Last spring, I made some granola bars, and it was then that I discovered how much I loved the taste of toasted oats. After I toasted the oats for that recipe, I sampled some right from the pan and they were really good just by themselves–they had a richer, slightly nuttier flavor after being toasted. So I made a note to try making some toasted oat cereal sometime. Which brings me to this post. 🙂 I finally got around to toasting some oats and making a healthy homemade cereal!
This cereal is not sweet like granola, so it may not appeal to everyone. It’s not as crunchy as granola either, since it doesn’t have a honey or maple syrup coating. But if you like the idea of eating pure toasted oats with dried cranberries, raisins, and nuts mixed in, then this cereal is for you! You can serve it with milk or, if you like your cereal more on the crunchy side, serve this over some vanilla yogurt–it will hold its crunchiness longer. That’s actually how I prefer to eat it, with vanilla yogurt. And I like eating it with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup on top, too–that makes it sweet enough for me! This cereal is a nice option for those of you who like to have oatmeal for breakfast–kind of like a toasted version of oatmeal!
CRANBERRY RAISIN NUT TOASTED OAT CEREAL by NancyCreative
Makes about 10 cups
- 7 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup light olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped (or pecans)
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup raisins, golden or dark
- Milk or vanilla yogurt
- Honey or maple syrup for drizzling over cereal
Preheat oven to 375˚F. Line a 13 x 18″ baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper (or use 2 cookie sheets).
In large bowl, combine oats, oil, and salt, mixing until oats are evenly coated. Transfer mixture to baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Bake, stirring oats every 10 minutes, for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown.
Remove pan from oven and lower temperature to 350˚F. Sprinkle the chopped nuts evenly over the toasted oats and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let oat/nut mixture cool about 10 minutes, then put mixture into large bowl. Add the dried cranberries and raisins, stirring until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
Serve in cereal bowls with some milk or vanilla yogurt and add a drizzle of honey or maple syrup on top. Cereal can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Another way you can make this–just toast the oats for about 30 minutes at 375˚F (stirring every 10 minutes) without adding the nuts; then, when you’re serving the toasted oat cereal, you can top it with fresh fruit, chopped nuts, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, or whatever other toppings you like.
FYI, when you are toasting your oats, your kitchen will definitely have a toasty-oaty scent for a few hours! Which makes it kind of cozy on a cold day. Have you toasted oats before?
I’m linking this up to Fiesta Friday at The Novice Gardener.
NancyC 
I haven’t toasted oats before. Your recipe sounds great!
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Thanks and hope you get to try it out! 🙂
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Do you want me to link your photo? Btw, how do you like the new format of the related posts? The photos are now rectangular.
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I was wondering if it had linked up correctly because the link window suddenly closed on me! If you are able to link my photo, you can, or if not, I can just relink-let me know! And yes, I just noticed the photos are larger and rectangular–I like them larger!
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Not so sure about the shape. I’ll have to rethink my own photos to fit this new format. I’ll link it for you.
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Thanks for linking it for me! On those little photos, a square shape would probably be best like they had before, only larger-I don’t have many photos myself that work very well with a horizontal cropping.
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How lovely does this sound? 🙂
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Thanks, Sophie! 🙂
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Looks like perfectly healthy and delicious breakfast!
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Thanks, Julianna–it’s definitely good and healthy! 🙂
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This looks so delicious and sounds much healthier than anything you could purchase at the grocery store! I love cereal but can never find any that aren’t packed with sugar and processed ingredients. Looks like I’ve found the perfect recipe to fix that! 🙂
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You’re right–store-bought cereals have so much sugar in them! Glad you found this here! 🙂
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Love this recipe. I always pick out the granola clusters when I purchase Honey Bunches of Oats. 😉
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Your oats look so toasty and delightful. I like when you make your own granola you can pick what you like in it and even cut back on the sugar in it. I have not tried to make my own but what a great way to add to my kids snack routines. BTW they are so eating me out of house and home. I need to catch up on all of your delicious posts but I have been chained to the stove. LOL Wishing you a super weekend.
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Yes, I like making my own cereal and granola, too. This recipe doesn’t have any honey or sugar in it (you can add it on top when serving), but you could easily add some while the oats are toasting!
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We just love homemade granola here; no preservatives and so fresh! This recipe will definitely be made, XOXO
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Yes, it’s great having cereal without preservatives! I have some other homemade cereals I want to try!
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This cereal looks exactly like what I’d want for breakfast!
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