Olive Oil Granola: The Recipe and Which Oil to Use
Olive oil granola is granola made with olive oil in place of butter or coconut oil: the oil coats every oat, helps the honey caramelise and bakes the mix into crisp, golden clusters with a gently fruity, peppery edge. It is one of the easiest things to make well at home, provided you keep the oven low and leave the tray alone. Below is our own recipe, written for this article in metric and US measures, with the method for big clusters, how to store it so the nuts and oil stay fresh, and which olive oil suits it best.
For our own oil, see our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml).
The Short Answer
- To make olive oil granola, toss rolled oats, nuts and seeds with olive oil, honey or maple syrup, salt and spice, press the mix flat on a lined tray and bake at 150°C / 130°C fan / 300°F for 35–45 minutes until deep golden.
- Our recipe uses 270g (3 cups) of rolled oats to 80ml (⅓ cup) of extra virgin olive oil and 90ml (6 tablespoons) of honey or maple syrup, and makes about 700g (roughly 6 cups).
- For big clusters, press the mix down firmly, do not stir it while it bakes, and let it cool completely on the tray before breaking it up; granola crisps as it cools, not in the oven.
- Add dried fruit such as chopped dates after baking, so it stays soft rather than burning.
- Store it airtight in a cool, dark cupboard and eat it within about three weeks for the best flavour; nuts and oil slowly turn stale and rancid with air, light and warmth.
- A medium-fruity extra virgin olive oil is the best all-round choice: you can taste it, but it does not overpower the honey and spice.
- Sidr & Stone's olive oil is a single-estate, cold-pressed, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil from our own farm on the plains outside Marrakech, Morocco, sold in 500ml dark glass.
Why Make Granola With Olive Oil?
Every granola needs a fat. It coats the oats and nuts so they toast evenly instead of drying out, carries the flavour of the spice, and works with the sugar in the honey or syrup to set the mix into crisp clusters. Most recipes use melted butter, coconut oil or a neutral vegetable oil. Olive oil does the same job and brings something of its own: a fresh, green, slightly peppery note that makes the granola taste less sweet and more grown-up.
There are practical reasons too. Olive oil is liquid at room temperature, so there is nothing to melt and it mixes in evenly. It keeps the recipe dairy-free, and with maple syrup instead of honey, fully plant-based. And olive oil is predominantly oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that is less prone to oxidation than the polyunsaturated fats that dominate oils such as sunflower, which helps a jar of granola keep its flavour.
Using olive oil in place of butter in baking is a simple swap once you know the ratios; our guide to olive oil for baking covers the swap across cakes, breads and biscuits. Granola is the easiest case of all, because there is no butter to replace: the oil is simply the fat.
Ingredients
This makes about 700g (roughly 6 cups). Grams first, with US measures alongside.
| Ingredient | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Rolled (old-fashioned) oats, not quick or instant | 270g | 3 cups |
| Whole almonds, roughly chopped (or a mix of almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios) | 120g | about 1 cup chopped |
| Pumpkin seeds | 60g | ½ cup |
| Sesame seeds | 20g | 2 tbsp |
| Ground cinnamon | 3g | 1 tsp |
| Ground cardamom (optional) | 1g | ½ tsp |
| Fine sea salt | 4g | ¾ tsp |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 80ml | ⅓ cup |
| Runny honey or maple syrup | 90ml | 6 tbsp |
| Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed orange | 1 | 1 |
| Pitted dates, chopped (added after baking) | 100g | ⅔ cup |
Equipment: a large mixing bowl, a large rimmed baking tray (about 30 × 40cm / 12 × 16in) lined with baking paper, and a flat spatula. If your tray is smaller, use two, so the mix is no more than about 1.5cm (½in) deep; a thick layer steams instead of crisping.
The Method, Step by Step
- Heat the oven. Set it to 150°C / 130°C fan / 300°F, with a shelf in the middle. Line the tray with baking paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In the large bowl, combine the oats, chopped nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, cinnamon, cardamom and salt.
- Whisk the wet ingredients. In a jug, whisk the olive oil, honey or maple syrup and orange zest until they form a loose, glossy mixture. If the honey is stiff, warm it gently first so it pours.
- Coat everything. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and stir for a full minute, until every oat looks glossy and there are no dry patches at the bottom of the bowl.
- Press it flat. Tip the mix onto the tray, spread it into an even layer and press it down firmly with the spatula or the base of a measuring cup. Packed tightly, the oats stick together as the honey caramelises.
- Bake without stirring. Bake for 35–45 minutes, turning the tray round once halfway so it colours evenly, but not stirring. It is ready when it is deep golden all over and smells toasted. The edges colour first; if they darken too fast, lower the oven by 10°C (20°F).
- Cool completely. Leave the granola on the tray for at least 45 minutes, until fully cold. It will still feel slightly soft when it comes out of the oven; it crisps as it cools.
- Break and finish. Break it into clusters as large or small as you like, then toss through the chopped dates.
Loose granola instead of clusters
If you prefer a loose, crumbly granola, skip the pressing step and stir the mix every 15 minutes instead. It will bake slightly faster, in about 30–40 minutes, because more of it is exposed to the heat.
Variations
- Plant-based: use maple syrup instead of honey.
- Nut-free: replace the nuts with more pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and check that your oats and seeds were packed in a nut-free facility if you are cooking for someone with an allergy.
- Tahini and sesame: replace 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with tahini and double the sesame seeds.
- Lemon and pistachio: use lemon zest instead of orange and pistachios instead of almonds, and leave out the cinnamon.
- Fig and walnut: use walnuts, and chopped dried figs in place of the dates.
How to Get Big, Crunchy Clusters
Clusters are the part of granola most recipes leave to chance. Five habits make them, and none needs extra ingredients.
| What you do | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Use enough liquid sweetener and coat thoroughly | Sugar in the honey or syrup melts and then sets as it cools, gluing oats and nuts together; dry patches never join a cluster |
| Press the mix down firmly before baking | Oats that touch each other bake into one sheet, which you can then break up |
| Do not stir while it bakes | Stirring breaks the sheet apart before the sugar has set |
| Bake low and long, to deep golden | At 150°C / 300°F the oats dry and toast all the way through before the outside burns; pale granola stays chewy |
| Let it cool completely on the tray | The sugar is soft while warm and only turns crisp when cold; moving it early breaks the clusters |
The objection: "Won't olive oil make the granola taste of olives?"
A little, and that is mostly the point. Baked with honey, orange and cinnamon, a medium-fruity extra virgin olive oil reads as a fresh, rounded, slightly peppery note rather than anything savoury; most people notice that the granola tastes less cloying, not that it tastes of olives. If you want almost no olive flavour, choose a mild, delicate extra virgin. If you want more, use a robust one and add a pinch more salt.
Storing Olive Oil Granola
- Cool it completely first. Any warmth trapped in the jar turns into moisture and softens the granola.
- Keep it airtight. Use a clip-top jar or a container with a tight lid. Air is what makes granola go soft and, over time, makes the nuts and oil taste stale.
- Keep it cool and dark. Store it in a cupboard away from the oven and out of direct sun. Light and warmth speed up the oxidation that makes oils and nuts rancid.
- Eat it within about three weeks. That is our recommendation for the best flavour. For longer, freeze it in an airtight bag for up to three months and use it straight from the freezer; it does not need thawing.
Your nose is the best test. Fresh granola smells toasted and nutty. If it smells like old crayons, putty or stale nuts, the fats have oxidised: it is not harmful in small amounts, but it will not taste good, so make a new batch. Granola that has gone soft but smells fine can be crisped again in the oven at 150°C / 300°F for 5–10 minutes and cooled again on the tray.
A note on honey and young children
The NHS advises not giving honey to children until they are over one year old, and not giving whole nuts to children under five because of the choking risk. For a baby or a toddler, make the maple syrup version and grind the nuts finely, or leave them out. Source: the NHS page Foods to avoid giving babies and young children, read 13 October 2026.
Which Olive Oil to Use for Granola
Granola bakes at a low oven temperature, and the oil is spread in a thin coat over the oats, so there is no technical reason to avoid extra virgin olive oil, and every reason to use it if you want to taste it. Our guide to olive oil at high heat explains what happens at much hotter frying temperatures, which this recipe does not approach.
The real choice is style, because in granola the oil's flavour is meant to come through.
| Oil style | In granola |
|---|---|
| Mild, delicate extra virgin | Very good if you want the honey, nuts and spice to lead; the oil adds roundness more than flavour |
| Medium-fruity extra virgin with gentle pepper | The best all-round choice; a fresh, green note that balances the sweetness |
| Robust, very bitter and pungent extra virgin | Good with orange, cardamom and dark honey or maple; can dominate a plain granola |
| Refined, "pure" or "light" olive oil | Works, but adds almost no flavour; you lose the reason for using olive oil |
| Any old or rancid oil | Avoid; stale oil is the first thing you taste in a jar of granola, and it only gets worse in storage |
Freshness matters more than price. A granola is only as fresh as its oil and its nuts, so start with a bottle that is well within its best-before date and has been stored away from light. Look for the extra virgin grade, a harvest or best-before date, dark glass or a tin, and a named origin. Our guide to choosing a quality olive oil explains each check, and types of olive oil for cooking compares the grades.
The objection: "Isn't granola just a dessert for breakfast?"
Shop-bought granola can be very sweet, and that is a fair worry. The advantage of making your own is that you decide. This recipe uses 90ml (6 tablespoons) of honey or syrup for about 700g of granola, and the olive oil, salt, orange and spice give it enough flavour that it does not need more. You can cut the sweetener to 60ml (4 tablespoons) and still get clusters, as long as you press the mix firmly; below that, expect a looser granola. A small bowl with fresh fruit is a different breakfast from a large bowl of something bought mostly for its sugar.
How to Serve Olive Oil Granola
- With fruit: over sliced banana, berries, poached pears or baked apples.
- In a bowl: with your usual milk or yoghurt, dairy or plant-based.
- As a topping: scattered over porridge; for a savoury olive oil take on oats, see our olive oil oatmeal.
- As a snack: the large clusters, straight from the jar.
- As a crumble: over stewed fruit, warmed through in the oven.
For more ideas for olive oil at the start of the day, our guide to the Mediterranean diet breakfast covers the staples.
Why Sidr & Stone
In granola, the oil is not hidden: it coats every oat and you taste it in every cluster, so its freshness and character matter. The oil is the part of this recipe we can speak for. Sidr & Stone's extra virgin olive oil comes from one place, our own farm on the plains outside Marrakech, and we control every step from tree to bottle.
- Single-estate: Sidr & Stone's olive oil comes from our own family-owned farm near Marrakech, Morocco, with no blending across origins.
- Rain-fed: the trees are not irrigated; they take what the season gives.
- Organically grown: no synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides are used (not yet certified; certification is in progress).
- Single harvest: each batch is small and limited, picked when the fruit is ready; once it is gone, it is gone until the next harvest.
- Cold-pressed within hours of harvest: to protect flavour, aroma and polyphenols.
- Unfiltered extra virgin: minimally processed, so a little natural sediment at the bottom of the bottle is normal.
- 100% natural: a single ingredient, olive oil, with nothing added.
- Dark glass with a gold label: 500ml bottles that protect the oil from light.
- 10% of profits to charity: a Sidr & Stone commitment across every product.
- Fulfilment in the UK, EU and US.
We will not claim that granola needs a single-estate oil; any fresh, sound extra virgin will make a good batch. What we will say is that our oil is single-estate, rain-fed, organically grown and cold-pressed within hours of harvest, and that the product page carries the details of the current batch, so you can judge it for yourself before it goes on your oats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use extra virgin olive oil in granola?
Yes. Granola bakes at a low temperature, around 150°C / 300°F, and the oil is spread thinly over the oats. A fresh extra virgin olive oil gives the best flavour; a medium-fruity one balances the sweetness of honey or maple syrup.
Why is my granola not crunchy?
Usually it was taken out too early or moved while warm. Bake it until deep golden, then let it cool completely on the tray: granola crisps as it cools. A layer thicker than about 1.5cm (½in) also steams rather than crisping.
How do you get clusters in granola without egg white?
Coat every oat with the honey or syrup and oil, press the mix down firmly on the tray, do not stir it while it bakes and let it cool completely before breaking it up. The sugar sets as it cools and holds the clusters together.
Does olive oil granola taste of olives?
Only subtly. With honey, orange and cinnamon, a medium-fruity extra virgin olive oil comes through as a fresh, slightly peppery note. For almost no olive flavour, use a mild, delicate extra virgin.
Is Sidr & Stone's olive oil good for granola?
Yes. It is a single-estate, cold-pressed, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil, so it brings a fresh, fruity character to the oats and nuts. Use it in place of the oil in this recipe, measure for measure.
How long does homemade granola last?
Kept airtight in a cool, dark cupboard, we recommend eating it within about three weeks for the best flavour. Frozen in an airtight bag, it keeps for up to three months and can be eaten straight from the freezer.
Where can I buy single-estate extra virgin olive oil?
Our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml) is available directly from the Sidr & Stone website, currently to pre-order as a limited single-harvest batch, with fulfilment in the UK, EU and US.
Is olive oil a medicine?
No. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. It has a long traditional history — including being honoured in the Prophetic Sunnah — and a substantial body of modern research, particularly around polyphenols, cardiovascular health, and the Mediterranean diet pattern. It can be a worthwhile part of a healthy routine, but it does not cure diseases and is not a substitute for medical care. Be cautious of any olive oil marketed with specific disease-cure claims.
Final Thoughts
Olive oil granola rewards patience more than skill. Coat every oat, press the mix flat, bake it low until deep golden and leave it alone until it is completely cold. The result is a jar of crisp, honey-glazed clusters with a fresh, peppery lift that butter or coconut oil cannot give.
Choose a fresh, medium-fruity extra virgin olive oil, keep the finished granola airtight, cool and dark, and eat it within a few weeks. When the oil is part of the flavour, it is worth starting with one you enjoy tasting.
If you want a single-estate oil for your granola and the rest of your baking, our Cold-Pressed Single-Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Marrakech (500ml), rain-fed and cold-pressed within hours of harvest, is available to pre-order now, with fulfilment in the UK, EU and US.
Our extra virgin olive oil is grown organically on our own single-estate farm on the plains outside Marrakech: we control every step from tree to bottle, and no synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilisers are used. It is not yet certified organic — certification is in progress, and we will publish it as soon as it comes through.
Disclaimer: This article shares a home recipe and general storage advice. Baking times are starting points and depend on your oven and tray. The recipe contains nuts and sesame, both common allergens, and oats may be cross-contaminated with gluten unless labelled gluten-free. Advice on honey and whole nuts for young children is from the NHS page cited above, as read on 13 October 2026. Olive oil is a food, not a medicine, and is not a substitute for medical treatment of any condition. For any health concern, consult a qualified medical professional.