Sharing our favorite pumpkin granola recipe below. But first:
You guys. I have a son in college. Does anyone else feel weird about that?
No, this has nothing to do with my Pumpkin Granola recipe (except that maybe I should be sending some to him in a care package?) I guess I just needed to get it off my chest. Truth is, I just sat down at a coffee shop to put this post together, and got side tracked on Instagram (it happens.) When I saw that my college son, who has not posted any actual photos from college yet, had just posted something, it stopped me in my tracks.
My boy. He’s totally a college student. He has tons of friends and he’s a bit of a goofball, and he loves his classes and his life is everything I ever dreamt it would be. (and yes, he proudly invests in the stock market for himself and his brothers “clients.” )
But the thing is, ten years ago this kid was in 4th grade, reading Hardy Boys books, and a year ago he was home eating my homemade granola while filling out college applications, and now he’s in college thousands of miles away from home. And I miss him. But that’s just part of the whole cycle of life thing, right?
It happens, Moms. They grow up. Then they go away and we miss them.
So make them granola while they’re around.
That’s really all the deep mom wisdom I have for you today.
Now on to the granola:
Really, we should all be making granola this time of the year because we can bake ALL of the warm and cozy flavors of fall right into it: Pumpkin. Cinnamon. Maple. Toasty pumpkin seeds (or nuts of your choice). Just typing all of those words might have made me drool a tiny bit. (which wouldn’t be a big deal if I weren’t sitting in a coffee shop. Oops.)
This granola is wonderful topped with cold milk, or a dollop of yogurt and an extra dash of cinnamon. And if you still need an extra nudge for making it, stop a second and consider that heavenly moment when you snag the irresistible chunks off the pan straight out of the oven, into your mouth. (go ahead and imagine, we can wait…)
Need I say more?
In case you’re new to homemade granola or have any hesitations…I have good news for you: I’ve made many versions of granola over time, and it’s really hard to mess it up. There’s a lot of wiggle room for switching out ingredients, and even cooking it so it’s a little more…or less, done. This pumpkin batch is no exception.
Note: I took these photos a full year ago with plans to share the recipe back then. (hold up: JOSIAH took these photos for me a year ago. That was back when he was still living in my home and not away at college, and in case you missed it before: These kids really do grow up.) Anyways, somehow the post fell into the blog dashboard where it hibernated for an extended winter season. So recently I pulled it back out, played with some variations of it, and finally landed on the family favorite. This will explain why the ingredients in the recipe may not appear exactly as you see them in the photos. (Main difference: I’ve added pepitas (pumpkin seeds) to today’s recipe. You’ll love ’em, but of course they are not required.)
Nuts or no nuts, just remember — IT’S FALL, and pumpkin granola is way too easy to make to NOT make. (you get my point, right?)
Here’s the printable recipe, AND…(for the first time ever!) I’ve included the nutrition facts as well. **I’m using a new recipe app so I hope you like it!
Pumpkin Maple Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup raw pepitas
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 350 degree.
Mix the oats, nuts, and salt together in a large bowl.
Whisk the wet ingredients and spices together (pumpkin, coconut oil, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.)
Pour wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Spread the granola mixture onto a large nonstick jelly roll pan or baking sheet. (I like to cover my pan with parchment paper for easier cleanup.) Make sure it is spread out enough to cook evenly.
Bake for 15 minutes, then stir. Check again every ten minutes after that. Mine is usually done by 25 minutes, but some ovens may require longer cooking. Look for toasty and browned, but not dark.
Eat warm, or store in an airtight container for about a week. ENJOY!
I hope you’ll make it for your family, or pack it up and send it to someone you love and miss. 🙂
Let me know how you like it, and as always…I truly appreciate it when you pin and share with your friends on social media!
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We love this granola! Thank you for posting this. We are coming back to this recipe again for the second (or third year?) in a row. We’ve made it with pumpkin, butternut squash, and yams, all great.
Thank you Karen! Love the idea of making it with squash and yams…wow, that’s a fun twist! Big hugs to you!