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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? Well, it’s a simple, wholesome mix of rolled oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. It’s budget-friendly, endlessly customizable, and a great way to use up those pantry odds and ends. I serve it with milk, yogurt, or even a splash of juice for a hearty breakfast that costs next to nothing.
“This has been my breakfast for the last 6 months since I found the recipe. I add cinnamon. You can’t beat this in terms of convenience and taste!”
Teresa
Recipe Success Tips
- You might be asking yourself, “How is this muesli recipe different from granola??” While they’re similar, there are distinct differences. Muesli is almost like raw granola. You can turn this recipe into granola by adding some sweeteners and binders, like honey or brown sugar and oil, then baking it until it becomes deliciously crunchy.
- 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. Steel-cut oats are very tough and will need to be soaked for several hours before they soften.
- 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 ($1.18)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts ($1.69*)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries ($0.70*)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds ($0.41*)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional, $0.06)
- 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
Combine the ingredients: 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!
Store: You can store this mix in an airtight container at room temperature. It will last just as long as the individual dry ingredients themselves.
To serve, measure ½ cup of the dry muesli mix into a bowl. Pour ½ cup of milk (or more) overtop and let sit for about five minutes (or refrigerate overnight for a softer oat).
Serving Suggestions
There are a few different ways you can enjoy muesli. You can add cold milk, yogurt, or fruit juice, stir it up, and let it soak for 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. Add some fresh fruit, cinnamon, nut butter, a drizzle of homemade simple syrup, or maple syrup, and you’ve got a totally customizable breakfast! I also love adding fruit jam or applesauce.
You can also treat your muesli like little homemade instant oatmeal packets. Divide the mix 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.
Storage & Meal Prepping
Homemade muesli can last for months when stored correctly. I use a clean, dry, airtight container and keep it in a cool, dark place like my pantry or the back of a cupboard. Moisture will shorten its shelf life and cause the ingredients to go stale or spoil, so make sure everything is completely dry before storing.
This recipe is also great for meal prepping. Portion out individual servings into small containers or jars so breakfast is ready to go all week. Just add milk, yogurt, or juice when you’re ready to eat!
I was buying Jordan’s muesli and it costs a fortune where I am from – almost $8 a box- I would wait for a sale. Came across this recipe and was super excited. Recipe did not disappoint- it is very customizable as others have suggested – I added more nuts and raisins and less oatmeal. Thank you for such a great recipe! Next I will need to make the oat milk to go with it! Cheers!
Great job Beth! Delicious, cheap, and easy.
Love it just the way it is but excited to try different mix-ins
Hi…toast the oatmeal in a cast iron or stainless…on top of the stove..you have to put the heat on med and stir it frequently…or you can toast it in the oven..it makes this recipe more flavorful…I add sliced almond…and also toast those and non sweetened coconut …then if I want to add raisins or dates or any dry fruit or fresh fruit…bananas…right before I eat it…I used to make granola…but you have to mix a sugar or honey and oil…this is a lot less sugar…and it is easy. You can also add sunflower seeds, flax or hemp…to it before you eat it..makes it super healthy. I use almond milk, add a 1/2 scoop of protein powder to the milk in my bowl and mix…then add this and maybe some blueberries…you will not be hungry for hours…great breakfast!
Oh, great idea to toast the oats. I am going to follow your directions this week!
I treat myself to a 2d breakfast …..w/muesli add some unsweetened coconut flakes, 1 clipped dried fig, 1 clipped dried date, 1 slice tiny cubed fresh apple, walnut pieces or almonds ,topped w delicious coconut milk,sprinkled w/cinnamon! Dynamite!
I LOVE the texture of uncooked oatmeal. I add it to my smoothies because I like to chew while drinking them. I think this is going to be a new favorite of mine, especially when I forget/am too lazy to prep overnight oats. I’m also excited to experiment with different fruit/seed combos (can’t do most nuts to my endless sorrow).Â
It’s so funny to see a recipe celebrated when it has been a staple of your diet since childhood :) good old Müsli!
lthough I never came across anyone soaking it even a minute as it is soggy. I only know the Müsli, milk/ yoghurt, eat it straight away.
Bur whatever floats people’s boat….Maybe I give the overnight thing a chance and just ignore the set expectations of having to chew this.
I wish I had tried making this when I first found the recipe about 2 years ago. This recipe is completely customizable! I’m allergic to walnuts and pecans and not a fan of almonds so I put off making it until last week. I ended up using oats, chopped hazelnuts, dried strawberries, brown sugar, and mini chocolate chips. GREAT as an easy breakfast either for home or to pack to work with me. The texture was weird to me at first but I got used to it pretty quickly and now I love it. MUCH better than mushy warm oatmeal. I can’t wait to try different combinations of flavors with this recipe as a starting point! Thanks Beth!
Yum!  We have been eating this regularly since I came across the recipe a few weeks ago.  Lovin’ the different add in ideas.  We haven’t been boring yet.
This also goes really well with nice cream for a cool snack or a slightly less than adult breakfast. Be warned that since nice cream is mostly fruit (I prefer chocolate banana), there is not much extra liquid for it to absorb so it will come out dryer than even the yogurt version. Just be careful not to add too much. But even if you do I can think of much worse things than a chocolate banana muesli for breakfast.
Move over hot oatmeal. You’ve been replaced by cold muesli. I love the slight crunchiness of the oats. It beats warm, sticky oatmeal by a mile. It’s easy to make and easily adaptable to whatever fruit you have on hand.
Wahoo! Happy to hear it Deb!
This is one my go-to breakfasts… but I cheat by just dumping a fruit & nut trail mix in with the oats. 1/4 cup trail mix (dried cranberries, golden raisins, walnuts, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds) in with 1/2 cup rolled oats and 1 cup milk. The sweetness from the dried fruit is enough for me, so I don’t add extra sugar. I just bought a giant bag of ground flaxseed so I might start adding that too! I definitely eat it warm in the wintertime.
Super easy to make, and delicious! I don’t buy cereal, and this is “cereal-like” enough that my kids loved it – my daughter had 3 bowls for breakfast this morning.
I just made this! I swapped raisins for dried cranberries and half the walnuts for pepitas. I also used vanilla almond milk instead. Topped it with a chopped banana and some toasted coconut and I feel like a Queen. Thanks for the recipe!!
My whole life, I’ve preferred oatmeal like this and I never even knew it had a name. Thank you!
This has been my breakfast for the last 6 months since I found the recipe. I add cinnamon. You can’t beat this in terms of convenience and taste!