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Homemade lemon poppyseed granola is sweet and crunchy with rich lemon flavor and floral poppyseeds. The secret is the homemade lemon syrup, which ties it all together. Great for serving on yogurt or even ice cream!

white bowl with yogurt, lemon poppyseed granola, and poppyseeds next to lemons and sliced lemons.

If you love everything lemon poppyseed, try this moist Lemon Poppyseed Muffins with homemade lemon glaze. SO GOOD!

Ingredients

Rolled oats
Lemon simple syrup – After much testing, I found that you get the richest, strongest lemon flavor by sweetening the granola with homemade lemon simple syrup. Zest dries out too much and can become bitter and juice disappears. This easy infusion of lemon juice, zest, sugar, and water is the only sweetener here and source of that lemon flavor!
Melted coconut oil
Coconut shreds (sweetened or unsweetened depending on your preference)
Sliced almonds
Kosher salt
Poppyseeds

white bowl with yogurt, homemade lemon poppyseed granola, and dried lemon slices surrounded by lemons, a bowl of poppyseeds, and extra granola.

How to Make Lemon Poppyseed Granola

First, start by making the lemon simple syrup (basically juice and zest 2 lemons and add enough water until you have 1 cup of liquid. Add 1 cup of sugar and heat in a saucepan until the sugar crystals dissolve. Cool to room temperature to let the flavors infuse. No need to strain out the zest!)
Preheat the oven to 275F and line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients with the melted coconut oil and lemon syrup. Stir until fully coated.
Transfer the mixture to the baking sheet and spread it evenly.
Bake for about 25-40 minutes. You’ll check to check it occasionally to avoid burning the almonds. Rotate the pan and gently fold the granola on the edges towards the middle if they start to catch more color than other parts.
Once the oats are firm to the touch (not soft, no sign of moisture), remove the tray from the oven and allow them to cool completely. They should feel crunchy and firm, not soft. If they are soft, add them back to the oven.
When cooled, the granola can be stored in an airtight container (like a quart mason jar) at room temperature for several weeks!

Storing Suggestions

Granola is shelf-stable and can keep for several weeks when stored in an airtight container. I like to match a batch or two at once and live off those until it’s time to make another batch!

Tips & Variations

Try this recipe with different types of citrus! Orange poppyseed sounds so good.
Adjust the add-ins. No need to use the coconut or almonds if you don’t want to. Maybe try adding cashews or pecans for a different flavor profile and replace the coconut with sunflower seeds.
Please don’t change the sweetener. I often get questions about making recipes without sugar, and although I totally appreciate that, this recipe REQUIRES sugar to make the simple syrup. It’s a key component and cannot necessarily be replaced with other sweeteners without testing.

Greek yogurt with a serving of lemon poppyseed granola with coconut shreds and almond next to fresh lemons and dried lemon slices.

How to Serve

Of course, granola is best served over a bowl of yogurt, perhaps with some fresh blueberries or strawberries.

I also like to eat little nibbles like trail mix, and have a tendency to serve some over a bowl of ice cream with fresh fruits. LOVE this combo!

More Granola Recipes

Granola is the perfect vehicle to let out your creativity! I like to make this Hazelnut Granola with homemade hazelnut butter, and have more homemade granola recipes on the way.

If you made this recipe, please leave a comment or ask a question below! I’d love to hear what you think or troubleshoot any issues.

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