Name: Easy Sourdough Discard Granola Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 3 cups Rolled Oats (240g); 1 cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes (60g); ½ cup Raw Pistachios (60g); ⅓ cup Slivered Almonds (40g); ¼ cup Pumpkin Seeds/Pepitas (30g); ¼ cup Chia Seeds (40g); 1 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon; 1 tsp Ground Ginger; ½ tsp Sea Salt; ¼ cup Sourdough Discard (45g, a little less than ¼ cup); ⅓ cup Olive Oil ( 71g); ½ cup Honey (168g); 1 tsp Almond Extract; ¾ cup Dried Apricots (140g); ¼ cup Golden Raisins (40g)

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What is Sourdough Discard?

sourdough discard container — Sourdough Discard in a deli container

Sourdough discard is a portion of your sourdough starter that you remove before feeding a sourdough starter.

You must remove some of your sourdough starter each time you feed it because your sourdough starter will quickly outgrow its container and get too large.

Sometimes sourdough discard is referred to as “sourdough surplus” because it does not need to be wasted as the word “discard” implies. I keep a small plastic deli discard container in my refrigerator that I toss into various discard recipes for an added tang, like waffles or biscuits.

Sourdough discard can be stored in the refrigerator and used within two weeks. However, the longer it sits, the more acidic and sour the discard becomes. So instead, employ it in delicious sourdough discard recipes.

Note: Please refer to my detailed How to Make a Sourdough Starter guide to learn how to make a sourdough starter and maintain it.

Ingredients needed for Sourdough Granola:

This sourdough granola recipe is a pantry granola recipe- use what you have around! Click on the toggles below where I include substitutions below as well.

I think this flavor combination is excellent and unlike any granola. Feel free to mix and match ingredients, but try to match what flavors would go well together. Let me know if you try something new in the comments!

Dry Ingredients:

Oats:

Rolled Oats: Instant oats are thinner and will likely bake too fast for this recipe. If instant oats are all you have, pay attention to the granola as it bakes, and take it out sooner before it gets too brown. For that reason, old-fashioned rolled oats are my go-to for baking.

Coconut Flakes:

Unsweetened Coconut Flakes: Like instant oats, shredded coconut will bake faster than flakes because the shreds are smaller. If you only have sweetened coconut flakes, you can undoubtedly use them, but I would cut down on the sweetener in the recipe slightly.

Nuts:

Raw Pistachios: Shelled, unsalted, and unroasted pistachios are what I used for this recipe. I wouldn’t use roasted or salted nuts in granola as it will be too salty; the nuts roast in the oven as they bake. I think pistachios work best here with the apricots, but you can substitute with another raw nut if that’s what you have.

Slivered almonds: I enjoy having a couple of different nuts in my granola. Blanched, slivered almonds are a nice contrast to the thicker, round, and green pistachios. Once again, you can substitute with another unsalted, raw nut.

Seeds:

Chia seeds: I feel like chia seeds had their moment in the early 2010s, but I’m still a fan! Chia is an easy source of omega-3 and fiber that I like to incorporate into smoothies, so I always have some in my pantry. In this recipe, the chia provides an added slight crunch, and visually, I like the tiny seeds in granola. Don’t have chia? Substitute with poppy seeds, sesame, or flax seeds- something small.

Pumpkin seeds/Pepitas: Like nuts, I prefer granola with a couple of different types of seeds for added color and contrast. I used pumpkin seeds here because I like their crunchy and their green color akin to the pistachios. Sunflower seeds are an easy substitute.

Dried Fruit:

Dried Apricots: Apricots are one of my favorite stone fruits because they’re tart, juicy, and a little tangy. Paired with coconut, it’s an underrated flavor combo! Dried pineapple would also be very yummy here- think piña colada vibes. Substitute with another plump, dried fruit.

Golden Raisins: I’m a raisin person and feel like they should be in every granola, but I know some people aren’t fans. Feel free to substitute with more dried apricots, cherries, dates, or currants.

Spices:

Ginger & Cinnamon: Ginger gives the granola a slight kick and goes well with the apricots and coconut. Cinnamon is always good as the common spice for most granolas. Other warming spices like cardamom, nutmeg, clove, or allspice would also be good. Mix & match!

Salt: Salt is a must in almost all baking recipes. It brings out the flavor of other ingredients and will help the granola not taste too sweet.

Wet Ingredients:

Olive oil:

This olive oil is my preferred oil for granola. As it bakes, the granola takes on a very slightly savory quality and browns everything beautifully. Of course, coconut oil or another neutral oil will work, but olive oil makes granola special!

Honey:

Any liquid sweetener will work for this recipe, but honey harmonizes with all of the other flavors best. Agave would be my second choice and an excellent substitute to make the recipe vegan.

Sourdough Discard:

The sourdough discard acts as a binder in this granola recipe, so you get many granola clusters. I don’t use too much in the recipe, but if your discard is over a couple of weeks old, it might contribute a more tangy flavor to the granola. Use 1-2 egg whites as a sub.

Almond extract:

Vanilla is the obvious granola flavoring and is excellent too. However, almond extract takes this granola to the next level, complementing the apricots and coconut flavors better. Plus, this is pantry granola. So grab that almond extract probably sitting in the back of your pantry that you used for one recipe and use it here!

Overhead of scooping a cup of oats from oat container — Scooping oats from container

Half open pantry bags used for recipe including chia seeds, dried apricots, slivered almonds, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and coconut flakes — Half used pantry bags

Overhead of liquid ingredients including sourdough discard, almond extract, honey, and olive oil — Wet ingredients

Tools needed for Sourdough Granola:

Half-Sheet Pan

Half-sheet pans are a workhorse in the kitchen. Invest in high-quality pans like these from Nordic Ware because they bake evenly, won’t rust, and are incredibly durable. You’ll need one half-sheet pan for this recipe.

Spatula

You only need one silicone spatula for this recipe to mix and spread the granola on the half-sheet pan.

Whisk

To ensure all of the liquid ingredients, especially the sourdough discard, are evenly mixed you’ll need a solid whisk like this one from Oxo.

Large & Small Mixing Bowls

I love bowls. Big, small, metal, wooden, vintage- can’t have enough of them! You will need a large mixing bowl for the dry ingredients and a couple of small mixing bowls for the wet ingredients and dried fruit in this recipe. This set of Vollrath stainless steel bowls is my favorite because they’re flat on the bottom; they don’t wobble when you stir and are dishwasher safe.

Parchment paper or reusable silicone mat

I use these reusable silicone baking mats all the time when baking. They reduce waste, handle high temperatures, and nothing sticks to them. But, of course, parchment paper is also acceptable.

Overhead of measuring cup, mixing bowl, dried apricots, and notepad — Dried apricots and dry ingredients

Sourdough Discard Granola Recipe Guide:

This easy sourdough discard recipe comes together in less than an hour including the 30-minute baking time.

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF

2. Mix the dry ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, combine the following with a spatula:

3 cups (240g) rolled oats
1 cup (60g) unsweetened coconut flakes
½ cup (60g) raw pistachios
⅓ cup (40g) slivered almonds
¼ cup (30g) pumpkin seeds/pepitas
¼ cup (40g) chia seeds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt

Overhead of large mixing bowl with dry ingredients including coconut, oats, chia, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, and almonds — Dry ingredients in mixing bowl

Stirring dry ingredients with spatula in mixing bowl — Dry ingredients in mixing bowl

3. Whisk the wet ingredients

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together:

A little less than ¼ cup (about 45g) sourdough discard
⅓ cup (71g) olive oil
½ cup (168g) honey
1 teaspoon almond extract

Whisk until the wet ingredients are thoroughly combined, and the mixture is thick and somewhat gloopy.

Beginning to whisk liquid ingredients including sourdough discard together in small mixing bowl — Pouring honey into wet ingredients

4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Using a spatula, mix together the wet and dry ingredients until the dry ingredients are coated in the thick goo.

Overhead of large mixing bowl of dry ingredients and smaller mixing bowl of liquid ingredients — Separate dry and liquid ingredients

Mixing bowl with liquid ingredients just poured into dry ingredients before being stirred — Separate dry and liquid ingredients

5. Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet

Dump the mixture onto a prepared half-sheet pan with a reusable silicone mat or parchment paper.

Use the spatula to firmly press the granola mixture into an even, thin layer until the entire baking sheet is covered in granola.

Spatula pouring sourdouogh discard granola onto sheet pan — Pouring granola onto prepared sheet pan

Spatula spreading sourdouogh discard granola on silicone baking mat — Pouring granola onto prepared sheet pan

6. Bake the Sourdough Granola

Place the pan of granola into the preheated 325ºF oven.

Bake for 30 minutes, stirring the granola after 15 minutes so it browns evenly.

Check the granola about five minutes before it’s finished baking to make sure it is not browning too quickly. If so, take it out earlier.

The granola should smell toasty and evenly browned all over.

Unbaked sourdough discard granola on half sheet pan — Unbaked Sourdough Discard Granola on half-sheet pan

Baked sourdough discard granola textures — Unbaked Sourdough Discard Granola on half-sheet pan

Let cool on a wire rack. Do not break apart the granola until it is completely cooled or you will not get big clusters.

7. Chop the dried apricots

While the granola is cooling, roughly chop the dried apricots.

Combine the chopped, dried apricots and golden raisins in a small bowl.

Chopped dried apricots and golden raisins in bowl — Chopped dried apricots and raisins

8. Break up Sourdough Granola and add dried fruit

Once the granola is cooled, break up the granola with your hands or spatula.

Break up the granola clusters as big or small as you’d like!

Hand holding large sourdough discard granola cluster — Large granola cluster

Sourdough discard granola clusters up close — Large granola cluster

On the sheet pan, toss in the dried fruit.

Mix gently to combine and add to a storage container or jar.

Enjoy!

Sourdough Discard Granola clusters in bowl — Granola in serving bowl

Overhead of sourdough discard granola in Weck jar — Granola in serving bowl

How to Store Sourdough Discard Granola

Sourdough discard granola with yogurt — Sourdough Discard Granola with yogurt

This sourdough discard granola can keep a couple of weeks if kept in a cool, airtight container.

I like to store homemade granola in glass jars (like Mason or Weck jars), quart-sized deli containers, or another dry storage container.

If the granola stales, you can reheat it slightly in a toaster oven, which will re-crisp it!

How to Serve Sourdough Granola

This granola is excellent for snacking on its own at any time of the day.

I like to serve this granola with yogurt and a slight drizzle of honey for breakfast or an afternoon snack. I’ve also used it as a healthier cereal option with milk.

Be sure to send me pictures of your sourdough discard granola clusters on Instagram or leave a comment below on how you like to eat your granola if you make this recipe!

Easy Sourdough Discard Granola Recipe in Weck glass jar

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