Muesli vs Granola - Which Is Healthier?

Often muesli and granola are confused on store shelves because of their similarities. They contain common ingredients like fruits, nuts, seeds and grains, but both are quite different.

Muesli is known as the healthy sibling of granola. While Granola is baked with sugar and oil and contains lots of calories and fat, Muesli is drier containing similar ingredients.

Muesli

It is a raw cereal containing seeds, fruits, dry fruits, nuts and is considered as one of the healthiest breakfasts. You can consume it with cold/hot milk, yogurt or can also cook as oatmeal. This healthy cereal is rich in fiber and filled with whole grains that provide an adequate amount of energy in the body.

Granola

It is baked cereal that combines grains, fruits, nuts and seeds with oil and sugar to bind the ingredients together. Granola is also known as ready-to-eat cereal. You can consume it anywhere, anytime.

Nutrition comparison

COMPONENTS	MUESLI	GRANOLA
Total Fat	5.6 g	29.4 g
Protein	11 g	12 g
Fiber	7.7 g	8 g
Calcium	8.3 %	10 %
Carbs	66 g	72 g
Saturated Fat	0.9 g	5 g
Calories	258	360

Macronutrients

The macronutrients present in per serving (320 grams) of granola are carbohydrates, monosaccharides, disaccharides, soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, trans fat, saturated fat, etc.

While on the other hand, Muesli contains total fat, saturated fat, sodium, potassium, total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, calcium, iron, etc. Both muesli and granola are good for health if consumed in a limited amount.

Benefits of Muesli and Granola

Muesli Benefits:

• It contains less sugar and fewer calories
• It contains a high amount of fiber and whole grains
• It also helps in improving the metabolism
• You won’t find yourself starving after an hour of consuming muesli
• Muesli contains beta-glucan that helps in reducing cholesterol levels by up to 10 percent and helps in keeping the heart-healthy
• Muesli contains nuts and fruits that are enriched in proteins, omega 3 fatty acids, potassium, fiber, vitamin E, C, B12, etc

Granola Benefits:

• Granola helps in improving blood pressure
• It is a good source of beta-glucan which helps in reducing cholesterol levels
• It also helps in improving gut health
• It reduces blood sugar
• This healthy cereal provides inflammation-fighting antioxidants like selenium, gallic acid, quercetin and vitamin E.

Side effects of Muesli and Granola

Cons of Muesli

• Muesli contains a low amount of ascorbic acid, which is important to balance the normal functioning of the body.
• It is loaded with extra sugar, fats, carbohydrates and unnecessary calories.
• It contains healthy ingredients such as fruits, nuts, dry fruits, etc but the negative part is these all are toasted in oil making them high in trans-fat and sugar.

Cons of Granola

• It is high in calories and contains sugar and fats in large amounts.
• It also contains fats like vegetable oils, coconut oil, nuts and butter to bind the ingredients.
• Consuming granola in large amounts may lead to weight gain.
• It can also increase the chance of metabolic disease.
• Eating too much sugar may increase your risk of many conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cavities, etc.

Homemade Muesli with Granola Recipes

1. Triple Coconut Granola

   Ingredients:

   • 4 cups rolled oats
   • I cup almonds or other nuts (of your choice)
   • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
   • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
   • ½ cup melted coconut oil
   • ½ cup maple syrup
   • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   • ½ cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
   • ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
   • Optional: ⅔ cup chopped dried fruit

   Method:

   • Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
   • Combine oats, almonds, cinnamon, salt, ground ginger in a large mixing bowl.
   • Spread the granola into an even layer.
   • Bake for 15 minutes and remove the pan from the oven.
   • Add corn flakes and shredded coconut and mix well.
   • Place the pan back into the oven for 5-10 minutes until the coconut turns light golden.
   • Let the granola cool completely on the pan as it will crisp up more.
   • Store the granola in the air-tight container and can be used for weeks.
   • Your delicious granola is ready to get consumed.
2. Cranberry Orange granola

   Ingredients

   • Add 4 cups of muesli including orange and sugar
   • 1 ½ cups raw pecans (or other nuts of your choice)
   • 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
   • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
   • ½ cup melted coconut/ olive oil
   • ½ cup maple syrup/ honey
   • 1 cup dried cranberries

   Method:

   • Heat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit
   • Combine orange zest and sugar in a small bowl
   • Rub the zest and sugar until it turns bright orange
   • Combine oats, pecans, cinnamon, salts and orange sugar in a bowl
   • Pour coconut oil and maple syrup and mix it well
   • Spread the granola in an even layer
   • Bake it for 20 to 25 minutes until the granola turns light golden in color
   • Let the granola cool before mixing it with the dried cranberries
   • Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature. It can be used for a few weeks.
   • Your delicious granola is now ready to serve

Summary: Both muesli and granola can be consumed as a healthy breakfast. They both contain similar ingredients which means they have sufficient amounts of protein, good carbs & fat and tons of nutrients.

To start your day with any of these can be never a bad option. You can enjoy it by making varieties of recipes from them. Before 1960, granola was called as granula (known as healthy food that contains graham flour).

It is to be mentioned that there are many granolas that do not contain high amounts of sugar and oils. You just have to go through the label of the product before buying it.