What's the Difference Between Granola and Muesli?

Take a stroll down the cereal or health food aisle and you're sure to find boxes and bags of granola and muesli. Muesli is a popular European breakfast, while granola is more familiar to American consumers. The two cereals are sold side-by-side because they're remarkably similar, but muesli and granola are still two separate entities. But what is it that makes granola and muesli different in the first place, and does that impact affect the benefits you can find in both?

What's the Difference Between Granola and Muesli?

Both muesli and granola are cereal mixtures comprised of oats, nuts, dried fruit, and seeds. Granola, which was created by American physician James Caleb Jackson in 1863, contains added oils and sugars, which helps the oats form into those trademark clusters, and is baked before serving. Muesli, which was created by Swiss doctor and nutritionist Maximillian Bircher-Benner in 1959, is served uncooked and usually lacks the additional sugars and oil that you'd find in granola. As a result, the two cereals have a completely different taste and texture.

Both cereals are served differently as well. Granola is already cooked and sweetened, so you can eat it straight out of the bag — sure, you can serve it with milk or yogurt, but that base isn't necessary. Muesli, on the other hand, is usually soaked overnight in milk or juice and served in the morning, much like overnight oats. Muesli can also be served hot or cold, while granola is exclusively served cold.

Which Is Healthier: Granola or Muesli?

Since muesli and granola are made from the same ingredients, their nutritional value is pretty much the same. Without anything added to it, muesli is healthier than granola in the sense that it has less fat and sugar. However, if it's prepared with juice or contains a lot of dried fruit, muesli gains the sugar, calories, and carbohydrates that already exist in granola.

Depending on what they're mixed with and how they're served, both granola and muesli can cross into less-than-healthy territory. Granola can contain a lot of added sugar and fat from mix-ins like vegetable oil and chocolate chips, and muesli with dried fruit has a high sugar content. If you really want to reap the health benefits found in granola and muesli, you should read the package labels to see what's in the ingredient lists, or make your own so you can control the nutritional content.

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