then add chocolate chips, too. And maybe some marshmallow cream. And how about caramel topping?

(Diet, day one. Can you tell?)

I am so excited for the Thanksgiving recipes!!

This looks great. I need flax seed for another recipe too. I'm not sure where to find it.

This would also be good stirred into some of that homemade yogurt. :)

I love your blog and am going to try the granola this week!
I like mine with vanilla yogurt or fruit yogurt. Yummmmm.
Thanks so much for ALL the recipes!

I add peanut butter to mine when I make it in the oven. I use an entire container of oatmeal because we are feeding 7 and it goes quick.

When I do that I forgo the butter and add an 18 oz jar of pb.

I also add coconut.

Did your dried fruit turn out hard. Mine always hardens terribly in the oven and I add it after it comes out.

I always make granola in the oven...I've never even considered using the Crock Pot!
I'm so frusterated because we got hooked on the GF granola supplied by our local grocery store here in Wasilla, but they've not reordered it since I bought the last package off the shelf. Now we're all DYING for them to restock! (If I drove about an hour away, I could find some WAY overpriced gf oats at a store there...) SO...SOMEDAY I'll be able to try this in the CP.
THANKS

Oh, I'm so good at burning granola too! I'll have to try this recipe! By the way, I made a killer pre-thanksgiving turkey dinner last night IN THE CROCKPOT! I was so excited! It turned out so juicy and tender! I kept telling everyone "I made it in the crockpot!" You truly are an inspiration.

When I burn the granola, I tell the kids it's "toasted." ;) For clumpier (is that a word?) granola, I pulse half the oats in the food processor before adding them to the mix. It helps to bind everything together.

do the oats need to be Rolled oats.. can I use quick oats instead?

Michelle

Yumm...... I have been wanting some homemade granola with yogurt....I may have to get the supplies to make this it sounds so easy! Thanks!

My husband will love me forever when I make this for him. He's way into granola.

I just found your blog and I am in heaven! The crock pot is my BEST FRIEND. I hope you don't mind, I put a link to your blog on mine 'cause I have many friends who would benefit from the wealth of your knowledge. (If you do, leave me a comment and I'll remove it!!) My FAVORITE crock pot cookbook is "101 Things to do with a slowcooker" by Stephanie Ashcroft.

You totally ROCK! I am so excited to make this on the weekend! I love, love, LOVE that my kids can be more involved with making this and I don't have to freek out about them burning themselves (and the granola) as much while stirring it.

I am making your GF play dough right now, by the way... Guess who is one of the people are that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving? Thank you for all you do!

Shirley sent me here. I love your blog! Great recipes, great conversation, great photos, great sense of humor! What more could you ask for?!
I love granola and make my own as well, but have never tried it in a crockpot. Hmmm? You're giving me new inspiration!
Melissa

Can't wait to try this recipe, Stephanie. I think granola is always such fun because everyone has their own variations, but they are ALL good! I will make mine with honey for sure as we have our own honeybees (such hard workers those guys! LOL). Just remember that honey should not be given to kids under 1 if you use honey. (Unlikely anyone would feed a child that young granola, but wanted to mention that.)

Looking forward to the Thanksgiving recipes, too. I've been doing my turkey in the crockpot for years now. I have two favorite recipes that always awe everyone, so I am excited to see what yours will be!

Granola is a great thing to send to the troops if you package in single serving ziploc bags. The teachers I work with just sent a care package to a husband who is serving in Iraq. They loved it!

The grain-free (gf) granola recipe on Elana's Pantry uses raisins soaked in water that are pureed to help everything bind. And it's a natural sweetener!

Yum! I'm going to have to try this one day.

Just thought you might like to know that you can order gluten free oatmeal from amazon. My favorite is Lara's. Amazon actually has a lot of gluten free products and if you order $25,- you can get free shipping. Doesn't get much better than that!

Fantastic blog with awesome recipes!! Thanks for all your hard work.

Love love love your site. I just discovered it a few weeks ago and I've been in crockpot heaven ever since. I am pregnant and I have zero energy after 5pm. I have to do my cooking in the am or my kids eat frozen dinners every night. I have kids the same age as yours. Thanx a billion for all the recipes and the special note on what your kids thought. Very helpful.

I have never had the inclination to make granola before (though I LOVE eating it). As usual, you have inspired me!

I haven't commented in a long, long time, but I wanted you to know that I read you EVERY day. I am still loving this "project" and has made a difference in my home!

I am SO annoyed that I only found you last week!

First, this granola sounds fabulous.

Secondly, we had the three-packet roast tonight and it was wonderful over buttered egg noodles - my kids devoured it. I don't even have enough roast left over to make burritos.

Thirdly (and lastly) the sweet potatoes with pecans and pretzels were a bit hit as well (although mine didn't disappear as yours did, but I just crushed them with my hands).

Thank you for doing this!

Ooh, this is such perfect timing. I just got some oats for free with my publix penny coupon.

Hi Stephanie, I just discovered your blog when doing some research for a post I made this evening on my blog. I love what you're doing with the crockpot recipes and can't wait to explore all the days.

Here's the link to my blog where I've talked about you.

http://spyingthegood.com/

Yeah! I am so glad you made the granola!

One thing we did different was to use a light tasting oil instead of the butter.

We also just left the lid off and stirred it often.

It was the best cereal we have had in, forever?

What a fantastic idea to make granola in the cp. I bet cinnamon and nutmeg would be great additions to your recipe. I think the granola would be great on the yogurt you made in the cp a few weeks back!

I made this last night. Hubby loves granola for breakfast, but I have about 0.0 time to make homemade and the store stuff is way too expensive. It was delicious! I just used oatmeal, flax seed, butter/honey. It was wonderful and my house smelled sooooo good! Thanks again for saving my budget! up next: yogurt!

Going to have to try this one, we did the yogurt this week and my kids love it, though it's fairly runny.. i'm wondering if a longer cooktime? would make a difference?

2 questions...

What exactly am I supposed to do with that chopstick?

Can you make granola with quick-cooking oats?

hi Amy,
put the lid on the crockpot, and then open it a bit and put a chopstick or wooden spoon in between the lid and the stoneware so the lid is vented a bit. You want the steam to escape.

If you only have quick oats in the house, I'm sure they're fine. They aren't as hearty as rolled or steel-cut, but should taste the same.

xxo
steph

i've been lurking for awhile, i must confess, but i love yoiur site and wanted to tell you! i made 4 (yes, 4) recipes of your granola yesterday and today, and my gang loves it! i din't have honey, so i used maple syrup instead, nad it's great. we also used currants, and i added tiny marshmellows when it was done. (can't be too healthy, you know!) keep up the great work!

Wah! I don't (usually) burn granola in the oven. Guess I should have known better than to mess with a good thing. Granola in the CP did NOT work out for me! It's burnt and moist. I'm trying to dry it in the turned off oven overnight, and if that doesn't work, I may actually have to cook it a bit more in there in the morning. :(

I subscribe to your blog because I love crock pot recipes! I tried your granola recipe today...I love it! Although, a few things I learned. I didn't need to stir it very much the first two hours. However, that last hour, I really should have been stirring it about every 5 minutes (seriously). I got sidetracked in my son's bedroom and didn't stir and I ended up slightly burning the granola. My crock may cook hotter, but that was my experience. I used flax seed meal instead of the seeds and it was fine. For the fruit, I used dried blueberries - which was fabulous! I will definitely be making this a lot throughout the winter, and I expect it to get better and better the more I do it! Hooray for an inexpensive granola recipe!

I just finished making this. It's currently spread out on a piece of parchment to cool. Of course, I've already been into it, and it's delicious!! I omitted the pumpkin send because I couldn't find them in the grocery, so I added some extra almonds. I also went with all dried cranberries, because they're my favourite. Thanks for the wonderful recipe! I can't wait to have it over yogurt in the morning!

We are making our own homemade granola as gifts for the holidays. I may try this it sounds much easier! How many cups or quarts did this make?? THANKS :) email me at dizawhatski@gmail.com if you can!

This one is definately one for me to try! Love your blog.

I'm trying this tomorrow, and I'm so excited. I love granola and I think it will be great for the kids. I have stocked up on oats, dried fruit, coconut and sunflower seeds, so that will be the bulk of my ingredients. Yum.
Thank you! :)

I made this, and the whole family enjoyed it. Except the husband. He has a hatred for raisons, and I added some.

HOW FRUSTRATING!!! I wanted to make this *so* badly but everything went wrong.

I was angry and wanted something sweet but there's nothing int he house and my SO wasn't ready to go out. So I decided to make homemade granola from crockpot 365. I took the LAST of the brown sugar, close to last of the peanut butter, oil and close to the last of the honey and melted it together, then poured it over the oats in the crock pot. IN THE MEANTIME, while I started the stuff melting, my infant flipped out and needed me to hold her, then my toddler woke up and needed to be settled and finally, when I had him just settled enough to pour it, the DOORBELL rang, the toddler started sceaming and the baby GRABBED the edge of the crockpot and pulled, dumping boiling oil and sugar in our direction. I LEAPED away from it, not having any way to save it, ran for the door abandoning the mess, and it was a delivery truck with a package for SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T EVEN LIVE HERE!!!!

I scrounged up ingredients for a second batch but it's got a lot less pb and only white sugar (no brown left and all the remaining honey was crystallized). I didn't even bother measuring this time, I was so disgruntled.

The bad news is that I couldn't find the correct lid for the crockpot, but the good news is that it automatically vents, since it's slightly too small and one edge broken off.

woah, Sandra! What a crappy day! My fingers are crossed that the rest of the day turns around and this becomes quite humorous...

xoxo
steph

I just wanted to say you are a pretty awsome mom. I'm guessing cooking meals for your family isn't very optional, given your daughter's special diet. You took something drab (like cooking every. single. meal.) and made it a fun challenge as well as easier on you (using a CP so you don't have to stand over a stove all day. brilliant.)

I'm a brand new CP user. Got one for Christmas. Wasn't too sure what to do with it. Then I remembered seeing you on RR! So GOOGLE and Volia`!

So far I've made chicken parm (ate it two meals in a row!) and this granola, improvised.

I used oats my hubbs grandma gives me. I have so much I could swim in them and I don't really eat oats. This is a very creative and delicious way to use oats! Too bad mine burned. Yes. Even in the CP.

I guess I am not used to cooking in it. I stirred A LOT. Only cooked 2 hours on low. Now I'm headed to read your link about cp's cooking too high/too fast...

thanks!

A tip for making it clump while still keeping it healthy. Add about 1/2 cup of applesauce or pears (I used a Gerber Stage 2 Pears (3.5oz) I had left over from my daughter's baby food days)when you add the honey/oil and it will provide enough moisture to make it "clumpy".

What I learned when I did this... cook on low as at about 2h15m mine was plenty done when I used the high setting. I chopped up almonds, pepitas and left the sunflower seeds whole. Added wheat germ, dried cranberries and sweetened coconut (what I found at the store)... Mine is not clumpy at all, so next time I will try peanut butter or the applesauce tips. Great suggestions!

That looks so great. I am new to this blog, but I'm also a lover of my crockpot. In fact, I just bought myself a smaller 2 quart crock for those days when the other one is too big. I think for tonight I'll make the sloppy joe stuff in the small crock pot! Hooray!

Stephanie,

Love your site, making granola in the crock tonight...I can't wait! Thanks for the great recipes, love your site not only for the recipes..but your commentary as well! Makes me giggle, what's better than laughter and food in the crock pot?

I figured out a recipe that is not only gluten-free like yours but casein-free as well. Thought you might like it! I really appreciate the link for the yogurt recipe, not to mention how much you have helped my cook better for my family.

http://funkyfoodallergies.blogspot.com/

Why are some oats gluten-free and others not? Does it have to do with the factory or processing?

I ground about half of our oats to make the granola more clumpy.

We also experimented with adding a little bit of ground black beans for more complete nutrition without the nuts.

I love this recipe! I've made lots of variations. Last time, I chopped some trail mix and used it to provide the nuts and dried fruit. It worked well, and was a great way to use up some trail mix from a party. I also like to replace some of the honey with maple syrup.

What and awesome idea I had never thought about making granola in the CrockPot. I posted pictures of my 5 year old making the granola for the first time. Sierra makes Granola Thanks again for the great recipe.

Okay, so I made the granola tonight, and it burned! I kept an eye on it and stirred it often. I turned it off 45 minutes early, but it's not good. I did use agave in place of honey. Do you think that was the problem? Should I have cooked it on low? Any suggestions?

When Sierra and I made the granola we started out stirring the granola every 30 min. We did that for about an hour and a half then after that it needed to be stirred every 10-15 min. You can smell it getting hot. Its ok if the granola is not completely dark you could remove it from the heat a bit earlier just go for golden. Basically yours should look slightly less dark than the pictures I posted on the link above your post.

Hi... Love lurking on your site, our crockpots often saves my sanity come evening time. Thanks for lots of good suggustions.

We've been making CP granola using a recipe from "Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker" (or a title close to that).

Overall, the ingredients are quite similar to your recipe, but the cooking time & method is a bit different.

The recipe we use calls for cooking on high UNCOVERED for 1 1/2 hours then turning to low for another 2 hours. It also suggests frequent stirring. We stir once every 15 - 30 minutes. I've only ended up w/ overly toasty oats once in the last year cooking them this way. (I make at LEAST once a month.)

I was told to come comment and tell you that I'm visiting from A Heart for Home. So here I am. And that is true. But I was actually here first, before I was at A Heart for Home. ;)

I had problems with the first batch burning, even though I stirred it regularly. Just made another batch. This time I stirred every 10 minutes, and only let it cook for 2.5 hours. Turned out great!

Ive tried another crock pot recipe before and it burned so quickly, even tho i was watching it closely. Will try again with this recipe.....hoping it comes out like the health food store type in the bins.....will try the clumping method with applesauce added......

LOVE homemade granola. HATE making it. I always toast it just a *little* too much. Off to try this now! But with coconut oil instead of butter :)

Just finished cooking my first batch - YUM! Thank you! I just discovered your blog this past week, and I have my two crockpots working for me today - the big one with the granola, and the little one with the BBQ Lil' Smokies! Thank you!!!

Tried making this and started it on high but it was getting too hot after 30 min so did rest on low. Still had to watch it to keep from burning. I did 1/2 c. butter and honey and unsweetened coconut, wheat germ and the recipe as above. I also added one of those snack size apple sauces (like you put in kids lunches) for moisture. Even with the extra honey, butter and apple sauce it did not clump at all. It also tasted bland. I was hoping for a little clump since I use mine more in a trail mix vs. as cereal. I then caramelized some brown sugar and honey and poured on top to get it to clump some.

Next time I will use sweetened coconut, and try more apple sauce or try the peanutbutter. I think the 1/2 c. of butter and honey was a good start without making it too sweet. I don't like store bought granola cuz it is too sweet but even with the 1/2 c. butter & honey it was still missing some sweetness

I made this today and it worked really well. My crock pot is an older model so it took a bit longer on high. I used most of the ingredients as listed, but I think this method would work with a variety of granola recipes.

Sabina (previous comment); I think the remedy for the bland taste is salt, actually, since it sharpens all the flavours. I started with 1/4 tsp, and kept going until it tasted good.

Here's some information regarding using flax seed.

Flax seed meal and oil seems to be an excellent option in cooking and baking. If it is fresh, it has a slightly nutty flavor, is nutritious, full of good fiber, and is easily added to any recipe. I have read several studies that consider it to be stable at temperatures used in baking and frying. However, if you are using it expecting to get any benefit from the Omega 3 Fatty Acids (especially ALA) and accompanying enzymes, heating flax beyond 120F (50C) will almost instantly destroy them. So, when you cook it, while it does not become poisonous, you denature (destroy) all delicate Omega 3s and enzymes. By the way, fresh ground flax or flax oil is best stored in the fridge or freezer, as it will go rancid in a few weeks at room temperature.

So the best result would be to add it after you cook or sprinkle some on just before eating your cereal.

I have made the granola quite a few times, and I would like it a bit more "clumpy" but don't want too much sugar. This last time I substituted the honey for molasses (since I had a huge jug in my cabinet, thanks to hubby running to the store for me). It was so very delicious, more clumpy, and I figure, a bit more iron, too!

I love this recipe! I've used it several times now & much prefer making it in the slowcooker than in the oven.
My changes:
* I use coconut oil instead of butter.
* I sometimes add a little cocoa powder
* I play around with the combination of fruits & nuts to my own personal tastes.
* I add a little LSA for extra nutrition

My only complaint is that I manage to overcook the dried fruit. So next time I will add this in halfway through.

Kids love it. I love it. And great to have a low sugar, real food breakfast option.

Threeundertwo - Bobs Red Mill brand has bags of flaxseed that my local Vons (SoCal - Safeway elsewhere) carries. Look in the baking aisle by the specialty flours, GF mixes, etc.

This sounds gorgeous! Sadly only found you recently, but am so looking forward to trying loads of these recipes. Thanks so much.

OK, so I just tried this today. My crockpot was burning the granola at the edges unless I stirred it every 5 minutes, so I gave up on it and pulled it all out before I ruined the whole batch. I usually do fine with granola in the oven (300F, stir every 20-30 min for 1-2 hrs), so I'm popping mine into the oven to finish it off. I really wanted this to work, but oh well!

Yum! I am eating fresh granola on a hot and humid day because MY OVEN DID NOT HAVE TO TURN ON! Yay! Now I want to try crock pot chex mix...

Just an fyi: Flax seed, in its raw state, isnt absorded by the body. So make sure that you are grinding your flax seed if you want any nutritional value from it.