My homemade low-calorie granola recipe is a healthy and easy alternative to store-bought granola. Perfect for anyone seeking a nutritious breakfast on busy mornings, this granola is made with wholesome ingredients, and is also low in sugar and low-fat. It’s quick to make and stores well: enjoy it with yogurt, oatmeal, or in a variety of other ways!
Granola is one of my favorite breakfast staples, offering a blend of sweet, crispy oats paired with nuts, seeds, and fruit! It feels like a treat for breakfast every day.
My only issue with granola is that it always ends up having a high sugar content and is also high in calories. Unfortunately, most store bought granolas are made with too much sugar, unhealthy fats, and sweetened dried fruit (source).
That is why I decided to remake this classic breakfast food into a lower calorie granola recipe that tastes just as good as the traditional version, but is much better for you! Toss it on top of some strawberry yogurt, give a little crunch to your favorite oatmeal, or try it with some of my other creative serving suggestions below!
This low cal granola recipe is made with whole grain oats and quinoa as the base, and then tossed with delicious dried fruits, crunchy nuts, warm spices, and a touch of maple syrup for sweetness.
But what I love the most is that one huge serving of my granola has only 104 calories, 12 grams of carbs, 6 grams of fat, and 4 grams of sugar. Typical granola can run you 200 calories for a 1/4 cup serving and over 10 grams of added sugar (as much as a small candy bar!), which makes my healthy granola recipe a much better way to enjoy granola!
I love making this as a meal prep recipe too: when I know that my family has a busy week ahead, I’ll often make a huge batch because it’ll keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks!
And since it is so versatile and customizable, I can easily incorporate it into breakfast recipes and healthy snacks throughout the week.
Over time, I have found that making my own granola at home is way more budget-friendly than always buying store-bought. I also like that I can control the amount of sugar and quality of ingredients used.
Plus, my recipe is naturally vegan, gluten-free, and totally delicious! Once you try this healthy low fat granola recipe you’ll never go back to store bought again!
Latest Recipe Video!
🥘 Ingredients
My low-fat low-sugar granola recipe requires simple ingredients that you can find at any grocery store! For the full recipe and nutrition information, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: Oats are the base of my healthy low fat granola! I’m always sure to buy dedicated gluten free oats to make this recipe gluten free. I don’t recommend using quick oats, as they won’t hold up well in the baking process.
Quinoa: Quinoa and oats are both heart-healthy whole grains, and toasted quinoa provides added texture, crunch, and protein! I sometimes switch things up with toasted brown rice or crisp rice instead.
Ground Flax Seed: I throw in ground flaxseed to this recipe for some added healthy fats. You can also use chia seeds.
Nuts & Seeds: I use pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, cashews, pistachios, and pecans, but you can use any nuts and seeds you like! Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, peanuts and chopped brazil nuts would also be great.
Maple Syrup: I like to add maple syrup for a touch of sweetness, but you can use any liquid sweetener you like! Agave or honey would also work, but keep in mind that if you use honey, this recipe won’t be vegan anymore.
Coconut Oil: To help bind this low calorie homemade granola and for some additional healthy fats, I use coconut oil. If you don’t have coconut oil you can use extra virgin olive oil.
Dried Fruit: I love the natural sweetness this adds! Be sure to find dried fruit that has no sugar added. If you want to make this with freeze-dried fruit, just toss it in at the end, after the granola has baked in the oven.
Sea Salt, Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon, Nutmeg: For added flavor! All of these ingredients also help to bring out the sweetness of this healthy low calorie granola recipe.
🔪 How To Make Low Calorie Granola
Making my low calorie granola recipe with oats requires minimal effort with 4 simple steps. Follow along below:
Preheat Oven, Toast Oats: I start by preheating my oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit. I spread old-fashioned oats and quinoa on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and toast in the oven for 10 minutes (stirring once).
Add Mix-Ins: Next, I remove the oat and quinoa mixture from the oven, pour it into a bowl, and add all of the remaining ingredients.
Bake Granola Mixture: Now, I spread the mix back onto a baking sheet, pressing it down into a uniform layer. Bake at 300 degrees fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until it’s just starting to turn golden brown.
Cool And Serve: Finally, I remove the granola from the oven, letting it cool for at least 10-15 minutes before serving. It is best to serve at room temperature.
My #1 Secret Tip for this recipe is to make sure you bake it in a single layer on the baking sheet.
When you add the pre-cooked granola to the baking sheet, press it down with a spatula to create a uniform layer. This helps keep this granola from burning and also helps to create those little granola clumps that are so fun to eat!
Additionally, having that single even layer allows the granola to get the best crisp and cook faster.
Other Tips To Keep In Mind:
- Save Time: Whenever I am short on time I use a bag of mixed nuts and chop them up. That way you don’t have to add each type of nut individually!
- Mix Well: To ensure that each bite has an even amount of flavor and spices it is important to give the ingredients a good stir before adding to the pan.
- For the lowest calorie granola, stick to dried fruits like raisins, figs, apples, and apricots.
- Don’t overcook it! Granola will continue to cook after you pull it out of the oven – it will crisp up as it cools so make sure to pull it out of the oven when it’s just lightly golden brown.
📖 Variations
Other Granola Mix-Ins: I love to change things up by adding in different mix-ins and toppings! Some of my favorites include coconut shavings, banana chips, dried apple chips, pumpkin pie spice, dates, orange zest, macadamia nuts, and dried pineapple!
Sugar Free Granola: Replace the maple syrup with monk fruit or stevia, and use unsweetened dried fruit. (Note: if you replace the maple syrup with monk fruit, one serving will have only 90 calories, 8 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of sugar).
Kid-Friendly Granola: Kids love the texture and sweetness of this low calorie gluten free granola! While most kids will love it just as it is, you can add in some enticing ingredients like chocolate chips or peanut butter! My kids love to get involved in the granola making process by helping to choose the mix-ins, spreading it on the baking sheet, etc.
Low Calorie Muesli: Substitute quick oats for rolled oats, and omit the quinoa, coconut oil and maple syrup for a low calorie muesli recipe. Mix all of the ingredients together, store in an airtight container and serve with milk!
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Granola can be a great snack on its own, but my favorite way to serve this low fat homemade granola is with greek yogurt and fresh fruit to make a healthy and well rounded breakfast or snack.
Here are my ideal proportions if making a granola-yogurt-fruit bowl: 1 to 1.5 cups of your favorite fruit (I like diced apples, pears or fresh berries), 1/4 cup of my skinny granola, 8 ounces of low-fat plain Greek yogurt.
But I also love to get creative and use it in fun, unique ways! Here are some other ways I use this granola:
- With Ice Cream: This granola makes the perfect topping for your favorite ice cream. Try out my recipes like this chocolate banana ice cream or lychee ice cream.
- On Savory Recipes: I’ll throw my granola in with a more savory trail mix, or as a topping for salad too!
- On Smoothie Bowls: Add an extra crunch to any smoothie bowl! I think this healthy low calorie granola is perfect on top of this strawberry smoothie bowl. For something more indulgent, pair the granola with my banana smoothie bowl, drizzled with almond butter.
🫙 Storing And Reheating
Once cooled completely, my low-fat granola can be transferred to an airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. I don’t recommend freezing this, and it doesn’t need to be reheated – you can just eat it at room temperature, similar to cereal.
❓Recipe FAQs
There are two main reasons why this granola might lose its crunchiness after being stored. Either it was not cooled completely before storing, or it was not stored in a sealed, airtight container. Both of these scenarios could cause excess moisture to be absorbed, which can lead to softened granola without that fresh crunchy texture.
There are usually two main reasons why your granola didn’t clump together:
1) You didn’t use enough oil: It is important to use a binding ingredient like coconut oil for this low fat granola recipe! Skipping this ingredient or using too little may result in granola that doesn’t clump together properly. You will have a more crumbly texture rather than clusters.
2) You didn’t press down the granola into the baking sheet completely and / or you stirred your granola instead of gently flipping it with a spatula towards the end of baking. Make sure to press the granola down into the baking sheet, and when you flip it in the last 5 minutes of baking, use a spatula and gently flip it in sections so that it doesn’t completely break apart.
The granola will continue to cook after you pull it out of the oven! I find that it crisps up more as it cools, so make sure to pull it out of the oven when it’s just lightly golden brown to prevent burning. It is also important to ensure the correct oven temperature.
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📋 Recipe Card
Low Calorie Granola
My homemade low calorie granola recipe is a great alternative to store bought granola. It’s easy to make and it keeps for several weeks, which means that you have a healthy breakfast ready to go on those busy mornings!
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 104kcal
Shop Ingredients on Jupiter- Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- Use your favorite dried fruits in this recipe.
- To save time, get a bag of mixed nuts and chop them up (that way you don’t have to add each type of nut individually!)
- Serve with unsweetened Greek yogurt for more of a protein hit
- If you don’t have coconut oil you can use olive oil
- When you add the pre-cooked granola to the baking sheet, press it down with a spatula to create a uniform layer. This helps keep the granola from burning and also helps to create those little granola clumps that are so fun to eat!
Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 97mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g
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