What's the Difference Between Muesli and Granola? A Very Important Primer
Credit: Alex Lau, Danny Kim, Mar a del Mar Sacasa Ennis, Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott
Muesli and granola are both made with oats, nuts, seeds, and fruits. They’re both healthy breakfast options; both are served with milk, alt-milk, or yogurt; and they’re equally tasty. So, what exactly is the difference between the two? To get to the bottom of this very pressing issue, we spoke with Elizabeth Stein and Bob Moore. Stein is the founder of Purely Elizabeth, a natural foods company that eschews refined sugar and aims to redefine packaged goods like hot and cold cereals—and sells both granola and muesli. Moore is the founder of Bob’s Red Mill, a Portland, OR-based natural foods company that mills their own grains and also sells beans and legumes, in addition to muesli and granola.
According to Stein, muesli is “an uncooked cereal combining grains, nuts, seeds and fruits.” Moore points out that muesli can be eaten either hot or cold; to eat it hot, cook on the stovetop in either water or milk. Andgranola? It’s “a baked cereal that typically combines grains with sweetener and oil in order to bind the ingredients together,” says Stein. Moore adds that it’s “ready to eat straight out of the bag,” which, we’ll admit, we often do.
Both are traditionally made with rolled oats, although other grains can be used. Stein likes to make granola and muesli with ancient grains, like amaranth, quinoa, millet, and kaniwa, which, technically a seed, is similar in texture to quinoa. Bob’s Red Mill also mixes oats with other grains; in their Old Country Style Muesli, rolled oats are combined with wheat, rye, barley, and triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye). In both muesli and granola, the grains are most commonly rolled, although you can use whole grains (frequently referred to as “groats”) to varying degrees of success. Just make sure they’ve been hulled (that is, husks have been removed), and then soak them to soften and make them easier to chew and digest.
Both can and do often include mix-ins of the crunchy and chewy variety. You’ll find chopped nuts, toasted seeds, and dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, dates, apricots, and cherries added to both granola and muesli. Moore is a fan of sesame, chia, and flax seeds, as well as toasted coconut chips.
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