muesli (cold oats)
Oh, the controversy!
The recent roll out of McDonald’s Fruit & Maple Oatmeal has sparked quite a debate all over the internet. Is it healthy? Is it the devil? Does it really have as many calories as a cheeseburger? I don’t know and it doesn’t really matter because I can just make my own oats in about five minutes.
I did realize, though, that I needed to share one of my favorite ways to eat oats: muesli. It’s easy, delicious, customizable and doesn’t even need to be cooked. Muesli is basically any mixture of dry oats with fruit and nuts. It’s different from granola in that it’s not baked so it doesn’t have that hard, crunchy texture. I used a basic mix of old-fashioned oats, raisins, walnuts and brown sugar. Other delicious options include: flax seeds, oat bran or germ, cranberries, almonds, coconut or dates.
Instead of being cooked, the muesli mix is soaked in either cold milk or cold yogurt until the oats are softened. If you’re using milk, it takes as little as five minutes, yogurt should soak over night due to it’s lower moisture content. I usually just let the muesli soak while I make my coffee then it’s ready to go! The result is a flakey, chewy oat with buttery bits of nuts and little, sweet dried fruit gems. The texture is delightfully unique and it’s a great alternative to hot oats during the warm summer months.
The muesli mix also doubles as homemade instant oatmeal packets. Just scoop a half cup of the dry mix into the bowl, add one cup water and microwave on high for 90 seconds. Your instant oatmeal is ready to eat.
Muesli (Cold Oats)
Muesli (cold oats)
Ingredients
- 3 cups dry old-fashioned oats ($0.51)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts ($0.84)
- 1/2 cup raisins ($0.28)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar ($0.08)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the oats, raisins, walnuts and brown sugar. 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 in the refrigerator for 5 minutes (or as long as over night).
Step By Step Photos
I made a simple mix: oats, walnuts, raisins (dark and light) and brown sugar. The brown sugar is completely optional but I love the way it flavors the milk (kinda like how fruity pebbles does!)
Just mix everything together and store in an air-tight container. Give the mix a quick stir before scooping out portions because the smaller particles tend to settle to the bottom.
To serve, simply measure a half cup of the muesli mix into a bowl and add either milk or yogurt. Milk only takes about five minutes to soften the oats, but yogurt tends to take a little bit longer. If you combine the muesli with yogurt in the morning, it will be ready to eat for lunch (or on your first break of the day).
Here is some muesli that has been soaking. You can see how the oats have expanded and softened. The soft, chewy texture of the oats along with the super cold milk is sooo good!
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!
Very difficult to maneuver within this page.
This is so good
I will never buy a packet of museli again
I could eat this every day
Thankyou so much
Is it possible to substitute the milk with soy milk or water for a non-dairy alternative?
Yes, absolutely! As a matter of fact, I’ve been making this with soy milk a lot lately. :) I don’t think it would be very good with water, though.
I do it with water all the time. It’s good.
Coconut milk is the best option!
Sorry, but I just had to laugh so damn hard! i love your blog, every single recipe of it!
i’m from germany, so sometimes i dont know certain dishes, but explaining Müsli gave me a hard laugh… its like what everyone in germany and a lot of europe eats for breakfast daily, while cooked oats is something extremely unpopular
Hahah, yes, the idea of “uncooked” oats is completely crazy to most Americans! :) So delicious, though.
So you inspired me to make my own Muesli. I totally freestyled this one.
I took your guidelines for oats, sugar raisins and nuts and added some personal choco-love!
I mixed:
rolled oats
raisins
raw almonds (roughly chopped)
raw walnuts (roughly chopped)
brown sugar (pulsed into powder in the food processor)
70% chocolate (grated)
linseed
Bloody delicious I tell you! Thanks for the idea! Definitely cheaper than buying it. :)
Samantha – Absolutely. If you warm it up, it will be just like regular oatmeal (plus fruit and nuts, of course). I hope you enjoy it!
Could you eat this warm?
thanks i’ve been thinking about this since the last time i bought a box with almost nothing in it for $5. one recipe i saw called for adding rye or wheat flakes (hard to find locally so far), and toasting them with the oatmeal in the oven. gonna try that combined with this recipe.
steve
I’ve been wanting to try make muesli for a long time, but every recipe I looked at seemed too involved. When I found this one it seemed so quick and easy I knew I had to try it. But I think what really made me want to try it was your line ‘it’s a great alternative to hot oats during the warm summer months’, I am always loooking for something cool and delicious for breakfast during our long Florida summers! And this is PERFECT!!
I used the oats, brown sugar, chopped prunes, pecans, flax seed meal, wheat germ and vanilla yogurt. I didn’t let mine sit after I put the yogurt on and it is absolutely perfect! I think I’ll be eating alot of this. The flavor combinations are endless. Next time I might try dried apples and a little cinnamon – yum! I really hope that I can get the kids to try making their own combos. This is a great alternative to the junky cereals that they eat.
Thanks so much for sharing another great recipe!
LeahRose – you can store this like you would any granola or cereal (in a cool, dark place, preferably an air-tight container like a ziplock bag or plastic tub) and it will stay good for quite a while :) All of the ingredients are “dry” so they’re very shelf stable!
How long will this last? As in, how do I store it for the best flavor?! :)