Bircher Muesli in Five Minutes (Overnight Prep)

Five minutes on a Sunday night, a bowl of oats and apple juice in the fridge, and Monday morning is already sorted before you have even had coffee. No cooking, no dishes at 6am, just a spoon and a stir.

Rolled oats soaked overnight in apple juice and yoghurt, stirred through with fresh grated apple, honey and toasted nuts. Creamy, filling, and genuinely worth waking up for.

Ingredients you will need

• 2 cups traditional rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups cloudy apple juice
• 1 cup full-fat Greek yoghurt, plus extra to serve
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 cup milk (any kind)
• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or pepitas
• 1 large apple, coarsely grated (added just before serving)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Serves 4. Use traditional rolled oats, not quick oats, they hold their texture through the soak instead of turning to mush.

How to make bircher muesli step by step

1. The 5-minute part, done the night before: combine the rolled oats, apple juice, milk, Greek yoghurt, honey, desiccated coconut, seeds and cinnamon in a large bowl or container. Stir well until evenly combined.
2. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or a minimum of 6 hours. The oats need this time to fully absorb the liquid.
3. In the morning, give it a good stir. It will have thickened considerably. Too thick, loosen with a splash of apple juice or milk.
4. Grate the apple and fold it through just before serving, not the night before.
5. Spoon into bowls and add toppings. Extra Greek yoghurt, a drizzle of honey and fresh berries is the combination I come back to most.

Bircher Muesli Recipe

Recipe by Ella McKenzieCourse: Breakfast, SnackCuisine: AustralianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

people

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calories

320

kcal

Total time

485

minutes

A classic overnight bircher muesli made with rolled oats, cloudy apple juice, Greek yoghurt and fresh grated apple. Prep it in five minutes the night before and wake up to a creamy, satisfying breakfast.

Ingredients

• 2 cups traditional rolled oats

• 1 1/2 cups cloudy apple juice

• 1 cup full-fat Greek yoghurt, plus extra to serve

• 1/2 cup milk

• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut

• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or pepitas

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 large apple, coarsely grated (add just before serving)

Directions

• Combine oats, apple juice, milk, yoghurt, honey, coconut, seeds and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir well.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours.
• In the morning, stir well. Loosen with a splash of apple juice or milk if too thick.
• Grate apple and fold through just before serving.
• Spoon into bowls and add toppings. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Use cloudy apple juice: It gives a richer, more rounded flavour than clear apple juice and makes a noticeable difference to the final taste of the bircher muesli.
• Grate apple fresh: Always add grated apple at serving time. It browns quickly and loses its fresh texture if added the night before.
• Batch it: Double the recipe and store in individual jars in the fridge for up to 4 days of breakfasts sorted in one go.
• Rolled oats only: Quick oats go mushy overnight. Stick to traditional rolled oats for the right texture in this bircher muesli recipe.

If it goes wrong: too thick in the morning just means the oats absorbed more liquid than expected, stir in a splash of apple juice or milk. Too thin means too much liquid at the start, stir through a few extra tablespoons of oats and leave 30 minutes more. Browning apple means it went in too early, always grate and fold it through at serving time only.

Topping ideas: classic is Greek yoghurt, honey and fresh berries. For tropical, sliced mango, passionfruit and toasted coconut. For winter, stewed rhubarb or pear with extra cinnamon and toasted walnuts.

Storage: a double or triple batch keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days, portion into individual jars for grab-and-go mornings. It thickens slightly each day, just stir in a little extra liquid. It does not freeze well, the oats go too soft and the yoghurt separates.

Frequently asked questions

Five minutes on a Sunday night and your Monday morning is already sorted. That is the whole appeal, and once you get into the habit you will wonder how you managed weekday mornings without it.

Happy cooking from my Newcastle kitchen.

Ella x