Skillet Maple Walnut Granola

When I was brainstorming ingredients I could use that would be very Canadian, a couple of them - hemp hearts and flax seed - weren’t really things that make sense in a trail mix.

At least... not on their own.

Immediately, I wondered if I could find a Canadian-made granola that would fit the bill, and - ideally - be maple flavoured.

Then I got really lazy, realized that I didn’t want to try finding such a granola while we were on the road... so I made one.

We happened to have everything we needed, right on hand, too!

Porter likes ground flax seed in his smoothies, so we had a whole bag of whole seeds on us. (He grinds them up a week or so at a time, for freshness.)

And maple syrup? Come on, obviously we keep it on us at all times when camping. We’re not heathens!

Granola Uses

Granola is also something we tend to keep on hand, more as an ingredient than an actual snack food itself.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve used it in place of oats for my apple crisp, now I use it in various fruit crisp (and “crisp-adjacent”!) recipes while camping.

I am definitely looking forward to using this homemade granola in some of the recipes I’ve already posted, like Skillet Blueberry Crisp, Skillet Apple Crisp, Skillet Blueberry and Peach Crisp, Skillet Berry Crumble, and - of course - Campfire Baked Apples!

It’s a super quick and easy recipe to make, and there’s no oven needed. This homemade granola recipe cooks up in a skillet - Perfect for whipping up on a campsite!

We did just that, recently! Made a batch while staying at Rabbit Blanket Lake Campground in Lake Superior Provincial Park. We photographed it at the boat launch, among dozens of Canadian Tiger Swallowtail butterflies!

Anyway, let’s look at what you’ll need to have on hand, to throw a batch on for yourself.

Ingredients

This maple granola recipe uses really simple ingredients. You won’t have any trouble finding what you need in pretty much any grocery store.

As always, I have a few ingredient notes for you:

Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats

Maple walnut granola recipe uses rolled oats, which can also be labeled as old fashioned rolled oats, or even just old-fashioned oats.

For best results, stick to rolled oats. It really is the best type of oats making homemade granola!

Two things to note here:

1. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you are avoiding gluten for any reason.

Oats themselves are gluten free, but they’re also HIGHLY likely to be cross-contaminated with wheat, if it’s not certified that they’re NOT.

2. Steel-cut oats, and any form of quick oats - AKA instant oats - aren’t going to work the same way in this recipe, as they all behave differently.

Because they’re processed and cut differently, they’ll take up the fat/maple syrup differently, for the same measure of oats.

Steel cut oats will have a more tough texture, and quick cooking oats probably won’t clump up at all, as the same measure of oats will actually contain more, by weight, than rolled oats.

Hemp Hearts

If you haven’t had them yet, hemp hearts are basically shelled hemp seeds. They’re a little soft, have a kind of nutty flavour... and they’re a nutrition powerhouse.

They contain all nine essential amino acids, making them a complete protein source. You can even buy hemp protein powder!

They contain healthy fatty acids - Omega 3, Omega 6, and Omega 9 fatty acids - and are a good source of fibre and magnesium.. They also have iron and B vitamins.

And no... you won’t get high off them. Hemp seeds do not contain any psychoactive compounds, unlike other parts of the plant!

Flax Seeds

In this batch, we used whole flax seeds - mostly for the look.

Grinding the flax seeds makes the nutrients in them more bioavailable, and it’s definitely better the way to go!

The ¼ cup of flax seeds is for ground. If you’re using whole seeds, I’d recommend going with 2 tablespoon or so.

Oil of Choice

Granola needs a fair amount of fat, both to crisp up the oats properly, and to act as a binder. This recipe actually uses (proportionately) quite a bit less fat than many.

As a result, you’ll find that it doesn’t quite cluster as much as others - feel free to use a bit more fat, if you like.

In terms of type of fat, that’s a personal choice.

We’ll usually use vegetable oil or lard, as it’s what we tend to have on hand, and they’re pretty neutral in flavour.

Butter works, if you’re feeling bougie, coconut oil has some health benefits... but I’d avoid olive oil. The flavour is too intense, and will kill the maple flavour.

Vanilla Extract

I use 2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, but it does tend to tone down the maple flavour a bit.

If you’re OK with the taste of maple flavouring, you can do 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon maple extract.

I wouldn’t go more than 1 teaspoon - I find maple extract to taste pretty fake. It seems a shame to cover up actual maple syrup flavour, with “maple cookie” flavour, you know?

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Pure Maple Syrup
Chopped Walnuts
Salt

... and possibly some optional mix-in ingredients, if you like:

Optional Mix-Ins

Maple Walnut Granola is super customizable, so you can really add anything else that you’d like.

I love using some chopped dates for added texture, sometimes. I get the pre-chopped boxed kind, in the baking aisle.

Coconut flakes, raisins, chocolate chips, and/or sweetened dried cranberries also go well - really, just go with what you like! Granola doesn’t have to be a hard science, measure with your heart.

How to Make Skillet Maple Walnut Granola

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, here is the visual walk through:

Measure walnuts, hemp hearts, and flax seeds into a large pot.

Cook over medium heat (We tend to do this over a campfire, but you can do it over a stove!), until mixture is toasty and aromatic. Remove from heat, transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

Cook the oats for a few minutes, until they’re golden brown and starting to get crispy. Remove from heat, and transfer to the bowl with the other toasted ingredients.

Once it’s at a full rolling boil, add the toasted nuts, seeds, and oats back to the pan, stirring well to coat. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the liquid is dried up and the granola is aromatic.

Store in a cool dark area for up to 3 months.

More Camping Snack Recipes

Looking for great ideas to cook on a campfire, bring on a road trip, enjoy while RVing? Here's a few of our favorite camping recipes to start with!

Apple Fritter Bread Pudding
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Be sure to check out our other Camping Recipes, including Camping Desserts, Camping Snacks, Make-Ahead Camping Mix Recipes, and a ton of delicious Camping Main Dish Recipes.

Also, we had SO much fun designing gourmet jerky recipes for our camping trips, we started a whole new blog for them! Check out Dried & Tasty for all kinds of fun recipes to make in your food dehydrator!