Granola vs. muesli: what’s the difference?

You’re probably wondering about the difference between granola and muesli – and rightly so. While these oat-based cereals were both created as nutritional supplements and they both have many common ingredients (such as rolled oats, nuts, dried fruit, and healthy seeds), the way they are prepared and served varies. Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about granola and muesli.

What is granola?

Granola is an oat-based cereal mixture made from rolled oats, honey, or other sweeteners. Granola was invented in 1863 in New York, but was made widely popular by John Harvey Kellogg (famous for their widely popular breakfast cereals in the United States). In the 1960s, granola was revived as healthy food and started to include nuts, dried berries, chocolate chunks, and healthy seeds (such as chia and flax). Today, granola can be made savoury or sweet, and can also be made gluten-free, vegan, and keto-friendly. Granola is sold loosely or in bar form.

What is muesli?

Created by a Swiss physician in charge of chronically ill patients, Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner believed that healthy food had the power to heal. Muesli is a mixture of different ingredients, including oats, nuts, dried fruit and other species and grains. Muesli is also available without oats. Like granola, it comes in a wide variety of sweet and savoury flavours.

How is granola different from muesli?

If muesli and granola are so similar, why is granola so popular? And how exactly are they different? The key differences between muesli and granola are how it is prepared, and the ingredients used to make it. They also differ slightly in nutritional value.

Ingredients

Granola contains honey or other sweeteners while muesli typically does not. Granola is often baked and contains clusters or is made in bar form (i.e., granola bars). Muesli is not glazed or baked, and it is always chewy. Depending on how it is made, granola can be chewy or crunchy. So while both granola and muesli can contain all kinds of oats, nuts, grains, seeds, dried fruits, and other ingredients, the best indication between these two oat cereals is whether it’s baked or not. 

Preparation

The presentation of these two cereals is slightly different. Granola is baked and then eaten directly from the bag or eaten as a granola bar. When you order or purchase granola, it’s ready to eat and can be consumed directly from the bag or added to another meal/snack (such as oatmeal or yogurt). On the other hand, most people prefer to prepare muesli before they eat it. To prepare muesli, you typically soak it in milk overnight in the refrigerator. Soaking muesli helps break down the oats and makes it easier to chew. You can eat it cold, or cook it warm in the liquid of your choice (like you would oatmeal).

Nutritional values

Both muesli and granola are nutritious, high in fibre, and high in protein. However, there is a common misconception that granola is always made with more sugar than muesli. While a great deal of granola is made with honey and other sweeteners, many companies, Oloaa offers products made with coconut sugar which offers one of the lowest Glycemic Index (GI). Additionally, we offer sugar-free, keto-friendly options by adding natural monk fruit sweetener for tasty diabetic-friendly granola bars and bags. For exact nutritional value, be sure to read your labels carefully.

Accessibility

If you’ve walked through the cereal aisle at your local grocery store, you’ve probably noticed a large selection of granola and granola bars. It’s very apparent that granola is far more accessible than muesli. With so many choices of granola to choose from, be sure to check the ingredients to avoid items high in sugar, such as excess chocolate, peanut butter, and other additives. While tasty, these additives really take away from the true nutritional value of granola. Regardless of how you like to eat your grains, both granola and muesli provide a wide variety of textures and flavours for you to enjoy. They are both full of heart-healthy antioxidants, fibre, and protein to give you a boost of energy that keeps you going all day! 

Oloaa Granola

When it comes to healthy granola made from the highest quality ingredients, the experts at Oloaa have got you covered in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or across the UAE. We’ve taken the time to determine the perfect ratio of ingredients guaranteed to ensure the right balance of crunchy flavour! Baked with olive oil, coconut sugar, gluten-free oats, nuts, and nutritious seeds, our granola is made for all lifestyles and targeted toward vegan, paleo, keto, and gluten intolerant individuals. We also have keto-friendly options for the carb conscious. 

Whether you need a quick snack between meals at work, fuel for your next bike, hike, or a nutritious boost during your next big exam, Oloaa granola is just what you need. So please take a look at our yummy products and order yours today!