Gluten-free Bircher Muesli with Quinoa

I love making overnight oats (very similar to a Bircher Muesli) but after a while I just get sick and tired of eating oats. So, I make it with quinoa instead (yep, that means, it’s also gluten-free)!

Now, before we get into it—yes, you will need to cook the quinoa first. There’s unfortunately no magical thing as overnight quinoa.

But, you know, when camping, it’s always a good idea to cook bigger batches of rice, pasta,… and quinoa (of course, you may need a fridge to store the leftovers). If you don’t have a fridge, you may still want to cook some extra quinoa.

And here’s why: not only can you have this yummy, gluten-free Bircher Muesli for brekkie, no, you can also have a quinoa salad for lunch or tea!

I often cook quinoa one day and have something with it for lunch. And then the next morning, I’ll have this bircher!

As long as the nights are cool (and not as hot as those Australian summer nights), you don’t really have to worry about storing it in the fridge. You could also let this bircher muesli soak overnight—as long as it’s vegan/dairy-free, it’ll be fine without a fridge.

What do you need for this gluten-free bircher muesli?

• Cooked quinoa
• milk or yoghurt (plant-based, if needed)
• raw seasonal fruit, grated or chopped
• dried fruit and nuts
• apple sauce and/or nut butter (optional)

These are the ingredients I like to use, but you may want to explore some more options which I will talk about later on!

A traditional bircher muesli is made with oats, grated apples and soaked in milk overnight. So, of course, you can use certified gluten-free oats instead of quinoa. But as I mentioned, I simply like to have something else for brekkie every now and then.

Substitutes and add-ins

There are soooo many options for you. I mean, when you buy muesli (or cereal) in the shops, you find a whole aisle of different kinds and flavours, right? The same works for bircher muesli.

Gluten-free bircher muesli

Surely, gluten-free oats work well for a gluten-free bircher muesli—and so does any gluten-free or grain-free muesli mix that you can buy.

Instead of cooked quinoa, you may as well use quinoa flakes and soak them overnight just as you would with oats. Or, if you prefer, rice flakes should do, too (though I have not tested it with those ones yet).

Milk, yoghurt, or… your no-fridge-option

I prefer using coconut yoghurt because I often forget at night to prepare breakfast for the next morning. Here’s the thing. Milk is absolutely fine, however, as quinoa won’t soak it up that fast, your bircher will be quite runny. This won’t happen with yoghurt.

If you want to use milk, leave it to soak overnight. The (cooked) quinoa will absorb a little bit over time and also absorb some of the flavour.

If you don’t travel with a fridge and can’t store neither milk nor yoghurt, you could also use apple sauce or nut butter and some water. I often make my own apple sauce at home, keeping it in small jars. But of course, you can easily find apple sauce in small portions in the supermarkets, too!

A tin of coconut milk will do as well (there are also those small, single-serve tins). It should give you enough liquids and you won’t have any leftovers to store in a fridge.

Fruit, nuts, seed, etc.

Put in whatever you like, really. I used fresh pears, pitted dates and almonds because I like this combination.

Another great combo is apple, walnuts or hazelnuts and sultanas/raisins. This would be more of a traditional kind. Or dried apricots, cashews and banana.

If you need to make it nut-free, feel free to use pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds (you should soak them first, or over night with your bircher muesli) or flax seed meal.

Other add-ins

As I said, the sky is the limit here, right? So, what about peanut butter, almond butter or what-nut-butter? Or shredded coconut? Freeze-dried berries? Chocolate, anyone??

The question here is rather… do you travel with all these ingredients :D? Haha, yes I usually do. But I prefer it simple, most of the times, anyway.

How to make this Quinoa Bircher Muesli?

First step: you need to cook the quinoa (skip, if you’ve done it already and are using leftovers).

I usually cook a bigger batch, so 1 cup / 190g uncooked quinoa equals about 2 cups / 270g (plus a bit more) cooked quinoa. This, for me, is enough for 4-5 meals.

How to cook quinoa?

1. Bring 1 ½ cups / 375ml water to the boil in a saucepan or pot.
2. Add 1 cup / 190g quinoa and a good pinch of salt.
3. Bring to the boil again, then immediately reduce heat to its lowest setting and put on the lid.
4. Cook the quinoa for about 15 minutes (don’t stir it, it won’t burn on low heat). Take it off the heat and let it sit for another 5 minutes.
5. Once done, fluff it with a fork.

Making your gluten-free Bircher Muesli with yoghurt

Adda few spoonfuls of yoghurt (dairy-free, if needed) and a few spoonfuls of cooked quinoa to a bowl and mix. You can add some water or (plant-based) milk, if the yoghurt is too firm. I like adding homemade apple sauce as well for more flavour!

Cut or grate some fresh, seasonal fruit, chop some nuts and dried fruit, if you like, and add it to your bowl.

Mix and DONE! Easy, right?

Making your gluten-free Bircher Muesli with milk or water

Using milk or water will make your Bircher a bit runnier than with yoghurt. To thicken it a bit, you could add some apple sauce or nut butter (or both).

Or alternatively, you can soak your muesli over night. The (cooked) quinoa will absorb a little bit of the liquid, making it not as runny.

The next morning, you just add your fruit, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc. and your good to go. Of course, you can also add some of these ingredients the night before to soak as well (fresh fruit might turn a bit brown though).

Gluten-free Quinoa Bircher Muesli Recipe

📖 Recipe

Resources

• https://australianfoodtimeline.com.au/muesli-invente/