Bran Muffins - The Super Healthy Recipe! (2024)

These super healthy bran muffins are extra soft, moist, and perfect for breakfast!

Bran Muffins - The Super Healthy Recipe! (1)

Homemade bran muffins are so delicious and easy to make from scratch, you’ll never need to spend money buying a box mix again.

The wholesome recipe is packed with fiber and nutrition!

And you can freeze leftovers for later, which means the healthy muffins are also a really great option for breakfast meal prep.

Also try these Black Bean Brownies

Bran Muffins - The Super Healthy Recipe! (3)

The best bran muffin recipe

Fluffy good-for-you bran muffins, with no buttermilk required!

The easy classic muffin recipe can be low fat, oil free, vegan, gluten free, soy free, cholesterol free, nut free, high in fiber, and dairy free.

Plus, they use up pantry staple ingredients that you can always keep on hand, no eggs needed. Serve them for breakfast, pack into a lunch box, or prepare the muffins as a kid friendly healthy snack.

Serve them plain or topped with almond butter or peanut butter and strawberry jam, mashed banana, vegan cream cheese, apple butter, or your favorite butter spread.

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Healthy bran muffin ingredients

The flour: The recipe works with spelt flour, white flour, or oat flour. If you’d prefer flourless muffins made with almond meal, try these Keto Muffins.

The bran flakes: Pretty much any bran flake cereal will work here. I buy Whole Foods brand, because it’s free of high fructose corn syrup. All-Bran flakes or Trader Joe’s Organic Bran Flakes are also fine to use.

For gluten free muffins, corn flakes work instead of bran cereals. I haven’t tried buckwheat flakes yet. Oat bran flakes can be used for wheat free muffins.

The sweetener: You can use your favorite granulated sweetener here, including regular sugar, coconut sugar or date sugar, or granulated erythritol for sugar free muffins.

To add nutrition and flavor, I use blackstrap molasses as the liquid sweetener, which is high in iron and calcium. However, you can sub pure maple syrup, agave, honey, or keto syrup if desired.

The yogurt: This actually doesn’t need to be yogurt. I’ve made them with applesauce, roasted mashed sweet potato, vegan yogurt, or mashed banana (really good!).

Or turn them into carrot bran muffins by substituting an equal amount of cooked and then mashed carrot, or make pumpkin bran muffins with canned pumpkin.

The add-ins: The most popular choice is to add half a cup of raisins for raisin bran muffins. Or throw in a handful of shredded coconut, 1-2 tbsp flax or chia seeds, or press a few blueberries into the top of each muffin before baking.

Trending right now: Vegan Banana Bread

How to make bran muffins

Start by gathering all of the ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, cover the bran flakes with the milk of choice, and let it sit for half an hour. This softens the flakes so your finished muffins will be nice and soft.

Line a muffin tin, and preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add all remaining ingredients to the large bowl with the bran flakes and milk, and stir to form a muffin batter.

Portion the batter evenly into the lined muffin tin, and bake on the oven’s center rack for 20 minutes or until the muffins have risen and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out mostly clean.

Let cool. If you cover them loosely overnight, the muffins are sweeter and have a better texture the next day. Thanks to some of the moisture evaporating, the liners peel off easily the next day too (even in the low fat and oil free version).

Many people believe bran muffins are a good choice to help with weight loss or promoting good digestion and preventing constipation, thanks to the insoluble and soluble fiber.

I just like them because they are delicious and their neutral flavor goes well with sweet or savory breakfast options, from scrambles to smoothies (like this Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie).

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Muffin Storage Tips

The bakery style muffins can be left out for a day, loosely covered so extra moisture has a way to escape, ensuring the baked goods won’t get soggy.

For optimum freshness after a day, I like to store the muffins in the refrigerator, in a single layer in an airtight container lined with paper towels. They usually last for three to four days this way.

For longer storage, leftovers can also be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for a month or two. Store in a single layer, or put a layer of parchment in between layers so the bran muffins don’t stick together.

Thaw frozen muffins before eating, either by defrosting overnight or by warming in the microwave or oven.

This yummy eggless muffin recipe will remind you of the old fashioned bran muffin recipe your grandmother used to make!

Above, watch the bran muffin recipe video

Bran Muffins - The Super Healthy Recipe! (7)

The recipe was adapted from my Banana Muffins and Oatmeal Muffins.

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Bran Muffins

These super healthy bran muffins are extra soft, moist, and perfect for a wholesome breakfast!

Bran Muffins - The Super Healthy Recipe! (9)

Leave a Review

Print Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Yield 12 bran muffins

5 from 447 votes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups bran flakes (for gluten free option, see note above)
  • 3/4 cup milk of choice
  • 1/2 cup yogurt, applesauce, pumpkin, or mashed banana
  • 2 tbsp oil or additional milk of choice
  • 2 tbsp molasses (or sub pure maple syrup, honey, or agave)
  • optional 1 tbsp ground flax, for added nutrition
  • 1 1/4 cup spelt, white, or oat flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar (see note above for sugar free)
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • optional 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, soak bran flakes in the milk for half an hour. Then preheat the oven to 400 F. Whisk all remaining ingredients into the bowl to form a batter. Portion into lined muffin tins, and bake on the center rack for 20 minutes. The muffins taste even better the next day, and liners peel off easily after a day as well.

    View Nutrition Facts

Notes

The muffins are a great breakfast with this Avocado Smoothie.

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More High Fiber Breakfast Recipes:

Banana Bread In A Mug

Overnight Oats

Keto Blueberry Muffins

Or these Healthy Blueberry Muffins

Vegan Pancakes

Chia Pudding

Chocolate Oatmeal

Green Smoothies

Chocolate Overnight Oats

Applesauce Muffins

Bran Muffins - The Super Healthy Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

How healthy are bran muffins? ›

Bran Muffins

Yes, you'll get a decent dose of fiber thanks to the bran, but larger versions can have more than 400 calories and contain around 13 grams of fat. Also, many store-bought bran muffins actually contain more white flour than fiber-rich bran, while packing unwanted sugar and sodium as well.

What can you add to bran muffin mix? ›

Turn boring bran muffins up a notch by adding delicious and healthful mix-ins such as shredded carrots, coconut and dried cherries. Served warm with butter, this muffin can run with the best of 'em. Blog post updated October 2023.

Are raisin bran muffins good for you? ›

Who says healthy can't be delicious and satisfying? These raisin bran muffins are lightly sweetened and full of fiber to keep you full all morning. They're delicious to linger over at the breakfast table, smearing each bite with a dab of softened butter, but they're also perfect to grab as you're heading out the door.

Are bran muffins low in cholesterol? ›

Here's the problem with the bran muffin: Although bran can help lower LDL cholesterol, the butter, sugar and eggs aren't doing your LDL levels any favors. While this bran muffin may not raise your cholesterol, it certainly won't help you lower it. And lowering harmful cholesterol levels is what most of us need to do.

Is it OK to eat a bran muffin every day? ›

But that doesn't make bran muffins healthy. Most of the muffins you buy in stores are high in sugar and fat, more like cupcakes than old fashioned muffins. Bran or other muffins are okay as an occasional treat, but not good as a regular part of a healthy diet.

Is it healthy to eat muffins everyday? ›

Muffins are a quick and easy choice for breakfast on the go, but unfortunately, many bakery and coffee shop muffins are high in calories and added sugar, and they lack protein and fiber. If your goal is to lose weight, these kinds of muffins are not the best option.

Do bran muffins really help with constipation? ›

It should be no surprise that studies show wheat bran can relieve constipation and improve digestion. The outer layer of the wheat kernel is a fiber force with a whopping 25 grams per cup. Sprinkle it over your oatmeal, eat a bowl of bran cereal, or whip up a batch of bran muffins.

What is the healthiest bran? ›

At over 40 per cent fibre, wheat bran has the highest fibre content and is rich in insoluble fibre. It is a good choice for a healthy digestive system and is best at preventing constipation.

Why are my bran muffins falling apart? ›

Allow Your Muffins to Cool

Allowing them to cool slightly in the pan before removing them will help keep them from falling apart. This being said, you only want to leave them in the pan for a short amount of time—about five minutes. Any longer, and you run the risk of your muffins going soggy as they cool off.

Are bran muffins healthy to lose weight? ›

When you think of bran muffins, you likely think that's a healthy breakfast—right? But that's rarely the case. A bran muffin can pack in 300 calories or more, oodles of added sugar, and lots of butter and sodium. And that doesn't even include the extra butter you'll probably spread on the bran muffin.

Why are bran muffins so good? ›

Not only are they delicious and baked with love, but they also pack: 5g of fiber. Nearly 5g of protein. And 10% of your daily iron needs!

Can I eat all bran if I have high cholesterol? ›

high fibre. foods. For example, adding just 1/3 cup of All-Bran Buds* to your daily routine, can help you get the psyllium fibre you need. 1/3 cup (28 g) of All-Bran Buds* cereal with psyllium provides 35% of the daily amount of fibre shown to help lower cholesterol.

What is the best cereal for low cholesterol? ›

Porridge is our top choice for a heart healthy breakfast – when it is made with low-fat milk or water and unsweetened. All porridge oats are wholegrains and they all contain a soluble fibre called beta-glucan, which can help lower your cholesterol level if you have 3g or more of it daily, as part of a healthy diet.

Can you eat bran muffins with high cholesterol? ›

Muffins. This one might be shocking, but with ingredients like milk, butter, and eggs, most muffins are not the best breakfast choice if you are trying to cut out cholesterol. If you DO choose to eat a muffin for a breakfast on the go, choose one that is high in fiber, and low in fat, such as a whole-wheat bran muffin.

What are the benefits of bran muffins? ›

Bran muffins are a healthy choice due to their high fiber, low fat, and packed with vitamins and minerals. They can help with weight management, heart health, and energy levels. Bran muffins are versatile and can be made vegan or gluten-free.

What do bran muffins do for you? ›

Fiber helps regulate blood sugar levels and can also help to keep cholesterol in check. In addition, bran muffins are high in antioxidants, vitamins A and E, zinc, potassium, magnesium, manganese, chromium… the list goes on!

Do bran muffins keep you regular? ›

Because it's a great source of insoluble fiber, wheat bran helps keep you regular and promotes digestive health. It's also been shown to reduce symptoms of bloating and discomfort and increase healthy bacteria in the gut, as it's rich in prebiotics (which are the food for the beneficial probiotic bacteria).

Do bran muffins have a lot of carbs? ›

4 oz of bran muffin (Treats) contains 344 Calories. The macronutrient breakdown is 61% carbs, 30% fat, and 9% protein. This is a good source of fiber (25% of your Daily Value) and potassium (7% of your Daily Value).

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