Air Fryer Granola

One of the first things I made in my Instant Vortex as Air fryer Granola. This Instant Vortex granola recipe can also be made in the Instant Omni convection toaster oven or any other air fryer. You can also make it in your regular oven.  Read more about the Instant air fryers here:  Instant Vortex Review and Instant Omni Review. Also see my Instant Vortex v. Instant Omni Comparison Chart.

I adapted this recipe from my favorite healthy homemade almond, cherry, berry granola  recipe found in the book Runner’s World Meals on the Run (affiliate link). I have altered that recipe to include some of my favorite granola ingredients and to cook it in the air fryer.

As a runner, I love using granola to fuel my long runs and workouts. It has a nice mix of proteins and carbs. This recipe is Paleo friendly and  can be made Vegan by using Agave instead of Honey.

Is Granola good for you?  Can Granola Make you Gain Weight? 

Granola often gets a bad rap.  And in some cases that is rightfully so because not all granola cereals are created equal and some are full of added sugars and unnecessary calories. Hence why people often ask, does granola make you fat? or Why is granola so bad for you? It is all that unnecessary sugar. 

A commercially bought granola often is full of sugar. Granola is also very high in carbohydrates, when tends to add calories and make it easier to pack on pounds. Thus, it can indeed make you gain weight. But, there is good news. By making your own granola, you can limit the added sugars. By using the air fryer, you also can limit the amount of oils and choose a healthy oil.

Often you will see people eat granola with yogurt or milk. This adds additional protien to the meal and helps keep you full. If you want o try your hand at making your own yogurt, you can try the Instant Pot yogurt function or try this recipe for how to make thick curd yogurt if you prefer that style. I think homemade yogurt is definitely worth the effort!  

In short, you can make granola healthy if you make it yourself and focus on quality ingredients. Also, don’t overeat it. It is still rather high calorie even if you make a healthy version of it.

How to Make Healthy Air Fryer Granola Cereal 

You can make healthy granola without an oven by using your air fryer. This is an easy granola recipe that goes well with milk or yogurt. 

To make healthy granola, think about the ingredients. The lovely thing about homemade granola cereal is that you can choose your ingredients. Most granola starts with old fashioned rolled oats, but you can substitute steel cut oats for more fiber.  Then consider the following favorite ingredients. Note that fruits are higher in sugar and nuts are higher in protien. I like to aim for more nuts and less fruit.

You can also look to use healthy oils instead of vegetable or canola oils. 

• Nuts such as almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts etc. Avoid peanuts which are higher calorie and have less protien.
• Seeds such as flax seed, sunflower seeds, pepitas, pumpkin seeds, etc.
• Wheat germ.
• Protein powders.
• Very dark chocolate, which has less sugar and more antioxidants.  Note, if adding chocolate do so after baking.
• Dried fruit such as raisins, craisins (dried cranberries), cherries, blueberries, mango, banana or apple chips etc. Some dried fruit have extra sugar added. I look for ones that do not.
• Honey, agave, or maple syrup for sweetening instead of using sugar.  Use agave to keep the recipe Vegan.
• Stevia or other sugar substitute for sugar-free sweetening. 
• Healthy oil such as olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil.  

Air Fryer Granola Recipe, Instant Vortex Granola and Instant Omni Granola

For my granola, I used the following ingredients: Rolled oats, wheat germ, dried cherries, cranberries, and blueberries, pepitas, sunflower seeds, flax seed, pecans, almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts.  For sweetener, I used honey and maple syrup that was seasoned with a bit of cinnamon and ground cloves.  I used olive oil for my oil. This makes a crunchy granola recipe that is better for you than most store bought granola recipes. 

Mix your selected dry ingredients in bowl.

In another bowl mix the oil, honey, and maple syrup.

Mix the honey syrup with with the dry raw granola mix, and pour it all into an oven-safe baking dish. 

  Heat the air fryer to 350 and air fry or bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 5 minutes or so.  

When done, allow the homemade granola to cool in the pan. 

Your granola will keep for up to three weeks when stored in an airtight container. 

Serving Air Fryer Granola

Serve your power air fryer oven granola recipe with yogurt or milk. You can also use it to make granola bars, granola energy balls, or as a topping on baked apples. In fact you could make this Air Fryer Baked Apples recipe and use the granola as the stuffing and topping instead of the pecans in the recipe, just add the brown sugar and oil etc. per the recipe.

As another example, this Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread with Granola Topping would be awesome when topped with your own homemade granola!  or, try this unique Chia Pudding with Granola and Berries. 

If you are looking for other air fryer breakfast items, try giving these air fryer breakfast taquitos a try. The air fryer makes them crispy but without the fat that comes with deep frying. As with the granola recipe, you can customize them by filling them with whatever you like.