What is the difference between oats, muesli and granola?

For those of you who are interested in various cereal dishes from whole grains, you should first know what types can be consumed. Apart from oats, it turns out that there are others called granola and muesli. Do you know the difference between oats, muesli and granola? Check out the reviews below!

Recognize the difference between oats, muesli and granola

To get the benefits of cereal that suits your needs, you need to know the difference between oats, muesli and granola, as follows.

1.Oats (wheat germ)

From left to right: Steel cut-oats, rolled oats, and instant oats. (Source: thekitchn.com)

Oats come from wheat germ. The processing of oats is different in factories so that oats have three types, namely rolled oats, steel cut-oats, and instant oats. This processing makes 3 types of oats have varying textures and cooking times.

Oats also have a bland taste. If you want a sweet or savory taste, people usually add oats with honey or milk and others according to taste. Oats cannot be eaten immediately without being processed, either boiled or dissolved in hot water until they become oatmeal. This is what can characterize the difference between oats, muesli and granola.

Steel cut-oats

Steel cut-oats or what is often called Irish wheat looks like rice. This type of wheat grain is processed by chopping the whole grain so that it looks like rice. This type of wheat grain takes a long time to cook and has a chewy texture after cooking.

Rolled oats

Rolled oats processed by steaming until slightly chewy then crushed (rolled) so that the shape is slightly flattened in comparison steel cut-oats, then baked. Rolled oats takes less time to cook than steel cut-oats. This type of oat also absorbs more liquid when processed but does not break down easily.

Besides being heated for breakfast, rolled oats usually used as a mixture in the manufacture of granola snacks, pastries, muffins and other baked goods.

Instant oats (quick cooking oats)

Instant oats, aka quick cooking oats, are perhaps the most common in Indonesia.

Instant oats are the most processed wheat seeds in factories. Wheat grains are cooked, dried, then rolled and pressed until they are thinner than rolled-oats. Because of this texture, fast-cooking oats have the smoothest texture than other types of oats.

As the name suggests, instant oats are the easiest type to prepare at home and have the shortest serving time.

2. Muesli

Besides knowing the difference between oats and granola, you also need to know about muesli. Muesli is a food that originated in Switzerland since the late 1800s. Until now, muesli is a popular food in Europe and in North America. The difference between ordinary oats and muesli lies in the mixture.

Muesli made of rolled oats mixed with seeds, nuts, and dried fruit. However, there are some muesli modifications that can also be made not only with rolled oats but with quinoa or millet. The dried fruit used are usually cranberries, dates, apricots, grapes, and cherries.

Muesli can be enjoyed in several ways. Soak overnight in cold milk or another liquid, such as apple or orange juice, to give it a pulp-like texture. Muesli can also be cooked on the stove, which is boiled in boiling water.

In the factory, muesli is not processed by baking it like granola. Muesli is also not sweetened in its processing so it tends to taste bland.

3. Granola

Granola comes from the same ingredients as muesli, that is rolled oats, seeds, nuts, and dried fruit. The difference is, the ingredients are all baked until they become crispy. Besides being crunchy, granola has a sweet taste. This is because in the manufacturing process the processed wheat kernels are added with sweeteners.

Granola is also treated with oil as an adhesive for the ingredients. So that the texture of granola is slightly sticky compared to muesli which tends to be like a large grained powder.

Because it is baked and has a taste, granola can be eaten immediately without the need to process it at home. This type of granola cereal is not like muesli or other cereals where it must be dissolved using milk, but can be eaten immediately. Even if it is mixed with milk, it is not for processing it but only as a way of eating that the audience likes.

After understanding what are the differences between oats, muesli and granola, you can adjust for yourself which one best suits your needs and tastes. Because these three cereals are both made from wheat, the nutritional content of each is not much different. Wheat is rich in fiber, carbohydrates, potassium and magnesium. Therefore, the third can be a variety of a healthy breakfast menu.