Best Granola – Consumer Reports

Calories: “Even though the oats, nuts, and fruit in granola are good for you on their own, combining them makes for a pretty calorically dense snack or cereal,” Keating says. For instance, Bob’s Red Mill Homestyle Cranberry Almond Granola has 185 calories in ⅓ cup. Raisin Bran, a less dense whole-grain cereal, has 63 calories in ⅓ cup. “A third of a cup of granola is going to look tiny in a cereal bowl, so you may be tempted to pour in more,” Keating says. “That’s why using it as a topping on fruit or yogurt instead is a good idea.”

Added sugars: The American Heart Association recommends that women get no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugars per day and men no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams). A serving of a sugary granola can account for a lot of that. Five granolas we tested had 2 teaspoons (8 grams) or more of added sugars in one-third cup. Many had coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup, which aren’t any better for you than regular sugar.

Fortunately, our panel of trained testers found that you don’t need much of the sweet stuff to get a great-tasting granola. The one with the highest taste score—Early Bird Farmhand’s Choice Granola—has 5 grams of added sugars. Some of our recommended products have even less. For example, Cascadian Farm Organic No Added Sugar Blueberry Vanilla Granola has, as its name says, no added sugar at all, and Back Roads Original Granola has just 3 grams per serving.

Saturated fat: The fats in many granolas are healthy, but granolas with a lot of coconut oil or coconut can be high in unhealthy saturated fat. For example, Paleonola Grain Free Cinnamon Blueberry Granola has 10.5 grams in ⅓ cup.

Coconut oil is often touted as healthier, but the evidence is thin. “If someone has high cholesterol, it would be good to be careful about coconut because of its saturated fat,” says Kelly Morrow, RDN, an affiliate instructor at the Osher Center for the Integrative Health Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington. A case in point: A 2020 review article published in the journal Circulation found that compared with oils rich in healthy fats, coconut oil increased LDL cholesterol by more than 10 points, on average.

Unwanted additives: Some companies bump up the fiber content of their granolas with ingredients like chicory root. But it’s unclear if such added fiber has the same benefits as fiber from whole food. You may also see no-calorie sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit, especially in low-sugar granolas. Research has raised concerns about the health effects of sugar alternatives, so consider limiting consumption.

Grain-free granola: Those with nuts, nut butter, seeds, and often coconut—but no oats or other grains—are increasingly popular, especially among people who follow low-carb diets. That doesn’t always make them the best choice. While some ingredients are rich in healthy fats, the grain-free granolas we tested were among the highest in saturated fat due to coconut oil or coconut. “And there’s no reason to avoid granola with whole grains,” Keating says. “It’s well established that whole grains help protect against heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses.” But if you want a grain-free option, Purely Elizabeth Grain Free Vanilla Almond Butter Granola meets our saturated fat (and added sugar) guidelines and is one of our top picks.