Honey Pecan Bulk Granola Recipe

My Gramma makes the best granola.

No, seriously. People beg me for the recipe. So I give out quart jars full of the amber colored food of the gods as gifts because I’m not allowed to share the recipe.

It’s a family secret.

BUT. If you want to come CLOSE to as good as hers. If you want to enjoy affordable, bulk, store gallons in your freezer goodness — I’ve got a solution for you.

I’ve read dozens of granola recipes over the years, trying to find one similar enough that I could copy the link and say “eh, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference.”

But her recipe is genuinely unique. It’s the legit best granola ever. 

But I found one that is close enough, finally, that I’m gonna share this similar, albeit not the same recipe, multiplied a couple of times, with instructions on how to bake that much granola, and then maybe offer a few flavor suggestions to help you tweak it in the right direction.

Budget Bytes Cinnamon Pecan Granola x4 (Bulk Version)

• 16 cups rolled oats
• 4 cup pecan halves (chopped)
• 1 cup ground flaxseed
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 4 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cup raisins

My Instructions/Suggestions

• Mix all of your dry ingredients very thoroughly.
• Use 1 cup of VERY hot water to emulsify your oil and honey. Use a wire whisk to blend the oil, hot water, and honey before pouring it over the granola. Add the vanilla in this stage as well! (I use coconut oil, but Gramma never specified what oil she used.)
• NEVER ADD FRUIT UNTIL AFTER IT IS BAKED. 
• Use half sheet jelly roll pans so that you have a large, but shallow surface to bake. If you use a deep pan then you risk not crisping. If you use a sheet with no sides then it will take you so many batches to bake that you will end up carving the number of days you’ve been imprisoned on your kitchen floor with the broken neck of your last bottle of cabernet. If you don’t have a jelly roll pan, then simply use the best brownie or cake pan you have, but keep it shallow! This size batch will be 2 or 3 pans full.
• Bake at 350 degrees and stir every 10-15 minutes. In a metal pan you will need to stir more often because it will brown faster.
• TRUST YOUR EYES – when it looks brown, it’s done. Granola will still be soft and chewy when it is finished, but as it cools, it crisps. If it’s a nice even amber color, it’s done! 
•  STORE IT IN ZIPLOCKS IN THE FREEZER – This stuff lasts quite a while on the countertop, but when you make large batches you want peak freshness, so bag a half gallon at a time and freeze it. I double this batch size and it lasts about 8-10 weeks. It’s also yummier to eat straight out of the freezer because it keeps your milk extra cold. 
• FLAVOR TIPS – Don’t be afraid to shake things up! Any kind of nut works, not just pecans! If you’re feeling broke then replace the nuts with more oats! Honey and cinnamon toasted oats are granola too! Also, I’m really not a fan of flax seed. At all. And the vanilla can make the flavor a little too complex. And coconut is really, really, really good.