Why soaked granola, you ask?
Grains, without proper preparation, are hard to digest. Grains are hardy little buggers. They can be stored for 10-30 years without breaking down & there’s a reason for this. Grains have a protective barrier called phytic acid, and that barrier will wreak havoc on your digestive system if you don’t break it down first before consuming. Cooking is simply not enough. Phytic acid not only prevents the grain from being digested, it also will bond with any minerals eaten at the same time. That little phytic acid can be a devil, but lucky for us, we have some great methods to break down the phytic acid before consuming grains.
Unprepared Grains responsible for Chronic Disease?
There are strong arguments that the increase in chronic disease, including heart disease, is linked to our high-grain diets. I would add that the main reason is that they haven’t been prepared properly. Eczema, allergies, diabetes, and other auto-immune disorders can be greatly exacerbated by a diet of grains that haven’t been prepared properly.
Phytic acid not only grabs on to or chelates important minerals, but also inhibits enzymes that we need to digest our food, including pepsin,1 needed for the breakdown of proteins in the stomach, and amylase,2needed for the breakdown of starch into sugar. Trypsin, needed for protein digestion in the small intestine, is also inhibited by phytates. (source)
Our ancestors have known this for thousands of years. Before the 1900s, Americans & Europeans used slow-rising wild sourdough yeast to rise bread, breaking down phytic acid in the process. In Mexican cultures, corn was soaked in lime-water for 2 weeks prior to making their delicious tortillas. Many cultures would allow their grains to sprout in the fields before harvest. Over time, and with the industrialization of food, we became more interested in fast food, and over the last 100-200 years, have almost completely eliminated the practice of preparing grains properly.
Soak your Granola for optimal nutrients and digestion
Did you know that on the first package of rolled oats, the instructions read, “Soak for 12 hours before consuming”? You’ve probably made granola before, or at least bought it from your grocery store. You’ve probably eaten it with milk, or as a topping on yogurt or ice cream. Today I’m going to teach you how to make easy soaked granola. By including this soaking step, you can break down the bad stuff, and unlock all the good stuff.
Ingredients
- 1 c butter or coconut oil
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 c filtered water
- 4 TBS apple cider vinegar
- 6 c whole rolled oats DO NOT use quick oats
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- 1 c honey or maple syrup
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 TBS ground cinnamon
Instructions
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Mix butter, coconut milk, water, & acidic medium in a saucepan over low heat.
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Once your ingredients are melted and well-mixed, pour over rolled oats and soak, covered, for 12-24 hours.
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After your oats have soaked for 12-24 hours, mix honey, salt, vanilla, & cinnamon in a bowl and add to soaked oats.
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Mix well, then spread out on two parchment paper-lined baking sheets and bake at 170 degrees for 4-6 hours, turning and breaking up the granola with a spatula every 2 hours.
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Remove when slightly brown, yet still slightly moist.
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Allow to cool and air dry for another hour, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe Notes
Remember to remove the granola while still moist. Overcooking will result in a granola that is hard to chew.
Yields 6 CUPS
I just finished making this, it is yummy and crunchy.
I substituted coconut milk with raw cow milk(if you do this, dont heat the milk it because hot raw milk+vinegar=cheese lol) and i added a little bit of liquid whey.
other than that, i followed the recipe, using butter
My oven only gets as low as 200, and that worked, i took it out around 4 hours thinking it was done but it was still spongy when it dried, so i popped it back in the oven at 425 for 10 mins or so, now it dried crunchy and perfect!
and no , it doesnt taste vinegary, like i was worried about.. mine smelled like cheesecake when it was cooking lol
would make again and would recommend.
also, i added 1/2 cup more maple syrup, it wasnt sweet enough for me lol..
what do you do with the soaked oats after soakin? rinse them or not?
Hi Ryan-
No, you do not rinse them.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Can you recommend something to replace the coconut milk? I have one child who can’t do dairy or coconut.
Hi Josi-
You can just omit it and soak it with the vinegar or lemon juice.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
If I wanted to add some coconut or dehydrated nuts can I mix it before adding to the oven? If I decided could I use my dehydrator instead? Thanks
Hi Kristine-
Yes that would work.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
thanks bobbi
question…..I mistakenly put all the ingredients in the soaking bowl….can I still soak everything for 12-24 hrs.
and dry in the oven?……made it before I had my coffee……I know better…..thanks!….I’ve made it many times
and it’s great……
Hi Doug-
You can go ahead and try it but the texture may not be the same and the addition of the honey/maple syrup may affect the soaking process.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I have never made granola, and I want to try with a soaked recipe. I love that your recipe doesn’t use a dehydrator, and also doesn’t have so many nuts, shredded coconut, fruit add-ins that I don’t have on hand. However, the sugar amounts vary so much! I saw a recipe on Dr. Laura’s Kitchen, and hers is 7-8 cups oats to 6 Tablespoons sweetener, and yours isn’t only 6 cup so oats with a cup of sweetener! I would love to not use so much sweetener because it is costly and a large amount. I am nervous to experiment since I’ve never made it before. I guess I am wondering if you can explain why this has so much sugar (or maybe it doesn’t and the other one would taste terrible? 😉 ha) and if you think I could reduce it and still have it bake successfully.
Hi Monica-
Yes, you can try whatever amount of sweetener you like, but it will change the taste and texture a bit.
Thanks! -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hello, I have been looking for this for a while! Going to try it today/tomorrow. My question is, can I add seeds/nuts to the soaking oats, or soak them separately? If separately, for how long?
Thanks,
Susan
Hi Susan-
It’s best to soak nuts and seeds separately because different seeds and nuts will need different soaking times.
This article may help: https://www.weedemandreap.com/guide-soaking-sprouting-grains/
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi! Can I use Any kind of milk (goats milk) to soak with, Or does it have to be coconut milk?
Cheers!
Hi Amanda-
Yes, use the milk of your choice. You can also use yogurt or kefir.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I made this granola today and LOVE it. I began soaking my grains due to digestion and skin issues. I love granola and didn’t think I would be able to eat it any more— thanks so much for your recipe! I love a crunchy granola and found this is the right blend of crunchy and chewy. Your instructions are perfect. I halved the recipe and found that the measurements halved great. I soaked the oats for 24 hours and used the exact ingredients listed. I baked mine at 175 because my oven doesn’t go to 170. I had mine in the oven for 7 hours and dried it out of the oven for an hour. I can’t wait to have it with yogurt and berries in the morning.
Hi The recipe sounds great and I am half way through but after soaking my oats were stringy and a bit slimy. Is this normal because of the oats or is it mould? It wasn’t a long soak but it is a hot climate… it didn’t smell bad
Not quite sure what you have going on, but usually oats don’t mold. You may just be seeing the separation of the starch from the oats. However, hot humid climates can make oats go bad, but if they do not smell bad I am assuming the oats are ok and it is just the starch. I hope that helps. Happy Baking! Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Can I turn up the heat to 350 to speed up the time? Why so low and long?
Hi Heather-
I really wouldn’t turn the temperature up. Too high of heat can breakdown the nutrient quality of nuts, seeds, oats, etc. Plus, granola burns pretty easily. I hope that helps! Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Hi DaNelle,
I was wondering about the butter added in the soaking process. I have heard that the oil can block the acid from being able to break down the phytic acid. Have you ever heard anything about that? I have tried soaking and drying my without it and am not have good results… so I wanted to try your method. Any input you have is welcome! Thank you for your beautiful blog and educational recipes!
Hi Catherine-
I haven’t heard of butter or coconut oil blocking phytic acid breakdown. (if anyone else has and has the source of the info let us know). What I can tell you is that when animal fats providing vitamins A and D accompany dietary whole grains, the effects of phytic acid are mitigated (this is from the Weston Price Foundation). So I believe that the addition of the butter makes the granola even more digestible and allows us to absorbed more of the vitamins and minerals we need. I hope that helps! Let us know how the granola turns out! Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
HELP! I have made this recipe a few times and the mixture is still spongy after baking it for 6 hours. I tried reducing the water, but it resulted in a very crunchy grain. Do you have any suggestions?
Hmm, that’s so odd. My only thought is your oven isn’t high enough. I’d raise the temp.
When making granola do the oats need refrigeration while soaking?
Hi Sheila. No, you can leave them at room temperature.
Still a little confused about everything when it comes to healthy cooking and eating because I am new at this, but I LOVE your blog. I have to thank you. You have so much great info in one spot. I have learned more from you than anyone else. Thank you for all your hard work. We appreciate it.
Wanted to forward one good tip to everyone though. Did you know tht most body odors are caused by either magnesium deficiency or liver problems? I bought magnesium oil and started putting it on skin and my under arms. I feel better and now I no longer need any kind of deodorant any more. I haven’t used deodorant in 5 weeks now and my arm pits NEVER stink. Hope this helps someone.
Thanks, Becky!
I have had success soaking and sprouting lentils and beans. I am curious about sunflower and sesame seeds. Is soaking sufficient to remove phylic acid or should I sprout them?
Hi Sharon,
I think soaking is good enough!
We soak our oatmeal the night before cooking it the next morning but we always rinse them first. Aren’t we still consuming the phytic acid in the granola since it isn’t rinsed after soaking?
Hi Jenna,
During soaking, the enzyme phytase is created, so you are no longer consuming phytic acid:)
Are the cheapy quaker oats considered quick oats?
Yep!
Hi! Thanks for the recipe. Can you use a dehydrator to dry the granola?
Thanks!!!
I’m not sure what the difference is between quick oats and rolled oats. I want to try this but don’t want to get the wrong thing.
Check the label when you buy your oats. It will tell you. Good luck!
Hi DaNelle!
Of you soak nuts and seeds to add to the granola mix, do you just throw them in or do you have to redry them first? If so, how: air dry, dehydrator, oven? Thanks!
Would this work with steel cut oats as well?
Hi Joe,
I’m not sure if it would work with steel cut oats or not. I haven’t tried it:)
Nevermind… turns out that was a stupid question! Or perhaps premature. After soaking overnight, I realize the oats have soaked up the liquid. Going into the oven in few, thanks for sharing this recipe!
This is probably a really stupid question, but do we drain the soaked oats after soaking and before adding the additional ingredients to make the granola? Or will the oats have soaked up all the liquid? Thanks, so excited to try this!
Hi! I want to try this but I don’t have apple cider vinegar. Could I use fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice as the acidic medium?
Yes, I use whey and am pretty sure you can use any acidic medium that you have.
Super good! Thank you for the recipe. Added soaked almonds and pecans, raisins and little bit of chopped dates. Cooked in dehydrator at 160 for 5 hours. Will become a regular item in our house!
Fantastic! I’m glad you liked it!
thank you 🙂
Tracy,
Just a thought to Tracy and others: Why do you have to use maple sugar, honey or molasses? Why not dial down on the sweetness factor and rely on the raisins, apples, etc. you put into it?
I have made granola and I leave out the sugar/sweetness. We have become too accustom to sugar/sweetness in our breakfast cereals and food in general. It may take a week or two to adjust, but you won’t miss it.
I remember years ago my mother and I gave up sugar in our coffee for Lent. Well, when Easter came around and we could again put sugar in our coffee, we couldn’t stand it because it was too sweet. I never used sugar in my coffee again. But, I still can’t pass up a chocolate Easter Bunny. LOL
I agree with you! We really don’t need to keep adding sugars to our foods. It only increases the addiction. There are plenty of sugars in raisins and oats naturally. 🙂
I’m on a tight budget and maple syrup and local, raw honey are pretty much luxury items for my family and I. Do you think molasses could be used in place of some or all of the honey or maple syrup or would the flavor then just be too heavy or too molasses-ly?! Thank you!
You can use regular honey:)
Hi, This is just what I was looking for! Can you use this with whole flaxseed? Can you use it with most grains? Lots of good tips here. I had no idea the grains should be kept out, I was keeping them in the frig over night.
Yes, you could do a variety of grains:)
It looks like you have great recipes. Did I read somewhere you have a book? I would like to know more information about your book. Do you ever post the calories , fat sugar etc.. on the recipes? If you know the one for the granola I would like to know. Thank you.
So I’ve made this a bunch of times and love it. However, I just read on The Healthy Home Economist’s page that “no granola is good granola” because (according to the blogger) you must cook oats for them to become digestible – and because granola doesn’t involve cooked oats, it’s not digestible. What are your thoughts? And, if indeed the oats ought to be cooked in order to become digestible, do you think you could cook them on the stovetop using water and then follow the rest of the recipe you’ve given, maybe just reducing the amount of water or liquid? Or maybe the other way around – soak as explained in your recipe, then cook on the stovetop, then dehydrate in oven? Thanks for your help!
I read that too. Also that there isn’t enough phytase in oats to break down the phytic acid. They have to be soaked with another high phytase grain.
I just found this recipe and read through the comments, and I think I have a solution. In “Nourishing Traditions” Sally Fallon recommends reserving the soaking water from rice and using it each time you soak rice. I didn’t understand why, until realizing it’s the phytase that develops in the liquid. So, my suggestion would be to first soak some rice using filtered water and whey (or acv?). After it’s soaked, pour the water into a mason jar and save it in the fridge. Rinse your rice, cook it, and eat it. Then, when you’re making this recipe for granola, sub the phytase-y rice water for the apple cider vinegar. Then tell the Home Economist that she’s wrong – there is good granola. Rice-water-phytase-soaked granola, that’s what!
Leslie that’s awesome thank you! Going to try that.
Also, adding a few tablespoons of rye flakes per cup of oats will offer enough phytase enzyme to break down the phytic acid. And it adds a delicious flavor too!
I’m going to try this recipe using rye flakes and without sweeteners. Thank you!
I so appreciate this recipe! I gave up making granola a few years ago after I found out about soaking and was too intimidated to try. Now I can try it and resume making a food my daughter will truly love.
Thank you!
This is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!! Thank you!
Very tasty recipe, however I would beg of anyone thinking , ” oh I’ll just sub in some quick oats, it’s all gravy” no, it is not gravy. But what you will end up with is a butt load of soaked, mush oatmeal. Woe is me but happy is my children. I will try again cause I can imagine your toasty version of my mush ball to be delicious!
Haha, great point! I’m going to add that to the recipe:)
I used to soak a lot of my grains and then I got out of the habit. I am now putting soaking back into my routine. I made this granola and it turned out sort of grey and not crunchy at all. Any ideas where I might have gone wrong?
Did you use quick oats?
At what point could you add raisins? Before or after cooking?
I’d probably wait until after cooking to add raisins.
What can I substitute for the coconut milk? It is not my favorite flavor.
Coconut milk really helps this granola to stay moist and not dry out. A common problem with soaked granola is that the granola dries out too hard. You won’t taste the coconut flavor at all, but if you really want to, you could try another kind of milk, I just can’t guarantee how it will turn out.
Can I freeze some of it to use later? Because I really don’t want to waste energy (oven) for just a small batch but I live alone and so I definitely can’t eat 6 cups of granola in 2 weeks.
Sure!
Hi, I made a big batch of granola before reading this article. I just stored it in glass containers.It was dry like the granola you by at the store. I like mine crunchy. However, this recipe makes the granola moist. I don’t know if it could be kept in a glass container. Maybe DaNelle could shed light on this?
Soaked granola does tend to be more chewy:)
Awesome DaNelle, thanks! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I’ve tried your soaked tortillas before and loved them and am definitely on the soaking-grains bandwagon for when I will be having any. I was thinking of trying this method with steel cut oatmeal this week, but I might try this recipe first!
Great!
Thank you for the information. I can’t wait to try this. Do you need to soak oatmeal like before you make oatmeal cookies and such?
Great question Grace! Yes, ideally, it would be a good idea to soak first, but I don’t have a recipe for you yet. When I make cookies, I typically use sprouted flour so I can make them instantly without any pre-soaking time, so I’m not sure how to incorporate soaked oats in the recipe. You could do a pre-soak time the night before, then add to the cookies. I haven’t tried it yet so don’t take my word on it:)
I don’t have coconut milk…can I use something else?
With this recipe, coconut milk seems to work best. I can’t really vouch for other milks in this recipe, but if you find something works great, let us know!
While the granola is soaking does it need to be refridgerated?
No it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. It’s very important to leave on the counter so the phytase can be developed:)
Thanks for answering this! I was just going to ask the same question as I’m new to soaking grains. Thanks for posting this article- it was incredible helpful!
If I use whole milk do I need to refrigerate it while soaking?
As long as you have an acidic medium in there with the milk, you should be good:)
I really want to try this recipe. Looks great! I’ve made homemade granola before, but never soaked. There is a similar question above, but could I add sliced almonds and soak them too? Would the baking time be enough? Thanks for the recipe!
Yes, you can definitely add nuts, they will dry out just like the granola:)
Thanks for the recipe, gotta try it. Interesting that there is no rinsing. I’m glad! I was wondering how that was going to work with wet, gloppy oats. 🙂
Hi DaNelle- This sounds perfect for eating the granola as a bowl of cereal with milk. What about as a finger snack? Can we add nuts and maybe honey before going into the oven, so that it sticks together and then broken into chunks after it cools? Thanks so much for all you do!
Yes, that would be a great idea! I would also soak the nuts in a separate bowl of water to help break down the phytic acid in those as well.
I’m excited to try this recipe. I’ve tried a couple other soaked granola recipes and they tasted bland and hit my stomach like a rock! Thanks for a simple yummy sounding recipe.
Can I make this with raw cows milk instead of coconut milk?
I’ve found that the coconut milk really helps it to stay soft and not too hard and chewy. I’d say go ahead and try it and let us know how it works:)