Any muesli fans out there? Muesli is typically made with raw oats, nuts and dried fruit, and maybe some spices for good measure.
I’ll be the first to admit that a lot of store-bought mueslis aren’t awesome—the raw oats taste like horse food (yep, I said it), and the healthy oils in nuts and oats can go rancid if the muesli sits on the shelf too long.
I’m aiming to turn all the haters into muesli lovers with this recipe. Starting with raw nuts and oats from a store with a healthy turnover rate is key.
Then I suggest you commit muesli blasphemy—mix in a tiny drizzle of maple syrup and coconut oil, and toast the ingredients in the oven to maximize the flavor and minimize the horse food effect. This is a healthy homemade cereal that you’ll actually want to eat!
The inspiration for this muesli came from Pinch of Yum’s photography workshop. Lindsay and her team served Minneapolis-made Seven Sundays muesli for breakfast, with a beautiful spread of fruit and toppings to choose from. The hard part was not eating the muesli before I was done photographing it.
I fell in love with Seven Sundays’ cherry, pecan and vanilla combination, so I just had to recreate it. I can’t say I made an exact replica of their muesli, but it’s delicious regardless. Muesli is very flexible, and this recipe is a fun variation on classic muesli.
More Oat Breakfasts to Try
These oat recipes are a great way to start your day. They’re particularly good on warm summer mornings, when hot oats don’t appeal.
Please let me know how you like your muesli in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Cherry Pecan Muesli
This cherry pecan muesli recipe will make you look forward to breakfast! It’s made with oats, coconut, pecans, dried cherries, and a touch of maple syrup. Recipe yields about 6 cups muesli, enough for 12 (½-cup) servings.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For easy cleanup, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, pecans, coconut, salt and cinnamon. Pour in the maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract and mix well. Don’t add the dried cherries yet; we’re saving those for later.
- Pour the mixture onto your baking sheet and bake until the oats and coconut flakes are lightly golden and fragrant, tossing halfway, about 13 to 15 minutes. Let the muesli cool to room temperature and stir in the dried cherries.
- Store cooled muesli in a freezer-safe bag with the air squeezed out. It will keep well at room temperature for about 1 month, but keeps best in the freezer (no defrosting necessary; just let your bowl of frozen muesli and milk rest for a few minutes before eating).
Notes
Recipe inspired by Seven Sundays and adapted from my toasted muesli with almonds, coconut and dark chocolate.
Serving suggestions: Serve this muesli with your milk of choice (regular milk, store-bought almond milk, homemade cashew milk, or even homemade pecan milk). Top with fresh fruit like sliced bananas, fresh berries or chopped apples. You might want to let the muesli and milk mixture rest for 10 minutes before eating, to soften up the oats.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
Make it nut free: Replace the pecans with pepitas (green pumpkin seeds).
Coconut haters: Replace the dried coconut with additional oats. Omit the coconut oil or replace it with olive oil.
Change it up: Feel free to substitute other nuts for the pecans (chopped if large) or use a different type of dried fruit (chopped dried apricots, cranberries or raisins would be great). You can substitute honey for the maple syrup, but you might need to warm it up in the microwave for just a few seconds beforehand, so it’s easier to mix into the other ingredients. You can find more options in the special diet notes above.
If you love this recipe: Don’t miss the mango lassi smoothie bowls with toasted coconut muesli in my cookbook! Check out similar recipes for granola and granola bars here.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
