Easy Overnight Oats a.k.a. Bircher Muesli

Overnight Oats a.k.a. Bircher Muesli

Over the last few years, Overnight Oats has been a big thing on food blogs and picture-heavy social media site Pinterest. It seems like everyone who’s into breakfast has their own version of this nutritious, delicious dish and I’m throwing my hat in the ring. Before I share my recipe though, I want to remind us all of the origins of this now globally popular breakfast food. While Muesli itself has been around likely for centuries (with some forms existing far longer), the form of overnight oats we know today is traced back to a Swiss physician named Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner, which is how the name “Bircher Muesli” came about.

Dr. Bircher-Brenner came across these soaked raw oats while traveling with his wife somewhere around the turn of the century in Europe. Various accounts of the story detail raw oats being soaked in everything from water and lemon juice, to fruit juices to even coffee. Dr. Bircher-Brenner’s original recipe (according to online sources) had the raw oats being soaked overnight in just water, then mixed the next morning with cream, honey, fresh fruits and nuts. So, for the past century, Bircher Muesli spread slowly but surely throughout the world, making its major appearance in the US back in the 60’s and a strong resurgence in the past 5 years or so.

This easy Overnight Oats recipe here is a very basic form that I love for everyday breakfasts. It’s super easy and quick to prepare the night before and never gets boring. I’ll add more Bircher Muesli or Overnight Oats recipes as time goes on; the variations are endless, but this one is a delicious, solid base to start with. Happy breakfast!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 full cup raw oats

2 cups milk (use any type you prefer)

1 large banana, sliced

1 cup fresh blueberries

Method

Divide the raw oats into 2 serving bowls evenly. Pour 1 cup of milk into each bowl. Toss in half of the sliced bananas into each bowl, along with half a cup of the blueberries. Using a spoon, gently mix all the ingredients in each bowl.

Sit in the refrigerator overnight. Serve the next morning.

Tip: If like me, you prefer a more liquid consistency to your Overnight Oats, simply add 1/4 cup more milk to the recipe above (per serving) to get results like the below picture.