Pantry Clean-Out Sourdough Discard Granola Recipe
Found half a bag of pecans from your Thanksgiving pie? Some slivered almonds from that fancy salad you made three months ago?
And let’s not forget about that nearly full bag of hemp seeds (or were they flax seeds?) you bought last year during your healthy snack phase. (And by you, I mean me).
This is all the perfect excuse for some homemade sourdough granola!
Add sourdough discard (or active starter) as a binder, and you’ve got a delicious kid-friendly snack you can feel good about.
I present to you: a pantry clean-out sourdough granola recipe that’s completely customizable based on whatever random nuts, seeds, and dried fruit are collecting dust in the back of your pantry.
The Pantry Clean-Out Sourdough Granola Formula
This recipe follows a simple formula.
Fill each category (nuts, seeds, dried fruit, spices) with whatever you have on hand.
This is not a recipe you should run to the store for – no, this is the last-minute, I-need-an-arguably-healthy-snack-stat recipe.
Here’s the granola formula:
- 60g liquid fat (avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil)
- 60g liquid sweetener (maple syrup, honey, agave)
- 40g light brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 100g sourdough discard
- 5g sea salt
- 200g oats (old fashioned are best but quick also works)
- 100g seeds (pepitas, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds)
- 100g nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios)
- 100g dried fruit (raisins, blueberries, cranberries, apricots, dates, cherries, pineapple – just chop up larger dried fruit)
- 50g shredded coconut (optional)
- Optional flavor: I like 10g vanilla extract and 5g cinnamon, but you can throw in whatever you fancy (cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, citrus zest, or even cocoa powder)
Can you see why I love this recipe so much?!
Why Add Sourdough Discard
The sourdough starter in this recipe acts as a binder, helping all the nuts, seeds, and dried fruit stick together to form clusters.
You can use active sourdough starter or discard – either works great in this recipe. I’d advise against using discard that’s older than 10 days. If it has hooch on it or smells unappetizing, don’t use it!
Traditional granola recipes don’t include sourdough discard – they rely on liquid oil (like olive oil) and sweetener (like honey) to bind everything. Some recipes also add nut butter for extra stickiness.
And that works fine. But we’re sourdough nerds, and we naturally try to turn any recipe we can into a sourdough one. Granola is no exception.
Beyond just being an easy way to use up discard, I truly think it helps form better clusters. It’s an excellent binding agent.
How to Make Pantry Clean-Out Sourdough Granola
I get excited about any recipe that’s as simple as mix, bake, done. That’s all this is.
- Step 1: Mix the wet ingredients; then, fold in the dry.
- Step 2: Spread onto a baking sheet. The USA Pan one is my favorite – it’s completley nonstick so you don’t have to spray or line it. And it does not use Teflon (it’s a silicone coating).
- Step 3: Bake.
I’m telling you… this granola is that easy. Plus, it’s entirely customizable to your taste and what you have available.
How to Serve
Our whole family loves eating granola by itself. It’s perfect for kids’ school lunches and makes a great mid-morning snack.
But there are lots of other ways to enjoy granola:
- Top your yogurt (or layer it like a parfait)
- Cover in milk and eat like cereal
- Cover in milk, heat it up, and eat like oatmeal
- Use it in overnight oats
- Mix with melted chocolate to make dessert bars
- Crush it up and turn it into granola bars
- Mix into banana bread batter
- Turn into energy balls by crushing it, mixing with peanut butter and honey, and rolling into small balls; refrigerate until set
- Top your ice cream
- Sprinkle on warm fruit desserts (like pies, baked apples, or cobblers)
- Add to pudding
Granola has so many potential uses!
It lasts on the counter for weeks, which is another reason we really love it.
Sourdough Discard Granola
Equipment
- Half sheet pan (USA Pan is my favorite; it's nonstick but does not use Teflon)
Ingredients
- 60 g liquid fat (avocado oil, coconut oil, olive oil)
- 60 g liquid sweetener (maple syrup, honey, agave)
- 40 g light brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 100 g sourdough starter (active or discard)
- 10 g vanilla extract
- 200 g oats (old fashioned are best, but quick also works)
- 100 g seeds (pepitas, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds)
- 100 g nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios)
- 100 g dried fruit (raisins, blueberries, cranberries, apricots, dates, cherries, pineapple; chop up larger dried fruit)
- 50 g shredded coconut (optional)
- 5 g sea salt
- 5 g cinnamon (or other preferred spices)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 60 g liquid fat, 60 g liquid sweetener, 40 g light brown sugar, 100 g sourdough starter, and 10 g vanilla extract. Then, mix in 200 g oats, 100 g seeds, 100 g nuts, 100 g dried fruit, 50 g shredded coconut, 5 g sea salt, and 5 g cinnamon (or other preferred spices).
- Spray a half sheet pan with oil or line it with parchment paper. Spread granola mixture in an even layer on sheet pan, pressing down with a spatula or the back of a measuring cup. Compacting the mixture will encourage clumps.
- Bake for 30 minutes, rotating sheet pan halfway through. If you prefer clusters, do not break apart the mixture during baking. If you prefer a loose granola mixture, toss the mixture halfway through baking.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before breaking apart into clumps. Store in an airtight container (I prefer glass) at room temperature. Keeps for up to 4 weeks.
Notes
- If you want a less-sweet granola (not that this recipe is overly sweet), you can omit the light brown sugar or cut it back.
- The ingredient ideas in the Ingredients section are all suggestions, but they’re not comprehensive. If you have other seeds, nuts, or dried fruit on hand that aren’t listed there, don’t be afraid to use them!
Conclusion
Have you seen the price of high-quality granola these days? I’m not afraid to splurge for better ingredients, but wow… it’s like $10-15 for a single bag!
Save money while cleaning out your pantry by using those nuts, seeds, and dried fruit that were going to expire anyway. You’ll end up with amazing granola that also uses up 100g of discard from the back of your fridge.
If you try this easy sourdough discard granola recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Related: Stop Overpaying: How to Save Almost 90% on Vanilla Extract
Thanks Rebekah, looks interesting, and easy too. I saved this recipe and will definitely try it at some point.
Trying to figure out how much granola this makes. I usually use a whole bag Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Grain Rolled Oats Extra Thick — 32 oz (907 grams) when I make a batch of granola.
So I’d like to figure out how much sourdough to use. Like about 450 g?
Multiply all ingredients by 4.535 if you want to use 907g of oats! So yep, 453g of sourdough starter!
I made this today. Super easy and really good! I liked that it stayed in clumps and wasn’t overly sweet. It definitely could become addictive. I’m adding this into my rotation!
Thanks for the feedback! Awesome!!
Do you have calorie and protein amounts?
Not at this time, but it’s a goal of mine to add it in the future.
I made this yesterday and it’s soooo good! I had been using another granola recipe that tastes great, but it does not form clumps like this one does. This reminds me of the Bear Naked brand of granola I used to buy at the store. The only change I will make is lowering the baking temp to 300 degrees. I had some get too brown around the edges of my pan. I might also need to stir it around a bit to prevent that area from getting too brown.
So glad you liked it!! Yes definitely play around with lowering the oven temp. You can stir it around halfway through baking but the clumps may be a little smaller.
Made this yesterday, it was gone within a couple of hours! Got more in the oven now. I used flax, chia, and pumpkin seeds with pecans, walnuts and dried blueberries.
I’ve wanted to add dried blueberries so they are incorporated into the granola but read that they get too hard during the baking so should wait to add them. What are your thoughts on how the blueberries turned out?
I’ve done it with dried blueberries and didn’t notice any issues, but I’ve also heard many say they wait to add them until after baking. As I always say… it’s worth experimenting!
Yum!!
This was so good. Used dried cranberries and it was a great touch. Thinking of trying this with chocolate chips. Thanks for the great recipe.
Chocolate chips would be so good in it!
I made this today, and really like it! I dont think my sourdough was a thick as yours, but it baked up perfecly. I also used l allulose maple syrup as my liquid sweetner. I didnt use oatmeal, I subbed sliced almonds for the oatmeal. I also used dried fruits, nuts and seeds, that I had on hand already. Such as snipped dried pineapple, snipped dates, mixed dried fruit, chopped pecans, etc. Thank you for another tasty way to use sourdough discard, as it hurts my heart to through any of it away!
Yay!! Love how you did so many variations and it turned out great.
This recipe was the best . I made granola before from other sourdough content creators and they came out ok. But following this amounts of every ingredient/options was perfect !!! Thank you .
Awesome, so glad to hear!! I’ve tried a lot of recipes, too, and this formula is my favorite!
Been dying to make this and finally found some time to do it! I accidentally measured out double the discard so I doubled everything and made 2 pans. I’m so glad I did! It’s absolutely delicious and was so easy to make! Glad I have twice as much now! Love the flexibility of this recipe and all the possibilities. Definitely will try again with different nuts/dried fruits, etc.
So glad to hear!! The flexibility is my favorite part, too!
Is this still soft before it completely cools?
Yes, slightly. It hardens a bit more as it cools. But if it feels super soft to the touch and isn’t overly browned yet, I’d bake it for 3-4 minutes longer and re-check it.
Can you tell me also does it need the sea salt?
Just made the granola. Oh my goodness, it is delicious! Thank you for this recipe…