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You are here: Home / Recipes / Gluten Free / Holiday Spiced Festive Crunchy Granola

Holiday Spiced Festive Crunchy Granola

*Updated* / By: 125 Comments

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Once you make this Holiday Spiced Crunchy Granola, you will NEVER want store-bought again!

I am a granola girl for sure. Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves combine to create that wonderful gingerbread granola taste. The perfect addition to my pumpkin yogurt.

Holiday granola in a jar on a red star placemat.
Holiday Spiced Granola

This Christmas granola in a jar makes the perfect food gift for the holidays.

NOW that I have experienced the awesomeness of this over the top delicious goodness, bought granola will NEVER make an appearance again. This is the BEST granola ever.

RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this easy homemade granola are at the bottom of this post.

Don’t ask me what took so long, but hey better late than never. I made this like 2 days ago, and I can still smell the wonderful aroma when I go into the kitchen. Want to you make your house smell wonderful? Make some of this granola, works like a charm. You will instantly be in the Christmas spirit!

Jump To Recipe

I still love my version of Healthy Granola, and Soft Chewy Granola Bars, but this crunchy granola is my favourite so far. I cannot believe it took me so long to get on the bandwagon. One batch and I am totally addicted.

So many flavour combinations are rolling around in my head right now. HOW did I NOT try this sooner? The same thing happened with I made homemade cranberry sauce for the first time. I have never bought canned cranberries again.

What Is In Holiday Granola?

This homemade gourmet granola combines all the flavours of the season. You will need:

  • old fashioned oats
  • raw whole almonds
  • hemp hearts
  • raw pumpkin seeds
  • raw pistachios
  • dried cranberries
  • coconut oil
  • maple syrup
  • molasses
  • cinnamon
  • ginger
  • cloves

Super simple ingredients. In fact, if you don’t like something on this list, substitute what you do like. There is NO wrong way to make this spicy granola recipe trust me.

Just reading this list of ingredients gets me super excited. I love the aroma as this bakes. It smells like gingerbread granola. I am all about the holiday spices.

Granola ingredients on a baking sheet ready to go into the oven.

Since my mom is no longer with us, I try to make some of her recipes during the holidays to keep her spirit alive. She did love making lots of wonderful holiday cookies, and for this granola recipe, I used the flavours from her Crispy Molasses Cookies.

Speaking of molasses, did you know there are many different kinds of molasses? I was blown away to find out that so many kinds existed. From dark to light, blackstrap, and pomegranate too. There is even a difference between sulfured vs unsulfured molasses. 

Ok, so it is now November! OMG, don’t even get me started on how many shopping days are left till Christmas. I know my USA blogger friends are getting geared up for Thanksgiving (and your awesome Black Friday deals). I can feel my stress level starting to rise just thinking about the next couple of months.

I know I have got to start my holiday baking very soon.

How To Make Homemade Holiday Granola

This granola recipe is so incredibly easy to make. It only takes about 30 minutes. Customize the ingredients to suit your palette. Simple ingredients, no artificial flavours or preservatives. You can never go wrong with easy, healthy and delicious. 

  • Mix up some oats and whatever nuts and seeds you like.
  • Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, molasses, and spices.
  • Bake.
  • Let cool (it will turn nice and crunchy).
  • Add some cranberries (or other dried fruits) and even chocolate chips too.
  • Pour into a bowl and let everyone serve themselves. Perfect on its own, or as a topping on yogurt.
  • Place in a sealed container, and it will keep for several weeks.
Adding cranberries to the baked granola

I love using these *(affiliate) silicone mats on my *(affiliate)baking sheets. It keeps the granola from sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.

People Ask

How do you keep granola crispy?

Keep it in an airtight container or sealed ziplock bag. It will stay crunchy for weeks.

How do I know when to take the granola out of the oven?

The directions on the recipe card are pretty accurate, but everyone’s oven tends to vary in temperature. When you kitchen smells like the holidays and the granola is a light golden brown it is ready.

Can I substitute quick oats for rolled oats?

Since they are much thinner, you can use them they will cook much faster. You will have to adjust your cooking time to avoid burning. Steel cut oats WILL NOT work in this recipe.

How to avoid burning the granola?

Keep an eye on it during baking. Be sure to mix it to allow for even browning. If your oven runs high, turn the temperature down.

Pouring the holiday granola into a large glass bowl.

This granola recipe will get you dreaming of sugar plums and Cookies for Santa. Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves combined with maple syrup and molasses.

Not only is this delicious to eat, what a great “food gift” to take to all the hosts/hostesses of the Christmas parties this season.

Talking about homemade holiday food gift ideas, have you tried my Homemade Bourbon Fudge? OMG, this is a huge hit every year. A must for the holiday treat tray.

White Chocolate Popcorn Balls are super festive. Just like mini snowballs covered in holiday sprinkles.

Do you love making and receiving food gifts for Christmas? Well, you REALLY need to check out this post 28 Unique Edible Gifts for Christmas! Great for stocking stuffers, teacher’s gifts and to take to holiday parties too. You just might even want to make a few of these all for yourself.

A serving bowl of Christmas granola ready to eat.

This Homemade Holiday Spiced Festive Crunchy Granola would make a great stocking stuffer too. Perfect for the gluten-free and vegans on your list.

Have I got you dreaming of Christmas spices yet? It is NOT too early to start enjoying the foods of the holiday season.

What is YOUR favourite kind of homemade granola?

Be sure to FOLLOW ME on SOCIAL MEDIA and sign up for my NEWSLETTER and get a FREE printable.

Holiday Granola Pin
Home For the Holidays Festive Crunchy Granola in a glass container ready for gift giving.

Holiday Spiced Granola (Food Gift Idea)

Easy to make homemade granola is perfect spiced for the holidays. This makes a great food gift. The perfect topping for ice cream, yogurt, by the bowl, or even handful as a snack.
5 from 40 votes
Print Rate
Course: Breakfast/Brunch, Snack
Cuisine: Canadian
Keyword: Food Gift Idea, homemade granola
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 365kcal
Author: Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy

Ingredients

  • 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup raw whole almonds (or your choice of nuts)
  • ½ cup hemp hearts
  • ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • ½ cup raw pistachios
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350º F, and line a baking sheet with parchment.
  • In a large bowl combine the oats, nuts, and seeds. (I broke my almonds up slightly in the blender, but feel free to leave them whole)
  • In a small microwavable bowl combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, molasses and spices.
  • Microwave for about 30 seconds until the oil melts. (You can also do this on the stove as well). Mix well.
  • Pour over oatmeal mixture, and mix to coat well.
  • Spread mixture onto prepared cookie sheet.
  • Bake for 20 minutes (or so), mixing half way through.
  • I like my granola really crunchy, so I baked it a few minutes longer. Just be careful as the granola can burn easily near the end of the baking time.
  • Remove from oven.
  • Let cool slightly, and add in the cranberries.
  • Place in a bowl (or container).
  • ENJOY!!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 368mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 3.3mg

Notes

This is perfect on it’s own, as a granola topper…or just by the handful for a quick, delicious and healthy snack. Makes a great “food gift” for the holiday season.
Tried this recipe?Take a picture and tag @homemadeandyummy
Nutritional information on this site is generated via a plugin. I am not responsible for the accuracy of the plugin information.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Farrukh Aziz

    I love granola any given time and so I tried this, it turned out fantastic, loved the addition of molasses here. I love to eat it with yogurt topped with lots of fruits especially berries. Thanks for sharing this great recipe! 🙂

    Reply

  3. Sam

    Yum, this granola looks amazing. I love the festive flavours you have put together in there, such a perfect pairing of ingredients. You are so right about homemade being way better than storebought. It just doesn’t compare.

    Reply

  4. Neha Khanuja

    This granola looks to die for good! It has all the flavors that I adore, this would make for a great holiday gift as well!

    Reply

  5. Nicole Washington

    I love granola. There is something about Homemade Granola that makes the house smell good and it tastes better too.

    Reply

  6. Shelley

    Mmmmmm … homemade granola is so easy and so yummy – plus you get to control exactly what goes into it and the precise blend of flavors. Total win! What a great idea to create this recipe to feature holiday flavors – definitely a great idea for make-ahead hostess gifts, or for snacking or a special treat Christmas morning. Maybe Santa might even like some, instead of cookies! 😉

    Reply

  7. Aleta

    Yummy! I made this the other day and it has been a house favourite, in fact, I am going to make a triple batch and give it away under the tree this year!

    Reply

  10. Sharon

    I love snacking on granola and putting it in my yogurt for breakfast, so this granola recipe is perfect for the holiday season.

    Reply

  11. Amy

    I make my own granola on a regular basis but never thought o make a holiday version. They would make for such excellent gifts! Never tried it with molasses or ginger and it sounds amazing.

    Reply

  12. Trish Bozeman

    YES! We are huge granola lovers and have our own holiday version that we make. But this one looks fantastic and I love the addition of molasses in there! Adding this to the rotation to make before the holidays hit (so soon!). Thanks, Gloria!

    Reply

  13. Dana

    I love holiday-themed goodies and I love how this one is subtle about it. Homemade granola is one of my favorite things to make during the cooler months. I’m saving this and pinning it for the next time I make a batch!

    Reply

  14. Jenni LeBaron

    This is such a tremendous blend of flavors! I particularly love the pistachios and cranberries in this mix. I can’t wait to devour it on top of yogurt for breakfast!

    Reply

  15. Sean@Diversivore

    Oh man, a big ol’ bowl of homemade granola sounds fantastic right now. Love that you’ve used cranberries and almonds here, and the molasses is a great idea. Honestly I always end up with a carton of molasses and no idea what to do to finish it off. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  16. Debra

    I love how the color of the cranberries adds to the festive touch of this granola. A great idea for DIY holiday gifts. I’m definitely going to make this to give out. People will love it!!

    Reply

  19. Paula Montenegro

    Granola with a Christmas spirit, I’m in! It looks so wonderful, and the fact that it has both maple syrup and molasses makes me want to be eating it right now!

    Reply

  20. Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen

    This looks so yummy, I love those festive spices you’ve used! Perfect for breakfast and snacking!

    Reply

  21. Jo Allison

    I love granola and since I’ve started making homemade one I never looked back. Love the flavours in your festive granola recipe and as my jar is almost empty, I’ll be making it this weekend. 🙂

    Reply

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