Overnight-soaked oats with grated apple, yogurt and toasted nuts — the make-ahead breakfast found on nearly every Australian café menu.
Bircher muesli, originally a Swiss invention, became one of the most ubiquitous breakfast items on Australian café menus over the past two decades, served chilled and creamy rather than as a hot porridge. Rolled oats are soaked overnight in apple juice, milk and yogurt, softening without any cooking, while grated apple stirred in fresh the next morning keeps a bit of crunch and natural sweetness against the creamy oats. A scatter of toasted nuts and seeds — almonds, sunflower seeds, sometimes shredded coconut — adds textural contrast, toasted specifically because raw nuts taste flat next to the tangy, soft oats. Cinnamon or a touch of nutmeg gives it warmth, but the dish relies mostly on the natural sweetness of apple and honey rather than added sugar, which is part of why it became an Australian café staple during the country's health-food-driven brunch boom. It's the ultimate make-ahead breakfast: prepared the night before, ready to eat cold straight from the fridge, and endlessly adaptable to whatever fruit is in season.
Serves 2
Toast almonds and sunflower seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and golden. Set aside to cool.
In a bowl, mix oats, apple juice, milk, yogurt, grated apple, cinnamon and honey.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight, until the oats have softened and absorbed the liquid.
Toss the grated apple with lemon juice first to stop it browning in the fridge.
Stir well before serving. Top with toasted nuts, seeds and extra grated apple, and drizzle with more honey if you like it sweeter.
Toss grated apple in lemon juice before mixing it in — it stops browning and adds a bit of brightness.
Toast nuts and seeds separately from the oat mixture and add them just before eating so they stay crunchy.
If the mixture is too thick in the morning, loosen it with a splash more milk or apple juice.
Use grated pear or stewed rhubarb instead of apple for a seasonal twist.
Swap yogurt for coconut yogurt and milk for oat milk for a dairy-free version.
Add a spoonful of chia seeds for extra thickness and fiber.
Keeps well covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; stir in fresh fruit and nuts just before serving each time rather than storing them mixed in.
Bircher muesli was invented around 1900 by Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner as a nutritious dish for patients at his Zurich sanatorium. It was adopted enthusiastically by Australian cafés from the 1990s onward as part of the country's broader embrace of health-focused, produce-forward brunch food, becoming so common that many Australians now consider it a homegrown café classic.
A minimum of 6 hours gives the oats time to soften properly; soaking overnight (8-12 hours) gives the creamiest texture.
Yes — substitute oat or almond milk for the milk and a coconut or plant-based yogurt; the texture stays creamy either way.
Oats continue absorbing liquid as they sit, so if it's overly thick just stir in extra milk or apple juice a tablespoon at a time until it loosens to your preference.
Per serving (300g / 10.6 oz) · 2 servings total
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