Cherry Pecan Muesli
This cherry pecan muesli recipe will make you look forward to breakfast! It's made with oats, coconut, pecans, dried cherries, and a touch of maple syrup.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
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Any muesli fans out there? How about muesli haters? Muesli is typically made with raw oats, nuts and dried fruit, and maybe some spices for good measure. I’ll be the first to admit that a lot of store-bought mueslis aren’t awesome—the raw oats taste like horse food (yep, I said it), and the healthy oils in nuts and oats can go rancid if the muesli sits on the shelf too long.
I’m aiming to turn all the haters into muesli lovers with this recipe. Starting with raw nuts and oats from a store with a healthy turnover rate is key. Then I suggest you commit muesli blasphemy—mix in a tiny drizzle of maple syrup and coconut oil, and toast the ingredients in the oven to maximize the flavor and minimize the horse food effect. This is healthy homemade cereal that you’ll actually want to eat!
The inspiration for this muesli came from Pinch of Yum’s photography workshop. Lindsay and her team served Minneapolis-made Seven Sundays muesli for breakfast, with a beautiful spread of fruit and toppings to choose from. The hard part was not eating the muesli before I was done photographing it.
I fell in love with Seven Sundays’ cherry, pecan and vanilla combination, so I just had to recreate it. I can’t say I made an exact replica of their muesli, but it’s delicious regardless. Muesli is very flexible, so you can easily change it up—see the recipe notes for suggestions. As always, please let me know how you like it in the comments!
Cherry Pecan Muesli
This cherry pecan muesli recipe will make you look forward to breakfast! It’s made with oats, coconut, pecans, dried cherries, and a touch of maple syrup. Recipe yields about 6 cups muesli, enough for 12 (½-cup) servings.
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 ¼ cups chopped raw pecans
- 1 cup large, unsweetened coconut flakes or shredded unsweetened coconut
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped dried cherries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For easy cleanup, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, pecans, coconut, salt and cinnamon. Pour in the maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract and mix well. Don’t add the dried cherries yet; 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 13 to 15 minutes. Let the muesli cool to room temperature and stir in the dried cherries.
- Store cooled muesli in a freezer-safe bag with the air squeezed out. It will keep well at room temperature for about 1 month, but keeps best in the freezer (no defrosting necessary; just let your bowl of frozen muesli and milk rest for a few minutes before eating).
Notes
Recipe inspired by Seven Sundays and adapted from my toasted muesli with almonds, coconut and dark chocolate.
Serving suggestions: Serve this muesli with your milk of choice (regular milk, store-bought almond milk, homemade cashew milk, or even homemade pecan milk). Top with fresh fruit like sliced bananas, fresh berries or chopped apples. You might want to let the muesli and milk mixture rest for 10 minutes before eating, to soften up the oats.
Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
Make it nut free: Replace the pecans with pepitas (green pumpkin seeds).
Coconut haters: Replace the dried coconut with additional oats. Omit the coconut oil or replace it with olive oil.
Change it up: Feel free to substitute other nuts for the pecans (chopped if large) or use a different type of dried fruit (chopped dried apricots, cranberries or raisins would be great). You can substitute honey for the maple syrup, but you might need to warm it up in the microwave for just a few seconds beforehand, so it’s easier to mix into the other ingredients. You can find more options in the special diet notes above.
If you love this recipe: Don’t miss the mango lassi smoothie bowls with toasted coconut muesli in my cookbook! Check out similar recipes for granola and granola bars here.
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.
Gotta try this! I love muesli. Although I have found it much heartier and more flavorful in Ireland (my only other point of reference) compared with the U.S. My question … may I replace the coconut oil with avocado oil? (Or would that change the taste?) Thanks for the recipe!
From my recollection, avocado oil is pretty mild in flavor, so I don’t think it’d make too big of a difference.
Kate- you’re right! Didn’t taste avocado-esque! ;-p This is one my favorites – ever. Love the crunch, the subtle hint of maple, the cherries! It really is the best; maybe better than the muesli in Ireland!
Love your recipes! Any chance of getting calorie counts on serving size?
Hi, Linda! The calorie count is in the nutritional information, which can be found right under the recipe notes. This one has about 259 calories per serving.
Great combination with the maple syrup, vanilla and cherries! Wish I could get my hands on some dried cherries here in North Queensland.
Oh no! I wonder if you could order some online? I don’t know what I’d do without dried cherries! Though any other dried fruit would work great in this–dried cranberries especially.
Oh my gosh, just made your mueseli while making dinner. It is
fantastic!
Easy recipe and 100 times better than the stores or other granola I have made.
Didn’t have dried cherries but did have dried cranberries. You have a hit here and I like that it is low in sugar and low in fat.
Yes! No more store-bought muesli for Gen. :)
This looks fantastic and SO EASY! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks! :)
Thanks! Let me know how it goes, Amy!
Thanks for another delicious recipe! I’m making a triple batch to share with family, so that my granddaughters will have a quick, nourishing breakfast before school. Will also try Seven Sundays products; love supporting family businesses who buy local and give back to the community! BTW, I have your book on Kindle; a beautiful book, filled with recipes that are approachable for any skill level, (deceptively) healthy and enjoyed by all!
Kathy! This is such a kind comment. And what a great grandmother you are! I hope your granddaughters know how lucky they are. Also, so excited that you got the book! I’m so happy to hear that you love it.
Ever since we visited Ireland and the only choice for breakfast other than eggs & sausage was muesli – I’m hooked! I have some with fresh fruit and yogurt just about every morning…can’t wait to try your recipe out!
Yes, I hear the muesli in Ireland is unbelievable! I’ll have to take a trip just to try it. ;) I hope you like this version!
I have made my own muesli for quite a few years. I eat it as overnight oats, cold or hot, depending on my mood. I never add add anything liquid to mine, or even add any sweetner to it when mixing it. For that matter none to eat it. So going to give yours a try
Let me know how it goes, Barbara!
Hi Kate,
I love your recipes! I have adult children who are vegetarians and your blog and cookbook saves the day.
I have a question on the baking temperature for the eggplant lasagna on pg 163. I’m going to try it at the 425 for roasting the eggplant hoping that’s correct. SOrry to ask the question here I didn’t know how else to contact you. Thanks, Jan
Thank you, Jan! Yes, 425 is correct. It’s listed in step 1. Hope you all love it!
Had to come check this one out. :) I don’t like storebought cereals, but this sounds good!
I hope you get a chance to try it!
Looks great!!!
Thanks! :)
My husband loves muesli and has been making his own version of it that includes pepitas, mulberries, and the ancient seed/grain blend from Trader Joe’s. I’m going to make this tomorrow and hope to have a new item in our breakfast rotation.
I also just wanted to say that I love your recipes and just bought your cookbook today. So excited to get it on Monday! :)
I hope you both enjoyed the muesli, Jenna! Thanks so much for picking up the cookbook. I hope you love it!
This is similar to my favorite granola recipe. Definitely one I want to try. I like the simplicity of it, and the flavorings.
Thanks, Susan! Let me know how it goes.
Wondering if I could make this in the crockpot instead. I make a granola recipe that can be done in either and the stirring is so much easier in the crockpot. I was alway spilling oats in my oven.
Made this for breakfast this morning (adding a few tablespoons of flax seeds) and all I can say is WOW! The only problem is that I can’t limit myself to one serving! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Okay, so I have been stuck in a breakfast “rut” (in quotations because I never really considered it a rut) for the last 4 years. I was perfectly content eating my yogurt and homemade granola with a side of fruit. But my husband nagged that I eat the same thing every day and I need to try something new. While not jumping far from my yogurt/granola routine, I decided to try this.. and ooooommmmgg!! I absolutely love this recipe (as I do most of yours)! I look forward to breakfast and can’t wait for tomorrow morning!! Hahaha.. It’s true!
Hooray! I’m so glad this got you out of your “rut” Mallory!
This is similar to one I’ve been making from A Couple Cooks, so I’m sure I’ll love this one too! I love having dried fruit in my muesli, especially in the fall/winter when berries aren’t in season.
I hope you get a chance to try it, Claire!
I am so glad to hear someone else say it: most muesli tastes like horse food…. or bird food as I usually say. But in theory, its essentially just RAW granola. And I looooove granola, so muesli SHOULDN’T be so bad, right??? HA! I think your recipe and “blasphemous” technique sound like a perfect solution!!!
Haha! Thanks, Maria. How can blasphemy be so delicious?!
I love muesli and can’t wait to try making my own. Do you think this would work with steel cut oats, or would they be too “chewy”? Thanks!
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Thanks Kate! I made this a variation of this muesli the other day (couldn’t find dried cherries) and it is so good and easy! It is impossible to find any good gluten free muesli that aren’t laden with sugar, so this was perfect with GF oats. Thank you!
Great! I’m glad it worked well with GF oats, too. :)
OMG, the Ford advertisement that popped up when I opened your blog is so obnoxious. I don’t think I’ll try that again. Please remove or you’ll loose subscribers. Recipe looks great.
Hi Linda, I’m so sorry to hear that you had a negative experience on my blog. I don’t allow advertisements to pop up or play sounds, so if that happened, it certainly wasn’t supposed to. I don’t see it now, so I hope you’ll visit again soon!
I couldn’t resist making this cherry pecan goodness. It smells so delicious! I made it with shredded coconut, which I find easier to chew and used olive oil in place of coconut oil. I’m really excited to have found this super simple muesli recipe!
Julia, I’m so glad you found the recipe! Thank you for your comment. :)
This just came out of my oven and it smells AMAZING! Not sure i can wait until it is cooled off :-) Quick question though…what is the difference between this and granola? I thought Muesli was unbaked and granola was baked…am i wrong?
Waiting is the hardest part! I am with you, Kelly. You are correct! The main difference is muesli is unbaked and granola is baked along with a binder (oil or sweetener) so all the ingredients bind together. Muesli can also be served cold or hot in a liquid. Granola is served cold. Hope that helps!
Hello, Kate!
Thank you for the perfect recipe!
Milen
Weedit.photos
You are welcome, Milen!
As a vegetarian, this is a great idea for a healthy breakfast. I shall try to out and tell my readers to try it as well. This Cherry Pecan Muesli is what one needs to start a day with a smile. Thanks for the recipe.
Let me know what you think when you do!
Wow, this looks awesome!
Thank you, Kathleen! Let me know what you think when you try it.
Made this today exactly as written and you made me a muesli fan! I make granola a lot, and this feels lighter and healthier!
Wonderful! Thank you, Claire for your review.
I’m new to your blog and this is the first recipe of yours that I have made. It’s delicious :). I like muesli but I agree that the raw stuff can be a bit bland lol.
Hi Kate!
I’ve tried several of your recipes and have always been extremely pleased and can’t wait to try this one. My question is regarding storage, if I’m planning on storing it on the freezer do you add the dried cherries or other fruit or add that in when you mix it with your choice of milk?
Thanks!
I follow through all the steps and freeze it with the dried fruit, but you could add it in later as well.
I made this last week and we have gone through it so quickly that I’m making another batch today. I love the flavor combination. Thanks for this simple and delicious recipe.
This muesli was delicious and easy to make thanks to the clear and concise directions.
I made this today. It is absolutely delicious!
Thank you!!
Hi Kate,
I found this recipe and my husband and I absolutely love it! I just made it a second time and realized I had been using whole-grain organic one minute oats. The one minute is typed very tiny so I didn’t notice it before. What is the difference between using what I did and the rolled oats? I’m guessing the rolled oats is just more hearty and healthier?
Hi Jennifer! I find it holds together well and gives more of a texutre.
I’ve been making this monthly and my husband, my two year old, and I all LOVE it. It’s equally good with oat or cow milk and is easy to make and perfect for breakfast or a snack.
Great to hear, Jaimie! I appreciate your review.
It’s in the oven now and smells absolutely amazing! I can’t wait to make some overnight oats with it for the morning.
Great to hear, Tina!
This recipe and your Overnight Oats has become my staple breakfast every morning. Fantastic!
Hi, I want to make this. What other oils can I sub for coconut or avocado?
Hi, I recommend this recipe with what is written. I hope you try it!
Can I use steel cut oats in this recipe? Thank you!
I recommend this recipe best as written. I hope you try it!
Do you have the macros figured out on this recipe?
Hi Maureen, the nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe.