How to store homemade granola?

Question

I enjoy homemade granola, but my recipe makes quite a bit. Sometimes I use it all quickly, but sometimes not.

What is a reliable storage method? Should it be frozen? Can it just be refrigerated?

Answer 1

Although ours rarely lasts for more than a week, we typically just store it in an airtight container with the rest of the cereal. I would imagine the fat could eventually go rancid, so if you need to store it for weeks or months, either refrigeration or freezing should work. You'll still want the airtight container, however, to prevent any fridge funk from tainting the taste.

Answer 2

It probably depends on what's in your granola. I make large batches of granola and store it in glass or plastic jars and it keeps for at least two months (we usually eat it faster than that, however). It's a pretty dry granola, but I've done this in both dry and humid climates and never had a problem.

I have also read that granola can be frozen successfully.

Answer 3

I made a huge batch of various granola bars for work a while back. Some used sugars (corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, molasses) as the binder; some used butter, flour, or eggs.

I brought them all in, and left them on my desk in ziploc bags until they were gone.

Some of them lasted well over a month, pushing two months (I'm telling you, it was a lot of granola bars) and nobody got sick, and I didn't notice any change in look, smell, or flavor.

Purely anecdotal, but it worked out great for me. If I were going to keep them longer than a month at home, I would probably freeze them - I've frozen granola bars between layers of wax paper in the past and they've thawed back to their original texture.

Answer 4

I store most of my home-made granola in Food Saver canisters. I'm a bit of a FoodSaver junkie. I use it to store almost anything: coffee beans, granola, biscotti, wine ...

I keep a smaller quantity in a zip lock bag. I use that for my daily breakfast / snacks. I have the granola recipe, plus many more on my web site.