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?
asked Jul 22, 2010 at 17:42
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6 Answers
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.
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I stayed at a place once, helping out in the kitchen. They had a huge bin of granola in the dry storage room that lasted for weeks. This was in the middle of the desert though, so perhaps humidity will cause it to spoil faster.– CarmiJul 22, 2010 at 18:22
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.
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.
answered Jul 22, 2010 at 18:45
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.
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For what length of time do you typically keep your granola? I'm having trouble finding guidelines for how long it's okay to keep it at room temperature. Tx for the recipe link. Jul 23, 2010 at 1:23
I make the paleo version of granola which contains no cereals, just nuts, coconut, dried fruit and honey and olive oil. I keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. I make quite a large amount and as I am the only one that eats it, it lasts me quite a while. I have never tried freezing it and have never had any go off. I am not sure how long it would last, or if it would go off
@galacticcowboy has good recommendation. Just to add to that, the fridge is the last option in my experience because of condensation which stays liquid. Do think about moisture condensing out when you chill/freeze which is always bad for dry foods in storage.
I prefer to break a large amount into smaller quantities and put them into individual sealed bags or air-tight containers, fill them as fully as you can to reduce air (which will have moisture and in most cases dew point above freeze temperature). Small bags are helpful because when you taken them out from the freeze (or fridge), the contents are cold and moisture in the air will want to condense on it. So, small full bags, sealed, freeze would be my suggestion.
