Easy Sourdough Discard Granola
This easy sourdough discard granola is sweet, crunchy, and delicious! Made with honey, this is the perfect healthy snack that uses up excess sourdough discard. My kids love to eat this granola for breakfast or snacks-it truly is the best recipe for busy families.
Jamie’s Recipe Summary! – Sourdough Discard Granola
- Taste: Nutty and slightly sweet with a sourdough tang, vary flavors by choosing chocolate chips or dried fruit to add in!
- Texture: Crunchy and slightly chewy.
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Skill level: Beginner friendly
- Tools needed: Large bowl, parchment paper, baking sheet
- Why is this the best? Featuring honey, oats, dried fruit, and sourdough starter, this easy to make sourdough granola recipe is so simple to whip together. And the taste is incredible- you’ll never buy store bought granola again!
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My daughter Cece loves to make granola at home, so she was all in on creating this homemade sourdough granola with me. We love to bake and have created many recipes like sourdough discard granola bars and sourdough banana muffins together.
We used one of our tried and true granola recipes and added sourdough discard, stirring the batch half way through and pressing down to encourage clustering.
The result is a sourdough granola that is full of flavor- sweet and salty, with a little tang!
This is a basic granola recipe – you can add in whatever ingredients you are craving – peanuts, apricots, almonds, chocolate chips… the sky is the limit! This is just one of many of our favorite easy sourdough discard recipes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Super easy: You just need a few minutes and one mixing bowl to whip up this granola!
- Flexible: swap in whatever kind of nuts, seeds, fruit or sweets you like! (See below for more ideas)
- Filling: homemade sourdough granola is a wholesome alternative to store-bought, with no seed oils or sugar added.
- Fast: Like sourdough discard pancakes this granola recipe makes for a quick breakfast option.
- Stores well: This sourdough granola will last for up to 3 weeks. You can make a big batch and use it as you meal plan with sourdough starter.
Ingredient Notes
See the full recipe card for all ingredient amounts + details.
Nuts + seeds: I like to use pumpkin seeds or pecans, but you can use any type of nuts you prefer.
Melted coconut oil: Oil adds a little extra flavor and crunch to the granola. You can use melted butter instead.
Honey or Maple Syrup adds sweetness and flavor and helps the oats clump together
Dried fruit: We used a combination of dried blueberries and raspberries, but you can use raisins, apricots, or cranberries.
Cinnamon: We love adding cinnamon to this sourdough granola – you can experiment with other flavors like homemade pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or ginger
Sourdough discard: sourdough discard adds a complex tang to this granola! I used flat, runny discard that I had in my fridge for this recipe. The older the discard, the more sour/tangier the granola will be. If you don’t have discard on hand, you can mix down active discard and use that instead.
New to sourdough? Get more ideas on how to use extra sourdough discard.
How To Make Granola Clump More
Adding sourdough discard to granola helps encourage big clumps of granola. To encourage even more clumping, try the following:
- Use a medium or small sheet pan so that the granola sticks together.
- Use the back of your spoon to gently pat the granola back into place after stirring at the half way point. This encourages the granola to stay stuck together!
- Let the granola cool completely (at least one hour) before breaking it up. This encourages the granola to stick together as it dries.
- Don’t over-bake the granola-ours is a medium to light brown when we pull it out of the oven and it has great clumping!
How To Make Sourdough Discard Granola
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a medium sized baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 1: In a large bowl whisk together the oats, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. Add in the honey, melted coconut oil, sourdough discard, and vanilla.
Step 2: Mix all the ingredients very well.
Step 3: Transfer the granola onto the parchment paper and use a wooden spoon to spread it out, then use the back of the spoon to pat down the granola.
Step 4: Bake for 15 minutes, stir, then use the back of your spoon to press down the warm granola. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Step 5: Let cool for one hour, then break up the granola and add in the dried fruit and chocolate chips.
Step 6: Store any leftover granola in an airtight container for up to 2-4 weeks.
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Variations
Have fun customizing your granola:
- Add mini chocolate chips after the granola has cooled completely for a chocolate version
- Add pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin seeds for a fun fall flavor
- Add un sweetened coconut flakes halfway through the baking process (they will burn if added at the beginning of baking)
Sourdough Discard Granola Faq’s
Adding sourdough discard to granola adds a slight tangy flavor to the granola. It also encourages lots of large clumps in the baked granola.
Sourdough granola can last 3-4 weeks when stored properly. Place in an airtight container with a lid and store in a cool, dark place.
Some common mistakes when making granola are adding ingredients like chocolate chips or dried fruit to the granola before baking. They will melt or burn. Stirring the granola too early after baking is another common mistake- wait until it is completely cooled to stir it for larger clumps.
Storage
Store this homemade granola in an airtight container in a cool, dark location for up to two weeks. Alternatively, you can refrigerate it for up to one month and freeze it for 3-6 months.
More Easy Sourdough Discard Snacks
If you are looking for more sourdough snacks, check out my sourdough granola bars, sourdough discard banana muffins, sourdough strawberry crumb bars, and sourdough cheddar crackers.
If you tried this easy sourdough discard granola or any other recipe on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Easy Sourdough Discard Granola
Equipment
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 Medium sized baking sheet
Ingredients
- 4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups raw nuts or seeds pecans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, etc
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard about 125 grams
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried fruit optional
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a medium sized baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, salt, and ground cinnamon. Mix well, then add in the sourdough discard, melted coconut oil, honey, and vanilla extract. Mix until well all of the oats are covered.
- Pour the granola mixture onto the pan and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then stir the granola mixture. Pat the mixture down with the back of your spoon to encourage clumping. Bake an additional 12-15 minutes or until the granola is golden brown.
- Let the granola cool completely. Break the granola into chunks using your hands, or stir it for less chunky granola. Add in the fruit and mini chocolate chips. Enjoy!
Notes
- Add your favorite nuts, seeds, and spices to customize this easy granola to your tastes.
- For granola with big chunks, make sure to press it down into the pan with the back of your spoon, and let the granola cool completely before breaking it up.
These are amazing! I love all your recipes but this one is fantastic! The bars are easy and tasty. I followed the recipe exactly but they felt a little “wet” before baking so I added two scoops of vanilla protein powder and it turned out great. Definitely a keeper! Thank you!