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Discover the irresistible blend of nutty pecans and buttery goodness in this small batch Butter Pecan Granola. Perfect for enhancing your morning yogurt, as an on-the-go snack, or even as a delightful topping for ice cream, this small batch granola recipe will quickly become your new go-to for versatile crunch.
Discover our delicious small batch granola recipes: the warmly spiced Gingerbread Granola, the aromatic Pumpkin Spice Granola, sweet Maple Granola, and the crisp, fruity Apple Granola.
Why You’ll Love This Granola Recipe
- Cost-Effective: Homemade granola is incredibly easy to make, which means you’ll save a pretty penny compared to those pricey boxed options at the store.
- Pantry-Friendly: The beauty of making granola from scratch is that it’s a great way to use up pantry items. You can mix and match to create your own custom blend.
- Versatility: The staple ingredients for granola—oats, nuts, sweetener, and some form of fat—are just a canvas. This recipe elevates the basics with a buttery pecan twist.
- Doubles Well: Got more mouths to feed? This recipe easily doubles, so you can make enough to share or store for later.
- Nutrient-Rich: Beyond its decadent taste, this granola is packed with wholesome ingredients that offer nutritional benefits, from fiber-rich oats to protein-packed pecans.
RELATED: Easy Single Serving Comfort Food Recipes
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this granola recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
- Oats: For this recipe, old-fashioned rolled oats are the way to go. They offer a chewy texture and absorb flavors well. If you’re following a gluten-free diet, make sure to opt for certified gluten-free oats. Quick oats are not recommended as they don’t provide the same texture. Use extra oats to make a Blackberry Crisp, Baked Oatmeal, a small batch of Oatmeal Cookies, or Baked Apples.
- Nuts: The recipe calls for pecans, but you can easily switch them out to suit your taste. Alternatives like cashews, pumpkin seeds, or walnuts work just as well and allow you to customize your granola. Consider using leftover pecans in a mini German Chocolate Cake or in a mini Pecan Pie.
- Coconut: Unsweetened shredded coconut adds a subtle tropical touch. However, if you have a sweeter tooth, feel free to use sweetened shredded coconut instead. Extra coconut can be used in a small batch of Morning Glory Muffins, Coconut Cream Pie, or Cowboy Cookies.
- Butter: Salted butter adds a rich, creamy element to the granola. If you’re looking for a dairy-free or vegan alternative, coconut oil is a great substitute that also complements the existing flavors.
Check out the recipe box for exact ingredient measurements and comprehensive cooking instructions.
Recipe Variations
Ready for a twist on the classic butter pecan granola? Here are some customizable options to make this recipe suit your personal preferences or dietary needs.
- Nut-Free Granola: Swap out the pecans for sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds if you’re looking for a nut-free version.
- Vegan Granola: Replace the butter with coconut oil and ensure you’re using a vegan-friendly sweetener like maple syrup or agave nectar.
- Spiced Granola: Love spices? Add a pinch of nutmeg or cardamom along with the cinnamon for an exotic flavor profile.
- Chocolate Granola: Mix in some chocolate chips after the granola has cooled down. Because, let’s face it, chocolate makes everything better.
- Fruit-Filled Granola: Add in some dried cranberries, raisins, or apricots after baking for a fruitier version.
Feel free to mix and match these variations to create your own signature butter pecan granola.
How To Make Butter Pecan Granola
These step-by-step photos and instructions help you visualize how to make a small batch of granola. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Melt Butter and Combine Liquid Ingredients: In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium until fully melted. Once melted, remove from the stove and mix in the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, coconut, nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Mix Dry and Wet Ingredients: Carefully pour the melted butter mixture over the oat mixture in the bowl. Stir the ingredients until the oats and nuts are thoroughly coated with the liquid.
- Prepare for Baking: Evenly spread the coated granola mixture onto a baking sheet with raised edges to prevent spillage.
Place the baking sheet in a preheated oven and bake the granola for a total of 30 minutes. Make sure to stir the mixture at 10-minute intervals to ensure even coloring and crisping.
Expert Tips
- Personalize Your Granola: Treat this recipe as a foundational blueprint for crafting your ideal granola. Feel free to switch out the nuts or add extras like seeds, dried fruit, chocolate chips, or even spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Just maintain the ingredient ratios to ensure the perfect texture and crunch.
- Cluster Technique: If you’re a fan of chunky granola clusters, form 1-inch ovals with the oat mixture on the baking sheet. Keep these intact for the first 10 minutes of baking to promote clumping.
- Cooling is Key: Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to granola. Allow it to cool completely on the baking sheet. As it cools, it will crisp up even more, elevating the texture to perfection.
- Dried Fruit Timing: Should you opt to add dried fruit to your granola mix, stir it in only after the granola has baked and cooled. This prevents any risk of the fruit burning or becoming too hard.
Serving Suggestions
Whether you’re enjoying this butter pecan granola as a standalone snack or adding it to other dishes, there are plenty of creative ways to serve it up. You’ll find that its rich, nutty flavor pairs well with a variety of foods.
- Breakfast Bowls: Layer your butter pecan granola over Greek yogurt, then add a dollop of honey and some fresh berries for a breakfast that’s as delightful as it is nutritious.
- Smoothie Topper: Take your smoothie game to the next level by sprinkling this granola on top of a green smoothie or smoothie bowl.
- Ice Cream Sprinkle: Elevate a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream by generously topping it with this granola. It adds a fantastic texture and an extra layer of flavor.
- Snack Packs: Make little snack packs with a mixture of butter pecan granola, dried fruits, and a handful of chocolate chips for a quick on-the-go snack.
- Overnight Oats: Stir it into your overnight oats recipe for added crunch and flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Enjoy as a snack, with yogurt, or eat it like cereal with a bit of milk.
Absolutely, you can easily make this butter pecan granola vegan. Substitute the butter with coconut oil and be sure to use a plant-based syrup like maple.
Absolutely, this butter pecan granola recipe doubles exceptionally well. If you want to make a larger batch, just double the quantities of all the ingredients. However, you might need to use two baking sheets to ensure the granola spreads out evenly for optimal crispiness.
If your granola didn’t turn out as crispy as you’d like, it could be because your oven’s temperature is off or you’ve overcrowded the baking sheet. Make sure to spread the granola evenly and consider using an oven thermometer to ensure accurate baking temperature.
Searching For The Full-Sized Butter Pecan Granola Recipe?
You’re in the right place! This Butter Pecan Granola recipe has been a long-time favorite, initially making its debut on our previous website and gaining a loyal following. Since we specialize in small batch and single serving recipes, we’ve adjusted the measurements to give you a smaller portion. The small batch ingredient list can be found further down.
However, if you’re in the mood to whip up a larger batch of this delicious granola, here’s how to do it with the following ingredients. The baking instructions remain the same as in the small batch recipe.
Ingredients for Full-Sized Batch
- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Feel free to refer to the original cooking steps for the small batch version; they apply perfectly for this larger version as well.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this granola or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Small Batch Butter Pecan Granola
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
- ½ cup pecans , chopped (or use walnuts)
- ½ cup almonds , chopped
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, almonds, pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon.
- In a small pot on a medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the maple syrup.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the butter/syrup mixture over the oats/nuts mixture and stir until well blended.
- Pour onto a rimmed sheet pan.
- Cook for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to achieve an even color.
- Remove from oven, cool and transfer to a large bowl.
Notes
- Personalize Your Granola: Treat this recipe as a foundational blueprint for crafting your ideal granola. Feel free to switch out the nuts or add extras like seeds, dried fruit, chocolate chips, or even spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Just maintain the ingredient ratios to ensure the perfect texture and crunch.
- Cluster Technique: If you’re a fan of chunky granola clusters, form 1-inch ovals with the oat mixture on the baking sheet. Keep these intact for the first 10 minutes of baking to promote clumping.
- Cooling is Key: Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to granola. Allow it to cool completely on the baking sheet. As it cools, it will crisp up even more, elevating the texture to perfection.
- Dried Fruit Timing: Should you opt to add dried fruit to your granola mix, stir it in only after the granola has baked and cooled. This prevents any risk of the fruit burning or becoming too hard.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I’m not sure if I missed a note or not but can you substitute maple syrup with honey?
We highly suggest using maple syrup for this recipe. However, some readers have had success substituting honey. In a pinch, I’ve even used a mix of half honey and half maple syrup when I didn’t have enough maple syrup, and the granola still turned out well.
I love this recipe and have made it several times. It’s easy and delicious!
this is my go to granola recipe. I always add more cinnamon because I like it cinnamon-y. But this is so tasty.
A delicious rich-tasting granola that’s easy to make. I love the flexibility this recipe provides. I was not sure if it should cool in the pan or on paper towels; I kept it in the pan which was best since it was slightly sticky before it completely cooled. Will definitely make it again.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Karen. I usually let the granola cool on the pan.
This is our favorite granola recipe! Thank you for posting
I just love all these recipes!!!
This is very good. It is my favorite. I loved the way you used melted butter instead of coconut oil or vegetable oil. I had to use Bob’s Red Mill gluten free oatmeal but used everything else, except I changed the kind of nuts too. Last time, I ran out of maple syrup so I had to use honey and it was just as good.
Thank you for having a website/Pinterest page/Facebook group dedicated to us single people. I really appreciate it.
How long will this keep in a jar on the shelf, please?
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
I just have a quick question….although I don’t mind maple syrup on pancakes or french toast I’m not really a fan of maple flavor in anything else. Would subbing honey for the maple syrup work? I realize it’s actually a very small amount all things considered but I don’t want to make this and then end up not liking it because of the taste.
Yes, you can use honey or agave nectar instead of maple syrup but the taste of the granola will be slightly different. I’ve used half honey and half maple syrup when I ran short on syrup and the granola was delicious!
Very delicious and easy to make
It was my first time making granola and while delicious (seriously addicting) it is not in clusters at all. I let it sit after, what went wrong?
Hi Alicia, I’m glad you enjoyed the taste of the granola. To make granola clusters, the granola needs to clump together on the baking sheet while it bakes and cools. In the Expert Tips section, we mention that it is helpful to press the oats mixture into little 1-inch ovals while it bakes.