Name: Grain-Free Muesli
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Swiss
Ingredients: ½ cup/60g unsweetened flake coconut, coarsely chopped; 2 Tablespoons/24g white chia seeds; 6oz/170g plain non-dairy (coconut or cashew) yogurt; ¼ cup/60ml filtered water; 1 large or 2 small granny smith apples, julienned; 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice; ¼ cup/28g almonds, chopped; ¼ cup/30g pecans, chopped; ¼ cup/60ml maple syrup; Pinch of fine sea salt; ¼ teaspoon cinnamon; ¼ cup deglet noor dates, chopped into small pieces; 1 Tablespoon/12g maple or coconut sugar; 1/8th teaspoon cinnamon; ¼ cup raisins; Almond or cashew milk

Gluten-Free Grain-Free Vegetarian Vegan Dairy-Free Egg-Free Paleo

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Start your day with a healthy and hearty grain-free and paleo muesli loaded with nuts, dried fruit, and apple. Make it the night before for a quick and tasty breakfast.

If you tend to skip breakfast because you’re too tired or too rushed most mornings then you’ll want to try bircher muesli. It’s a quick and simple, but filling breakfast you prepare ahead of time so it’s ready to go when you are.

This grain-free and paleo bircher muesli is thick and hearty and loaded with dried fruit, nuts and apple. It’s an ideal breakfast for busy mornings since everything can be prepped the night before and easily adapted to what you have on hand.

Paleo Muesli in Bowls with Spoon on Wood Tray

Grain-Free Bircher Muesli

While traditional bircher muesli is made with oats that are soaked overnight in some combination of milk, yogurt and/or apple juice this grain-free bircher muesli starts off with shredded coconut instead. The coconut flakes are roughly chopped into oat sized pieces then combined with chia seeds and yogurt and left to soak overnight.

The overnight soak makes the coconut pieces tender and chewy like oatmeal and the chia seeds and yogurt create a creamy porridge-like consistency. From there you add a finely chopped or grated tart apple tossed with a squeeze of lemon juice and a generous amount of dried fruit and nuts. I chop and roll the dates in maple sugar with a dusting of cinnamon and coat the nuts with a cinnamon maple glaze as well for a sweet and spicy note that’s perfect for fall. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredient Notes:

(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)

Coconut - Use unsweetened flake coconut.
Chia Seeds – I like to use white chia seeds but either black or white chia seeds work here.
Yogurt – Use a plain non-dairy (coconut or cashew) yogurt to keep this paleo and vegan.
Apples – I like granny smith apples for their tart flavor but you can use your favorite crisp/tart apple.
Lemon Juice - Use fresh lemon juice not bottled.
Nuts – You’ll need a combination of almonds and pecans.
Maple Syrup – Use a light colored maple syrup.
Spices – Use ground Celyon cinnamon for the best flavor.
Dried Fruit – Use firm deglet noor dates and raisins.
Sugar – Use maple or coconut sugar.
For Serving - Almond or cashew milk.

Paleo Breakfast Muesli in Bowls Topped with Apples

How to Make Grain-Free Muesli:

Both the fruit and nuts can be prepared the night before along with the pudding so all you’re left with is a bit of assembly the next morning; make a big batch of each and have breakfast taken care for a few days.

To make the muesli place the coconut, chia seeds, yogurt and water in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight to soak.
Toss the julienned apple with lemon juice. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
To make the glazed nuts, place the chopped nuts, maple syrup, salt and cinnamon into a skillet and cook stirring constantly until sticky and the nuts are evenly coated. Spread onto parchment and let cool before breaking into bite-sized pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
To make the sugared dates, place the maple or coconut sugar and cinnamon in a small shallow dish. Rolls the dates in the cinnamon sugar mixture and shake off excess. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
When you are ready to serve, divide the coconut chia mixture between bowls, top with julienned apple, glazed nuts, rolled dates and raisins.

Sweeten it as you please with extra maple syrup and serve it with almond milk. Each bite is creamy, chewy and crunchy with the sweet/tart flavor of apples, maple and cinnamon. It’s a good way to start the day.

More Paleo Breakfast Recipes:

4 Servings

Grain-Free Muesli

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Start your day with a healthy and hearty grain-free and paleo muesli loaded with nuts, dried fruit, and apple.

Ingredients

For the coconut chia muesli:

½ cup/60g unsweetened flake coconut, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons/24g white chia seeds
6oz/170g plain non-dairy (coconut or cashew) yogurt
¼ cup/60ml filtered water
1 large or 2 small granny smith apples, julienned
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

For the glazed nuts:

¼ cup/28g almonds, chopped
¼ cup/30g pecans, chopped
¼ cup/60ml maple syrup
Pinch of fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

For the sugared dates:

¼ cup deglet noor dates, chopped into small pieces
1 Tablespoon/12g maple or coconut sugar
⅛th teaspoon cinnamon

For serving:

¼ cup raisins
Almond or cashew milk

Instructions

Make the coconut chia muesli:

Place the chopped coconut, chia seeds, yogurt and water in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight to soak.
Toss the julienned apple with lemon juice. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.

Make the glazed nuts:

Place the chopped nuts, maple syrup, salt and cinnamon into a skillet and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture is bubbling, sticky and coats the nuts evenly separated (about 3 to 4 minutes). Spread onto parchment and let cool completely before breaking into bite-sized pieces. (Nuts can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.)

Make the sugared dates:

Place the maple or coconut sugar and cinnamon in a small shallow dish. Rolls the dates in the cinnamon sugar mixture and shake off excess. (Dates can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.)
To serve, divide the coconut chia mixture between bowls, top with julienned apple, glazed nuts, rolled dates and raisins. Serve with almond milk and extra maple syrup on the side.

Notes

Make-Ahead:

Muesli, apple, glazed nuts and sugared dates can all be made ahead of time. Store prepared muesli and apple in the fridge and glazed nuts and dates separately at room temperature in airtight containers.

Dietary Info:

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Paleo

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 342Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 118mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 7gSugar: 42gProtein: 4g

Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Sylvie

Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.