Muesli

Muesli cereal is one of my favorite breakfasts, and it’s quick and easy to make in your own kitchen! This muesli recipe is a healthy and inexpensive alternative to store bought cereals.

I’ve always had a bit of a cereal addiction. I find it to be a great comfort food, no matter what time of day. In fact, I love it so much that I had to stop buying it!

I’ve recently come up with a way to bring cereal back into my life in a healthy way: homemade muesli. I love how all the ingredients are fresh and not processed. I feel good about eating it.

This recipe is very forgiving and adaptable. I typically use sunflower seeds, but pumpkin seeds would work perfectly (try using both!). You can get additional fiber by adding a tablespoon of flax seed.

My favorite dried fruits to use are cherries and dates, but raisins also work perfectly well. The entire recipe is very customizable; use what you have and use what you love. Almost any nuts will work (though I do recommend toasting them briefly for best flavor and texture).

I added cinnamon to mine, but you could have some fun with the spices as well. Why not try a bit of pumpkin pie spice? Or even better, a chai spice blend?

What is Muesli? 

Essentially, muesli is a homemade cereal based on oats, fruit and nuts. It was invented by a Swiss doctor named Maximillian Bircher-Brenner in the late 1800’s (he was also the creator of bircher muesli, or overnight oats). Muesli has been a popular breakfast in Europe for years, and it’s slowly becoming more well-known in the US. 

Homemade Muesli Ingredients

For this muesli cereal recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients: 

• Old-fashioned rolled oats
• Toasted chopped nuts
• Dried fruit
• Flax or shelled sunflower seeds
• Ground cinnamon

How to Make Muesli From Scratch

Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Leftovers will stay fresh for up to three months if kept at room temperature in an air-tight container. Note that over time the nuts may become slightly stale, but it’s still safe to eat. 

Ways to Enjoy Muesli

To enjoy this muesli “raw,” mix it with milk or yogurt and let it chill in this fridge overnight. If you’d prefer to follow a printable recipe, I suggest starting with my simple overnight oats recipe. Once you know the liquid-to-muesli ratio you like, you can play around with the mix-ins and toppings! 

You can also cook muesli like you’d cook oatmeal (1 part muesli to 2 parts milk or water). Or keep things super simple and just pour milk over your homemade muesli cereal and dig in.

If you want to keep your breakfast totally homemade, try your hand at making homemade almond milk, coconut milk, or soy milk. Homemade non-dairy milks are easier to make than you’d think! 

Tips for the Best Muesli 

• If desired, you can toast both the oats and the nuts together. Oats can be enjoyed raw, but toasting them adds a subtle nutty flavor to them and changes the texture ever so slightly.
• Depending on the type of dried fruit you add to your muesli cereal, you may need to chop it so it’s easier to eat. For example, dried dates, apples, and mango need to be chopped into bite-sized pieces otherwise you won’t be able to spoon them up.
• Steel cut and instant oats won’t work for this recipe. They’re not the right texture and would be tough to eat. 

Looking for more healthy breakfast recipes?

You might also enjoy my pumpkin granola with pecans and berries, banana millet breakfast porridge, baked oatmeal cups, acai berry smoothie bowl, and tahini date pistachio granola.