While this recipe is kind of an overnight oats, it's really something called Bircher Muesli, also called Swiss oatmeal. Whatever you call it, it's a terrific healthy breakfast porridge that you can prep ahead. My twist adds chia seeds to for a modern option.
Overnight Bircher Muesli (overnight oats)
Created over a century ago by Swiss doctor to give his patients a healthy breakfast alternative, Bircher muesli is a combination of fruit, yogurt, milk, nuts, and oats. Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator and turns into a creamy, delicious breakfast porridge. No cooking required, just like what we call overnight oats. A great option if you like to meal prep.
My first introduction to Bircher Muesli was years ago while working a special event with a dear friend. We were prepping a breakfast buffet for over 100 guests. Part of the buffet was something new to me called Bircher Muesli.
We stirred together chopped fruit, berries, yogurt, nuts, rolled oats, honey, heavy cream, and I can't remember what all else. It looked like mush. Ugly mush. Then we covered it, stuck it in the fridge and left the kitchen. I was thinking, really? We are going to serve this stuff? The next morning, I tasted it and discovered that the ugly mush had become soft, creamy and delicious porridge. Hello, Bircher Muesli.
While it tasted great, it wasn't all that healthy. Lots of sugar and heavy cream. A guilty pleasure at best. So I forgot about it, until recently, the made my own healthy version.
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Rediscovering Bircher Muesli
Recently at a long weekend in California wine country, we stayed at MacArthur Place Inn in Sonoma. They had a variation of Bircher muesli on the breakfast buffet. When I tasted it, the memory kicked in. It was terrific. Why did I forget about this? Time to revamp it make make it work for our healthier diet.
How to Make Bircher Muesli
My recipe uses plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt, steel cut oats, chia seeds, almond milk, and a little honey, which is optional. Stir it all together and let it sit overnight in the fridge, covered. In the morning, give it another stir and the pudding should be creamy. If you want it looser, add a little more almond milk to get to the consistency you prefer.
To serve, divide berries in the bottom of glasses or cups, top with the muesli mix and sprinkle with almonds. For berry options, try blueberries, raspberries or mixed berries as well.
Grab and Go Breakfast
As this is made the night ahead, it makes a healthy grab and go breakfast option for busy mornings. Set cups up with berries in the fridge, cover, then just spoon in the muesli and sprinkle on the almonds in the morning. Cap and go! For another great breakfast idea with chia seeds, try my Vanilla Chia Overnight Oats.
📖 Recipe
Overnight Bircher Muesli
Ingredients
- 6 ounces plain unsweetened Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup steel cut oats
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 ¼ cups almond milk
- 1 tablespoon raw honey or maple syrup
- 1 dropper full of liquid vanilla flavored stevia drops optional
- 6 ounces blackberries 1 box
- 4 teaspoons slivered almonds or chopped walnuts
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Instructions
- Stir yogurt, oats, chia, milk, honey and stevia together in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for approximately 12 hours or overnight to allow the pudding to soften and get creamy.
- In the morning, stir the porridge. If you would like it more fluid, stir in a little extra almond milk. To serve, divide berries between four small glasses or bowls, top with ½ cup of the muesli and sprinkle with almonds.
Rebecca says
Can you make this into individual portions or does it need to be made into a big batch, let sit, and then portioned out?
Sally Cameron says
Hi Rebecca, you can make the batch and then portion it out to be refrigerated to set. Each portion will last 4-5 days well covered, so it's good for meal prep or family needs. Does that answer your question?
Nancy says
Thank you for the recipe, Sally.
This was delicious! I used a combination of fresh blueberries and pomegranate for the fruit, which added more color and texture. I chose chopped pistachio for the nuts. And I sprinkled on a little cinnamon.
Sally Cameron says
Sounds great Nancy!
Denise says
Yummy. I almost taste it reading your post. I will have on weekend.