Name: Sourdough Discard Granola
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 4 cups Old Fashioned Oats; 1/2 cup Chopped Pecans (or chopped walnuts); 1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds (or Pumpkin Seeds); 1 cup Sourdough Starter; 1 1/4 cup Maple Syrup; 1/4 cup Neutral oil (like coconut oil or avocado oil); 2 tsp Vanilla Extract; 2 tsp Ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1 cup Raisins; 1 cup Craisins; 1 cup Chopped Dried Apricots; 1 cup Flakes Coconut; 1 cup Almonds (slivered or chopped)

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Did you know you could make the Sourdough Granola with your sourdough discard? It's true! This Sourdough Discard Granola is easy to make and perfect over a big bowl of yogurt! You won't go back to store bought granola once you try this delicious treat!

Sprinkle this granola all over some Instant Pot yogurt!

A spoon is in a big bowl of sourdough granola filled with dried fruit.

One of the best things about this delicious granola is that you can customize it to your liking. You can add your favorite dried fruit, nuts, or even chocolate to this granola. I love eating it for breakfast with yogurt, or sometimes I enjoy it as an afternoon snack with some fresh berries. You can't go wrong with this granola!

Sourdough discard is great to make lots of breakfast recipes with! You can make my favorite chocolate chip muffins or fluffy sourdough pancakes!

Make sure to join our Sourdough Facebook group to join in on all the sourdough fun!

Can You Make Granola with Sourdough Discard?

Yes! It's my new favorite way to make granola! Not only is it another great way to reduce food waste, but it tastes delicious too! This granola is big cluster, meaning that the oats are clustered together. The sourdough discard helps keep the oats and nuts together in big clumps.

Like all sourdough recipes, the discard adds a bit of tang to the granola. It also adds some crunch and texture to the granola. I think you are really going to enjoy this twist on a classic granola recipe!

A spoon has picked up some of the sourdough discard granola and it is being held over the large bowl.

What is Sourdough Discard?

Sourdough discard is the portion of your active sourdough starter that you are not feeding. When you are "feeding" your starter to make Dutch oven sourdough bread with, you add equal parts flour, water, and starter to a mason jar (or other container) and let it rise.

You can't feed your entire starter, as it doubles and sometimes triples in size, and that's a lot of starter to have on hand! If you are new to sourdough, be sure to check out how to feed and maintain a sourdough starter post all about how to keep your sourdough starter happy.

With your sourdough discard, you can make lots of delicious recipes! I love making sourdough desserts but don't forget that you can make sourdough onion rings with your discard too!

Ingredients to Gather

Oats. You want to use old fashioned oats here. Instant oats or steel cut oats will not work. Instant oats will not give you the crunch you need and steel cut oats won't cook in time.
Sourdough starter. This recipe requires sourdough discard. That is the sourdough starter that is leftover when you feed the active sourdough starter.
Maple syrup. This adds sweetness to the granola.
Neutral oil. I used avocado oil in this recipe. The oil helps make the sourdough starter more easily pourable and it also reduces the risk of sticking.
Spices. We will be using ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and a little bit of salt.

Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Sourdough Granola

The dry ingredients are added to a large mixing bowl.

Step 1: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, add the oats, sunflower seeds, and chopped nuts. Give it a good mix.

The wet ingredients are added to the dry ingredients.

Step 2: In a liquid measuring cup, add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, sourdough discard, and oil. Mix and then pour it over the oats and nuts in the bowl. Mix well until all the oats are coated.

The oats are added to the parchment lined baking sheet.

Step 3: Pour the oats onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Spread it evenly over the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. Turn the baking sheet every 15 minutes to make sure the granola bakes evenly.

Lynn's Tip!

This granola needs to bake low and slow. Don't rush the baking process of this granola or you'll end up with burnt granola.

Tips and Tricks

You can use active sourdough starter or inactive sourdough discard. Both are great options.
Layer the granola in a thin, even layer. This ensures that the granola bakes evenly.
Knowing when the granola is baked completely can be a little tricky. The edges will brown before the center is done. The entire granola pan should be brown. If the ends are brown but the center is still pale, simply remove the edges so they do not continue baking and then continue baking the rest of the granola until it is baked through.
Mix the wet ingredients separate from the dry ingredients, and then mix all the ingredients together with the oats. This will ensure that the ingredients are all distributed evenly throughout the granola.

Storage Info

Let the granola cool to room temperature and then keep it in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. I like to keep the granola in a mason jar on the counter or in the pantry. Keep any moisture away from granola. Granola can go stale quickly when you add moisture to it, so store it in a cool dry place.

The bowl of sourdough granola is on a wooden cutting board.

Variations

Mix up the nuts! Mix in pecans, walnuts, slivered almonds, or cashews into the oat mixture. Make sure to chop them before adding them to the oats.
Change up the dried fruit! Add dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried apricots, or your favorite dried fruit. Mix the dried fruit into the cooled granola. Don't bake the dried fruit or they will come out of the oven like little rocks.
Add some chocolate! If you are a chocoholic like me, add some chocolate! Add ¼ cup of cocoa powder to the mixture before you bake it and then add chocolate chips to the cooled granola.
Change the sweetener! Use maple syrup, agave syrup, honey, or brown sugar to the oats.
Spice it up! Change the spices in the granola. Use pumpkin spice alongside cinnamon for a Fall themed granola. You can also make it savory by adding cumin, rosemary, smoked paprika, or your favorite spices to the granola.