Bran Muffins
Looking for a delicious and healthier breakfast option? These bran muffins are a perfect choice! They’re hearty, but still moist and flavorful. I’ve filled them with banana, walnuts, coconut, cinnamon and raisins, but the mix ins are completely customizable.
This recipe started as a love story between me and my morning hot oat bran cereal. I discovered it this fall and I still enjoy a bowl many mornings. It’s cozy, surprisingly delicious and sooo good for you.
One morning I noticed a recipe for bran muffins on the back of the bran packaging and I knew I had to try it. Our family loves my banana muffins, and I had a feeling bran muffins would hit the same sweet spot. I was right!
I’ve been tinkering with this bran muffin recipe for months and it’s finally perfect enough to share. These oat bran muffins are a delightful combination of hearty oat bran, sweet banana, crunchy walnuts, and chewy raisins, with a hint of coconut and cinnamon.
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love these muffins
- Bran muffin ingredients
- Oat bran vs wheat bran
- How to make bran muffins
- Have fun with mix-ins
- Recipe FAQs
- Get the recipe
Why you’ll love these muffins
- They’re easy to make and done in just 30 minutes.
- Great for breakfast or a snack any time of the day.
- These muffins are packed with fiber and nutrition.
- They’re hearty, but still soft and moist.
- The mix ins are completely customizable, and I’ve provided a lot of other ingredient swaps as well. It’s a great “what’s in the pantry?” recipe!
Bran muffin ingredients
It’s a fairly long ingredient list, but a lot are pantry staples and I’ve listed plenty of ingredient swaps to match what you have on hand. Plus, you get to choose the mix ins!
- Oat bran— you can also use wheat bran, see below.
- All-purpose flour—for more heartiness, use whole wheat pastry flour. I’ve found that traditional whole wheat flour yields a muffin that’s just a bit too dry.
- Brown sugar— I have yet to test this recipe was a sugar substitute honey, but will report back when I do.
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Banana
- Sour cream or pain yogurt
- Vegetable oil, melted butter, or coconut oil
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Walnuts, raisins and shredded coconut— keep reading for more options!
- Demerara sugar— optional topping for a little crunch and texture.
Oat bran vs wheat bran
Both oat bran and wheat bran are made from the outer layer of the whole grain. They’re similar in both their nutritional benefits and how they can be used in recipes. I developed this bran muffin recipe exclusively with oat bran, but you should also be able to use wheat bran, with a 1:1 substitution.
Look for bran in the cereal aisle at your grocery store, or you can also buy online. I like Bob’s Red Mill Oat Bran and Wheat Bran.
How to make bran muffins
- Mix the batter. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mash banana and combine with the other wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until mostly combined, but a few streaks of flour remain.
- Add mix ins. Add the walnuts, raisins and coconut (or whatever mix ins you’re using!) and mix in until completely combined. Don’t over mix the muffin batter.
- Fill muffin cups. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease with nonstick baking spray. Then, scoop batter into the muffin pan. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar, if using.
- Bake. Bake the muffins in a 400°F oven for 16-18 minutes, until muffin tops appear dry and spring back in the center when gently pressed.
- Enjoy! These muffins are great while they’re still warm or at room temperature.
baking tip:Muffin Baking Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter as this can cause the gluten in the flour to develop, which makes the muffins tough. Stop mixing just when ingredients are combined, and a few lumps are okay.
- Use a cookie measuring scoop for easy portioning. (This is the one I use.)
- Don’t fill more than 2/3 full. Muffins use the walls of the paper liners or muffin pan to help them rise. If you overfill the liners, there’s too much batter and not enough space to climb. The batter can spill over the sides and you’ll be left with flat muffins.
- Muffins are done baking when the tops look dry and the centers spring back when gently pressed with a finger.
- Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, or until they’re cool enough to handle, then transfer them to a cooling rack. The heat from the pan will overcook and dry out the muffins if left in too long.
Have fun with mix-ins
Like many muffins, this recipe is completely adaptable and you can fill it with almost anything you like or have on hand already. Aim for about 1 cup of mix ins total, or less (you can always leave these plain!). Here are a few suggestions:
- Nuts: Walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts would all be delicious.
- Dried fruit: Raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries and even dried blueberries are great options.
- Chocolate: If you want the up the sweet treat factor, feel free to add chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (mini chocolate chips are the perfect size).
- Coconut: Use sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes or shavings.
Note: I like to finely chop the mix ins so the texture is more even and smooth. My kids are a little wary of nuts and fruit in their muffins and this way they don’t even notice them!
Recipe FAQs
These muffins should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature and should be enjoyed within 5 days. They also freeze very well! Store them in a freezer bag and thaw for a few hours before serving. (Take them out of the freezer before you go to bed and you’ll have muffins ready to enjoy for breakfast!)
Can I use wheat bran instead of oat bran? Can I use honey or another sweetener? Can I use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour? How can I customize the mix-ins for the muffins? I’ve included a lot of ingredient swaps and options in both the article above and the recipe notes. If you don’t see a potential swap suggested that means I haven’t tested it myself.
Get the recipe
Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (90 grams) oat bran , OR wheat bran
- ¾ cup (90 grams) all-purpose flour , OR whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ cup (105 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (75 grams) mashed banana (1 small)
- ½ cup (113 grams) full-fat sour cream , OR plain yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil OR melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Demerara or coarse sugar , for garnish (optional)
Mix-ins
- ⅓ cup (45 grams) finely chopped nuts , like walnuts or pecans
- ⅓ cup (55 grams) dried fruit , like raisins, cherries or cranberries
- ⅓ cup (35 grams) shredded coconut , sweetened or unsweetened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease well with nonstick baking spray.
- In a large bowl combine bran, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl combine mashed banana with sour cream (or yogurt), egg, oil (or melted butter) and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix just until a few streaks of flour remain.
- Add your mix ins and stir until incorporated, but don't overmix. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan, filling only to ⅔ full. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
- Bake until muffins are puffed, appear dry on top, and the center springs back when gently pressed, 16-18 minutes. Let cool in the pan just until cool enough to handle, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- All tested ingredient swaps have been provided in the recipe. These bran muffins are very forgiving! However, if you don’t see a potential swap suggested that means I haven’t tested it myself.
- Feel free to get creative with mix-ins! Nuts, dried fruit, coconut, and chocolate are all delicious options. Keep total mix-in amount to 1 cup or less. These muffins are also wonderful plain.
