Name: Cinnamon Granola
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Ingredients: 3 cups old fashioned oats; 1 cup pepitas (raw); 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 1/4 cup coconut oil; 1/4 cup maple syrup; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Cinnamon granola is a perfect fall breakfast. With lots of crispy oats and pumpkin seeds, warmly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, this delicious granola is sure to become one of your fall pantry staples.

A white bowl filled with half cinnamon granola and half blueberries and blackberries. A jug of milk, more berries and dish of pepitas are to the side.

My love for granola recipes is no secret around these parts. The one that started it all was this maple walnut granola, one of the first recipes I posted on the blog. This vanilla almond granola followed closely after, and my family loves these recipes so much we have been happily making them for months, feeling no need to shake up our breakfast routine. Now that fall is in the air, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice are on my brain, and I wanted to switch it up with a warmly spiced fall granola. Something that would go perfectly over a big bowl of greek yogurt and air fryer cinnamon apples.

Enter this delicious homemade cinnamon granola. This easy recipe makes perfect fall granola with a warm cinnamon flavor. Coconut oil makes it super crispy, and maple syrup gives it just the right amount of sweetness. There are a million different ways to serve this – try fall yogurt parfaits with apple chips and caramel; sprinkle it over a smoothie bowl with a drizzle of peanut butter; or just pile it high in a bowl with some milk and fresh fruit. With a mason jar of this tasty granola in your pantry, you will want to eat breakfast at every meal!

For more easy fall breakfast ideas, try my pumpkin chocolate chip kodiak muffins, cranberry streusel coffee cake or peanut butter greek yogurt dip (perfect with sliced apples!).

A small mason jar filled with cinnamon granola. A bowl of granola and jug of milk is in the background, with granola clusters scattered on the white counter.

Ingredients

To make this easy maple cinnamon granola, you need the following simple ingredients (full ingredients list with exact measurements is included in the recipe card below):

Ingredients Notes

Oats: Make sure to use whole rolled oats for this recipe. They may be labeled “old-fashioned oats.” Don’t use quick oats or steel cut oats.
Spices: For a pumpkin spice flavored granola, substitute 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice and ½ teaspoon cinnamon for the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Pepitas: I used pumpkin seeds (pepitas) in this recipe, but feel free to substitute your favorite nuts or seeds – sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts or pecans would all work well.
Maple syrup: You want to use pure maple syrup for this recipe. Check the ingredients label to make sure!

Air Fryer Instructions

Step One: Add the oats, pepitas, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to a large bowl and stir to combine.

A glass bowl on a white background. The bowl contains rolled oats and pepitas, topped with cinnamon and salt, not yet mixed in.

A glass bowl on a white background. The bowl contains rolled oats, pepitas and spices all mixed together.

Step Two: In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract.

A small glass bowl on a white background. The bowl contains the wet ingredients for cinnamon granola whisked together with a small sauce whisk, which is resting in the bowl.

Step Three: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir well until the oat mixture is fully and evenly coated.

A glass bowl on a white background. The bowl contains rolled oats and pepitas, mixed together with the wet ingredients for cinnamon granola so that the oats look wet.

Step Four: Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper. Pour the granola into the air fryer basket and press it down with the bake of a spoon or spatula.

Important tip: Cut the parchment paper about 1 inch larger than the base of your air fryer basket on all sides. This will leave a little lip of paper all around the basket which makes it easy to lift the granola out once cooled.

A top down view of the inside of an air fryer basket. The basket is lined with parchment and filled with unbaked cinnamon granola.

Step Five: Bake the granola in the air fryer at 325 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. After 5 minutes, pause to stir the granola and return it to the air fryer for the remaining 5-7 minutes. The granola is done when it starts to turn golden brown.

Note: Granola can burn quickly, especially in the air fryer. Keep a close eye on the granola for the last half of baking and remove it as soon as it turns golden brown.

A top down view of the inside of an air fryer basket. The basket is lined with parchment and filled with baked golden brown cinnamon granola.

Step Six: Let the granola cool in the air fryer for about 5 minutes. Then, remove the granola from the air fryer and spread it out on a large plate or baking sheet. Allow the granola to cool undisturbed at room temperature for at least 60 minutes.

A large sheet pan on a white background. The sheet pan is lined with parchment and topped with baked cinnamon granola which is cooled and broken apart.

Baking Instructions

Steps 1-3: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Follow steps 1-3 above to mix the granola.

Step Four: Pour the granola mixture out onto a parchment-lined large baking sheet. Spread the granola into an even single layer and press it into the baking sheet with the bake of a spoon or spatula.

A large sheet pan on a white background. The sheet pan is lined with parchment and topped with unbaked cinnamon granola, pressed into the pan.

Step Five: Bake the granola in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir the granola and press it back into the pan. Return the pan to the oven for the remaining 10-15 minutes. The granola is done when it starts to turn golden brown.

A large sheet pan on a white background. The sheet pan is lined with parchment and topped with baked cinnamon granola, golden brown at the edges.

Step Six: Allow the granola to cool undisturbed on the baking sheet for at least 60 minutes. After the granola is cooled, break it apart into clusters.

A wooden scoop filled with cinnamon granola, with more granola scattered over the background.

Storage

Make sure to let the granola fully cool before storing. This will take at least an hour, but if you can leave the granola out on the baking sheet for several hours before storing, that’s even better. If the granola is warm when you put it in a storage container, it will lose its crispiness. Store fully cooled granola in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 1-2 weeks.