This easy apple and cinnamon granola is packed with dried apple, crunchy nuts and seeds for a cosy homemade breakfast.

There’s something about apple and cinnamon that feels right as soon as autumn arrives. They’re two flavours I always come back to when I’m baking. So, it seemed only natural for me to turn them into a batch of homemade granola.
This apple and cinnamon granola is full of crunchy pecans and walnuts, pumpkin and sesame seeds, with little pieces of dried apple and raisins throughout. The cinnamon brings everything together, while the dried apple adds a lovely chewy texture amongst all those crunchy clusters.
It’s the sort of granola I like having ready in the cupboard for an easy breakfast, whether that’s served with yoghurt and fruit, spooned over porridge or eaten straight from the jar. And, like my other granola recipes, the ingredients can all be bought from refill shops, making it a simple way to make a homemade breakfast while avoiding unnecessary packaging.
Star Ingredient
Dried apple rings are what give this granola its unmistakable apple flavour. I chop them into small pieces before adding them to the baked granola, so you get little chewy pieces of apple throughout rather than large pieces that can make it harder to eat.
I particularly like using apple rings here because they don’t introduce extra moisture into the granola. They also make a useful cupboard ingredient beyond this recipe. They can be chopped into other bakes, add them to porridge or enjoy them as they are for a simple snack.
If you buy your dried apple rings from a refill shop, you can also buy exactly the amount you need, which is particularly useful if you don’t use dried apple very often.

How to Purchase Ingredients to be Conscious to the Planet
Apple rings are a dried fruit I like picking up without plastic packaging where I can. Refill shopping is the easiest way of doing this. You can simply take along a container on your choosing. Alternatively, if you have the patience, you could always dry out our own apples. This can be completed in oven or in a dehydrator.
Nuts, seeds and oats are other classic finds within refill shops. Glass jars or stainless steel tubs are handy for the nuts and seeds. As I tend to buy oats in bigger quantity, I utilise bulk food bags or airtight containers for these.
For refilling spices, I repurpose spice jars that I already have in the cupboard. Once they are empty (or even if I have a small amount still in them), I take them along to top up. There are scoops or funnels available in refill shops to aid with filling smaller containers.
Ingredients you can buy Plastic Free
- Jumbo Oats
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Sunflower Seeds
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Honey
- Maple Syrup
- Ground Cinnamon
- Apple Rings
- Rasins
Ingredients you can Make
- Butter – homemade recipe here
- Apple Rings

Equipment You Will Need
- Mixing Bowl
- Saucepan
- Spatula
- Measuring Spoons
- Baking Tray
- Silicone Baking Mat or Compostable Parchment Paper
- Cooling Rack
- Glass Storage Jar

Tips and Tricks when Making Apple and Cinnamon Granola
How Much Cinnamon to add into your Apple and Cinnamon Granola
You may like that 3 teaspoons seems a lot for the quantity of granola. I chose that amount to achieve the flavour level I wanted. You can adjust this as you wish. Add in an extra one if you want a stronger flavour. Or you can reduce it down to 2 to make it more subtle.
Cutting up your Apple Rings
I like to use scissors for cutting up my apple rings. I find it quick and easy to do. You could even cut them straight onto your broken up granola just before stirring it through, rather than needing a chopping board.

Cooling Your Granola
This is an important step, especially if you like to have big pieces of granola. The granola will crisp up when it cools. Therefore, if you are patient enough to allow it to cool completely, it can be set as a big piece. This means that you can pick it up with your hands to break up and get big pieces / clusters, before you stir in your apple and raisins.
If you prefer having some smaller pieces, you can always break some up before it is completely cooled. Then break up the rest once fully cool.
Serving your Apple and Cinnamon Granola
If you are having serving your granola as part of a yoghurt bowl, can I suggest something if you want to make it a like bit more autumnal. Nutmeg is a flavour I always like adding in warm recipes that utilise apple and cinnamon. Grate a little fresh nutmeg over your yoghurt once you have topped it with your granola.
This granola could also work well on top of porridge if you are looking for a warmer breakfast option during autumn.

Apple and Cinnamon Granola
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Saucepan
- Spatula
- Measuring Spoons
- Baking Tray
- Silicone Baking Mat or Compostable Parchment Paper
- Cooling rack
- Glass Storage Jar
Ingredients
- 43 g Butter / Plant Butter
- 63 g Honey
- 2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 3 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 125 g Oats
- 80 g Pecans chopped in half
- 90 g Walnuts chopped in half
- 60 g Sunflower Seeds
- 70 g Pumpkin Seeds
- 85 g Apple Rings chopped
- 60 g Raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
- Line a large baking tray with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Melt the butter, honey, and maple syrup, and cinnamon in a heavy based saucepan over a low heat, stirring frequently until fully combined and runny.
- While the wet ingredients are melting, combine the oats, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl and stir together using a spatula or wooden spoon until fully coated.
- Pour the granola base on to the lined baking tray and spread out.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Once the baked granola has been removed from the oven, pop the tray onto a cooling rack to cool.
- Once fully cool, gently break apart.
- Add the chopped apple rings and raisins and stir through
- Add into your jar or airtight containers of choice.
Other Apple and Cinnamon Recipes you may be Interested In
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