We Style-Examined 28 Manufacturers of Granola—Right here Are Our Favorites

Like lots of my colleagues, I’m fairly critical about my granola consumption. On weekends, once I can totally commit to creating a batch of do-it-yourself granola, I sit up for inhaling its toasted, caramelized, nutty aroma because it bakes, then digging right into a recent, still-warm bowl. After I plow by way of my granola stash quicker than I could make it, although, I attain for the store-bought stuff. The query is: Which granola is value shopping for?

To seek out the easiest store-bought granola, our editors sampled 28 completely different manufacturers that you simply’re more likely to discover at your native grocery retailer or on-line. We caught to oat-based granolas flavored with honey, maple, and/or vanilla, and people marketed as authentic or traditional. We allowed easy inclusions, resembling nuts and dried fruit. We poured every into bowls, then sampled them in random order with out figuring out which model was which. After crunching our approach by way of 28 completely different granolas, we tabulated the outcomes and topped an general winner, in addition to three worthy contenders that we might be pleased to eat at breakfast or atop a scoop of ice cream.

The Standards

Nice granola needs to be crispy and hearty. It ought to have bite-size items which are pleasantly crunchy however not onerous or giant sufficient to interrupt your enamel. It needs to be properly toasted however not burnt or acrid. Although a contact of sweetness is welcome, it shouldn’t be cloying, and there needs to be simply sufficient salt to spherical it out. Retailer-bought granola would not should style freshly baked, however it should not style dusty or stale.

General Winner

Tom’s Excellent 10 Traditional

This New York–made granola fully gained over our editors. “That is an precise granola I would eat,” our editorial director, Daniel, wrote after biting right into a “good fruity chunk.” Genevieve, our senior editor, liked the dried cherries and the granola’s balanced taste. Most of our editors agreed that this granola had the correct amount of crunch and chew. Jessie, our visuals editor, loved the granola’s “sticky-ish” texture and would suggest it to followers of dried prunes. I liked this granola a lot—each for its chewy fruit clusters and salty-sweetness—that after the style take a look at, I snuck the bag house earlier than anybody else might declare it.

Runners-Up

• Michele’s Unique Granola
• Nature Valley Granola
• Early Chook Farmhand’s Alternative Granola
• Jessica’s Vanilla-Maple Granola

Although not one of the different granolas had been deemed fairly as scrumptious as our winner, our editors loved just a few different manufacturers they’d be pleased to scatter atop their yogurt as effectively.

Everybody praised the feel of Michele’s Unique Granola. Genevieve loved its “appropriately-sized morsels” and “good crunch.” Jessie thought it was “evenly candy, with a very good quantity of nuts.” Although a few of our tasters thought the granola’s sweetness was one-dimensional, they appreciated that it wasn’t cloyingly candy. Daniel put an answer in easy phrases: “This wants salt.” (You, too, can add a pinch of salt to your granola.)

Kelli, our senior social editor, instantly clocked Nature Valley Granola as a result of it tasted like a carbon copy of the model’s Oats ‘N Honey Granola Bars. Like Kelli, I used to be a giant fan of these snacks in my center faculty lunchbox and totally loved this granola. Daniel appreciated the graham cracker–like taste of the granola and mentioned he would fortunately eat a field or two. Nonetheless, a few of our editors, together with Genevieve, thought the chunks had been too huge and would have most popular a barely looser texture.

Daniel was head over heels for Early Chook Farmhand’s Alternative Granola. “That is textbook good granola,” he wrote. “Practically good, crisp, not soggy, not big clusters.” Our affiliate editorial director, Megan, appropriately recognized this as Early Chook and named it her general winner, praising its saltiness, nuts, seeds, and crunch. Likewise, Genevieve applauded its “satisfyingly crunchy” texture and appreciated that “it would not break your enamel,” and particularly liked the fantastically toasted pecans. Some editors, together with Jessie and I, thought it was a contact too salty, however agreed it will pair effectively with yogurt and fruit. Amanda, our affiliate visuals director, loved this one as effectively, however wished “it was clumpy as an alternative of particular person items.”

Jessica’s Vanilla Maple Granola was a high scorer and the highest-scoring vanilla-flavored entry. Megan appreciated its “huge chunks,” whereas Genevieve thought the clusters may very well be crunchier. The flavour itself divided our editors. Some loved the cinnamon and honey, whereas others discovered the vanilla and maple notes overly synthetic.

The Contenders

• 365 by Complete Meals Maple & Almond Butter Granola
• 365 by Complete Meals Oat & Honey Granola
• Aurora Pure Nut & Honey Granola
• Aurora Pure Vanilla Crunch Granola
• Again Roads Natural Unique Granola
• Bear Bare Vanilla Almond Crisp Granola
• BOLA Granola Unique
• Bob’s Pink Mill Honey Oat Granola
• Cascadian Farm Natural Granola, Oats and Honey
• Early Chook Farmhand’s Alternative Granola
• Large Granola Vanilla Almond
• Good & Collect Honey Almond Vanilla Granola
• Grandy Organics Honey Nut Granola
• Honey Bunches of Oats Honey Roasted Granola
• Jessica’s Vanilla Maple Granola
• Kelly’s 4 Plus Honey Maple Granola
• KIND Oats & Honey Granola
• Michele’s Unique Granola
• Pure Vert Vegan Unique Crispy Granola
• Nature Valley Oats & Honey Protein Granola
• Nature’s Path Honey Almond Granola
• Nature’s Path Pumpkin Seed + Flax Granola
• Nature’s Promise Vanilla Maple Granola
• Purely Elizabeth Unique Historic Grain Granola
• Quaker Oats Honey & Almonds Granola
• ShopRite Oats and Honey Granola
• Tom’s Excellent 10 Traditional Granola
• True North Maple Vanilla Granola

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

All the granolas we tasted have oats as the primary ingredient and a few added sweetener; many additionally contained oil, nuts and/or seeds, and heat spices. Some granolas comprise preservatives resembling tocopherol, a type of vitamin E used to keep up freshness.

Many of the granolas we tasted use sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey as sweeteners. In some granolas, this sweetness got here throughout properly and was balanced with an applicable quantity of salt. Usually, our editors most popular granolas made with brown sugar, which gave the granola caramel notes and a wealthy depth of taste. Our winner, Tom’s Excellent 10 Traditional, is sweetened with a mix of darkish brown sugar, maple syrup, and honey.

Our Testing Methodology

All style assessments are carried out with manufacturers fully hidden and with out dialogue. Tasters style samples in random order. For instance, taster A could style pattern one first, whereas taster B will style pattern six first. That is to forestall palate fatigue from unfairly giving anyone pattern a bonus. Tasters are requested to fill out tasting sheets, rating the samples based on varied standards. All information is tabulated, and outcomes are calculated with no editorial enter to supply probably the most neutral illustration of precise outcomes doable.