What you should know about crunchy muesli and granola

Nutritious and delicious granola mixes are indispensable for a healthy breakfast.

This is not surprising. After all, healthy granola mixes with oat flakes provide an energetic start to the day – and taste good.

They are also suitable as a snack between meals. They are a healthy alternative to crisps and other high-calorie snacks.

But what exactly is granola and how does it differ from muesli or porridge? You will find the answers in the following article.

Discover the Verival granola range

What exactly is granola?

Granola is another term for crunchy muesli. And crunchy muesli is so called because it is crunchier than a traditional muesli. This is ensured by various natural additives such as honey or different types of syrup.

The oat flakes – and other ingredients if necessary – are mixed with a natural sweetener of your choice and baked. This causes them to form small crunchy lumps, which are then called granola.

You can mix the granola with fruit and berries. It tastes particularly delicious with milk or yoghurt.

Its consistency also makes it suitable for further processing, for example into biscuits or bars. Of course, you can also eat it as a topping for your porridge.

What ingredients does granola consist of?

Here is a type of recipe that indicates what is in granola. First and foremost, granola consists of honey or syrup (maple syrup, agave syrup) baked with oats. Other ingredients can also be added. Your creativity is the only limit to your recipe. Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds and chopped nuts are particularly suitable here.

Raisins, various berries ¹ or chocolate chips can be added to the recipe afterwards to provide a fruity bite. Cinnamon, honey or vanilla are perfect natural flavor enhancers. But turmeric and chili can also be used if you want the crunchy muesli to be a little spicier.

If you make your own healthy granola recipe, there are no limits to your imagination. Verival's granola is more likely to be found on the breakfast table as a sweet and crunchy mixture. But of course you are welcome to add your own seasoning if you are in the mood for something a little spicier. After all, it's your recipe.

Granola vs. muesli – what's the difference?

Conventional muesli is a loose mixture of oat flakes. It also contains various types of nuts (nuts and seeds) and other ingredients.

These can be nuts or various other dried fruits – such as prunes or raisins. You can also refine your muesli with fresh fruit.

Unlike granola, this type of muesli is not baked with honey or syrup. It is only through the addition of these ingredients that the muesli mixture acquires its crunchy texture.

Honey and syrup also give granola a slightly sweet note that is missing from muesli. While granola is often eaten with milk or yogurt, just like muesli, it can also be processed further. The loose consistency of muesli, on the other hand, is not suitable for this.

This means that if you want to turn muesli into a bar or biscuit, the first step would be to process it into granola.

Find out everything you need to know about crunchy granola here.

What makes granola so crunchy?

To get a crunchy muesli granola, the respective oat flake mixture is baked in the oven with natural sweeteners. With their viscous consistency, various types of syrup, such as agave syrup or maple syrup, are particularly suitable, as is honey. They have the right properties to give the muesli a crunchy bite after baking.

Incidentally, granola is a perfect basis for a healthy diet and is also suitable for vegans. This is how various natural ingredients are blended into a delicious and crunchy granola. The addition of wholegrain cereals and wholegrain rice crispies can also lead to an additional crunchy effect.

How healthy is it actually?

Since only natural foods are used to make granola, it is inherently healthy. The baked oat flakes, as the main ingredient, are nutritious and offer many health benefits.

This was already known to a certain Dr. Jackson, who is generally considered the inventor. He recognized the beneficial properties of the individual ingredients and served them to his patients as a tasty mixture.

The beta-glucan contained in oats can lower cholesterol and also prevent cardiovascular diseases. ²

Incidentally, the hippie movement of the 1960s also recognized this with its awareness of healthy nutrition. It helped to give the crunchy muesli type of food a new lease of life and today there are numerous different varieties of it. Verival's Crunchy Mix is not only particularly crunchy, but also healthy and delicious. We use only the best natural ingredients for our crunchy mueslis.

We take our time – both in the preparation and the subsequent refinement. We bake our selected mixtures slowly and gently. Then we refine them with various berries, fruits or chocolate.

Nutritional table – sugar content in oats

The following table shows the oat content of energy and simple sugars as well as disaccharides per 100 g of oats.

Source: Professional Association for Nutritional Therapy and Prevention

When does granola become unhealthy?

We have the answers to this question. Granola is already slightly sweetened by nature. This is due to the honey or syrup that is essential for its preparation. If you have a sweet tooth and regularly add sugar, it can be unhealthy in the long run. Therefore, use healthier alternatives than sugar as a basis for a healthy breakfast with granola.

Even ready-made mixtures can sometimes be unhealthy, namely if they contain too many additives and sugar. Not all crunchy muesli is the same. Try to find a high-quality granola.

At Verival, we always make sure that we only use natural ingredients when preparing our granola mixtures. We source all our ingredients from high-quality suppliers and ensure that all our products are of the highest quality.

We take our time when preparing all our mixtures. This way we can guarantee that all our mixtures are healthy and free from additives.

Make your own granola

It's easy to make your own granola. With or without a recipe? At Verival you are sure to find your favorite granola recipe. Here is one for you: you need oats and honey or syrup. Which type of syrup you use is entirely up to your preferences.

From maple syrup or agave syrup to sugar beet syrup, there are many different types to choose from for your recipe. Otherwise, you can also use honey for a classic flavor. Depending on your mood or taste, you can mix the oats with nuts, honey and other ingredients.

For the perfect granola mixture, use coarsely chopped or whole nuts, as well as various seeds and kernels. Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds are also popular ingredients for crunchy muesli. And a variety of fruits and berries, such as raisins or cranberries, give the crunchy muesli a fruity bite.

After mixing your prepared granola with honey or syrup, you can spread it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (top and bottom heat). You can then bake the granola mixture in the oven for 15 to 30 minutes, turning it regularly.

Alternatively, you can also use a pan on the stove. Regardless of what you decide to use, please note that dried fruit should only be added afterwards. Otherwise, it will burn or become tough.

The same applies, of course, if you are refining your crunchy muesli with chocolate chips. The chocolate would just melt.

Afterwards, you should definitely let your granola cool. This will help it stay crunchy, even if you store it in an airtight container.

Do you already know the Granola Bircher Muesli recipe?

The most famous type of muesli is probably Bircher muesli. It was named after the Swiss doctor Maximilian Bircher-Benner, who is considered the inventor of the healthy muesli mixture. Bircher muesli has been very popular since the 19th century.

But did you know that Bircher muesli is now also available as granola? And the best thing about it is that the granola recipe is quick and easy to prepare in your own kitchen. All you need are the right ingredients and a little time. And if you follow our recipe, you can't go wrong.

Make your own granola tartlets

Another delicious granola dish, especially now in spring, is granola tartlets. They taste great with yoghurt cream and fresh fruit and give you a good portion of energy.

It's best to use the Verival Berry Urkorn Muesli for the granola recipe. The granola tartlets are perfect for breakfast and as a snack. Click here for the granola recipe!

Granola variety from Verival – the crunchy muesli with the right crunch

Granola crunchy mueslis taste just as good for breakfast as they do as a snack between meals. And because they are available in numerous varieties, there is something for everyone. At Verival, a healthy variety is important to us and you can order the granola mixes from us in our shop – buy granola now.

All our granolas are beautifully crunchy, no matter which variety you choose. In addition, you can also add various berries such as redcurrants, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries to your granola.

Granola for breakfast - discover delicious recipes now

Granola to enjoy from Verival

Do you already know our XXL Granola value pack?

Or try these granolas: Lower Carb Sport Granola Raspberry Almond Coconut, Cocoa Sour Cherry Granola, Blueberry Granola, Oat Granola, Berry Granola, Honey Granola and Chocolate Granola.

1. Basu A, Rhone M, Lyons TJ. Berries: emerging impact on cardiovascular health. Nutrition Reviews . Published online March 2010:168-177. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00273.x
2. Dietetic Products N EFSA Panel on, Allergies (NDA). Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to oat beta glucan and lowering blood cholesterol and reduced risk of (coronary) heart disease pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. EFSA Journal . 2010;8:1885. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1885