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This Gluten-Free Bircher Muesli Recipe is packed with gluten-free oats, protein rich nuts and seeds and sweetness and fibre from dried apricots. Allowed to soak overnight with plant based milk, yoghurt and a crisp grated apple, this is a rocket fuelled breakfast.
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If you like the convenience of breakfast cereals but prefer a more health forward option then you’ll love this Swiss oatmeal recipe. A simple bircher muesli is such an easy breakfast and chock full of wholesome ingredients. If you enjoy a gluten-free and vegan overnight oats recipe then this is similar but with a kiss of the swiss alps.
It’s a make ahead breakfast as you stir up the homemade muesli up in a huge batch at the weekend (no cooking involved). Then all you have to do is portion out the muesli the night before and mix with milk, yoghurt and grated apple. The next morning you can enjoy straight from the fridge or served into a bowl with your favourite fresh fruit.
What is Bircher Muesli?
The original swiss recipe for bircher muesli was developed in early 1900s by a Swiss doctor Maximilian Bircher-Benner for the patients in his hospital.
Swiss bircher muesli is a little like an original overnight oats recipe. The oat base is a homemade muesli made up of a mixture of grains, dried fruit, nuts and seeds mixed into the oats. The oat base is then soaked overnight in either fruit juice, commonly apple juice, or milk or yoghurt and enjoyed the following morning.
What is the difference between muesli and granola?
Muesli is a mixture of raw oats with nuts or seeds and dried fruit. A bit like uncooked granola really and usually enjoyed with milk and eaten straightaway.
However the original swiss recipe for bircher muesli soaks the muesli mixture the night before in milk or fruit juice or yoghurt overnight which develops into the most dreamy nutty mixture with a gorgeous creamily chewy texture.
Top tip. I have made Swiss Bircher Muesli before from my favourite crunchy granolas if I have run out of the muesli. Just weigh up the granola as if it is the muesli and add the same amount of milk and yoghurt as per the recipe card below
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Gorgeous texture. This Bircher Muesli has the most incredible chewy, creamy, rich and satisfying texture.
- Make ahead. When you are rushed for time in the mornings then this is ideal as all the prep work is done the night before.
- Versatile breakfast. You can add your favourite nuts, seeds and dried fruit to this recipe – just keep to the same quantities as per the original ingredients and swap however you like.
- It is a perfect way to start the day as this recipe is packed with protein, healthy fats, raw fruit.
- No added sugar is needed with this recipe as it has plenty of both dried and raw fruit for sweetness.
- This recipe is also vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.
A vegan bircher muesli
It is common to use a mixture of dairy milk and Greek yoghurt to soak through the muesli overnight. However, since I have to be careful with lactose I make this dairy-free bircher muesli using a plant based milk like almond milk and natural coconut yoghurt. It’s just as delicious.
Ingredients needed
- Rolled oats. You can use quick oats if you prefer but I prefer the texture of rolled. I make sure mine is gluten-free.
- Dried apricots.
- Pumpkin seeds.
- Raw almonds.
- Pecans.
- Ground almonds.
- Ground flaxseed.
- Hemp seeds.
- Sesame seeds.
- Non dairy milk.
- Natural coconut yoghurt (although vanilla flavoured coconut yoghurt tastes incredible for added luxury).
- Fresh apples. I prefer the crisp sweetness of a granny smith here.
- Mixed berries.
Ingredient variations
It is really up to you how to swap around your ingredients. I recommend using the nuts and seeds you already have in and supplementing with those suggested in the recipe card if you need extra.
Of course, any substitutions will affect the resulting flavour but it will be delicious however you make it.
Dried fruit
You can swap the apricots for sultanas, dried cranberries, figs, dates. Whatever dried fruit you fancy really.
Nuts
- Cashews, walnuts, pistachios, macadamias or hazelnuts are work brilliantly here.
- Coconut. Okay, it’s not a nut but this seemed as good a place as any to suggest that desiccated coconut can also be a delicious addition to your muesli.
Seeds
- You can use more or less of the seed suggestions. Do note though that if you amend the quantity of the ground flaxseed the texture will be affected as flaxseed absorbs a lot of liquid.
- Chia seeds can be added but the muesli might need more liquid in the soaking.
- Sunflower seeds work very well.
A vegan bircher muesli
It is common to use a mixture of dairy milk and Greek yoghurt to soak through the muesli overnight. However, since I have to be careful with lactose I make this dairy-free bircher muesli using a plant based milk like almond milk and natural coconut yoghurt. It’s just as delicious.
How to make it
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Mix up all the ingredients for the homemade muesli and keep in a large storage jar. This will be the base for several breakfasts.
- The night before you want your bircher muesli, weigh out enough for one portion (quantities given below) and stir through the milk, yoghurt and the grated apple. Place in an airtight container and leave to soak overnight.
- Stir the bircher muesli well the next day and serve with a handful of berries.
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Buy Now → More gluten-free, vegan breakfasts you’ll love
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I urge you to give this Gluten-Free Bircher Muesli a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
Gluten-Free Bircher Muesli {Vegan}
Ingredients
Homemade Muesli (serves 10)
- 275 g gluten-free rolled oats
- 80 g dried apricots - chopped
- 50 g pumpkin seeds
- 40 g almonds - roughly chopped
- 40 g pecans - roughly chopped
- 80 g ground almonds
- 30 g ground flaxseed
- 25 g hemp seeds
- 20 g sesame seeds
Bircher Muesli (serves 1)
- 40 g homemade muesli - recipe above
- 80 g almond milk
- 60 g natural coconut yoghurt
- ½ apple - peeled and grated
- Handful of mixed berries
Instructions
Homemade Muesli
- Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Keep in a large storage jar until needed.
Bircher Muesli
- Weigh out the muesli into an airtight container then stir in the milk, yoghurt and grated apple.
- Place a tight fitting lid over the top then rest in the fridge overnight to soak.
- Transfer the bircher muesli to a breakfast bowl, stir well then serve with the berries sprinkled over the top.
Notes
- You can swap the dried fruit, nuts and seeds however you see fit. Do keep the quantities of each the same so it doesn’t affect the balance of sweetness and crunch.
- Be wary of adjusting the quantities of the ground almonds and flaxseed or adding chia seeds though as this will affect how the muesli absorbs the liquid overnight.
- You can use your favourite plant milk (or even dairy milk if you prefer). I also really like oat milk in this recipe and also 50% almond and 50% coconut milk.
- You can swap the natural coconut yoghurt for a vanilla flavoured coconut yoghurt which is so delicious.
- I recommend using granny smiths for the apple but I have used jazz apples and pink ladies which are delicious too – maybe a little sweeter.
- The weight of the apple I usually use is 125g.
- I also prefer to peel my apple as I don’t like the reedy texture of apple peel but that is up to you – obviously this is more faff.
Ingredient measurements
- Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.
- US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups
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