There's No Question That This Is The Best Way To Make Oatmeal In Our Eyes

If you've ever felt morning oatmeal inching toward blasé territory, you're not alone. Even true oatmeal devotees sometimes crave a fresher, creamier, or more exciting mix in the bowl, which led Tasting Table to explore and rank six ways to prepare oatmeal — and choose one as the hands-down best. It's Bircher muesli, which our taster created using a modern take on original century-old methods. As she explains, it's like the now-trendy "overnight oats" movement, but with roots in the early 1900s, when a Swiss doctor named Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner advocated for a blend of soaked oats, eaten raw with no heat involved. 

Many people today still use Dr. Bircher-Benner's original Swiss recipe, which includes soaked oats, sweetened condensed milk, fresh lemon juice, grated apple, and nuts. But some versions today swap out the condensed milk for alternative sweeteners and milk, cream, or yogurt. From there, things can get very nuanced and personalized. The version of Bircher muesli that won our hearts stuck largely to the basics, but still had some surprises. 

Our reviewer, who created six popular versions of oatmeal and placed this one on top, essentially soaked ½ cup each of rolled oats and yogurt, added grated apple, a pinch of salt, and a spoonful of jaggery, which is unrefined natural sugar made from palm or sugar cane. "The tanginess of the yogurt balanced out the sweetness of the apple," she explains. "If you could eat fresh air, this is what it would taste like. As far as texture goes, the dish was pleasantly chewy and juicy."

A key to Bircher muesli is using raw, uncooked oats, but equally important is the soaking process. It softens the oats without heating them, maintaining the natural texture — just softened for that cozy-comfy, creamy porridge-like consistency we crave. Nutrition advocates note that soaked oats (aka overnight oats) retain the important soluble fiber that's valued for potentially lowering cholesterol. There are plenty more ways to incorporate healthy and truly tasty components into your newfound muesli love.

Try creating a healthy dessert-like Bircher muesli bowl by mixing in dried fruit and various types of nuts such as pecans, walnuts, and hazelnuts. Toss the shredded or grated apple with vanilla, and consider other fresh fruits and earthy seeds compatible with apples, including bananas and sesame or sunflower seeds. Spice things up a bit with cinnamon and nutmeg, or lighten the mood with a pistachio and pomegranate seed topping. You can also drizzle finely diced nuts with honey for an extra-sweet crunchy finale. 

There's certainly no limits, evidenced by wellness advocates plopping in huge dollops of nut butters, from cashew to almond and the humble (but largely unprocessed) peanut butter. The point is simply this: It's your oatmeal, your palate, and your imagination. No limits come with this ancient, yet constantly evolving, bowl of goodness. For deeper exploration on alternative breakfast-ing, check out more differences between muesli and oatmeal, as well as the nuances of rolled oats versus steel-cut oats.