The Best Homemade Muesli (Gluten Free & Vegan!)

The Best Homemade Muesli – The original overnight oats! Think of muesli as overnight oats’ gorgeous cousin. This delicious breakfast is lower in sugar, lower in fat, and is the perfect base for all kinds of toppings! (Gluten Free & Vegan)

Are you on the overnight oats train? If you like overnight oats, you’d LOVE muesli.

It’s basically uncooked granola. Think rolled oats (I use gluten free ones), paired with a hearty mix of nuts and seeds and plenty of dried fruit. Finish things off with a tiny pinch of salt and some cinnamon and you’ve got my favorite homemade muesli.

There are so many reasons to love muesli as breakfast. A few of my favorites are:

• It’s FAST. No cooking or baking, minimal mixing, and you can eat it in just a few minutes.
• It’s VERSATILE. I use a basic formula and can mix and match nuts and fruits to make different flavor combinations.
• It’s EASY. No special techniques, no fancy skills required. Plus, if you’ve got a jar in your pantry, you can have breakfast done in a flash.
• It’s HEALTHY. I *love* granola, but I love that muesli gets its added fats from nuts and seeds rather than oils, and doesn’t use any kind of sweetener (like syrup or honey). It gets the sweetness from dried fruit and any toppings you put on top.

It really is as easy as just tossing together a few of your favorite ingredients in a bowl and giving everything a quick mix. Then you can store it in a jar, bag, or airtight container in the pantry for a few weeks and enjoy it a bit at a time.

Muesli is traditionally served soaked in milk or water, or mixed with yogurt. You can make this a protein-packed breakfast by mixing it into some Greek yogurt, or you can swap in your favorite dairy free yogurt for a vegan version (So Delicious coconut milk yogurt is my favorite–I like the unsweetened vanilla).

My favorite way to eat it is overnight oats style–with a little almond milk. This soaks up the liquid in just 15 minutes or so (enough time for me to get the kids breakfast done, empty the dishwasher, or cut up some fresh fruit to top it with), but you can also pack it in a jar or bowl in the fridge overnight (which I often do).

Don’t hesitate to play around with different flavor combinations! And enjoy this delicious, cool, healthy breakfast.

Notes on this Homemade Muesli

The Best Way to Store It – The big thing here is to minimize air exposure, so you want something airtight. I love these containers for my pantry, or a good jar will do the job! If you don’t think you’ll get through it in a week or two, you may want to store it in the fridge to keep everything fresh. Refrigerated, it’ll easily last a month or more.

Serve It – You can serve this “soaked” with milk (I like almond milk) or yogurt. Yogurt is definitely more substantial, but I prefer milk. You do what you love best! Beyond the milk/yogurt decision, you can eat it “plain” or top it with all kinds of fresh fruit. It’s as pretty as it is delicious!

Gluten Free Notes – Oats themselves are naturally gluten free, but farming and processing practices often lead to cross-contamination. If you’re gluten free, you’ll want to be sure to buy certified gluten free oats. I like Bob’s Red Mill, Thrive (best price!), or Trader Joe’s brands.

Mix & Match – You really can use any combination of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit that you like. I prefer to use at least 2-3 kinds of nuts/seeds and 2-3 kinds of dried fruit. My favorite combination is listed in the recipe card, but here are a few other ideas to experiment with…

• Nuts – Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, cashews
• Seeds – sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, even chia seeds
• Fruits – Dried apples, cherries, apricots, raisins, dried cranberries, dried pineapple, dried mango, etc.

More Tasty Breakfast Ideas to Try…

• 7 Ways with Overnight Oats
• Easy Paleo Mini Quiche
• Blender Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes
• Overnight Oatmeal Waffles
• How to Make Acai Bowls

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