by Texas Homesteader ~
This Pumpkin Granola recipe is inexpensive, adaptable to tastes, delicious & SO EASY to make!!
Homemade granola is a more natural cereal option than the boxes of commercial stuff on the store shelves. Check out my easy recipe.
(Note: Some links in this post will take you to other related articles for further information. But links preceded with * are affiliate links. If you click and buy something I could receive a tiny commission.)
Wholesome Pumpkin Granola Ingredients
I love that this simple recipe replaces the boxes of commercial cereal filled with who-knows-what on the store shelves. My pumpkin granola recipe has wholesome ingredients:
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All-natural oats (I like to use a combination of quick oats & old fashioned oats for varied texture.)
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Honey
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Molasses
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15-oz can pumpkin puree
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Shredded coconut
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Chopped nuts and seeds
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Pumpkin pie spice
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Unsalted butter or melted coconut oil
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Mixing The Pumpkin Granola
In a large bowl I mix the dry ingredients: After the oat mixture is fully mixed I pull out another large bowl & mix the pumpkin granola wet ingredients:
Then I combine the two bowls, folding the oats into the wet mixture until the oats are fully coated.
BAKER’S SHORTCUT: When it’s time to combine the wet & dry ingredients I wash my hands really well and use my clean hands to mix everything. It’s much faster than using a large spatula or spoon.
Bake Pumpkin Granola Until Crispy
To bake my homemade granola I pull two large baking sheets with sides. I place 1/2 the mixture on each sheet, spreading it evenly. Then I place both baking sheets in the oven set to bake at 325ºF.
I bake the granola for about an hour, pulling out the sheets every 20 minutes to stir the granola and break up large chunks.
(UPDATE: my oven’s speed-bake function means I only bake for 40 minutes, stirring twice!)
After I get the texture where I want it I pull out the trays and mix in 1.5 cups of dried fruit into each pan of granola. And it’s DONE!
Notes About Baking Granola
When making my granola there are a few preferences & tips I use:
- For the nuts I like a cup each of chopped pecans & shelled sunflower seeds but I change it up depending on what I have on hand. You can use whatever combination you prefer.
- I don’t like granola too sweet so I throw in a handful or two of raw old-fashioned oats during that first stir to cut the sweetness some.
- Homemade pumpkin puree often has more moisture than canned puree so it might take a little longer to bake.
- After my granola is dry as I want it, I turn off the oven & bring out the trays. One more quick stir and I return the trays to the turned-off oven racks to soak up the residual heat.
The granola will naturally gain a little crunch as it cools.
Is Pumpkin Puree & Canned Pumpkin The Same Thing?
Canned pumpkin pie filling is not the same thing as pumpkin puree. What’s the difference?
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Pumpkin Pie Filling – Pumpkin puree with added sugar, seasonings and thickeners.
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Pumpkin Puree – Only peeled, cooked and mashed pumpkin.
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Nothing is added to pumpkin puree. It’s simply cooked pureed pumpkin in its purest form.
How Hard Is It To Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree?
The puree used in my recipe came from my garden pumpkins. It’s easy make your own pumpkin puree! You can see my instructions to cook and puree fresh pumpkin here. I often have homemade pumpkin puree in the freezer.
UPDATE: Now I’m a big fan of DEHYDRATING the puree instead – even easier to store & use!
Homemade Granola Flavor Variations
Play with different flavors!
Substitute applesauce for pumpkin puree for an apple honey-nut version. I’d think any pureed fruit would work just as well.
Substitute dried cranberries, dried chopped apples, dehydrated chopped plums or even dried jujubes for the raisins. Whatever small chewy dried fruit you enjoy works here.
Baker’s Tip: Be sure to add dried fruit when your granola is finished or the fruit will dry into crunchy rocks. #askmehowIknow
And since this granola recipe makes two large trays you can finish them each differently to suit different tastes in your household.
Maybe one in your family likes raisins but another likes cranberries or some other dried fruit. Since this makes two large trays of granola you can make both kinds.
Want chocolate chips stirred into one after it’s cooled? Go for it!
Dried banana chips or other dried fruit? Oh yeah.
Makes A GALLON Of Granola!
And this recipe makes a lot – about a gallon. The granola is absolutely delicious and very filling.
Since it’s so filling you won’t need to eat as much to feel full, so it lasts longer than those store-bought cereals that just never seem to fill you up. Let me tell ya, don’t try to pour yourself a regular-sized cereal bowl of this homemade granola. You won’t be able to finish it!
Give it a try, the recipe is below.
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Did you make this Granola? Please rate the recipe in your comment below!
Pumpkin Granola Recipe – makes about 1 gallon (16 cups)
This Pumpkin Granola Is So Good, So Inexpensive And SO EASY To Make!! #TexasHomesteader
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 8 cups oats I mix quick and old fashioned for various textures, you can use whichever you prefer
- 1 cup honey (12 ounces)
- 1 cup molasses or 3/4 cup brown sugar as substitute
- 3/4 cup melted coconut oil (5.5 ounces) or 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups assorted chopped nuts and seeds I like pecans & sunflower seeds
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 2 cups pureed pumpkin Note: NOT pumpkin pie filling
- 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice, or see below to make your own
- MYO spice = 1.5 T. cinnamon, 1 t. ground ginger, 1/2 t. ground allspice or cloves, 1/2 t. ground nutmeg
- 2-3 cups raisins or other dried fruit Note: add these after baking or they’ll burn
Instructions
Directions:
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Pour melted coconut oil into large bowl and add 1 cup of honey, 1 cup of molasses, 2 Tbl. vanilla and 2 cups pureed pumpkin. Stir until fully blended.
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In separate large bowl, mix 8 cups oats, 2 cups nuts, 1 cup shredded coconut and 3 Tbl. pumpkin pie spice (or see above for MYO spice mixture) - do not add dried fruit yet. Finally, add wet ingredients to dry mixture and stir until all is fully coated.
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Lay moistened ingredients about 1/2 inch thick on two cookie sheets (with sides to contain the granola)
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Bake at 325 F for 60 minutes, or until golden brown in color. You’ll need to stir the granola once every 20 minutes or so for even drying and to break up any large clumps to assure they dry out enough for longer storage.
(UPDATE: my oven's fan-assisted speed-bake means I only bake for 40 minutes, stirring twice!)
After baking time if you want a crunchier granola turn the oven off and let the granola continue to dry out in the residual heat of the oven for about 30 minutes before removing. When granola is cooled, mix in 2-3 cups raisins, stir & store in airtight container.
Recipe Notes
NOTE: This recipe is very adaptable, I've substituted part or even all of the pumpkin for applesauce with good results.
I don't always add coconut and often add different than the noted measures for dried fruit or nuts - it all depends on what I have in the pantry needing to be used.
I do always add several handfuls of raw old-fashioned style oats into the first stirring out of the oven, it cuts some of the sweetness in the granola which I like and it also stretches the volume.
~TxH~
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I love homemade granola. After it’s baked I leave some in chunks (for snacking) and some more crumbled for eating as bowls of cereal. Into the cereal portion I put whatever dried fruit I have – homemade raisins, dried blueberries, etc. This pumpkin granola recipe is always the one I start with.
What are dried jujubes?
There should be a link attached when they were mentioned if you want to see them and learn how we dehydrated them Mert, but jujubes are a very small fruit commonly grown on homesteads in our area several decades ago. We have several trees remaining from an old homestead location and I like to harvest the fruit and dry it for my granola.
Don’t you love volunteer plants? This recipe looks wonderful! I love a good homemade granola, but I never thought about adding pumpkin or applesauce. Will definitely be giving this a try.
I typically make granola about once a month Jamie and I often change it up depending upon what I have in the house and what sounds good. I almost always use pureed pumpkin but sometimes the spices or dried fruit changes – sometimes I’ll use raisins, sometimes plums, sometimes dried apple – or a combination of dried fruit.
I just made this and it’s pretty good; a little too much molasses taste for me. The next time I make this, I’ll use more honey in place of some of the molasses. Thanks for posting the recipe.
I tried substituting brown sugar for the molasses once and found I really prefer the taste of molasses in my granola – just a difference in preference. But I’m constantly playing with this recipe based on what I have on hand, etc. I’ve made it with applesauce instead of pumpkin puree and I’ve changed up the dried fruit that gets mixed in at the end. Always fun!
Oh my goodness,this stuff is wonderful.I used my homemade sugar free apple sauce ,chopped dried apple rings and salted butter,it does taste great.Thank’s for the recipe.Bisquits are next on the the to try list.
Thanks so much for letting us know how it turned out Goodie! I find that I use my pumpkin granola as an appetite suppressant when I get really hungry between meals & contemplate eating something much less healthy and either sugary or salty. A tiny bowl with a little milk & I’m pleasantly satiated. I get panicky if I get too close to running out of my granola. LOL. Enjoy! (Oh, and try the biscuits – you won’t be sorry!)
Today I am finally making this.I had to wait for my local honey and I am using my own homemade apple sauce since I am not a great friend of pumpkin,I am also going to half the recipe since I am the only one eating it.Hope it comes out as good as it looks.
OMGoodness Goodie, prepare thyself to be HOOKED. Seriously, this is a delicious (and very filling) granola. Since posting this I’ve found with with my fan-assisted convection feature on my oven I’ve been able to slash the actual baking time, so if you also have that feature just bake/stir until you get it as crunchy as you like it. Let us know how it turns out!
Glad you told me about that convection oven feature as I am using it,right now…..it is smelling good in here.I will let you know the results. Thank’s for the blog and posts I enjoy them so much.
That looks so yummy! I also love the idea of making my own pumpkin puree to put in the freezer. My mom used to do that and I guess I had just forgotten. I found you at the Country Fair Blog Party. Thanks for linking up!
This is exactly what I need right now–bring on the pumpkin! I will make this tomorrow, I have a bit of time now because I just finished planting the fall gardens. I was thinking it would be great to add to the pot when I make oatmeal too!
Oh yes it would be great to have a handful of this granola added to your oatmeal. I also like to throw in a handful of it when I’m making the topping for my apple crisp.
I love this granola and I love how much it makes. I always just throw a couple cups of oats with other ingredients and I use it up so fast. I need to make a big batch like this. And I love the pumpkin flavor.
This is my go to recipe for granola. I took your advice and used what I had on hand. A dear family member offered a can of fresh pumpkin but I needed my granola fix stat! I opened my cabinets and VIOLA I saw some puréed fruit baby food jars in the back of my cabinets. Our grandchild is no longer eating this, so I’m thinking “why not”? Granola turned out perfect, again! As expensive as baby food can be, I was so happy to use it up and not waste it! Thank you for consistently pushing us to try new things by using what we got! I am on a new road of confidence after this success!
I love your #UseWhatchaGot style! Food waste is a hot-button topic for me so this really makes my crunchy-green heart happy! Thanks for sharing your oh-so-smart way to enjoy perfectly good food that might otherwise be wasted. ~TxH~
Well. That sounds absolutely delicious. 🙂
** shakes head and wonders why she doesn’t make granola more often**
I have GOT to try that!!!
LOL Christine. Me too! I stumbled on a honey-nut granola recipe several years ago and I used to make it pretty often, but I’d often swing between homemade granola and the commercial stuff. But since discovering this pumpkin granola it’s the only cereal I eat. I even get a little antsy if I get close to the bottom of my glass canister and make sure to make more before I’m completely out. It’s dee-LICIOUS!
I am always looking for good pumpkin recipes and I really like granola. Our pumpkins didn’t do all that great this year, but I do have a surplus. Thanks for sharing.
Give it a try Rhonda, it’s a staple here at our Homestead.
I love to make this, but since I would be the only one eating it,i would have to store quite a bit of it. What is the best way to store it? Will it spoil easy? Thank’s for all the interesting posts.
Goodie – I make this granola for myself, RancherMan doesn’t much eat cereal. I guess it lasts me about a month or two before I make more, but it makes quite a bit. If you’re concerned about making that much you can halve the recipe to make less at a time but it should store just as well as any other cereal I’d think as long as you keep it in a sealed container.
Wonderful recipe! My daughter found it first and made it. It is now my favorite granola recipe.
I have my Christmas gifts for my clients now !!!! Thank You for the wonderful recipe! Just found your sight and have to say I love it!!! May you and your family have a wonderful holiday season!!
What a great recipe. I’m going to have to try this, now I’m curious. I eat yogurt every morning and I love adding granola to it. Even better I know what’s going in it! Thanks for sharing.
I love pumpkin. I want to start making my own granola too. However, I do not like coconut what so ever. Is there a substitute for it in this recipe?
Jessica – that’s the beautiful part of this recipe – VERY adaptable to your individual tastes. I’ve left coconut completely out of it before just because I didn’t have it in the house. I’ve added dried jujubes both with and instead of the raisins. I always throw in a handful of uncooked oats after the first stir just to cut the sugar, and I’ve substituted brown sugar for the molasses. If you don’t like coconut either do what I did & leave it out completely or maybe substitute it with something you do like such as additional nuts, more uncooked oats or some other dry ingredient that you enjoy.
Great recipe! I have a granola recipe that I’ve been using since my “crunchy hippie” days in the 70s and the key is 7 cups dry to 1 cup liquid, so I’m always changing what I put in it. Like you – I rarely follow a recipe! lol
But I have to ask . . . why throw the pumpkin seeds in the compost? They are so delicious and good for you!
If you’re going to take the time to make granola, you might as well make a bunch! I bit this smells amazing as it bakes.
I can honestly say I have never had pumpkin granola before. All of these ingredients sound SO good and I bet they make a delicious snack or breakfast. Thanks for sharing the recipe, Taylor and thank you for linking up to Thrifty Thursday this week.
This is a great idea. I love granola and usually just make it plain. Adding pumpkin sounds amazing, and it will make great gifts too. I love this idea. Saw you on All my Bloggy Friends.
First off, I want to thank you for linking this great recipe to the In and Out of the Kitchen party. Second off, I learned something today – I never thought of mixing the two kinds of oatmeal for a different texture. I love making granola and will have to give this a try!
Wow, this looks wonderful. I love Nature’s Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola, but it’s so gosh-darned expensive. I am definitely going to give this a try.
Sounds so yummy. We love granola and pumpkin. Will make it up and give it a try soon.
Thank you! Sharon
I’ve been looking for some different granola recipes and this one looks so delicious. Granola is a fun recipe to make with the kids and great for snacking so I can’t wait to try this one!
Thanks!
Oh Tammy that looks so good, I have a feeling that if we weren’t half a world away we would be BFFs. I always find my pumpkins grown fom the compost are even better than the ones from seed, much hardier plants! Thanks for sharing. Pinning this
I’m sure you’re right Mel! And like you, I’ve found volunteer compost plants are often hardier plants. I have a game that I play every year where I pull the seedlings from my spread compost & replant them in a place of honor in my raised beds, trying to guess what kind of plant they are before many true leaves are present. FUN! LOL ~TxH~
I love pumpkin anything and this looks delicious! Thank you for the easy to follow recipe!
I love making my own granola but never thought about adding pumpkin, what a great idea! This sounds perfect for fall breakfasts. 🙂
Being the non-follow-recipe gal that I am, I ALWAYS change it up. Yesterday I made the granola and added some pear sauce (like applesauce but with pears) that I had in the freezer that I was less than pleased to eat fresh. It added yet another dimension to the granola and it was fantastic. I’m kinda disappointed that I don’t have any more in the freezer for next time. LOL I was also out of molasses so I used brown sugar moistened with the juice drained out of my pumpkin. I still prefer the molasses but it worked great in a pinch. It’s a rare day indeed when I follow a recipe exactly! ~TxH~