5-Minute Soaked Muesli Recipe (mix & match formula!)

Soaked overnight, this homemade muesli recipe is a make-ahead, traditional Swiss breakfast that takes less than 5 minutes to assemble! The next morning, scoop into a bowl and top with your favorite fresh fruit!

Muesli is a simple and delicious breakfast option that’s easy to customize according to taste. With our simple formula you can create your very own muesli recipe using the fruits and nuts you truly enjoy!

We like to soak muesli for a healthy breakfast cereal that’s easy to digest. Soaked muesli combines the traditional, necessary step of soaking (to neutralize anti-nutrients and improve digestibility) with the ease of a put-in-your-bowl-and-add-milk instant breakfast.

Seasonal fruit provides the best topping, in our opinion! Dates, raisins, or figs add chewy texture along with sweetening, too.

What Is Muesli?

Muesli is a traditional breakfast cereal of Swiss origin that consists of raw oats, nuts, and dried or fresh fruit. It is usually served cold with milk but can be warmed, if desired.

Muesli Vs. Granola

Granola and muesli have a similar base of ingredients and generally contain oats (or other grains), nuts, and dried fruit. However, muesli is unbaked and unsweetened while granola is baked and includes sweetener and oil to coat and bind the ingredients.

Each cereal is completely customizable in that fruit and nuts can be added to suit your taste. Both are usually served cold with your milk of choice.

Here’s our favorite raw soaked granola recipe!

How To Make Muesli

While there are muesli mixes available in the breakfast cereal aisle of most grocery stores, it is more affordable to make at home. Not to mention, it’s often tastier than store-bought as you can customize it to suit your preferences.

Make a basic muesli by mixing together raw oats, dried fruit, and nuts.

In general, you will need approximately 3 parts oats, 1 part nuts, and 1 part dried fruit. These ratios can be adjusted as desired (and I will share a mix and match formula as well as variations below).

It’s really as simple as mixing the ingredients in a bowl and serving with milk. However, for the healthiest option, we need to soak the oats before consuming.

We soak the oats first to ensure that the muesli is easily digestible. This doesn’t have to be complicated, in fact, it’s a great way to get your breakfast prepared ahead of time and have it ready to go in the morning.

To soak muesli, add 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of soaking acid (such as Kombucha, milk kefir or water kefir, yogurt, buttermilk, or whey) per cup of oats. You may also use lemon juice or raw apple cider vinegar (here’s how to make your own!), but they will make the muesli more tart.

Stir to combine. Add dried fruit and nuts, then stir again.

Cover and let sit overnight, or for 7 to 8 hours.

In the morning or when ready to serve, scoop into bowls and add fresh fruit or drizzle with maple syrup, if desired. Serve with milk of choice, such as raw and/or whole milk, homemade nut milk, or coconut milk.

Tips & Tricks

Homemade muesli is fairly straight forward, but there are a few things to keep in mind in order to achieve the best results:

• Be sure to use the recommended liquid ratio as described above or else oats turn out too dry or too sticky.
• Wait to add fresh fruit until just before serving.
• Make a large batch of your favorite combination and store the dry mix for a quick and easy make-ahead breakfast! Simply add the water and soaking acid when you’re ready to make more.
• Toast dry ingredients for extra depth of flavor (see below).
• Use old-fashioned rolled oats and not instant oats for the best texture.
• For easy soaking of smaller batches, use a canning jar with lid.
• Stir oats after soaking in order to create an even consistency.
• Soak oats at room temperature or in a warm place to make soaking more effective.

The flavor combinations are truly endless when it comes to homemade muesli. Have fun pairing the different nuts and fruits detailed below to create your own unique muesli recipe.

Mix & Match Formula

A good starting formula for homemade muesli is:

• 3 parts oats
• 1 part nut and seeds
• 1 part dried fruit

You’ll also need 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of soaking acid (such as Kombucha, milk kefir or water kefir, yogurt, buttermilk, or whey) per cup of oats.

Building the recipe in parts allows you to include your favorite nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Use this formula to create a combination that is to your liking.

One part nuts and seeds can be made up of a mixture of nuts and seeds, or you can simply use your favorite. For example, you could use only walnuts or add a mixture of almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and pecans to equal one part of the recipe.

The same goes for dried fruit.

A simple mixture using the above formula may look something like this:

• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 cup raisins

Or you might like to include more variety and create something like the following:

• 3 cups oats
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup cranberries
• 1/4 cup dried blueberries
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut

As you can see, there is a greater variety of nuts and dried fruit in this recipe, but each adds up to one part of the overall ingredients.

Using The Formula To Create Large Batches

Use this same formula when creating large batches to store for future use. Simply use larger amounts for each part.

Here is an example of a larger batch using the formula:

• 9 cups oats
• 3 cups nuts
• 3 cups dried fruit

Adjust the recipe to suit your tastes and incorporate the ingredients you have on hand. If you aren’t a fan of nuts, feel free to leave them out completely. Don’t have dried fruit on hand? Leave it out and add some fresh fruit just before serving.

In the same vein, you can also increase the amount of nuts and dried fruit. Many people enjoy using 2 parts nuts as it allows for extra crunch and a greater variety of nuts to be included.

Extra dried fruit also adds a lot of flavor, however, increasing the amount of dried fruit will also increase the amount of natural sugars in the recipe.

Ingredients

The main ingredients in muesli are quite simple: oats, nuts, and dried fruit. Although the oats are a staple in muesli, there are a lot of options when it comes to nuts and fruit.

We also include an extra ingredient for the soaking step which allows us to have the healthiest muesli possible. More on this below.

1. Oats

These should be raw old-fashioned or rolled oats, not instant oats. Buy organic, if possible.

Be sure to get gluten-free oats if you are avoiding gluten. Even though oats are naturally gluten-free, they are often processed in facilities that also process gluten-containing grains.

This can contaminate the oats and cause issues for those who are sensitive or allergic to gluten.

2. Nuts & Seeds

Most nuts and seeds work well. Mix and match to make 1 part of your recipe or add as desired.

• Almonds, sliced or slivered
• Cashews
• Chia seeds
• Pecans
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Walnuts

Also, if you’re wondering why we don’t call for nuts and seeds that have been soaked and dehydrated (like this)… it’s because you’ll be soaking them with the muesli, so there’s no need to do it beforehand.

3. Dried Fruit

Fruit — both fresh and dried — adds a lot of flavor!

Incorporate dried fruit before soaking, or add when serving. You can also include dried fruit when making large batches for storage.

Add fresh fruit at the time of serving,

Some great dried fruit options include:

• Dried apples
• Dried apricots
• Raisins
• Dried blueberries
• Dried cherries
• Currants
• Dried cranberries
• Chopped dates
• Goji berries
• Coconut flakes or chips

Freeze-dried fruits — like strawberries and apples — are also a great choice.

4. Soaking Acid

As mentioned above you’ll need 1 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of soaking acid per cup of oats.

Soaking acid options include:

• Kombucha
• Milk kefir
• Water kefir
• Yogurt
• Buttermilk
• Whey
• Raw apple cider vinegar (this makes a muesli with a stronger sour flavor, although still delicious!)

Ingredient Substitutions

Since there is already so much freedom of choice in regard to the fruit and nuts used in muesli, there are very few substitutions necessary. That said, you may wish to find a substitute for the oats if you are sensitive to them or if you simply want a little more variety.

Feel free to replace oats in whole or part with other rolled grains such as rolled barley, rolled rye, and/or rolled spelt.

Muesli Variations

The sky is the limit when it comes to muesli variations! So many nuts, seeds, and fruits pair well together — it’s really hard to make a bad combination!

Try some of the following combinations, or create your own!

• Macadamia Cranberry Muesli — Use mostly macadamia nuts with cranberries, and include some walnuts as well. Add white chocolate chips to make a dessert muesli!
• Maple Pecan Muesli — Use pecans as the nuts in your recipe and drizzle with maple syrup just before serving.
• Roasted Peaches & Pecans — Roast peaches in the oven or stove-top, and use to top soaked muesli. Use pecans as all or part of the nuts portion.
• Blueberry Lemon Muesli — Use dried blueberries as the main dried fruit in your recipe and add lemon zest just before serving.

Toasted Muesli Option

Lightly toast muesli ingredients for extra depth of flavor without added sugar or oil.

To create a toasted muesli, mix the oat and nut portions of your recipe. You may also add the coconut, but not the dried fruit.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the oats, nuts, and coconut (if using) in a large mixing bowl. Spread mixture evenly on the baking sheet.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the oats are lightly browned. Toss halfway through baking (at about the 6 minute mark).

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before pouring into a storage container. When ready to use, soak according to the instructions above.

Dessert Muesli

Muesli is traditionally a breakfast food, yet that doesn’t mean you can’t make it into a dessert! In fact, soaked muesli is a great base for a healthy dessert any time of day.

Here are a few ways to turn breakfast muesli into dessert muesli:

• Warm muesli in a pot with some extra milk and top with ice cream and toasted nuts.
• Add chocolate chips, toasted nuts, and toasted coconut just before serving.
• Include a teaspoon or two of cocoa powder.
• Stir in some pumpkin puree and layer with cream cheese (like in this Cultured Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats recipe).
• Finally, add chocolate chips and roasted hazelnuts for a Nutella-esque option.

Mix-In Options

Add mix-ins to elevate your homemade muesli and create even more variety of flavor.

A “mix-in” is an ingredient added after the muesli has been prepared. So, this would be something to add after the soaking step.

Mix-ins are usually things that don’t hold up well during soaking (or toasting) or simply taste better added just before serving. Options include:

• Chocolate chips
• Crispy nuts (these are great right before serving since they have been soaked and dried for extra crunch!)
• Fresh fruit
• Maple syrup
• Nut butter or pumpkin seed butter
• Collagen
• Roasted toasted hazelnuts

How To Serve Muesli

When it comes to serving muesli, there are a number of delicious options worth considering. Here are a few tasty ideas:

• Serve cold with milk or yogurt — This is the most common way to serve and eat muesli.
• Serve warm with milk or yogurt — Gently warm over a low heat on the stove. Add a little extra milk so the oats don’t stick to the pan.

Create a unique breakfast by serving muesli with added toppings, such as:

• fresh fruit
• grilled fruit
• toasted coconut
• toasted nuts
• a drizzle of maple syrup or honey
• a dollop of nut butter

Notes

Let’s talk price, aiming to keep this dish’s total cost around $5.

It is hard to figure cost as many of these items are pantry staples that are purchased in bulk. That said, I would rather pay significantly more for good food, than pay anything at all for conventional food.

However, it is a good exercise to figure out an approximate cost.

• Oats purchased in bulk cost approximately $1.50.
• I make my own Kombucha and kefir (and whey, dripped out of the kefir), so they are low cost — about $0.03 for 6 tablespoons.
• The milk products come from our own goats — a high estimation would be $2 per gallon. If we use a quart for this meal, as topping in whatever form (kefir or plain milk), that is $0.50.
• Buying seasonal, local fruit is inexpensive, about $1 to $2 per pound at a U-Pick or right from the farm. Let’s say we use a 1/2 pound at $2, so $1.
• The other items, all optional, can be purchased in bulk for additional savings. Or left out to bring the price down. Let’s say $1 for any other dried fruit and nuts. (1/2 pound of raisins is $1, so this isn’t too far off.)

So this makes the grand total: $4.03. Pretty cool! There’s another dollar in there to add some more yummies. 🙂

Soaked Muesli Recipe

Below you’ll find a favorite muesli recipe that includes nuts, dried fruit, and spices. The spices add a ton of extra flavor and make this an extremely comforting breakfast dish.

You’ll notice this recipe has been adjusted from the basic formula mentioned above. It is a good example of using ingredients many of us have on hand.

It also shows one method of reducing the cost of making muesli — that is, by reducing the amount of nuts and dried fruit, since these are generally the most expensive portion of the recipe.

Did you make this recipe? If so, please rate it in the recipe card below. We’d also love to see your muesli creations! Tag us on Facebook or Instagram so we can see!

This post was featured in 90 Nourishing Egg-Free Breakfasts and 40+ Homemade Real Food Gifts.

This post was originally published and written by Wardee Harmon on 7/9/09. It was updated and republished on 11/9/20.