Bircher Muesli

Bircher muesli is a great way to start the day, just like stovetop oatmeal, oil-free homemade granola, and oat flour muffins.

This is an excellent recipe for meal prep, like our chickpea frittata muffins, vegan banana bread, and vegan apple muffins, to have ready for a quick and healthy breakfast.

And like our vegan breakfast burrito, granola bars, and easy oat cookies, it keeps you satiated until lunch without needing a mid-morning snack.

You can make Bircher Muesli, Birchermüesli in Swiss German, with rolled oats soaked overnight in milk, then mixed with grated or chopped apple and chopped nuts.

A Swiss doctor, Maximilian Bircher-Benner, developed this raw oatmeal recipe in the early 1900s as a healthy dinner appetizer for his patients who consumed too many calories.

Being fulfilling and low-calorie, the muesli made the diners feel satiated, so they ate less of the actual dinner, losing excess weight and improving their health.

Since the meal was tasty and versatile, it quickly became a popular breakfast known simply as muesli.

In our version of Bircher Muesli, we replace condensed milk used in the original recipe (they used condensed milk back then because it was safer than regular milk) with non-dairy milk such as almond, oat, or soy milk.

The recipe is naturally sweetened without added sugar, so it is not as sweet as other breakfast recipes, such as vegan pancakes, French toast, or cinnamon rolls.

If you are switching from Honey Nut Cheerios, which are coated in added sugar and have a whopping 12 grams of sugar per 37-gram serving, you might need to add a drizzle of maple syrup or honey to get used to Bircher’s muesli’s natural flavor.

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Rolled oats

Also known as old-fashioned oats, they are ideal for this recipe because they soak the milk and become soft overnight. They also keep you satiated for several hours.

You can substitute other types of oats for rolled oats. However, we tried quick oats, and while the recipe works, we think they become too mushy when soaked overnight and won’t keep you as satiated.

For gluten-free Bircher Muesli, use certified gluten-free oats.

Steel cut oats won’t work for this recipe.

Milk

We use almond milk to soak the oats overnight.

You can substitute soy milk, pea milk, oat milk, or any other milk or plant-based milk for almond milk.

Coconut milk and cream work, too; however, it’ll increase the saturated fat content of the recipe.

You can even soak the oats overnight in apple juice, orange juice, applesauce, or any other fruit juice.

Raisins

They are added as a natural sweetener.

Substitute dried cherries, dried cranberries (less sweet), date pieces (sweeter), or other dried fruits such as figs or apricots for raisins.

Almonds

The original recipe calls for toasted almonds, chopped and added on top before serving to add protein and healthy fats.

Substitute hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or any other chopped nuts for almonds.

You can also add ground flax seeds, flaked almonds, hemp seeds, shredded coconut, and ground chia seeds to increase the nutritional content of the Bircher muesli.

Apples

Apples are a crucial ingredient here. Use green apples for a less sweet taste or red apples for a sweeter flavor.

Substitute any other fresh fruit for fresh apple.

For example, try bananas, peaches, apricots, figs, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. You can also combine one or more fruits.

Frozen fruit is best if reheated in a sauce pan or microwave.

Lemon juice

We made this optional because it makes the muesli a little too sour for our taste, and we then have to balance the flavor with maple syrup.

Originally, lemon juice was added to prevent the apple from browning, but if you add the apple last and eat it immediately, you don’t need lemon juice.

Also, lemon juice was added to increase the bio-availability of nutrients in the oats, although I’m not sure if that’s scientifically sound.

So basically, I’m saying that we eat our bircher muesli without lemon juice.

Sweetener

Optional: based on your taste, you can add a little maple syrup, agave syrup, cinnamon, a drizzle of honey, or any other sweetener.

This is especially true if your apples are not very sweet or if you add lemon juice.

You can also add your favorite nut butter, such as almond butter or peanut butter, and dark chocolate as extra toppings.

US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

To a large bowl, add rolled oats, milk, and raisins.

Stir, then cover with a plate and let it rest in the fridge overnight.

The following day,  stir the mixture with a spoon, then add 1/3 of the overnight oats to a breakfast bowl. That’s about one portion.

Tip: If you’re not used to eating cold things from the fridge for breakfast, you can safely heat the oats in the microwave for 1 minute.

Grate a whole apple with the large holes of a box grater and add it to the oats.

Optionally, add lemon juice and maple syrup.

Note: the original recipe calls for one grated apple per serving of muesli, and we love it with these quantities. However, you can use half if one apple is too much.

Mix well with a spoon until the grated apple and oats are well combined, then top with chopped toasted almonds.

Although this Swiss oatmeal recipe is simple, it’s also tasty, fiber-rich, and satiating.

The sweetness and freshness of the grated apple perfectly match the creamy texture of the oats soaked in almond milk—an easy breakfast packed with fresh flavor and crunch.

Loaded Bircher Muesli

An indulgent variation is a banana, peanut butter, flax seeds, chia seeds, toasted almonds, and a few pieces of dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips.

This one is great if you want to boost your protein intake, for instance, before or after a workout. It’ll fill you up for several hours!

Bircher Muesli with Berries

This Swiss bircher muesli is delicious with berries as well.

Use the basic recipe, and add fresh berries or fruit compote on top. Drizzle with hemp seeds or walnuts for added healthy fats and protein.

Add a dollop of Greek yogurt to your muesli for extra creaminess; it pairs well with fruits and compote.

Make ahead: Bircher muesli is a great recipe for meal prep. You can either make the portions you need the night before or make more for example on Sunday night and keep them in the refrigerator (before adding the apple and the toppings) for 3 to 4 days.

Refrigerator: You can keep the rolled oats soaking in the fridge (before adding the apple) for 3 – 4 days.

Freezing: Muesli is not suitable for freezing.

If you love to cook with oats, take a peek at these oat-packed recipes:

• Easy oat cookies with raisins
• Healthy granola bar with peanut butter
• Muffins with oat flour
• Granola served on yogurt
• Oatmeal pancakes with fruit compote
• Oat flour tart with blueberries

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