Sunday was one of those rainy and depressing days when everything feels turned around. That’s probably why I made granola at 6 p.m.

But also, I really wanted lemon granola. I’ve been craving it since I finished a bag of Made Fare Co’s lemon blueberry granola. I used to buy a bag every weekend to last me through the week, but then I realized that I could save money by making my own.

The best part about this granola (besides how delicious it is) is how few ingredients it requires. Sometimes granola recipes call for all kinds of things, like aquafaba, brown rice syrup, or myriad ingredients that I don’t have in my kitchen. This granola recipe isn’t much more than oats, lemon zest, honey, and chia seeds. I pretty much always have those on hand.

A key part of this recipe is not touching the granola while it’s in the oven or after it comes out. That might be difficult to do if you’re like me and have low impulse control. But trust me, you’ll be glad you held back. The granola needs time to cool on the sheet before you break it up into clumps. It will be crunchier that way.

I had the granola for breakfast the last couple days with almond milk that I also made on Sunday. I topped it with blueberries, strawberries, and extra chia seeds but feel free to get creative. I bet blackberries or raspberries would also be delicious on top.

Here’s a song that came on in the car on the way to work this morning. It seemed prescient. It also made me forget about bumper-to-bumper traffic for a few minutes.

Lemon Chia Granola

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp chia seeds
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup honey
zest of 1-2 large lemons
splash pure vanilla extract
2 pinches flaky sea salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, and chia seeds. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, honey, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and salt. Pour the wet mixture in the bowl with the oats and mix until the oats are evenly coated.

Spread the oat mixture onto the baking sheet, pressing it down with a spatula so it forms one even layer. Bake sheet in the upper third of the oven for about 20 minutes. Turn the sheet and bake for another three to five minutes, or until the granola is golden brown.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool. Then break the granola into clumps. Store granola in a jar or airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!