Gordon Ramsay’s Granola Recipe

Gordon Ramsay’s granola is a crunchy, golden bake of jumbo oats, puffed rice, almonds and mixed seeds, bound with vanilla-infused honey and finished with goji berries and dried cranberries. The recipe makes a big batch that keeps for two weeks in an airtight jar.

The recipe is from Ultimate Home Cooking, and Ramsay shows the full method in a F Word video linked to Fit Food. He warms the honey with vanilla seeds first so it coats every oat evenly, which is the difference between clumpy and perfectly crisp.

The step nobody expects is the salt. Ramsay sprinkles sea salt over the granola just before the oven, and the reason why is worth knowing. I skipped it on my first batch and the difference was obvious.

Gordon Ramsay’s Homemade Granola

Recipe by Sophie LaneCourse: BreakfastCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

20

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

210

kcal

Total time

40

minutes

A crunchy, golden homemade granola from Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Home Cooking. Vanilla-infused honey binds jumbo oats, puffed rice, almonds and three types of seeds, then goji berries and cranberries go in after baking for a chewy contrast. Makes a big batch at 210 kcal per 50g serving.

Ingredients

• 200g runny honey

• 1 vanilla pod, split open, seeds scraped out

• 300g jumbo rolled oats

• 100g sugar-free puffed rice

• 4 tbsp wheat bran or oat bran

• 100g whole blanched almonds

• 75g pumpkin seeds

• 75g sunflower seeds

• 50g linseeds

• Pinch of sea salt

• 50g goji berries

• 50g dried cranberries

Directions

• Preheat the oven: Set to 180C (350F/Gas 4). Line a shallow baking tin with baking parchment.
• Warm the honey: Put the honey and vanilla seeds in a small pan. Heat gently, stirring to combine.
• Mix the dry ingredients: Place the oats, puffed rice, bran, almonds and all three seeds in a large mixing bowl.
• Coat with honey: Pour in the warm honey mixture and stir well until every oat is evenly coated.
• Bake: Transfer to the prepared tin, spread out evenly and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring at the 10 minute mark to ensure even toasting, until crisp and golden.
• Add the berries: Set aside to cool slightly, then break into small pieces. Stir in the goji berries and cranberries.
• Store: Once completely cold, transfer to an airtight container. Serve with natural yoghurt and fresh fruit.

FAQs

Why does Gordon Ramsay add salt to his granola?

In the F Word video, Ramsay sprinkles sea salt over the granola just before it goes in the oven. He explains that the salt dries out the oats so the honey can roast, colour and glaze them properly. Without it, the honey stays wet and the granola comes out sticky rather than crisp.

This is one of those details you only get from watching him make it. The cookbook just says “sprinkle with a pinch of salt” without explaining why. The video gives you the reasoning, and the difference it makes is noticeable from the first batch.

Why does Ramsay add the berries after baking?

Goji berries and dried cranberries would burn and turn bitter in a 180C oven for 30 minutes. Ramsay stirs them in after baking while the granola is still slightly warm, so they soften just enough to stick without losing their chewy texture.

This also means you can swap the fruit depending on what you have. He says in Ultimate Home Cooking that you can add “any dried fruit you like,” so dried apricots, raisins or chopped dates all work. The cranberries and goji berries give the best colour though.

How does the Bread Street Kitchen granola differ from this one?

The BSK version uses a triple sweetener. Maple syrup, golden syrup and honey are mixed together instead of just honey. It also adds ground cinnamon and sesame seeds, which this version does not, and finishes with desiccated coconut toasted in the last 5-10 minutes of baking.

The oven temperature is higher too, at 200C compared to 180C here, which gives a darker colour faster. BSK serves theirs with plain yoghurt and chopped pears and plums, and the batch lasts up to two weeks in an airtight container. Both versions work, though I prefer the UHC vanilla version for everyday breakfast.

Does Gordon Ramsay have a granola bar recipe?

In Ultimate Fit Food, he has Seed and Nut Granola Bars made from a completely different method. Instead of baking oats with honey, he blends dates into a smooth paste with nut butter and coconut oil. He folds in oats, almonds, Brazil nuts and seeds, then presses the mixture into a tin and chills it. No oven needed.

Those bars are designed for his marathon training as portable fuel, alongside recipes like his Fit Food sweet potato mash. You can also use this baked granola in other recipes, like Ramsay’s pear and granola muffins from the same cookbook, where it goes on top before baking for a crunchy lid.

How long does homemade granola keep?

The Bread Street Kitchen recipe says up to two weeks in an airtight container, and I find the same is true for this version. The key is making sure the granola is completely cold before you seal it, because any trapped warmth creates condensation that turns it soft.

Glass jars work better than plastic containers because they seal tighter. If it does go a bit soft after a week, spread it on a baking tray and refresh in the oven at 150C for 5 minutes, then cool again before storing. For mornings when you want something hot instead, Ramsay’s eggy bread from the same cookbook takes five minutes.