Toasted Muesli with Almonds, Coconut and Dark Chocolate
Simple and delicious toasted muesli with almonds, coconut and dark chocolate (or mix-ins of your choice!). This muesli is a healthy, homemade breakfast.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 1, 2024
Growing up, my mom wouldn’t allow any sugary cereal into the house except for the exceedingly rare box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which we ate right out of the box like candy. Because it is candy.
I was otherwise opposed to cereal. I never liked my mom’s choice of cereal—the healthy, fortified, fiber-rich stuff. On a more fundamental level, I couldn’t understand the appeal of cold milk and soggy stuff in a bowl. It’s like cold soup! Plus, I hated the sound of metal spoons scraping against bowls so early in the morning. I swore off the whole category and switched to toast with peanut butter.
I crinkled my nose at the cereal bar in the dorms and carried on in my toast-eating ways until junior year, when I moved to France for a semester abroad. There were no toasters, refrigerators or microwaves in the dorms, just a stove. I stored my food in a cabinet in my little room and quickly learned how to get by.
At the French grocery stores, I found milk that didn’t require refrigeration until opening. Then, my friend Mandy introduced me to the magic of the French cereal aisle. The French know how to make some tasty, chocolatey cereal. After all my years of cereal-hating, I survived on cereal in France.
After all that, I came back home and fired up my toaster again. We just don’t make cereal like the French do. Eventually, I expanded into oatmeal and egg-y things and homemade muffins. I learned how to make granola, which is now a staple, and here we are now with muesli.
I wasn’t sold on muesli until I ran out of my yogurt and homemade granola in Austin. Ali offered me some of her store-brand toasted muesli and almond milk and it turns out, I like cold soup when toasted muesli is involved.
Muesli is like a healthier, lightened-up granola, which isn’t to knock my beloved granola but to point out that muesli has significantly less oil and sugar in it. It can be made with no oil or sugar at all, but a little bit goes a long way in the flavor department.
I treat muesli like granola and mix it with almond milk or yogurt in the morning. You can store extra muesli in a bag in the freezer and grab it like you would a box of cereal.
Most muesli recipes call for just plain, raw oats, but if you want to make phenomenal muesli, you must toast the mixture in the oven. The heat brings out the best in the oats, almonds and coconut. The oats crisp up a bit, so they retain more texture, which I love.
Muesli reminds me of cereal, which reminds me of France, so I added a reasonable amount of tiny chocolate chips to the mix. It’s basically the Almond Joy of muesli.
I’ve been playing around with muesli flavors like I have with granola. In fact, you could take inspiration from any granola recipe and turn it into muesli using the recipe below as your guide. You’ll find more muesli variations and guidance here.
Please let me know how your recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Toasted Muesli with Almonds, Coconut and Dark Chocolate
Simple and delicious toasted muesli with almonds, coconut and dark chocolate. This muesli is a healthy, homemade breakfast. Feel free to change up the mix-ins; just replace the almonds, coconut and chocolate with about 3 cups nuts and/or dried fruit (add the dried fruit after the muesil has cooled, like you do with the chocolate in the recipe below). Recipe yields approximately 7 cups muesli.
Ingredients
Muesli
- 4 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 ½ cups sliced almonds
- 1 ½ cups large, unsweetened coconut flakes
- Scant 1 teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini dark chocolate chips
Serving suggestions
- Milk of choice (I like almond milk) or plain yogurt
- Sliced bananas, berries or fruit of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For easy cleanup, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (I was out, so I did not and it was fine).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. Pour in the maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract and mix well. Do NOT add the chocolate chips; we’re saving those for later.
- Pour the mixture onto your baking sheet and bake until the oats and coconut flakes are lightly golden and fragrant, tossing halfway, about 15 minutes.
- Let the muesli cool completely before mixing in the chocolate chips (if you add them too soon, the chips will melt and you’ll have a delicious mess of chocolatey muesli). Serve individual portions in bowls with almond milk or yogurt. I like to let my muesli rest for a few minutes so the oats soften up a bit. Enjoy!
- Store cooled muesli in a freezer-safe bag with the air squeezed out. It keeps best in the freezer (no defrosting time required).
Notes
Recipe roughly adapted from my cranberry orange granola.
Make it vegan/dairy free: Be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips and non-dairy milk, like almond milk.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This post was created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill and I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
Hi Kate,
I have never heard of Muesli; however, looking at the recipe and steps makes this very tempting and I want to try it. Do you know if I can use old fashion quaker oats for this recipe to get the same results and taste.
Please advise.
Thanks
Hi KD! Yep, those will do!
Made this last night but added a few extra spices to make it chai flavoured. So delicious! Thanks for the recipe Kate, super easy to make and the chocolate chips add just the right amount amount of sweetness as there isn’t too much maple syrup like other recipes. :)
Thanks, Bridget! Great idea to add chai flavors!
Finally got around to making this over the weekend and it does not disappoint. It’s so so so delicious i have to stop myself from eating it by the handful. I used roughly chopped pecans and shredded coconut instead of flaked. It worked out really well. To me, it’s a bit sweeter than store-bought muesli, but not as sweet as granola, it’s perfect really. I will be making this again and will try out some other additions like raisins or cranberries and maybe some different types of nuts.
Thank you, Lisa! I’m so glad you enjoyed the muesli. I ran out and need to make another batch, pronto!
Do you think I can sub olive oil for the coconut oil? I’m all out.
Yes, olive oil should work just fine!
Hi Kate,
I’m allergic to oats :(
Which is extremely sad because my favourite thing is porridge (oatmeal) and other oaty foods -_-
So I was just wondering if you knew any oat free oatmeal…?
I don’t think that you will but just thought I’d ask :)
Thanks :)
Hi Jadzia, I’m sorry to hear that! I know that rolled quinoa exists, so maybe that would work for you?
I just enjoyed a fabulous bowl of this muesli with cashew milk after a friend gifted it to me. It’s so delicious! I can’t wait to make it myself! I have good friends, huh? ;)
You do have great friends! So glad you enjoyed it, Stacy!
This is absolutely delicious. It scratches the granola itch–crunchy, lots of different tastes and textures–but I love that it’s less sweet and less greasy than even “healthy” granola recipes (which are usually healthier than traditional, but still use a lot of sugar!). I don’t like the chewiness of normal muesli, so the toasting step was key.
One thing I’d do differently is drop the oven temp to 250 or 300 and bake it for longer. My coconut started getting dark before my oats were toasted all the way. I turned it down partway through, which helped.
Thank you, Erika!
Just made this muesli and it’s absolutely delicious!! Have never tried gluten free oats but they (and this recipe) will now be a staple in my household.
Thanks Kate! (and Cookie)
Thank you, Ewa! Glad to hear it!
Hi Kate! I just recently turned vegan and your recipies are simply amazing ! Loved the butternut squash pasta! This is an off topic question but what kind of dog do you have? thanks!!
-Gabby
Hey Gabby! She’s a mutt, and a totally random combination at that. Part schipperke, Australian coolie and dachshund. :)
This is a complete staple in our house. I started making it a few months ago and haven’t looked for anything else since!
Woohoo! Thanks, Aimee!
I made this tonight! I never planned for my husband to eat it because he’s pretty picky. He smelled it baking and had a big bowl full right out of the oven. We both absolutely loved it! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! Happy Thanksgiving!!
Thank you, LiLi! I’m glad you both enjoyed the muesli, yay!
Hi Kate, just stumbled across this recipe in a search for muesli with a difference… will definitely try it out. Having read all the comments, I noticed that two of them asked about soaking it overnight. Well, as your main purpose for eating muesli is for the goodness it provides your body in the way of energy, I thought you would be interested to know that the purpose of soaking grains is to neutralise the phytic acid in order for your body to absorb all the nutrients in the food you are eating. Phytic acid binds itself to the calcium, zinc, copper, etc. in your intestines and inhibits their absorption. All you do is add a tablespoon or two of whey (or apple cider vinegar if you are avoiding dairy) when you soak overnight, and you will be getting so much more goodness out of your breakfast. I was sure you would be interested to know this important nutritional fact. Yours in good health, Joy
Hi Joy, thank you for sharing. I’ve heard of the health benefits of soaking grains and should probably take advantage of them more often. I wanted to be sure to emphasize that this cereal is a great alternative to the more processed cereals on the shelf, whether you soak it or not. Sometimes, I worry that suggesting that oats (or lentils, etc.) are healthiest after soaking overnight will overwhelm people who are starting to eat better because it implies that they aren’t healthy if you don’t have to soak them… and not everyone has the time/energy/foresight to soak ingredients overnight. Just my two cents here!
Hi again Kate… thanks for your carefully considered response to my comment. I hear you, and think you are right on track… I remember being quite overwhelmed by all the things I needed to do and eat differently in order to be “healthy”, and some of the suggestions seemed very OTT to me at the time… Slowly slowly is definitely the approach to take, and each little change moves you closer to the goal of eating less processed and packaged food, with less sugar being a big goal. Thanks again, and good luck in your continued endeavours to encourage healthy eating. :)
Hi Joy, I’m glad my reply was well received. All my best and happy holidays!
So very yummy. I used what I had in my pantry in addition to your items. I replaced to oats with muesli, because that is what I had laying around. Then I added wheat Chex, cashews, dried wild blueberries and dried cherries. Over soy yogurt it was a spectacular dessert. Thanks so much.
Sounds great! Thank you, Cheryl.
I LOVE YOUR TOASTED MUESLI AND HAVE IT EVERY DAY
OTHERS PREFER EGGS AND BACON
EAT AND ENJOY WHAT YOU WANT AND LET OTHERS DO THE SAME
The fact that I’ve made 3 batches within the past week should attest to the popularity of your muesli in this house! Now I have the freezer stocked up for my marauding husband. Who knew he’d forgo his favorite(too sweet, high fat) granola for muesli?! We mostly use it on my homemade Greek yogurt but have also found ourselves heading to the freezer to grab a handful as a quick snack. Using your recipe as a guide, I’m successfully reducing excess inventory of pine nuts(left over from pesto making last fall), dried cherries(from family in Traverse City, Michigan), pecans, walnuts, apricots,flaxseed meal, chia seeds and crystalized ginger. The next batch might have quinoa in it, just to see if it’d work! I’ve been avoiding baking as I’ve been seriously dieting for the past 8 months and am glad to have found a way, through your recipe, to use these items without encasing them in butter, brown sugar, and icing.
Haven’t made this in a while and had forgotten how delicious it truly is. This time I made 1 1/2 of the recipe so in addition to the 4 cups of oats i used 1 cup rye flakes and 1 cup all bran cereal. I used pecans (instead of almonds), increased the amounts of coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla etc accordingly. I also added in sunflower seeds and for the ‘sweet’ portion used cranberries, dates and raisins. This muesli is such a great way to start the day and it’s 1000x better than anything you could buy off the shelf. Thanks for this recipe Kate!
Hi,
I was wondering if you can cook the mixture in a pan rather than the oven?
Thanks.
Hi Kate!
I was looking for a homemade muesli recipe this morning and luckily came across this toasted version. I just had to tell you, it’s brilliant! So easy, so quick, and SO good!
As much as I love granola, I wanted something lower in calories, sugar, etc. and this fit the bill perfectly. I have to admit I pretty much eyeballed the ingredients, especially since I had no coconut on hand, but the recipe is totally forgiving and turned out just great! In addition to the almonds, I added cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, golden raisins, and dried cranberries, all of which made up the volume for the missing coconut (and then some!). I omitted the chocolate but added a little nutmeg in addition to the cinnamon. Just finished a bowl and mmm-mmm! Such a great idea– toasting it makes ALL the difference.
Yet another inspired recipe… Thanks so much!
Love this recipe, I’m currently going through Chemotherapy and this is a great way to avoid Sugar and get some proper nutrition into you at the start of the day. I’m making it as I type this (so I can remind myself of the recipe) and can’t wait to tuck in. The smell is gorgeous. I do add Gojo Berries and Chia seeds towards the end of the cooking as they burn easily and take bitter if overcooked. 5 mins max. Thanks for putting up the recipe, we love it in our house.
I appreciate the recipe, as I had decided most granola recipes were sweeter and oilier than I needed it to be, and I will make it again. Just want to put in my $.02, though, that the result is extremely salty. A half-teaspoonful would be plenty – unless you meant kosher salt to be used? – in which case maybe that should be specified.
I agree
Will try this recipe. Only I will have it with coconut milk.
Thanks for this recipe! A friend recently gave me some homemade muesli and it was so good, I thought I would try to make my own. I love cereal (I’m another one who also got only healthy cereals as a kid) and would eat Grape Nuts every day for breakfast if I could. Sadly they are hard to come by in Germany, where my family is living now. Muesli abounds here but there is something nice about making your own and being able to customize it, plus it’s fresher. I made yours last night, without coconut, subbing chopped cashews for almonds, and adding sunflower seeds and chia seeds (my first time with chia — always seemed too faddish but turns out they are fun). I added dried cranberries after the roasting instead of chocolate chips. The key is definitely the roasting, and having a variety of textures. Delicious with plain yogurt, a little milk and raspberries. I’m looking at my empty bowl now and debating getting just a leeetle bit more… :) Thanks again and Guten Appetit!
Thank you, Emily! I’m so glad you found my recipe. Your version sounds delicious!
PS – making a second batch and noticed again there is a word missing in step #3, namely how long to bake for. I deduced 30 mins since you said toss halfway, at 15 mins. Just FYI! No need to publish this comment. :)
Oops! I just fixed it. Thanks, Emily.
Love this! I’ve been on an oat kick lately. Granola, granola bars (yours rock btw) and now muesli. I’m not a coconut fan so I left that out, I also can’t handle maple (it’s a smell thing) so I subbed honey. Love, love love chocolate, probably one reason I loved your granola bars so much. This muesli makes a wonderful cereal, warm or cold, and it’s great with my homemade Greek yogurt. Add banana slices and I’m in chocolate-banana heaven!! Thanks for a great recipe.
Thank you, Cat! You’re definitely in the right place for oat recipes. I can’t get enough! So glad you’re enjoying them.
Hi Kate,
I found your muesli recipe and have made it numerous times, with some adjustments. I used the chocolate chips but didn’t care for them, although I’m a chocolate lover. I like to add chopped dates and some candied ginger to the mix and I don’t use the coconut oil or the maple syrup. I figure we get enough sugar without adding that. I do love the basic recipe and yes; toasting the oats is so much better.
THANK YOU!
Thanks, Linda! Your variations sound great!
I just made a half recipe just to try this. It was delicious–much tastier than the untoasted meuseli I usually eat. Will definitely make this again.
Just got back from New Zealand where everyone has their own homemade muesli. After searching out options, yours is the closest to what we had… can’t wait to make it!
I use quick cook oats which soak up the milk quickly and resembles the muesli my German father used to make
Sounds delicious! And so nice that it reminded you of home.
How much of the muesli do you consider a serving? I know it makes 7 cups total but how much do you eat?
Hey Anna, I never measure out my servings exactly—I just roughly guess how much it will take to satisfy me. I’d guess that I’d eat around 1/2 to 3/4 cup, depending on how hungry I am and what I’m serving it with.
Thanks for this great recipe! My 11-year-old daughter likes it, which is a huge bonus — it’s always hard to find healthy things she’ll eat for a quick breakfast. We didn’t have mini chocolate chips but found that it was sweet enough without. For our first batch, we added dried cranberries. Yum!
So happy you and the kiddo enjoy it! Dried cranberries sound so good with this, I’ll have to try that next time.
Excellent recipe! I added one cup of wheat flakes, used about 3/4 tsp of penzey’s cake spice, and omitted the chocolate chips. I’ve been eating it with plain kefir. So delicious. Making two batches again today- one with almonds and one with walnuts. Thank you!
I have had to search for Bob’s Museli where I live and love it but it is costly.. so excited to have your recipe AND will buy Bob’s uncontaminated oats. I so much appreciate valid indorsements – it is the reader’s choice and you are upfront. Koodos, ignore negative and go forward!!!
Just discovered you while searching/finding your lentil soup recipe – will try today.
Thank you, Marie! It’s nice to hear that you appreciate what I do. I’m glad you found my site! Have a great day.
I have made this recipe over and over again and I love it! I keep a bag of it in my pantry at all times. It is the perfect addition to my Siggis yogurt and a much better choice than sugary granolas. Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad this is on regular rotation, Carley! Thanks for the kind words.
I’ve always thought the difference between Muesli vs.Granola is that Muesli is uncooked, and Granola is baked. So when you “toast” the grains in this Muesli, does it then become Granola? I’m not trying to be a smart a., just wondering why you chose the name (?). I love Granola, and make (& bake) it often…my grandsons love it and call it “GaGa’s Granola” :) They are now in college, and it’s an excellent addition to their care packages. Thanks for all your great recipes. I love your “Love real Food” cookbook, as well.
I love this recipe. Do you know how many calories per cup?
Unfortunately, I don’t have nutritional info available for all my recipes just yet. In the meantime, here’s a nutrition calculator that might come in handy.
I like muesli with warm milk. I never tried to bake muesli, tho, but will give it a try someday. I live in a country where oven is never a staple for daily cooks or if you don’t bake cookies daily. So getting my oven out of the cupboard and getting it ready will take effort.
Anw, scrolled down your post, scroll, scroll, DOG!!!, scroll, scroll, scroll, lolz. Cutie puppy! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I hope you get a chance to try this, Sekar! Cookie says hello!
I made this recipe and really love it. I am a big fan of muesli and was craving the kind of muesli i ate when i visited Switzerland. This was easy to make and toasting the ingredients in the oven added a nice crunch.
I’m glad you liked it and that is was comparable to one you had in Switzerland! If you would like to leave a star review, I would appreciate it!
Hi Kate, I tried giving the recipe 5 stars but it doesnt seem to work with my iPhone.
Just got back from a wonderful vacation where we became fast friends with an amazing vegan couple. She turned me on to the delicious muesli available at breakfast, and I’m hopelessly smitten! Your recipe is in the oven as I type…love the toasting, and can’t wait to top it with frozen blueberries and strawberries, maybe a few golden raisins and sunflower seeds. I omitted the oil and will try to resist adding chocolate…we’ll see how that goes. Thanks for a great recipe.
I loved this recipe! I just made it for breakfast except I added help, chia, and flax seeds. Also, I didn’t cook it with coconut oil and maple syrup. Instead I just drizzled a little syrup over my individual bowl. It was SO good!
Hemp! Not help
Sounds delicious!
I make this every week and eat it like cereal in the mornings. I also eat it as a snack. So healthy and yummy.
Wonderful! Thank you, Jackie.
Your
Thanks, Christine for the review!
I love your toasted meusli with almond(i leave out the choc in favour of dried fruit and haven’t eaten store bought meusli since I discovered it.
However, although there is a heading for nutritional info, I can’t get this to display, and I would like to have this available
I there anything you can do to help
Thanks for your yummy recipe… Christine
I’m sorry Christine! I was having issues with the nutritional info previously, but believe it should be fixed now. Try refreshing your browser. If that doesn’t work, clear your history and reload. That should hopefully do the trick!
This has become my all time favorite breakfast. It tastes so good and this batch lasts me about three weeks. It goes well with dried fruits too. Thank you so much Kate for this recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m happy it’s a favorite. I appreciate the review.
I made this recipe yesterday and absolutely love it, as is! The hint of chocolate worried me; however, loved it. Have used it so far on yogurt and , as a cereal with milk, and on cottage cheese and fruit.
Thank you so much for sharing this gem, I love it!
You’re welcome! Love the combinations, Carla.
For those who don’t like a ‘mushy’ texture, I add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup unsweetened low fat yoghurt to about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the muesli. Rather than stir it in, I enjoy the chopped fresh fruit and other ingredients. I hope this helps the person who didn’t like the “slop” – I don’t like that either.
Thanks for sharing, Mags!
Just bought a bag of Bobs Red Mill European Muesli & decided to toast up & halve this recipe. Mine turned out quite salty (& I love salt). Salvaged most of it by adding another cup & a half of oats/nuts/syrup prior to cooking but still had some overpowering salty bites. Next time I will quarter the salt as the coconut oil & maple syrup looks perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love it! Great idea to adjust to your liking next time!
Actually, I really did love it. Even though I cut the salt, this is my go to recipe and (unfortunately) it’s addicting. With that, I need to adjust my 3 star rating (I thought it noted 4 stars at the time). Let me know how I can edit the rating or if you can on your end to 5. Thank you!
I love this recipe and have been making for about a year now. It’s my go-to breakfast. After becoming vegan, I was truly at a loss for breakfast ideas. I make veggie mixtures for my husband for work breakfasts, but I want something quick and fun. It’s way healthier than cereal, but lets me enjoy a breakfast similar to what the kids eat. It’s delicious! Thank you for sharing. As far as the negative comment about not wanting a cold breakfast, I laugh. Do you walk into a men’s clothing store and complain that there’s no women’s clothes? Calm down and be nice. Only look for recipes that fit your taste.
Thank you, Jen! I really do appreciate it.
Made this recipe for meal prep this week and I am obsessed! I’ve never had muesli before but you have made me a fan. I am a die hard oatmeal lover but now that summer is coming I was looking for something cool but filling and this delivers.
Quick substitution note: I am not a huge chocolate lover so I left out the choco chips. I added a bunch of fresh fruit when serving.
Once I am done with this batch, I can’t wait to make your cherry pecan version :) Thanks for all you do to keep my plate fresh, healthy and delicious!
I’m happy to hear it! Thanks for sharing, Lauren.
I just popped this out of the oven and it is DELICIOUS! I’m nibbling it off of the cookie sheet as I type. I substituted honey for maple syrup, because that was what I had on hand, and I don’t plan to put the chocolate chips in. I know that would be awesome, but somehow I just can’t go that route for breakfast. I’ll go with some fresh fruit and milk instead. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Thanks for sharing!
Deish recipe! I’ve made it 3 times now and it’s always great!
Great to hear, Sandi!
This is simple and easy to make. I’ve long looked for gluten free muesli in the store but haven’t found one I liked. This is delicious. Thank you!
You’re welcome!