Toss this almond cherry granola together quickly using oats, almond flour, vanilla, almonds, and sweet dried cherries. Use my tips for big clusters of granola and never buy store bought granola again.
Nutty almond extract, pure maple syrup, crunchy almonds and sweet and tart dried cherries will make your mouth water. This homemade granola is seriously the best. There’s so much flavor and texture, but it’s also so easy to make on a whim.
This cherry almond granola recipe will leave you wanting more. A bowl in the morning, a handful as an afternoon snack, or a sweet bite right before bed. Morning, noon and night, this recipe will hit the spot (even for kids!).
You can preserve the freshly baked flavor of homemade granola by storing it in the freezer. Let it warm at room temperature for a few minutes and enjoy!
Need another delicious granola recipe? Try this vanilla almond granola, grain-free granola, or healthy pumpkin spice granola next.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the simple ingredients for this cherry granola recipe. Skip to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Roll oats: gluten-free if needed.
- Almond flour: use blanched, which means the almonds are peeled before grinding.
- Slivered almonds: for crunch and flavor.
- Salt, cinnamon, and vanilla: for flavor
- Coconut oil: refined coconut oil has a very mild coconut flavor.
- Sugar: coconut sugar or brown sugar are great options.
- Almond extract: for extra almond flavor.
- Dried cherries: they’re sweet, tart, and slightly chewy. You use swap this for dried cranberries, dried blueberries, or any other dried fruit.
Have extra oats? Make carrot cake overnight oats or banana oatmeal pancakes next!
How to Make Cherry Granola
Here are the basic steps to make this easy almond cherry granola. Skip down to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe.
- Dry ingredients: In a very large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Wet ingredients: Whisk the melted coconut oil, brown sugar (or coconut sugar), pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a bowl.
- Combine granola: Pour wet ingredients over the oat mixture and stir until completely coated.
- Add cherries: Stir dried cherries into the granola mixture.
- Spread and bake: Pour onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan in a thick, even layer and press down firmly. Bake for 35-40 minutes, turning the pan halfway through.
- Cool, break, and bake again: Leave the oven on and let the granola cool for 10 minutes. Carefully (it will be hot!) use your hands to break it up even further to create large clusters. Bake for another 5-10 minutes to toast. Cool and enjoy!
Chunky Granola Tips
- For big clusters, cool, break, and bake again. I learned that trick here!
- Press the granola mixture firmly into the pan before baking for
- Get creative with mix-ins! Try another nut like walnuts or pecans and swap the cherries for more dried fruit.
- Line the pan with parchment paper so the sweetener sticks to the oats and not the pan.
Recipe Variations
- Gluten-free: use gluten-free oats (I like Bob’s Red Mill)
- Nut-free: swap the almond flour for more oats and leave out the slivered almonds and almond extract.
- Another dried fruit: try raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots, mango, or another fruit of choice.
- Citrus: add some orange zest, it goes so well with cherries.
- Warm spices: mix in some cinnamon or nutmeg in the fall.
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Almond Cherry Granola Recipe
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Ingredients
- 4 cups old fashioned rolled oats gluten-free if needed
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup refined coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup dried cheries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Combine oats, almond flour, sliced almonds, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
- Melt the coconut oil in a separate medium bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Alternately, you can use a small saucepan to melt the coconut, sugar, and syrup oil over medium heat.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture, add the dried cherries, and stir with a rubber spatula to combine, making sure all of the oats are covered in the mixture. It will be sticky.
- Dump the granola mixture into the prepared pan and use a rubber spatula to spread and press it down firmly into an even layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, rotating halfway through for even cooking. Do not stir the granola.
- Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool slightly for 10 minutes. Carefully use your hands to break the granola up into big or small clusters, depending on preference. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, until the granola is toasty and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely before serving. It will get crunchier as it cools. Leftover granola stays fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Equipment
- Large sheet pan
- Parchment paper
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I make this with 1 cup of dried mixed berries, a sprinkle of sprouted pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of fine shredded coconut. My husband and I love it!
It’s our favorite snack and I love it for breakfast with some almond milk.
Thanks Monica!
This is so easy to make and is delicious….a real treat! I do have a question though, do you bake the cherries along with the oats? I did and my cherries are so so chewy. I’m wondering if next time I should add the cherries after I take the pan out of the oven?
Thanks!
Hi Maureen! So glad you liked it! I made this recently and ate the whole batch in one weekend:) I do include the cherries in the granola before I bake, but you can absolutely mix them in after. Or if you want you can soak the cherries in water for a few minutes before to rehydrate them a bit.
❤️Molly