Sweet and delicious and everything in a bowl – whole grain oats, honey, apple, dried fruits, and yogurt.  Not only does it satisfy us for hours, it tastes amazing – Bircher muesli.

Oh how I love Bircher muesli.

I used to make Bircher muesli all the time years ago, and Hitesh and I would have it every morning.  It was a quick breakfast that didn’t require much work, all the prep was done in advance and all we had to do is have a scoop in the morning with a little milk and berries. 

Add super seeds for extra goodness

Fast forward to today and now that we have so many wonderful super seeds available this already nutritious Bircher muesli has gotten a mini makeover.  With even more nutritious goodness such as chia seeds, flax seeds and hemp seeds, this sweet cereal is so good that now my entire family loves it too.

Very easy to make with all natural goodness.

Bircher muesli is seriously good food.  Have it for breakfast, for an afternoon snack, or even for dessert!  In fact, I’ve served Bircher muesli, as a healthy teatime dessert when I’ve had a friend or two over and they’ve loved it too.

If you are looking for a deliciously good make ahead meal prep dish that can be had for breakfast or a snack give Bircher muesli a try!

A little history on Bircher Muesli

Muesli was created by Dr. Maxmilian Bircher Benner a nutritionist and Swiss doctor for his health clinic in Switzerland in1926.  Dr. Benner’s original recipe consisted of mostly apples, which included the core, skin and pulp, whole grain oats, nuts, condensed milk and lemon juice; and was called the “Apple Diet Dish”. 

At his health clinic Dr. Benner served his Apple Diet Dish not just at breakfast but also at the beginning of every meal.  What he found is that when his patients consumed a diet rich in nutritious whole grains, fruits and vegetables, they were able to alleviate much of their sickness.

He also discovered that this type of diet combined with moderate daily exercise such as walking and gardening helped his patients lead a healthy life.

Bircher Muesli

The first commercial mass produced muesli was manufactured in 1959 by a Swiss company called Somalon after they contacted the Bircher family and received permission to use Dr. Brenner’s Apple Diet Muesli formula. 

With Dr. Brenner’s recipe the company created a product called Bircher Muesli, which they produced and exported, to places such as Germany, Austria, UK, and the Netherlands and to USA.

Granola the sister to muesli

In the 1970s Somalon also introduced their “Crunchy Muesli” which was made crunchy with sugar and oil – a product that was similar to America’s granola. 

Granola in contrast to Bircher muesli is whole grain cereal that is crumbled and baked until crisp.  If you are wondering, another doctor created the original granola recipe by the name of Dr. James Caleb Jackson in New York in 1863.  Nowadays it’s the crunchy muesli that is being sold at the grocery stores.  Source: History of Bircher muesli on historyofcereal.com

Bircher Muesli
makes 6 – 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup millet if you have
• 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds or walnuts
• Pinch of salt
• 2 large apples grated with the skin on
• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup chopped dates
• 1/4 cup raisins
• Cook’s notes:  Once you get the idea of this Bircher muesli recipe feel free to create your own version with other dried fruits, add a banana, and other seeds and nuts.

Directions: Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add the yogurt, milk , vanilla and honey and mix into the oat mixture.  Next add all the dry fruits, and apples and thoroughly mix into the muesli.  Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

• Have muesli the next day with a little extra milk, fresh berries and nuts.  Bircher muesli can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.  If the muesli gets thick add a little extra milk each day.

• Have Bircher muesli for breakfast, for an afternoon snack, or at any time of the day!