Homemade Muesli Recipe
Homemade Muesli is a healthy breakfast cereal with whole grains plus your choice of dried fruit, nuts, and seeds. I like to toast some of the ingredients for extra crunch and flavour, but that’s entirely optional. Stored in an airtight container, Homemade Muesli will keep for several months. Perfect for a quick, nutritious breakfast served with milk or yogurt, plus fresh fruit if liked.
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The huge number of supermarket shelves dedicated to breakfast cereals never fail to amaze me. However, it’s an aisle I rarely go down. Many, or perhaps most, I would class as ultra-processed foods which have been linked to ill health. Lots are also loaded with added sugar. So I stick to porridge on colder days and muesli in the warmer months. But I don’t buy my muesli. Because it’s so easy to make at home, and exactly to my own tastes.
WHAT IS MUESLI?
Muesli is simply a mix of whole grain flakes (most often rolled oats), dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. It’s often referred to as a raw cereal but that isn’t entirely correct. Grains such as oats are steamed before being flattened between rollers, hence the name rolled oats. Other than that though, the ingredients have undergone only minimal processing e.g. drying. I like to toast some of my ingredients, but that’s entirely optional.
For me, muesli is probably the best choice when I want a super-quick, healthy breakfast. I simply pour over milk or add a dollop of yogurt. Sometimes, I’ll have both. Some people (not me as it’s too sweet) replace the milk or yogurt with fruit juice. What I do love though is some fresh fruit with my muesli. Berries like strawberries or blueberries, some sliced banana, or grated apple are all favourites.
You’ve probably heard of the modern trend for overnight oats. Well, they’re actually more like how the original Swiss dish (later developed into Bircher muesli, then simply muesli) would have been served. If you want to do the same, then stir in the milk and/or yogurt the night before, cover, and leave in the fridge. This may help to make the grains more digestible, if that’s important for you, as does a brief 5 – 10 minute soak in the morning.
AS-YOU-LIKE-IT HOMEMADE MUESLI
The really great thing about Homemade Muesli is that you can add whatever ingredients you like. From choosing different grains, to varying the nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, you can dream up a whole range of different mueslis. You can also vary the ratios. Want to keep sugar to a minimum? Reduce the amount of dried fruit and replace with more grains, nuts or seeds. Prefer lower fat? Swap in more grains or fruit for the nuts and seeds.
My muesli contains approximately 60% grains and 40% fruit, nuts and seeds. This is heavier on the add-ins than many you’ll find, but it’s how I like it. Besides, stick to the recommended serving size of 45 grams and a bowl of my muesli is still well within the recommended daily allowances for dried fruit, nuts, and seeds.
I calculated the calories for my muesli with the ingredients below and it was 180 per portion. The whole grains will give slow-release energy as well as fibre, keeping you fuller for longer. Add to that the vitamins and fibre of fresh fruit and you have satisfying and easy breakfast.
MY HOMEMADE MUESLI
I suggest you use the recipe card at the end of this post to make your first batch of Homemade Muesli. See how you like it, then adjust to your own taste. I make up a 500 gram batch which is enough for approximately 11 servings.
GRAINS
My muesli base is 200 grams of rolled oats plus 100 grams of rye, barley, or wheat flakes. The rye, barley, and wheat will have been minimally processed in the same way as the oats and you’ll find them in wholefood/health shops or online.
For the muesli you see in this post, I’ve used oats and rye flakes. By the way, make sure your oats are rolled (sometime labelled ‘jumbo’) and not porridge oats. Porridge oats are too fine and powdery for making muesli.
DRIED FRUIT
For the 100 grams of dried fruit in this batch, I added 25 grams each of raisins, sultanas, chopped apricots, and cranberries.
Alternatives include dates, figs, pineapple, cherry, goji berries or virtually any other dried fruit you like. To keep the sugar content down, try to stick to unsweetened versions.
NUTS & SEEDS
For my 100 grams of nuts and seeds I’ve included 15 grams each of chopped Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and flaked almonds, 10 grams each of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds (a combination of black and white) plus 25 grams of coconut shavings.
Apart from loving the flavour of coconut, I like the way that the shavings (as opposed to desiccated) give satisfying chewiness. Other good choices are walnuts, pecans, cashews, hemp hearts, and chia seeds.
Together these ingredients provide, per 45 gram portion, 27 grams of cereal plus 9 grams of dried fruit and 9 grams of nuts and seeds. As recommended daily servings of dried fruit and nuts/seeds are 30 grams each, I hope you can see that a delicious muesli with generous amounts of add-ins needn’t fall into the ‘unhealthy’ category.
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, you could simply stir them together. But I prefer the extra flavour and lightly crispy texture brought by toasting the cereals, nuts and seeds in the oven. It’s hardly any extra work, so give it a go and see what you think.
TOASTED HOMEMADE MUESLI
As the cereal flakes will take a little longer to toast than the nuts and seeds, I put these in the preheated oven first. I line my biggest roasting tray with baking paper as this makes it easier to cool and manoeuvre later. Over the base, I spread out the oats and (in this case) rye flakes. These will take around 15 minutes to get lightly toasted. For even doneness, I stir and turn them two or three times during this period.
Next, you stir in the nuts and seeds. Pop back in the oven and give them another 3 – 5 minutes, stirring just once. NOTE: if you include coconut then add for final 2 – 3 minutes only as it can burn very easily.
When everything’s done to your liking, lift out the baking paper plus its contents and set aside to cool. I put it on a large tray. Once completely cold, stir in the dried fruit and your Homemade Muesli is ready.
Again using the paper to help lift it, I tip the lot into a jar.
STORING HOMEMADE MUESLI
The ‘raw’ and toasted versions of Homemade Muesli keep equally well. Stored in a jar or other airtight container, it’ll keep in a cupboard or pantry for several months if need be. So you could double or even triple my recipe if you like. But I prefer to make a batch that will give me around 11 portions. It’s a manageable amount and I only need one roasting tray to do it. Making this size also means I can change the ingredients more often, so I’ll never get bored.
With wholesome ingredients, satisfying crunch and chew, fruity and nutty, making your own muesli is so easy you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing it for years.
Have you made this recipe? Let me know what you thought and give it a rating below.
Homemade Muesli
A healthy homemade breakfast cereal with whole grain flakes, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds. Serve with milk or yogurt, plus fresh fruit if liked.
Toasting the cereals, nuts and seeds is highly recommended as it gives extra crunch and flavour, but is optional.
This muesli contains approximately 40% dried fruit, nuts and seeds. If preferred, reduce the weight of these and replace with the same weight of rolled oats or other wholegrain flakes.
Ingredients
- 200 g rolled/jumbo oats porridge oats are not suitable
- 100 g rye, barley or wheat flakes, or a mixture
- 100 g mixed dried fruit e.g. sultanas, raisins, chopped apricots, cranberries, cherries, pineapple, goji berries
- 100 g mixed nuts and seeds e.g. hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, Brazil, pecans, walnuts, coconut shavings, pumpkin, sunflower, chia, sesame seeds, hemp hearts. Roughly chop any large nuts.
To serve
- milk or yogurt
- fresh fruit (optional) e.g. berries, sliced banana, grated apple
Instructions
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If NOT toasting the cereals, nuts and seeds
Tip all the ingredients into a jar or other airtight container and shake well to combine.
If toasting the cereals, nuts and seeds
Preheat the oven to 180°C /160°C fan /Gas 4
Line a large roasting tray with baking paper and add the cereal flakes, in a single layer if possible.
Put in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring and turning 2 or 3 times.
Add the nuts and seeds, toss, and toast for another 3 - 5 minutes, stirring and turning once. Note: coconut shavings can burn very quickly so are best added for the final 2 - 3 minutes only.
Lift the paper containing the toasted cereals and nuts off the roasting tray and set aside to cool.
Stir in the dried fruit, then tip the muesli into a jar or other airtight container.
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Serving
Serve 45 grams of muesli per person and eat with milk and/or yogurt.
Optional: serve with fresh fruit e.g. berries, sliced banana, grated apple.
Overnight muesli: The night before, stir together 45 grams of muesli and 200ml milk or half milk/half yogurt, cover and put in the fridge. In the morning, thin with more milk if necessary. Serve with yogurt and/or fresh fruit if liked.
Storing
Should keep for several months in an airtight container stored in a cupboard or pantry.
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I always make my own muesli mainly (as you say) to tailor it to my taste and to avoid added sugar. I always add ground linseeds to mine (just whizz linseeds in a blender) for extra nutrition. Also sunflower seeds. Then it’s lots of nuts (brazils, roasted hazelnuts and roasted flaked almonds) and the dried fruit is usually cranberries, raisins and apple that I have dehydrated myself. It’s delicious!
Love the sound of your muesli, Sarah! I’ve been thinking about getting a dehydrator and your idea of home dried apples for muesli might mean I finally get around to buying one!