Basic Healthy Air Fryer Granola

Healthy homemade granola is super simple to make in the air fryer. It’s full of crunchy oats and seeds that get toasty and nutty with a slight honey flavor. Air fryer granola is perfect as a parfait topping or eaten with yogurt and milk like cereal.

If you’ve been following along maybe you’ve noticed that we love oatmeal in this house (so many oatmeal muffin recipes!) Currently, this granola made in the air fryer is my new favourite way to eat oatmeal.

In fact, I have been a little bit obsessed with this air fryer granola. Homemade granola is seriously so good. And the best part about making your own granola is the endless customization options.

The recipe as-is is not so sweet, but you can easily adjust the sweetness level to suit your preference. I tend to avoid adding refined sugar where I can, so this healthy air fryer granola recipe relies only on natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey.

Homemade air fryer granola is super customizable. You can use your favorite nuts and dried fruits, and adjust the amount as you please – do you like more nuts in your granola? Or more crunchy oats?

I originally made this air fryer granola as part of a “deconstructed apple crisp”, to be eaten with apple compote and a dollop of Greek yogurt. (My thought was to keep the crispy parts of apple crisp separate so it would always be at its crunchiest.)  I thought the jar of granola would last the entire week, but it was all gone within two days!

Since then, I have tested this air fryer granola recipe several more times, with maple syrup, with honey, using different nuts, using different air frying temperatures, and doubling the recipe. I have been happily having home-made air fryer granola every day this week, and I think it will become a mainstay at our house!

How to make granola in the air fryer?

If you’re wondering: can you make granola in the air fryer? The answer is a resounding yes!

Making granola in an air fryer is extremely easy. After all, the air fryer is like a mini convection oven.

All you have to do to make homemade granola in the air fryer is to mix your granola ingredients with melted butter and honey, then air fry the granola at 330F. The optimal air fryer setting and cooking time for the best granola will depend on your air fryer make and model, but 330F is a good starting point.

Why you’ll love this basic homemade air fryer granola recipe

• This homemade granola recipe is made in the air fryer for energy efficiency and minimal clean up.
• It’s a basic recipe with simple ingredients that are easy to customize and switch up.
• Granola keeps for a long time and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways.
• No added refined sugar makes this healthy air fryer granola better for you than storebought.

So many ways to eat air fryer granola…

I don’t think you’ll have trouble finding ways to eat this homemade air fryer granola, but here are some my favourite ways to enjoy air fryer granola:

• With ice cream
• With yogurt or milk (or both mixed together!)
• With fruit, e.g. stewed apples (pictured) or berry compote
• Plain – as a snack – like trail mix

Ingredients and substitutions for homemade air fryer granola

• Oats: Specifically, I use quick oats. You may need to adjust cooking time and temperature if you use large flake oats to ensure even air frying of the granola.
• Honey or maple syrup. Since maple syrup is thinner than honey, use two tablespoons if you choose to use maple syrup. If using honey, use one heaping tablespoon. The amount of sweetener as written is enough to make the granola crunchy with a very slight sweetness – add more honey or maple syrup if you prefer a sweeter granola.
• Butter or coconut oil (my preference is salted butter).
• Chopped pecans or sliced almonds – can be substituted with other nuts. Nuts that are in small pieces (i.e. chopped or sliced) will bake more evenly with the rest of the air fryer granola. Pecans have a lovely buttery flavour and mouthfeel and works great in granola!
• Pepitas or pumpkin seeds – can be substituted with other seeds like sunflower seeds.
• Flax seeds – added for health benefits and for the crunch factor. Can be omitted or substituted with other nuts or seeds.

Doubling the recipe for more air fryer granola

This recipe can be easily doubled and baked in one go if your air fryer is big enough. I have a 6.5-quart capacity Ninja Foodi air fryer, which easily allows me to spread out the entire double batch of granola in the bottom of the pot.

However, doubling the recipe requires 1-3 more minutes of crisping time in the air fryer. Since the heat source comes from the top in an air fryer, certain patches of granola may be unevenly heated. To prevent burning, you should monitor and stir the granola frequently towards the end of cooking time to ensure even air frying of the granola. Uneven air frying is more of an issue for double batches of homemade granola due to the lack of air flow reaching the bottom of the granola, so make sure to stir frequently for big batches.

Different air fryer models and types will affect granola recipe

There are so many different models of air fryers, and your particular air fryer model may impact which air fryer settings are best for making homemade granola.

I developed and tested this recipe using my Ninja Foodi (Air Crisp and Pressure Cooker) Combo Cooker. This model has a pot that can be used for baking/roasting and pressure cooking combined with a removable basket for air frying that goes on top of the pot. I have found it easiest to spread and bake the granola directly in the nonstick pot. For other air fryer models, this is equivalent to spreading and baking the granola directly in the air fryer base. If it is not feasible to bake directly in the air fryer base, you can bake in the air fryer basket after lining it with parchment (to prevent granola from falling through the holes).

For the Ninja Foodi air fryer, there are two modes of baking that I have tested: “air crisp” and “bake/roast”. From what I have read, both “air crisp” and “bake/roast” uses the top element as the heat source, but the two modes differ in fan speed. “Air crisp” has a higher fan speed while “bake/roast” has a slightly slower fan speed.

While both cooking modes work, I find the “air crisp” setting to be slightly more effective at achieving an evenly baked batch of granola. However, if you stir the granola once or more throughout the baking time, there may not be much difference. If you double the recipe, I recommend using the “air crisp” setting instead of the “bake/roast” setting and stirring 2-3 times throughout the baking time.

Recipe Card

Print Recipe

Basic Healthy Air Fryer Granola

Healthy home-made granola is super simple to make in the air fryer. It’s full of crunchy oats and seeds that get toasty and nutty with a slight honey flavor. Perfect as a parfait topping or eaten with yogurt and milk like cereal.

Prep Time2 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American, Canadian, Scandinavian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: Air fryer, Apple, Breakfast, Granola, Oatmeal

Servings: 6

Equipment

• 1 Air fryer

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp honey or 2 tbsp maple syrup (add more for sweeter granola)
• 1 tbsp butter or coconut oil
• ¾ cup quick oats
• 2 tbsp chopped pecans sliced almonds, or your favorite nut
• 2 tbsp pepitas
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds

Instructions

• Add honey and butter or coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl and melt in the microwave (30 seconds).
• Stir to melt completely, then add oats, pecans, pepitas, and flax seeds. Stir to combine with a spatula until everything is well coated.
• Spread evenly in air fryer pot or basket (see note 1).
• Air-fry/bake in air fryer for 8-12 minutes at 330F, checking at the 5-minute mark. Give the granola a stir if it looks to be coloring unevenly.
• When done, the granola should be evenly toasted and golden in color. The granola will become crunchy as it cools down.
• Let cool completely before packing away. Store at room temperature in an air tight container.

Video

@hellenshouse

Air fryer Granola 1 tbsp honey (or 2 tbsp maple syrup) (add more for sweeter granola) 1 tbsp butter or coconut oil ¾ cup quick oats 2 tbsp chopped pecans, sliced almonds, or your favorite nut 2 tbsp pepitas 1 tablespoon flax seeds Add honey and butter or coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl and melt in the microwave (30 seconds). Stir to melt completely, then add oats, pecans, pepitas, and flax seeds. Stir to combine with a spatula until everything is well coated. Spread evenly in air fryer pot or basket (see note 1). Air-fry/bake in air fryer for 8-12 minutes at 330F, checking at the 5-minute mark. Give the granola a stir if it looks to be coloring unevenly. When done, the granola should be evenly toasted and golden in color. The granola will become crunchy as it cools down. Let cool completely before packing away. Store at room temperature in an air tight container. Note 1: Spread the granola directly on the base of your air fryer if you are able to cook in your air fryer without the basket. If you are unable to cook directly in your air fryer base due to your air fryer model, spread the granola in the air fryer basket lined with parchment paper (for more info, see post section on different airfryer models). If you have an air fryer + pressure cooker combo cooker (e.g. Ninja Foodi), you can bake directly in the pot without the basket using either the “aircrisp” or “roast” setting (the “aircrisp” setting will have more airflow and cook the granola more evenly; the “roast” setting has slower fan speed and will result in faster browning). Apple compote: 3 apples, chopped ¼ cup to ½ cup water ½ tsp cinnamon 1 tbsp brown sugar (adjust according to tartness of apples) Put everything in a pot, bring to a boil and cook over medium heat with the lid on until apples are softened (5-10 minutes). Remove the lid and simmer to evaporate the juice, stirring occasionally until the sauce is reduced. #oatmealrecipes #granola #healthysnacks #breakfastideas #applecrisp #applepicking #appleseason #airfryerrecipes

♬ original sound – Hellen Chan – Hellen Chan

Notes

Note 1:
Spread the granola directly on the base of your air fryer if you are able to cook in your air fryer without the basket. If you are unable to cook directly in your air fryer base due to your air fryer model, spread the granola in the air fryer basket lined with parchment paper (for more info, see post section on different airfryer models). If you have an air fryer + pressure cooker combo cooker (e.g. Ninja Foodi), you can bake directly in the pot without the basket using either the “aircrisp” or “roast” setting (the “aircrisp” setting will have more airflow and cook the granola more evenly; the “roast” setting has slower fan speed and will result in faster browning).