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I’ve made this a few times now and it is one of my favorite granola recipes!! I keep coming back to it because of those delicious clusters! Thank you!!
Mary Clare
O-la!
Friends? Get yoselves ready because here come the Big Clusters marching down bloggy avenue. Your snacking, breakfasting, and crunchy-sprinkled-topping will never be the same. These are happy granola hailstones of epic peanut-buttery-delicious proportions.
You might already remember that Bjork and I are now your weird friends who follow what we’re calling a sugar selective diet so normally granola would be kind of a treat for us. *eye roll* But the yummy-good news is that refined sugars are long gone in this granola recipe, making this an everyday snackerific awesome food that we can feel three cheers good about. To sweeten these big boys, I used a couple of different things during testing, like real maple syrup // raw honey // the newest food to our pantry: brown rice syrup <– who are we —> and it’s all just a big sugar selective granola party up in this house.
The granola itself is mildly sweet, peanutty, whole wheaty, and so satisfyingly crunchy with semi-soft centers to the clusters because I hate to launch into a bowl of granola and not be able to hear anything. But then again the crunch is necessary, right? These accommodate both the crunch and the soft yummy.
A word about the big clusters. A handful of these makes for a per-fect-o-snack. They are begging for one bite grabs every.single.time. you walk by the kitchen and have caused certain food bloggers in our family to get their hands stuck in the granola jar while digging for that one big cluster at the bottom of the jar. Dare I say they remind me of a freshly baked peanut butter cookie in crunchy snack form? Whoa now. Trouble with a capital T.
My MUST MAKE GRANOLA NOW mindset got started actually like three weeks ago. I’ve been in the granola swing of things ever since I went to the cabin and we ate like kings because my mom made like 800 gallons of homemade granola for us to eat sprinkled on everything all the time. Then it was 11pm on a Friday night last week and big fat clusters needed to happen a-sap, and so began the making of the granolas.
I made a few different batches including my mom’s for, you know, like, the recipe research and stuff? munch munch. And I settled real nice and comfy on this peanut butter granola because it’s
- irresistibly delicious,
- banana and blueberry and yogurt’s best friend,
- totally EZ to make, and
- absolutely guaranteed to give you all the sweet clusters that your heart desires.
The whole party pan of granola is basically one big cluster when it comes out of the oven, so you get to control the clusterabilty when you stir it all up in there like-a-so.
In addition to this granola being the highlight of my week (and its only Monday! genius) I would have to say that having a new sidewalk is basically the best thing that could have ever happened to our front yard and I feel unnaturally happy when I go stand in the street like a creeper to admire our house and its new smooth grey cement. Next up on the list of house things: dirt, trees, grass seed, and other things that no one wants to spend money on.
On the list of fun things that is a little better to spend money on is the impending kitchen remodel. Yes yes yes yesss! We’re talking about the knocking down of walls and the installation of real appliances that have more than one heat setting and the picking out of non-orange cabinets and things of that sort. Here’s a little rough phase one drawing of what’s to come. When I look at this I squeal in my head. Or outloud. Or both.
Okay, so maybe it’s a little anticlimactic unless you remember how our kitchen currently looks and how there’s a big wall that’s in the way and that’s going to be knocked down to make this all happen. EEEEE
This plan is currently being reworked a bit already – the visible microwave is getting kicked to the curb and the oven is moving under the cooktop because my dreams are going to come true when we put a dishwasher there instead. The fridge area will have some cool built-ins and it’s actually not pictured here, but it will be directly across from the sink on the back wall. The counter on the cooktop side will also extend as many inches as we can possibly squeak out into the next room (which is the dining room) for a perfect place for Bjork to sit and chat with me all day every day while I’m cooking. There might be some iced coffee and zucchini muffin bribery required for that, but I dream big.
So yes – the Yum Sweet Home kitchen aka my office is small and it’s cozy, and it’s open for helpful advice. Small kitchen friends and fellow old house dwellers, please teach me how to efficiently cook in a small space! What do we NEED need? Am I forgetting something or totally messing something up here? Does it look seriously so awesome? <– you win free granola shipments.
And actual tiny house friends… oh my gosh. If you seriously live in a tiny house I am dying to stalk you. We are kind of on a tiny house documentary TV and movie binge and I’m so curious about the whole thing. I will fall off my chair if you leave a comment.
Alright alright I talk too much I get it I get it I get it. Granola time is upon us.
So everybody say hello to oats, peanuts, whole wheat flour and the gang and just let all the friendly hippie foods wrap you up in a yummy granola group hug.
Big Cluster Peanut Butter Granola
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 16 (about 1/2 cup per serving – but it depends on how big your clusters are) 1x
Description
This super simple Big Cluster Peanut Butter Granola is made with whole grains and no refined sugars – it’s a perfect sweet and crunchy homemade snack!
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup salted or honey roasted peanuts (chopped if you want but not necessary)
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup natural peanut butter (doesn’t have to be exact – messy mess)
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2/3 cup real maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 cup milk (I used vanilla almond milk)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Mix the oats, nuts, flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the peanut butter, canola oil, real maple syrup, vanilla, and milk together until smooth. Pour the wet mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine.
- Line a large (9×13 or larger) jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Pour the granola mixture onto the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15 minutes; stir once. Bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown and dry to the touch, but check back before the timer goes off to make sure it’s not getting too brown and dry. You want it to still be semi-soft. Leave the granola out for a while (2-3 hours) to cool, cluster, and crunchify. I left mine in the oven after it had cooled down to prevent the eat-a-cluster-every-time-you-walk-by problem. Serve on yogurt, with fruit, ice cream, milk, or just as a clusterific snack.
Notes
The granola will taste best once it’s cooled. I sprinkled mine with a little extra sea salt for salty-sweet yum.
You can customize this by using different nuts, nut butters, and sweeteners. I made a honey almond version using sliced almonds, almond butter, and a combo of honey and brown rice syrup. Mmmm.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Snack
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: peanut butter granola, granola recipe, big cluster granola recipe
Delicious granola! Added grounded linen seeds (3 tbs spoon) amazingly good! Thanks for sharing š
Looks great, my husband & follow a paleo diet. Can I replace the peanut butter, wheat flour and peanuts with almond, almonds and almond flour.
Hi, Felipa! We haven’t tested those subs out to know for sure, but we’re guessing it would work! Let us know how it turns out for you. š
I added some cinnamon and it had really great flavor. A little dry in my opinion so I probably wouldn’t use it as a snack by itself. I’m looking forward to trying it out with my yogurt tomorrow morning though!
I have this PB cluster granola and another bookmarked. I’ve made both more than once but I find that I gravitate towards the other. They are so similar but I found this one to not be as pb’y tasting. Looking more closely my guess is because the other includes cinnamon, and instead of WW flour, it uses almond and oat flours. Also, a combo of honey and maple syrup. There is baking soda in the other as well. Really, they are very similar when it comes down to it, but the other definitely gives me more PB taste. It could be extra flavor from the almond flour and the fact in that one I use coconut oil instead of canola oil as I did here. I love clumps, don’t mind dry – this is dry to my liking, but the other also clumps a little better. Tweaks and nuances at the end of the day. Both good, but I am so into my granola I narrow my repeat recipes only after I know they are absolute winners. Thanks!
I am so sorry to leave a neutral comment. I followed this recipe exactly as is. It was dry, sort of taste-less even when added to yogurt. I love peanut butter and eat very healthy, this is not a recipe for those who enjoy flavorful granola.
This recipe is delicious and it hasnāt even cooled yet! My kids are home from college and itās perfect for them. I did add 2 T pb powder for added protein. Thanks for this scrumptious granola recipe!
Hello! I am gluten free, but I assume that the flour in this recipe is what helps make the big clumpy pieces. What would be a good sub? Gluten free flour blend?
I meant to give it 5 stars along with my review! Again, itās my favorite & Iāve tried many granola recipes!
Iāve been making this granola for over a year now and itās by far my favorite granola recipe that Iāve ever tried. Itās not overly sweet, itās the perfect texture (not too crunchy, not too soft) and the clusters are the icing on the cake! My family of 5 snacks on it plain, on top of yogurt or in a bowl with milk for breakfast – thank you for this keeper of a recipe!
Just made this recipe and yummm! PB and granola are two of my favorite foods so this recipe is right up my alley. I love that it is only slightly sweet and the big clusters make this perfect for an on-the-go snack
Making this for the second time (in 2 weeks…) today! Mine didn’t come out crunchy the first time around, but I did use a gluten-free flour and eyeball PB measurements which could have messed with the results. I was probably closer to 1 C PB instead of 3/4 C. Either way, excellent recipe & results. My boyfriend says it’s the best granola he’s had, hands down
I made this recipe for sugar-free January today and it was a total success! Especially since I had to do a lot of substituting because I wasn’t going to step out in -30C weather to grocery shop. I swapped canola oil for coconut oil, vanilla almond for unsweetened original, maple syrup for honey and omitted the peanuts and vanilla bc I didn’t have that on hand.
Despite all that, it turned out well and it totally feels like I’m cheating sugar-free January.
I’m doing sugar free January and I made this recipe today on a whim. Annnd because it was on a whim, I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand, annnd because it’s -30C outside, I didn’t bother to go out and buy them.
SO I had to do a bit of substituting (coconut oil for canola oil, honey for maple syrup, unsweetened original for vanilla almond milk), I also omitted the peanuts and vanilla extract because I didn’t have any, and I added in chia seeds and cinnamon.
Despite all the ingredients swaps, this recipe was a total hit! It cluster-fied, it’s crunchy and sweet and makes me feel like I’m totally cheating sugar-free January lol.
I make this granola every year as a Christmas present for my health-conscious best friend. It is peanut buttery and delicious crunchy clustericious! Sometimes I split the maple syrup in half and add honey instead, which adds another salty-sweet dimension of flavor, I just love the combination of PB with honey. Either way is delish. Thanks so much! This recipe is a staple for me.
Thank you for this magnificent granola recipe. It turned out so beautifully. I didn’t have peanuts so I substituted a cup of chopped, mixed walnuts, almonds and sunflower seeds.
Deeeee-lish!
This stuff is fantastic! I’ve been making granola for some time now but never with flour and baking powder. I only used 1 tsp of baking powder just because it seemed like a lot to me. The end result is a peanut butter lovers dream. I can’t stop snacking off the tray!
Interesting – what is the purpose of baking powder in granola? Love the promise of large clusters, will be trying this today.
Hi Tess! It just helps to bind it together while baking. š
This is a great recipe. I make it all the time and eat it with yogart. I use agave instead of maple syrup.
I’ve made this a few times now and it is one of my favorite granola recipes!! I keep coming back to it because of those delicious clusters! Thank you!!
Wow only 30 min out and I already love the texture…large clusters like I always loved! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
I love this recipe! I’m about to make it for the second time. I used agave as my sweetener the first time, and it was really tasty. I intend to use honey and honey roasted peanuts this time. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lindsay, I made the granola a couple of weeks ago and even though the taste is really nice, the clusters were not crunchy. I baked the first batch at 135Ā°C but they turned out quite doughy so I put the second batch in at 150Ā°C and that seemed to work a lot better. I used a plain peanut butter with no added sugar or oil and rice milk. I ate it with rice milk or soy yoghurt and fruits. I will try again with less maple syrup, a different kind of non-dairy milk and will add some flax and chia seeds and see what happens.
Try substituting protein powder for flour!
It’s long overdue that I tell you we eat a batch of this a week in our house…my boyfriend refuses to try any other granola!
Haha! Well glad you like it, Alison. š
I make this granola every couple of weeks! I usually swap the peanuts for pecans. It’s quick, delicious and easy-peasy, and much healthier than store-bought! I eat it with yogurt, oatmeal, everything š Thanks so much, Kristin!
Glad you like it, Emily! š