Homemade Granola Cereal with Soaked Grains — the Healthiest Cereal for Breakfast — crispy & delicious!
I've figured out a new recipe for this homemade granola cereal with soaked grains — it's truly the healthiest cereal you could give your family, and it's also a great snack to replace my old recipe that an honest friend told me tasted like astro-turf, lol! This one is delicious with each bite being a little different. If you get a dried cranberry there’s a burst of sweet. If you get some oats you get a hearty crunch. If you get a pecan, you get a light crunch of buttery melt-in-your-mouth heaven…
Because don't we all wish there was a breakfast cereal we could feed our kids on busy mornings over our fresh raw milk? (You don't do raw milk? Read about other healthy milk options here.) Yes, us Moms want something that not only doesn't have junk like artificial colors, flavors, chemical preservatives, or tons of sugar — called “Foodless Foods” — but also one that does actually have some nutrients! (Read more: What's wrong with these store-bought boxed breakfast cereals?)
This could also be a quick after-school snack that the kids could reach for before scooting them off to practice or to hold them over until dinnertime.
I’ve got the perfect recipe for you…
At a recent Wise Traditions conference, I tried some delicious homemade granola cereal with soaked grains in a bowl with milk. I hadn’t had breakfast cereal in so long, and it was goooood, so I decided to come up with my own recipe and give it a try!
Note: if you have sprouted oats (I found them at Costco, they're organic and in a big bag and not expensive!), you can skip the soaking step below and make this recipe is even easier–and I like the consistency better too! Go here to see that recipe and a couple variations so far. I'll be adding more variations as I try them out on the family. 🙂
What are “soaked grains”?
This recipe calls for some of the ingredients to be soaked overnight to increase digestibility and also decrease phytic acid, which blocks mineral absorption. “Soaked” means that the grains are in a wet mixture overnight on the counter with an “acid medium” in it, which in this recipe is some type of probiotic dairy such as kefir, yogurt, or whey — this is what helps to break down the phytic acid. You just have to remember to start this recipe a couple of days before you want to eat it, but it really doesn't take a lot of hands-on time.
***One thing though… Note that I said this is the healthiest cereal you could serve your family, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily the healthiest breakfast you could feed them. Other breakfast foods like pastured eggs and bacon will have more nutrients, but as I said above, sometimes you, and especially your kids, just might want a bowl of cereal, right? (Find more healthy breakfast recipes here.)
I have a knack for burning things lately…
One time when I was making this homemade granola cereal with soaked grains I got to the very last step before bombing out, and ended up with a black-bottomed pan. If you think you might want to increase the temp a bit to crisp it up faster, I suggest you re-think that idea. Apparently the maple syrup in this can cause it to burn quickly. This was only in the oven for 15 minutes at 350* and just like that, all sorts of expensive ingredients were gone. Learn from my mistakes! The pieces on top tasted good anyway.
Once I made more crispy nuts, I was ready to try again. This time it was so delicious, I couldn't stay out of it. Each bite is like a new party in your mouth. 🙂
Some of these pictures aren't real attractive, and the whole recipe is below, but I just wanted to show you the process…
This is how it looks when you spread out the wet mixture onto the baking pans:
Here's how it looks when the grains are partially dried: (Don't taste-test yet, you won't be impressed…)
Chopping the nuts:
All done:
So good with milk:
A prettier picture…
Homemade Granola Cereal with Soaked Grains
Ingredients
- 6 cups organic oatmeal
- 6 cups warm filtered water — find an affordable water filter here: Why we ditched reverse osmosis drinking water and what we got instead.
- 3/4 cups yogurt whey, dairy kefir, or buttermilk (I sometimes use a combination depending on what I have on-hand)
- 1 cup organic coconut oil
- 1/2 cup palm or coconut sugar, learn about types of sugar here
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup, learn ways to use maple syrup here
- 2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups organic dried cranberries or cherries or raisins if you like them
- 2 cups crispy nuts , chopped but not too small (I used crispy pecans but almonds would be good, too) -- if I don't have crispy nuts on hand, I have just used regular before, it's just not as nutritious that way.
- 1 cup flour, Einkorn flour is my favorite lately
Instructions
- Mix the oatmeal, water, and dairy product of choice together well and cover. Let set for 24 hours.
- If it’s very wet you can strain it a bit if needed, then spread onto two parchment paper-lined baking pans. Place in 170* oven, or lower if your oven goes lower, and leave it for a couple hours, turning over once. If you stay close by you can turn this temp up a little higher to make it go a little faster. At this point it wasn't dried enough (you just want it so you can break the pieces up a little for the next step), but it was bedtime, so I turned the oven off and left it there overnight with the oven light on, not wanting to ruin another batch...
- Next, break up the oat pieces into a big bowl (keep the parchment paper on the baking pans to reuse again in a sec) and add dried fruit, nuts, einkorn flour, and the melted mixture from above. Stir well.
- Spread it out onto the pans again and place them back into a 170* oven. I left it for about 6 more hours. Keep checking it until it gets to the desired crispiness.
- Other times when I've made it, it takes much longer for some reason, so I get impatient and turn the heat up higher again to 350* and watch it closely, it may take another 2-3 hours until it's crispy enough, but not so hard that it hurts your teeth! Your oven temp may heat differently than mine so you'll have to keep checking it. Just remember that it will crisp up a little more as it cools.
- So again, this isn't tricky at all, but keeping such a close eye on it is a little annoying.
If you make something similar to this homemade granola cereal with soaked grains, please tell us how your recipe is different, I love comparing recipes.
Don't think you'll make this homemade granola cereal with soaked grains, or it's just too much of a pain?
We also buy this granola cereal sometimes, it's super good, but the only thing is that it has soy oil — it's organic, but still, YUCK.
More you might like:
- Baked Oatmeal Bar Recipe (A great make-ahead breakfast that even people who don’t like oatmeal love, including me!)
Maegan Burt Daugherty says
Leave the mixture with yogurt/whey in fridge or on counter for 24 hours?
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
On the counter.
Heather S. says
Hey Kelly – I’ve made this several times before and my whole family LOVES it!! Curiosity question though – what is the purpose of adding a cup of flour to the mix? I do it each time because the recipe says to, but I’m not sure what it is there for. 🙂
KitchenKop says
Great question! I haven’t made this in a while and honestly I don’t remember. If you make it without, will you let us know how it goes?
Thanks, and sorry I’m not more help…
Kelly
natasha says
I turned the oven up to 250 for a few hours then turned off & went to bed. They are just right now. I think they were just too wet. Next time I will strain before I bake! Thanks!
natasha says
I’m 2 days into this & my oats just aren’t drying. The edges are getting there, but it’s mostly a mushy mess still. Should I just keep it in the oven until the oats eventually dry up? I considered just going ahead & mixing it with the nuts & sweeteners then putting it back in the oven that way, but I don’t want to risk my nuts & expensive sweeteners. Any tips?
KitchenKop says
Two days? Wow. I’d do what you said, mix the other stuff in and then once it’s all stirred back up and around I’ll bet it’ll finish drying up more quickly. I wonder if your oven is hot enough?
Kelly
Lainie N says
Help! I baked the soaked oats in a “warm” oven for 3 hours, (leaving them overnight in the oven just like you did), & they are still quite moist & gooey, except for the edges, which turned crispy. Is that right, or should they be crispy throughout? I broke them up into pieces & they are now sitting in a bowl, waiting for the addition of the other ingredients, but I’m wondering if I should bake them further first (in order to get them crispy)?
Please advise. Thank you!
KitchenKop says
Don’t know why I missed your question from MARCH! Sorry about that. Hopefully whatever you did worked, I’m replying to a similar question below right now (which is why I saw yours!)
Kelly
Christina says
My sister and I were wondering, instead of crispy nuts, could we soak the nuts overnight in salt water, toss out the soak water, and chop up the soaked nuts in the vitamix and use right away? Is there any benefit to drying the nuts to turn them into “crispy nuts”? What if we chop them first, then soak (etc)?
KitchenKop says
Yes, it’s just the soaking that reduces the phytic acid, but the drying is what makes them “crispy” and delicious in my opinion! 🙂
And chopping first is fine, too, as far as I know anyway. Can’t imagine why not, but there’s a lot I don’t know!
Kelly
Irene says
I substituted 2 cups almond flour for some of the oats.
I didn’t add any fruit or crispy nuts to the mix to be dehydrated but I had my kids choose afterward their own combinations from: dried coconut, raisins, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, dried blueberries & chocolate chips. They all (four) enjoyed making their own personal mixes and none of them has that one ingredient they don’t like!
Thanks!!
Bri says
I was wondering if regular four could be substituted for sprouted spelt flour? We haven’t made the transition to completely soaked grains and I need to use up the remainder of my unbleached all purpose flour…would it work the same? Thanks!
KitchenKop says
Yep, that will work, too!
Cindy says
Hi Kelly, just wondering – I usually use steel cut oats – can those be substituted? Also wondering if there is an easy way to print your recipes – just did a print preview and got 21 pages! Thanks.
KitchenKop says
Hi Cindy,
I think I’ve used both types of oats and it was good, but maybe someone else knows more about this. (Sue??)
To print just cut, copy and paste the recipe into a document. 🙂
Kelly
Margee says
Hi there! I
KitchenKop says
Just taste and see if it has a nice crunch. 🙂
KitchenKop says
Hmmm, sorry, but no. Have you tried Googling?
Kelly
Mrs. U says
Do you happen to have any cereal recipes using soaked brown rice? I’d love to try something with that.
His,
Mrs. U
KitchenKop says
Michaeleen,
YES! It WAS your cereal I was loving!!! Thanks for the great snack:)
Kelly
Michaeleen says
If you prefer to make the cereal non-dairy a great alternative to whey or kefir ( I use homemade whey) is to use the Organic Raw Coconut Vinegar from Wilderness Family Naturals. It provides the same benefits (mostly) as the whey and the taste is NOT vinegar-ee at all!
Kelly, I’m not sure if you were enjoying our cereal at the conference…little brown bag…five delicious flavors??? I started making it for our family and now I make if for other Moms too.
Rita says
Another way to have “cereal” is to chop crispy nuts, add cream/kefir/milk, then a little natural sweetening if desired—voila—“cereal” for breakfast.
KitchenKop says
Lisa, yes, I think both those variations would work! If you try it let us know. 🙂
Kelly
Lisa Imerman says
I wonder if I could just soak in water/lemon juice since we are milk free. I also wonder if I could use less flour and use some coconut flour or something instead as we are also wheat-free. This sounds so good and I have all the ingredients. Bet I could just dehydrate it in my dehydrator too (probably will need the plastic sheets to keep it from dripping, etc.
Lori @encouragingnourishment.wordpress.com says
LOL, I burned my last batch of granola too!!! I have a recipe on my blog for another cereal if you want an alternate (Homemade Grape Nuts). https://encouragingnourishment.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/i-am-a-cereal-freak-homemade-grape-nuts-cereal/
Laurie N says
You can also tweak this a bit and make it into granola bars. I have a recipe that’s very similar at https://commonsensehomesteading.blogspot.com/2009/12/breakfast-cookies-aka-soaked-granola.html
I finish it in the dehydrator instead of the oven. No black pans. 🙂
Morgan Polotan says
Here is my recipe for cold breakfast cereal:
Cold Cereal
*denotes organic
1 cup Lydia
KitchenKop says
Hi Julie!!!
Yes, my kids like it, although they’re a little sick of anything with crispy nuts right now. My favorite “go-to” snack!
Julie L. says
Soaked granola recipes! Always lookin’ for ’em! 🙂 Tried Cheeseslave’s with the sprouted flour, but unfortunately, my kids weren’t that geeked. Sigh. Maybe it was the addition of the flour? Do your kids like this, too? Thanks in advance to anyone who adds his/her version of soaked granola here, too! It’s appreciated! 🙂
~Julie L.
Raine Saunders says
Hi Kelly – I recently made my own granola with my new Excalibur dehydrator, and it turned out great…although next time I think I’ll leave it in for a lesser amount of time just so it’s not quite so crispy. I was shocked it turned out so well given that I had never made it before and I’m not a natural in the kitchen – I just started really learning to cook about three years ago. Here’s how my recipe turned out: https://www.agriculturesociety.com/?p=2791
It’s great to hear about other people’s experiences making granola. I blended my recipe together from various recipes I found in cookbooks and the Internet. I will have to check out Ann Marie’s recipe too! Thanks Kelly!
KitchenKop says
Liz, I sure WISH I could come to England for that!!
Here’s more info in case someone wonders what we’re talking about:
https://www.meetup.com/westonaprice-london/calendar/11857682/
Kelly
kara bagley says
I know it is probably washing away all sorts of good stuff, but I have to rinse my oats after they soak, otherwise my granola it too sour for us. I have posted my recipe here https://goodlookingcook.blogspot.com/2009/09/feel-good-granola.html
Liz says
Hi Kelly,
I didn’t realise there was more than one, I meant the one in England posted on your website, March 21st? I did think it would be an amazing event if you were coming from US/Australia?
🙂
Kimber says
Here’s a recipe I hope to try out later this week, if my boys don’t eat all my oatmeal first!
https://www.oldpathsfamilyfarm.net/blog/2008/01/18/leftover-oatmeal-transformed/
Liz says
Do say if you will be at the Wise Traditions event, as I very much hope to be. Would be great to say hi!
Kimi @ The Nourishing Gourmet says
Annmarie’s recipe caught my eye too. I’ve made something just like it in the past, but somehow I haven’t gotten around to it again. I need too. My family will love it!