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.

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!

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