The Rule-Breaking Hotel Breakfast Recipe I Now Always Make at Home (2024)

• Recipes
• Breakfast

updated May 29, 2019

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At Kitchn, our editors develop and debut brand-new recipes on the site every single week. But at home, we also have our own tried-and-true dishes that we make over and over again — because quite simply? We love them. And we decided to start sharing some of our absolute favorites with you. Here’s a peek into what we’re cooking and eating in our own kitchens.

A year-and-a-half ago, my life changed forever. Oh, sure, I got married and moved to a new city 600 miles away — but that’s not what I am referring to. I’m talking about a weekend getaway my husband and I took to a nice little hotel where I ate the best granola of my life.

And I know what you’re thinking: Granola is … granola. And I thought so too, until I tasted this version. It breaks all the rules: It’s soft and chewy rather than crispy, eschews oats completely, and is so good you could eat it straight out of hand. Here’s the thing: I go to bed thinking about this granola and wake up excited knowing that I get to eat it. Maybe that’s a little crazy, yes, but you might not think so after you try this granola yourself.

Why I’m Obsessed with This Granola

This brilliant granola is the brainchild of the Durham Hotel in Durham, North Carolina. It’s a wonderful boutique-y spot full of charming details such as locally-made chocolate left on your pillow and a coffee bean menu that you select from to receive freshly ground coffee in the morning. It’s the complimentary breakfast, though, that won me over.

The choices are simple but well-executed. There are some wonderful house-baked muffins and scones, perfectly-boiled eggs, and glass jars of tangy yogurt and (of course) this granola. This granola isn’t just any granola, though. The first time I went in for a spoonful, I was actually really surprised. There were no oats and it wasn’t crunchy. Instead, it’s sticky and soft, filled with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and millet — which makes it look a bit like bird food, but birds only wish they could eat this well. All these good things are held together with honey, so the granola clumps rather than crumbles. It tastes both decadent and wholesome at the same time. In short, it’s perfect — it’s the best granola I’ve ever had.

An Easy, Adaptable Recipe That Challenges Breakfast Rules

I couldn’t stop thinking about the hotel’s granola after I left. So I reached out and kindly begged for the recipe. Now I’ve been baking it at home ever since.

You’ll start by heating a bit of olive oil in a skillet, adding millet, and sautéing it until it’s toasted and fragrant — this boosts both the flavor and texture of the granola. Then you’ll transfer the toasted millet to a large bowl and add chopped almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried apricots, chia seeds, ground flaxseed, and sesame seeds. You’ll toss everything together with honey and a bit of melted butter, spread the mixture out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and bake it. After 20 minutes, you’ll drizzle a little more honey on top, give it a stir, and bake for 10 minutes more.

Like all granola recipes, this one is fun to play around with. I usually ditch the chia seeds and use more sesame seeds because I am not a huge fan of their gummy texture. I also have been swapping olive oil for the butter with no trouble. There’s definitely no reason to simply stick with almonds and dried apricots, either. I love opting for nuts like pecans and walnuts or dried fruit like figs and cherries instead. Even the honey can be replaced with another liquid sweetener. I recently swapped it with date syrup and I plan to make a batch with maple syrup next.

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