I was rummaging through my pantry the other day and noticed that I had way too many half-used bags of dried fruit and nuts, and I knew exactly what I needed to make to use up all those odds and ends. Muesli! What is Muesli? The short answer: muesli is the old-school version of overnight oats. Keep reading below for a more detailed explanation!
What is Muesli?
Muesli is a mixture of rolled oats, nuts, seeds, and fresh or dried fruit that have been soaked in milk, yogurt, or juice. This dish is attributed to a Swiss doctor, Maximilian Bircher-Benner, who fed this refreshing and filling breakfast to the patients in his hospital. For that reason, muesli often goes by the name “Bircher Muesli.”
Muesli vs. Granola
You might be asking yourself, “How is that different from granola??” While they are similar, there are distinct differences between muesli and granola. Muesli is almost like raw granola. You can turn muesli into granola by adding some sweeteners and binders, like honey or brown sugar and oil, then baking it until it becomes deliciously crunchy.
How Do You Eat Muesli?
There are a few different ways you can enjoy muesli. You can add cold milk or yogurt, stir it on up, and let it soak for just a few minutes so the oats are just barely chewy. Or, if you prefer a softer oat, you can let them soak overnight or for up to about four days. And just like the “overnight oats” that have taken the internet by storm over the past decade, muesli is a great way to meal prep your breakfast for the week.
You can also treat your muesli like little homemade instant oatmeal packets. Divide the muesli into ⅓ or ½ cup servings, place in resealable containers, then every morning add about a cup of milk and microwave for a minute or two and you have a hot bowl of oatmeal.
What Kind of Oats are Best for Muesli?
The best type of oat for muesli is, in my opinion, old-fashioned rolled oats. These oats are hearty and have a lot of texture, but still soften fairly quickly when soaked. Quick oats are very thin and delicate and will create a much mushier texture in your muesli. Steel-cut oats are very tough and will need to be soaked for several hours before they soften.
What Else Can You Put in Muesli?
Just like overnight oats, you can add so many different things to your muesli. You can add any type of dried fruit, nut, or seed to the dry mix (stored at room temperature), or once you begin soaking your muesli you can add wet or perishable ingredients, like fresh fruit or maple syrup.
Muesli
Servings 8 ½ cup eachIngredients
- 3 cups dry old-fashioned oats ($0.68)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts* ($0.60)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries* ($0.88)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds* ($0.25)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional) ($0.08)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.05)
Instructions
- Combine the oats, cranberries, walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir until evenly mixed. Store mixture in an air-tight container in a cool dry place until ready to eat.
- To prepare the muesli, combine 1/2 cup muesli with 1/2 cup of cold milk. Let soak for 5 minutes, or up to four days in the refrigerator.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Muesli – Step By Step Photos
Add your oats, fruit, nuts, spices, and sweetener (optional) to a bowl. I used 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, ½ cup chopped walnuts, ½ cup dried cranberries, ¼ cup sunflower seeds, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and ½ tsp cinnamon.
Simply stir the ingredients together and now it’s ready to use!
You can store this mix in an air-tight container at room temperature. It will last just as long as the individual dry ingredients themselves.
To enjoy your muesli, measure ½ cup of the dry muesli mix into a bowl. Pour ½ cup of milk (or more) over top and let sit for about five minutes (or refrigerate overnight for a softer oat).
Enjoy the muesli as is or top with your favorite fresh fruit, maple syrup, or nut butter.
This is good with anything you have on hand. I’ve made it with just oats, milk and sugar and been the happiest camper in the world. This is one of the best times, when “cheap” is not a bad word. Thank you for my new favorite food. :)
THANK YOU – this has finally gotten me off my sugared breakfast cereal kick! I use almonds, walnuts, or pecans, and also add dried unsweetened coconut. Plenty of cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg, and a scoop of cocoa powder in with the milk (almond milk, yum!) for flavor. And I add about 1 tbsp ground flaxseed and wheat bran per serving – large boxes are available for about $3 a piece, so it’s smart as well as healthy!
A tip to prepare this easier – add the raisins and oats first, then mix. Otherwise, the raisin stickiness will grab too much of the sugar/spice and it won’t distribute evenly.
I made a batch of this with dried cranberries and it was amazing!! I add a little bit of rice milk to it and…yum! Thanks for the recipe! I love your blog!
I tried raw oats with milk the other day as a desperate measure when I ran out of granola — and found I liked it even better! I was excited to find out that it was actually a real food item and I’m not just weird :) I add a bit of maple syrup and raisins – it’s my new favorite snack. Thanks for posting this!
Just tried this out and I was very satisfied with it. Didn’t add in the walnuts (since I was cheap and didn’t get any XD), but it works out just fine without them. Might pop in some banana when I make it in the morning.
Well, I’ll just go ahead and add cereal to the list of things your blog has convinced me to stop buying in a store. Bread, pizza, croutons, macaroni and cheese, soup cans…
I threw this together last night, but I only had 2 cups of oats and didn’t realize till I was mixing in the sugar and walnuts (skipped the raisins) that I didn’t scale back the rest of the ingredients! So mine is a bit sweeter than it should be, but oh so delicious. I mixed about a quarter cup of yogurt (had a tiny bit to kill) with about a quarter cup of milk and threw in a chopped apple. Now I need to get some blueberries for it. I want more now! Thanks for posting this recipe. I’m tired of my scrambled eggs breakfast routine and never would have thought to make museli even though I’ve had it and love it.
I’ve been making my own oatmeal because using those packets makes me feel so wasteful and it’s much cheaper this way. For the fruit and nuts, it’s a great way to use up extra trail mix. Once I started using trail mixes I realized that hazelnuts and cinnamon in oatmeal is fantastic!
I don’t know why I had never tried this before. I have never been able to make oatmeal the way my mother does, where it’s not sticky and gummy — eating oats like this has it keep a little of its bite, and it’s far less hassle and cleanup than oatmeal! I think I have a new breakfast.
I had no idea this had a name. I’ve been doing it for years only because I’m so lazy. I’d usually just throw it in tupperware overnight in the fridge with some almond, soy, or regular milk and a little vanilla extract and sugar and it’d be all ready when I got up! Sometimes I’d spice it up with cranberries or raisins or cinnamon just before eating. The longer you let it sit, the more porridge-y creamy it gets. Yummo. Thanks for reminding me of this!
I eat this every day, though I use fresh or frozen fruit. Try it with the multigrain cereal from http://www.countrychoicenaturals.com.
Why haven’t I thought of doing this? My hubby eats muesli with yogurt (not soaked, he likes it chewy) every. single. morning. Now I can save a few bucks and customize it for him! You rock. :o)
Posts like this make me wish that I liked the texture of oatmeal. It always smells so good cooked, and so I try it, and yech! But, this is still an awesome idea, and speaks to why making anything with oatmeal yourself (muesli, granola, instant oatmeal) is far better and cheaper!
I have oats with berries, yogurt and nuts almost daily. Had never thought of this..totally trying it!
Even if you add more expensive ingredients it’s still so much cheaper than store bought. I love it! It’s really nice to see actually how cheap it is, thank you :)