I love finding new-to-me little luxuries that elevate daily life without depleting my bank account. This month’s hyperfixation? Using my slow cooker to bake warm, nutty, cinnamon-spiced granola.
The arrival of the autumn season has officially reignited my passion for this breakfast food—served alongside greek yogurt and fresh fruit—and I’ve started every morning with a big bowl of the stuff since September kicked off.
I wanted to dial up my recipe in the most hassle-free way possible, and headed to the internet to find the best hacks for making granola that don’t require much time (or money, or legwork). I ended up finding a brilliant method from one of my favorite healthy recipe bloggers of all time, Erin Clarke of Well Plated, who loves to make slow-cooked granola. I think Clarke’s granola-making method is genius because it allows you to toast up a big batch of oats, coconut flakes, nuts, and so on without using (read: making a giant mess of) your oven at all.
The best time to meal prep slow cooker granola, IMO, is when I’m making dinner the diner before. Simply toss your ingredients in the slow cooker, set, and forget—just give it a toss every thirty minutes or so to keep the heat evenly distributed. Major bonus: Opting for a slow-cooking process not only makes things low-maintenance but also prevents your ingredients from burning.
If you’re in the market for a new slow cooker, we’re big fans of Featured Fitness Health