The main difference between granola and muesli lies in their method of preparation. Granola is an oat-based cereal that is baked and usually served with sweeteners such as maple syrup or dried fruits, while muesli is an oat-based cereal consumed uncooked mixed only with dried fruits.
Both granola and muesli are nutritious breakfast alternatives. We often serve both granola and muesli along with the same ingredients such as almonds, walnuts, dried raisins, apricots, dried cranberries, or dates, seeds such as sesame or chia. Furthermore, it is also possible to serve them mixed with other grains such as millet or barley. In brief, these two cereal breakfast options vary from each other mainly in their methods of preparation and serving.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is Granola
– Definition, Preparation, Ingredients
2. What is Muesli
– Definition, Preparation, Ingredients
3. Similarities Between Granola and Muesli
– Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Granola and Muesli
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Breakfast, Granola, Muesli, Oats
What is Granola
Granola is an oat-based baked cereal discovered by the American physician James Caleb Jackson. It remains a popular classic breakfast in many American homes. When making this cereal dish, we mix oats with nuts and dried fruit, and other sweeteners like maple syrup or bee honey before baking them. This gives it classic crunchy textured clusters. In contrast to muesli, we often serve granola cold. You can eat it as a snack with milk, or you can add it as a topping on your frozen yogurt.
When you compare muesli and granola, granola is high in its carb, calorie, and sugar profiles as we add sweeteners in preparing granola. Therefore, if you are conscious about keeping your calories and sugar levels low, it is better to consume granola in moderation.
What is Muesli
Muesli refers to another cereal supplement that includes oats, dried fruits, seeds, and nuts. A Swiss doctor and nutritionist named Maximillian Bircher-Benner discovered it. Muesli is also quite popular as a healthy breakfast option across Europe.
In contrast to granola, the ingredients in muesli are not usually baked. They are not cooked and remain loose. We traditionally keep muesli soaked in milk or juice overnight and serve it cold. You can also have it directly from the packet mixed with milk. Some people also boil it with water or milk and make hot porridge out of it.
Similarities Between Granola and Muesli
- Both granola and muesli are healthy cereal breakfast options.
- They are both cereal supplements we make with oats. Therefore, they give you healthy beta-glucans
- During preparation, we add extra ingredients like nuts and dry fruits to customize both granola and muesli dishes.
- Both granola and muesli share quite similar nutritional profiles.
- With the added dried fruits and sweeteners, both muesli and granola can bring you some downsides as well.
- Therefore, if you are conscious about keeping your blood sugar levels down, it is always better to take in granola or muesli in moderation.
Difference Between Granola and Muesli
Definition
Granola is an oat-based cereal that is baked and usually served with sweeteners such as maple syrup or and dried fruit, whereas muesli is an oat-based cereal consumed uncooked, mixed only with dried fruits.
Preparation
The ingredients we use to make granola are usually baked, but the ingredients we use to make muesli are not baked.
Sweetness
In preparing granola, we add sweeteners like bee honey or maple syrup. Therefore, when it comes to the sweet profile, granola tastes sweeter than muesli.
Conclusion
In brief, the main difference between granola and muesli is their preparation method. Granola contains sweeteners like bee honey and maple syrup while muesli doesn’t. In addition, muesli is baked, while granola is not. However, if you are a cereal lover who wants to keep your sugar levels low, muesli would be a better option for you.
Reference:
1. Mandl, Elise. “Is Granola Healthy? Benefits and Downsides.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 25 Sept. 2019.
2. Brennan, Dan. “Muesli: How It Can Be Part of Your Healthy Diet.” WebMD, 1 June 2021.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Homemade granola” By Stacy Spensley (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Muesli-breakfast-food-fruit-orange” (CC0) via Pixabay
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