The big crunchy clusters are easily the best bites of granola, so why not bake a batch of only clusters?! This recipe for homemade granola clusters produces a wholesome, delicious anytime snack that’s easy to make and easier to eat. Bake the maple almond granola mixture in a 9×13-inch baking pan, before breaking up into pieces and returning to the oven. (That’s the cluster trick!) You need just 8 ingredients for this naturally vegan, dairy-free, egg-free recipe.
Anyone who enjoys snacking on granola can probably relate… have you ever fished around in the container or package to pick out the giant clusters? Just me?
Because aren’t those big crunchy clusters (that practically take up an entire spoon) the best?! You can now find granola clusters in some stores, but it’s easy to make them at home with a handful of simple, wholesome ingredients. I’m talking about a batch of JUST clusters. Bring on the crunch.
I published this recipe back in 2012—it was one of my first recipes shared on this website! And it’s still a consistent favorite in my house. Over the years, I’ve found you really don’t need the whole wheat flour. Instead, use just almond flour to help bind the oats and create those large clusters. By removing the whole wheat flour and if using certified gluten-free oats, this recipe is gluten free. Sliced almonds add flavor and texture, and you’ll love the flavors from maple syrup, brown sugar, and vanilla. (Honestly, like a crunchy granola version of maple brown sugar cookies.)
Summary of Homemade Granola Clusters:
- Made with minimal ingredients, no need for anything else
- Easy recipe, great for beginner or young bakers
- Wholesome treat made with oats, almonds, and maple syrup
- A little salty and sweet, wonderful maple flavor
- Energy-packed snack you’ll feel good about eating
- Vegan, egg-free, and gluten free if using certified GF oats
- Make the clusters as large or small as you like—you’re in control here!
- So much satisfying texture and crunch in every bite
8 Ingredients & Why Each Is Crucial
- Oats: Whole rolled (old-fashioned) oats are the nutritious heart of these granola clusters. I don’t recommend quick or instant oats here—you need whole. I recommend the same for all my granola recipes, including peanut butter granola. Whole rolled oats are also imperative in many of my oatmeal-based cookies, like oatmeal raisin cookies and flourless peanut butter oatmeal cookies.
- Almond Flour: Almond flour is a pretty common ingredient these days, and most grocery stores carry it. You need this ingredient in order for the granola to clump. If you have any left over, challenge yourself with a batch of French macarons. And if you can’t find almond flour in the store, you can make it at home. See recipe Notes.
- Salt: A little salt brings out all the other flavors, making these the tastiest granola clusters.
- Sliced/Slivered Almonds: Nuts add texture, and you can certainly leave them out if desired. If you only have whole almonds, give them a rough chop. I recommend using unsalted.
- Coconut Oil: Do not leave this out! The fat keeps granola from turning into a mushy mess and adds crunch and richness to every cluster. You can substitute butter if needed, but not a liquid oil. You need a fat that is solid at room temperature.
- Brown Sugar: The brown sugar adds sweetness, but is also needed to thicken the sticky “sauce” that gets poured over the dry ingredients. You can substitute coconut sugar, if desired.
- Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup gives these clusters the most delicious flavor, and it’s an unrefined sweetener. It also helps the granola stick together, cluster-style.
- Vanilla Extract: Another flavor enhancer!
FAQ: Can I Make This Without Brown Sugar?
We’re sweetening these granola clusters with maple syrup and brown sugar, and I don’t recommend using only maple syrup. You really need a dry sugar to help thicken the sauce poured over the dry ingredients. If you’d prefer to use an unrefined sugar, try using coconut sugar instead of brown sugar.
Bake the Mixture in a Baking Dish (That’s the Trick!)
Melt the coconut oil, brown sugar, and maple syrup together on the stove before pouring over and mixing into your dry ingredients. Press the mixture into a lined 9×13-inch baking dish, as if you were making granola bars. That’s the real trick here:
Rotate the pan every 10 minutes. When the granola “slab” has baked for about 40 minutes, remove the baking pan and let cool for 5–10 minutes, but keep the oven on. Carefully—it’s hot!—lift out the slightly cooled slab of granola (just pick up the whole thing by the edges of the parchment paper) and cut into squares, then break apart into pieces. Those are your clusters!
Return the clusters back to the pan, or spread on a lined baking sheet this time, and give them another 10 minutes in the oven to achieve crispy, crunchy clusters.
They’ll continue crisping up as they cool, so make sure to cool completely at room temperature before transferring the clusters to an airtight container (or your mouth).
You can enjoy these maple almond granola clusters with a spoon as you would any granola cereal, in a bowl with regular/nondairy milk or yogurt, but they also make such a great on-the-go snack. Toss some in a take-along container, add them to your favorite trail mix, or sprinkle them on top of oatmeal or ice cream.
FAQ: Can I Include Some Add-ins?
If you want to add some extra goodies to your maple almond granola clusters—such as pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut flakes, dried cranberries—you can, but keep the total amount of add-ins to about 1 and 1/4 cups, including the sliced almonds in the recipe. So use 3/4 cup sliced almonds and 1/2 cup of any other add-in. Too many add-ins = clusters will fall apart and you’ll just have regular granola. Not a bad thing, just not clusters!
Other Healthier Baking Recipes
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Baked Oatmeal
- Healthy Apple Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
- Greek Yogurt Lemon Bars
For even more inspiration, here are 30+ healthy breakfast ideas.
Print
Maple Almond Granola Clusters
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Yield: 5.5 cups
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Try a batch of *just* granola clusters! Bake the mixture in a 9×13-inch baking pan, before breaking up into pieces and returning to the oven. (That’s the cluster trick!) You need just 8 ingredients for this naturally vegan and egg-free recipe. Use certified gluten-free oats to ensure this recipe is gluten free.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (255g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (75g) almond flour or almond meal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (95g) sliced, slivered, or chopped almonds (I recommend unsalted)
- 1/3 cup (70g) coconut oil
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Mix the oats, almond flour, salt, and almonds together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine coconut oil, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until sugar dissolves. It’s ok if there’s a layer of oil on top. Remove from heat, whisk in the vanilla, and pour over oat mixture. Stir until everything begins to come together. The mixture will be sticky.
- Pour into prepared baking pan and, using a spatula, press mixture tightly into an even layer in the pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes, rotating the pan every 10 minutes to ensure the granola “slab” bakes evenly. Remove the baking pan, but do not turn off the oven. Let the granola slab cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes. (The cooling is crucial!) Lift the granola out of the pan using the parchment overhang on the sides. Cut into squares, and then break up into smaller cluster pieces—be careful, the granola is hot! Place the clusters back into the baking pan, with or without parchment, or spread onto a lined or unlined baking sheet, and bake the clusters for 10 more minutes.
- Remove clusters from the oven and cool completely. Clusters become crunchier the longer they cool.
- Cover and store the cooled clusters at room temperature for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Baking Pan | Baking Sheet | Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula
- Almond Flour: You can use almond flour or almond meal in this recipe. Almond flour is finely ground blanched almonds. You could also use almond meal, which is coarser. You can purchase almond flour in most grocery stores, and I really like Bob’s Red Mill brand. You can also make it at home, and here’s how: Pulse about 3/4 cup of whole almonds (blanched or not) a few times in a food processor until the almonds are finely ground. Do not let it grind for too long or the nuts will release too much of their oil and turn into homemade almond butter.
- Nut-Free: You can swap almond flour for oat flour, and leave out the sliced almonds. I find this version isn’t quite as crunchy, but it does work.
- Oats: Whole rolled (old-fashioned) oats are the nutritious heart of these granola clusters. I don’t recommend quick or instant oats here—you need whole.
- Coconut Oil: Do not leave this out! The fat keeps granola from turning into a mushy mess and adds crunch and richness to every cluster. You can use butter instead if needed, but don’t substitute a liquid oil—you need a fat that’s solid at room temperature.
- Brown Sugar: The brown sugar adds sweetness, but is also needed to thicken the sticky “sauce” that gets poured over the dry ingredients. You can substitute coconut sugar, if desired.
- Add-Ins: If you want to add some extra goodies to your maple almond granola clusters—such as pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut flakes, dried cranberries—you can, but keep the total amount of add-ins to about 1 and 1/4 cups, including the sliced almonds in the recipe. So use 3/4 cup sliced almonds and 1/2 cup of any other add-in. Keep in mind the clusters may fall apart more depending on the add-ins you use.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 306
- Sugar: 12.3 g
- Sodium: 107 mg
- Fat: 12.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 4.1 g
- Protein: 6.3 g
I finally got the clusters after making this recipe a few times. I pressed down on the mixture with my hand, that made a difference.
Didn’t you used to have a granola balls type recipe?? I could of swore a few years back you had one!
Hi Jenny! We used to have a recipe for Funfetti Granola Bites – could that be what you’re thinking of? If so, we were no longer satisfied with the outcome of that older recipe, so we unpublished it. We still have it, so send us an email and we can forward it to you. sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com
This is the best tasting granola recipe out there and so simple to make. I didn’t have almond flour but it still turned out great! Thank you for sharing.
Hi I also am a big fan of your recipes. Can I use chopped walnuts instead of almonds?
Hi Sheila, absolutely. Enjoy!
Love this recipe!! Tried every granola recipe on your website and every one is a hit. More new granola recipes pleaseee!
I have been making this recipe for about 9 months every week, the entire family eats it. The only change I make is I use 3 egg whites or about 1/4 c of liquid egg whites instead of the brown sugar and I use 1/2 t each of maple extract and almond extract instead of the vanilla, just trying to cut back on sugars where I can. Turns out amazing!
I adore this recipe! The only recipe for granola you’ll ever need. I’ve used slivered almonds, sliced & whole almonds I chopped myself. All are good, but the whole almonds chopped up are my favorite. Thank you, Sally!
Great recipe! The best part of eating granola!
I made this batch and am very happy with it. However, baking at 350, the 4th turn for 10 minutes caused some burning around the bottom edges. Glass 9×13 baking dish. Would you suggest I bake at 325/40 minutes? Or 350 for just 3 turns/30min?
Thanks!
Hi Arvis! This recipe bakes at 300°F (149°C) – see step 1. That should solve your problem!
Oops! Got it, 300!! Thanks!
Delicious!!!! My husband has been asking for granola clusters for years!!! Thank you for the recipe!
This is delicious and has such crunchy chunks! I just made it & can already tell I’ll be making it regularly. Not sure it’ll make it to breakfast tomorrow, everyone’s planning on parfaits for afternoon snack.
These turned out perfectly. This will now be my Go To for making granola. The clusters are perfect.
This recipe gave me the exact texture I have been looking for in my granola! For anything who is nut free I used pumpkin seeds in place of the almonds and ground flax seeds in place of the almond flour. I know there is a note that oat flour works and I thought I had some in my pantry, but I didn’t. I ground up the flax seeds in my spice grinder and they worked perfectly!
Could I add in chocolate chips?
Hi Elissa, absolutely, but make sure the granola clusters are completely cooled first, otherwise the chocolate will melt. Enjoy!
I made this recipe and it’s delish!
I want to make them with peanut butter but not sure how to add in or what to switch out? Help?
Hi Catrina, We like this recipe for our peanut butter granola.
Hey there! I just made this for the first time and it was very crumbly, few clusters. Can you tell me what I did wrong? I let it cool 10 min before cutting into squares.
Did you make any changes (even small ones) to the recipe? It should clump together beautifully.