Granola vs Muesli: Difference and Comparison

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The first meal of the day needs to be healthy, tasty, and delicious.

For having a healthier breakfast, the most common options are cornflakes, oats, granola, muesli, and so on. Granola and muesli are the same type of breakfast option but have some significant differences.

Key Takeaways

1. Granola is a baked cereal mixture containing oats, nuts, and sweeteners, while muesli is an unbaked mixture of oats, dried fruits, and nuts.
2. Granola is higher in calories and sugar content than muesli due to the added sweeteners and oil.
3. Muesli is healthier than granola, as it contains less sugar and fat.

Granola vs Muesli

Granola is a type of breakfast cereal made with rolled oats, nuts, honey or other sweeteners, and dried fruit. It is baked until crispy and served with milk or yogurt. Muesli is a type of breakfast, made with rolled oats and may include other grains, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.

Granola refers to a classic breakfast food that consists of crushed nuts, honey, and rolled oats. Granola can be purchased in many forms- from superfood enriched granola to low-sugar granola to gluten-free granola.

It is eaten in combination with fresh fruit, honey, milk, and yogurt. Granola is also used as toppings on different types of ice creams, desserts, and pastries. 

Muesli refers to a ready-to-eat cereal that consists of whole grains and a base of oats that are mixed with seeds, nuts, dried fruits, and so on.

It was traditionally prepared with citrus juice squeeze, cream, or milk, sometimes with a sweetener like honey, and soaked in it overnight.

Nowadays milk products like yogurt are added to homemade and packaged muesli recipes.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Granola	Muesli
History	Invented in 1963 and trademarked in the late 19th century in the United States.	Around 1900 by a doctor named Bircher-Benner.
Preparation	It is baked food. Natural sweeteners are used while baking.	It is raw food and the sweet taste of this food comes from dried fruits, there are no added sweeteners.
Appearance	It is chunks of nuts and oats bound together while baking.	It is loose and uncooked.
Health benefits	Fewer health benefits compared to muesli.	More health benefits as there are no added sweeteners.
Weight Loss	It takes more time to lose weight compared to muesli as there is added sugar, sweeteners.	It takes less time to lose weight compared to granola.

What is Granola?

Granola refers to a breakfast cereal that consists of fruits, oats, and nuts.

It is almost similar to muesli but coated with sugar or other forms of sweeteners like honey to give it a chunky and crunchy texture.

It is a food that is made from grains, nuts, mixed with honey, and other sweeteners and natural ingredients. This mixture is baked to make it crunchy.

After baking dried fruits like cranberries, raisins, bananas, coconut, and apricots are added. 

It was first invented in 1863 by James Caleb Jackson. Granola was trademarked by the famous cereal maker named John Harvey Kellogg in the late 19th century.

Granola is rich in essential fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, fiber, which makes it a healthy breakfast option, especially for the athletes who need protein and energy that Granola provides.

Granola is rich in manganese that helps in regulating sugar and blood level in the body. For diabetic patients, the dried fruits, seeds, grains, and nuts present in granola helps in controlling and reducing blood sugar levels.

The fiber present in granola reduces inflammation in the gut. It also increases oxygen and the flow of blood to the brain.

Granola can be eaten by itself, with yogurt or milk. It can also be eaten with ice creams and creams. Granola should be kept in a cool and dry place without direct light.

The best way to preserve granola is to preserve it in an airtight container like a glass jar.

What is Muesli?

Muesli refers to a healthy breakfast cereal containing seeds, oats, dried fruits, and nuts. It is a healthier breakfast option compared to sugary breakfast cereals.

It is full of ingredients that make you feel fuller, aid your digestion. It is cold oatmeal based on rolled oats and ingredients like seeds, grains, dried and fresh fruits, and nuts.

It was developed around 1900 by Bircher-Benner, a Swiss doctor for his patients in his hospital.

It is a ready-to-eat cereal and is considered to be a popular healthy breakfast option all over the world, especially in New Zealand, Australia, and Europe. 

Muesli is a versatile breakfast food that is consumed in several ways. Muesli can be soaked in water, juice, or milk, and eaten as a cold cereal breakfast.

It also can be eaten cooked with boiling water or milk as a traditional oatmeal breakfast. Muesli can be eaten by adding it to fruit salads and yogurt. 

Muesli has a high nutritious value. It is rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, vitamin C, E, B-12, and fiber. It is rich in grains and fiber that is very good for the digestive system.

It also contains high amounts of resistant starch and fiber that make you feel full for a long period. The beta-glucan presented in muesli helps in reducing bad cholesterol levels by 10%.

Main Differences Between Granola and Muesli

1. Granola is a baked food and natural sweeteners are used while baking, on the other hand, muesli is raw food and the sweet taste of this food comes from dried fruits, there are no added sweeteners.
2. Granola was invented in 1963 and trademarked in the late 19th century in the United States, but muesli was invented much earlier than granola. It was invented around Around 1900 by a doctor named Bircher-Benner.
3. Granola is chunks of nuts and oats bound together while baking, whereas muesli is loose and uncooked.
4. Granola has fewer health benefits compared to muesli as granola has added sweeteners.
5. For losing weight granola takes more time compared to muesli as there is added oil, sugar, sweeteners.

References

1. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=granola&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3Du8FUSDNrZ3MJ
2. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=muesli&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3DqSh7REow9oIJ

Last Updated : 20 July, 2023