Bircher Muesli Recipe | The Original Overnight Oats
This Bircher muesli recipe makes a healthy overnight oats breakfast. I’ll show you how to make your family a hearty, healthy batch of overnight muesli with just 5 ingredients!
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This yummy make-ahead breakfast is the perfect start to any day. Whether you make it with toasted or untoasted oats is completely up to you, and I have plenty of tips and suggestions on how to adapt the Bircher muesli recipe to your taste preferences.
Growing up in Germany, we enjoyed soaked oats pretty often. In this post, I am excited to share with you the mother of all mueslis, the real Swiss Bircher Muesli. Difference between Muesli and Bircher Muesli.
Difference Between Bircher Muesli and Classic Muesli
If you look in the cereal and/or healthy foods aisle of your local grocery store, you are bound to see plenty of muesli.
Muesli a ready-to-eat cereal that is typically enjoyed plain or with milk. It sometimes includes dried fruits and nuts. It’s somewhat similar to granola. (Speaking of, have you made my recipe for sourdough granola? It is delicious!)
In comparison, Bircher muesli (named after the Swiss doctor, Maximillian Bircher-Benner, who created it) is an overnight oatmeal. In an authentic Bircher muesli recipe, the oats are soaked in a liquid (typically juice, milk, or yogurt) for several hours. Soaking makes them soft and delicious!
Interestingly enough, originally it was not always a breakfast food, but rather, served for supper.
Depending on where you live, you will see it spelled either “Müsli” (with an Umlaut) or “Muesli”. Either way, it is pronounced “myooz-lee”.
Ingredients and substitutions
This authentic version of overnight muesli only uses 5 ingredients:
- Rolled oats: These are readily available in any grocery store, but are even healthier if you make them fresh, using a high-quality grain mill. Look for old fashioned rolled oats.
- Milk: We like to use raw milk, but any dairy or non-dairy milk will work great. Some of the original Swiss recipes mention using sweetened condensed milk. This is also an option, but it has added sugar, which you may not want.
- Apple: Lots of freshly grated apple is actually the main ingredient in this dish. Use any variety you like the best. You don’t have to worry about the apple flesh turning brown, because it will be soaking in milk and lemon juice, which will halt the oxidation process.
- Lemon juice: The sourness of lemons balances the sweetness of condensed milk. But even with regular milk, it adds a nice kick of flavor, and some Vitamin C.
- Hazelnuts: Also called filberts, they add crunch and protein to this breakfast dish. Trader Joe’s has them, or you can find them online.
Substitutions for the Bircher muesli recipe
This is the fun part! I am partial to the original recipe, but you can absolutely adapt this overnight breakfast to your liking:
- Oats: Instead of rolled oats, you can use quick-cooking oats. But don’t limit yourself to this particular grain. As long as it’s in flake form, it will work! Experiment with spelt flakes or einkorn flakes. For a richer flavor, feel free to use toasted oats. You can buy them this way, or toast oats in your oven.
- Milk: Using fresh milk is a much better choice than condensed milk. You can make a vegan Bircher muesli by using a plant-based milk such as oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk. Or use half and half or coconut cream for a nice, creamy texture. You can even use a fruit juice instead.
- Apples: Fresh fruit is best, but you can use dried apples as a substitute. Or, use a completely different fresh fruit, such as berries.
- Lemon juice: Don’t have any lemons? Use orange juice or apple juice or don’t use any at all.
- Sweetener: While the original recipe does not have or need any added sugar, you can finish your bowl of muesli with a drizzle of maple syrup, honey, or a bit of brown sugar.
- Nuts: Hazelnuts are very common in Europe. You can easily use chopped almonds, pistachios, pecans, or walnuts.
- Seeds: You might like to add some more healthy fats by adding pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, or hemp seeds.
- Spices: You can easily add some ground cinnamon, coriander, or even cocoa powder.
- Other ingredients: You can get a helping of probiotics by adding a spoonful of Greek yogurt. I sometimes like to soak my oats overnight in buttermilk or kefir instead of milk.
- Ratios: While the raw apples are the main ingredient, you can also increase the amount of oats if you like.
Helpful kitchen tools
Since people were making this dish in small huts in the Swiss Alps, you can imagine the simplicity of the equipment:
- Mixing bowl: I am sure this healthy breakfast tastes better from a large, pretty bowl that you can both mix it in and serve it in.
- Sharp knife: I love my German carbon knives, but any sharp knife works for cutting the fresh fruit and nuts.
- Mason jars: For a make-ahead meal, you can use a Mason jar. This allows you to take it on the go!
How to make Bircher muesli
Here’s the simple preparation for this creamy overnight muesli:
- Add the oats to a breakfast bowl and add the milk.
- Transfer this mixture to the refrigerator for at least one hour but ideally overnight.
- The next morning, feel free to add some water should the oat mixture have gotten too thick.
- Grate the apple or chop it into small pieces. Immediately add it to the muesli to prevent browning.
- Add the lemon juice and mix well.
- Chop the nuts and add them as a topping or mix them in.
How to serve
There’s really not a wrong time to enjoy this dish. You can serve it in the morning, for a light lunch, as a yummy snack, or as a healthy meal in the evening.
Some people enjoy cold overnight oats, while others warm them up on the stove top or in a microwave first.
With its wholesome ingredients, I don’t think this dish needs a fancy presentation. But, you can always top it with some apple slices, crushed nuts, or some fresh berries.
Storing
This recipe is the original make-ahead breakfast. Since it doesn’t take much to make it, I recommend making it fresh in small batches and enjoying it the following day.
After it’s prepared, your Bircher muesli will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can also combine oats, dried apples, and chopped nuts and keep them in an airtight container. Then all you need to do is add milk (maybe some extra water) and lemon juice.
Bircher muesli recipe FAQ
The original Bircher muesli recipe contains apples, oats, milk, chopped nuts, and some lemon juice.
All grains and seeds contain phytic acid. Soaking the oats overnight reduces the phytic acid content better than cooking them. Also, oats soaked overnight contain more resistant starch which helps keep insulin from spiking.
Other breakfast recipes you might like
Let me know if you have any questions or comments, and if you try this recipe, please rate it in the recipe card below!
Authentic Bircher Muesli Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup milk any dairy or non-dairy milk
- 1 medium apple
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
- Add the oats and milk to a medium breakfast bowl and mix well.
- Cover lightly and transfer to the refrigerator for at least one hour but ideally over night.
- The next morning, remove the bowl from the refrigerator.
- Coarsely grate the apple or cut into small dice. Immediately add it to the oat mixture and mix it in to prevent browning.
- Add the lemon juice to the oat-apple mixture.
- Chop the nuts and add them to the bowl.
Notes
- Oats: Instead of rolled oats, you can use quick-cooking oats. As long as it’s in flake form, any grain will work! Experiment with spelt or einkorn. For a richer flavor, feel free to use toasted oats.
- Milk: Using fresh milk is a much better choice than condensed milk. You can make a vegan Bircher muesli by using a plant-based milk such as oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk. Or use half and half or coconut cream for a nice, creamy texture. You can even use a fruit juice instead.
- Apples: Fresh fruit is best, but you can use dried apples as a substitute. Or, use a completely different fresh fruit, such as berries.
- Lemon juice: Don’t have any lemons? Use orange juice or apple juice or don’t use any at all.
- Sweetener: While the original recipe does not have or need any sugar, you can finish your bowl of muesli with a drizzle of maple syrup, honey, or a bit of brown sugar.
- Nuts: Hazelnuts are very common in Europe. Feel free to swap them for chopped almonds, pistachios, pecans, or walnuts.
- Seeds: You might like to add some more healthy fats by adding pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, or hemp seeds.
- Spices: You can add some ground cinnamon, coriander, or even cocoa powder.
- Other ingredients: You can get a helping of probiotics by adding a spoonful of Greek yogurt. I sometimes like to soak my oats overnight in buttermilk or kefir instead of milk.
Nutrition
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I grew up in Germany too (now in Canada) and I absolutely love Bircher Muesli! One thing I do is roast the hazelnuts, it tastes so much better. Oh, and I veganized the recipe, using soy or almond milk. Can’t think of a healthier breakfast ; )
Sounds great and I love that you roast the hazelnuts and add a vegan milk ~ Anja
Love that you roast the hazelnuts and use vegan milk ~ Anja
Hi
It’s not myoosli, it’s moosli!
Cheers
Verena 😎
Haha, yes, thank you!
I’m so glad I found your site, other Bircher recipes put me off as they added the apple with the oats and left overnight, the thought of those browned apples always put me off, this sounds much better, I’ll be making this tonight for breakfast tomorrow, thank you
Thank you! This is as close to the original recipe as possible ~ Anja
So it’s okay to eat raw oats…?
Yes, it is ~ Anja
Great Question I was wondering the same. What setting would you use?
You will need the flaker attachment by Mockmill ~ Anja
How do you make rolled oats on the mock mill? Iam so excited about the possibility of making my own. Thanks.
It is the Mockmill flaker attachment that makes the rolled oats ~ Anja