You won’t believe that these bran muffins are full of fiber and protein. They’re delicious, soft, tender, and, most importantly, moist! Gone are the days of healthy muffins being dry, tasteless, and flavorless. Even better, they’re super easy to make from scratch, so you’ll never need to buy a box mix again.
These hearty bran muffins are not only great for breakfast but also great as a snack. They’re also freezer-friendly, so you can make a large batch and have them on hand for a grab-and-go treat. Want another easy muffin recipe? Try my apple muffins recipe, oatmeal muffins recipe, or morning glory muffins recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Wheat bran — if you’ve never heard of wheat bran before, it’s an excellent source of dietary fiber. Make sure to store the wheat bran in the fridge in an airtight container. If you haven’t kept it in the refrigerator, make sure it is not rancid and bitter before using it.
Buttermilk — don’t skip the buttermilk, as it keeps the bran muffins moist and tender. If you do not have buttermilk, follow my guide on how to make buttermilk.
Leavening agents — to help lift your muffins, you’ll need baking powder and baking soda. Make sure the two are fresh and haven’t expired, as it’ll affect the rise and how fluffy the crumb of the muffins are.
Sugar — I like using light brown sugar as it keeps the muffins moist and has a mild sweet flavor similar to white sugar but with caramel flavor notes. If you do not have brown sugar, see my guide on how to make brown sugar.
Oil — using vegetable oil is the secret to achieving a soft and moist muffin. You can use canola oil as well.
How to Make Bran Muffins
1. In a large mixing bowl, add the wheat bran and the buttermilk.
2. Stir together and let stand for 10 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the raisins.
4. After 10 minutes, whisk the sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla into the bran mixture.
5. Add the flour mixture and stir together until just combined.
6. Divide the batter among the muffin liners, about ¼ cup in each liner. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Use an ice cream scoop or measuring spoon to scoop the batter for even-sized muffins.
- Measure your flour and wheat bran correctly by using a scale! Adding too much flour or wheat bran to the recipe is the most common reason the muffins end up dense. The best and easiest way to measure the ingredients is by using a scale.
- Don’t skip soaking the wheat bran cereal, as it helps soften it. It’ll also help the muffins rise better as they are less likely to cut through the gluten.
- Don’t overmix the batter, as it’ll lead to the muffins becoming dense and heavy.
- Bring your eggs to room temperature, so they incorporate fully into the batter without overmixing.
- Make sure your brown sugar isn’t lumpy. See my post on how to soften brown sugar if your brown sugar has hardened or has lumps in it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover bran muffins at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. You can enjoy these muffins at room temperature or warmed in the microwave! They’re so delicious when warm with a pat of butter smeared on them.
You can freeze these muffins! To freeze muffins, wait for them to cool to room temperature and transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, allow them to come to room temperature or quickly microwave the frozen muffin for about 20 seconds.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Bran Muffins recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Bran Muffins
Video
Equipment
- Muffin pan
- paper liners (optional)
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 1½ cups wheat bran cereal (not flakes) (100g)
- 1½ cups buttermilk (360ml)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup raisins (80g)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar (110g)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (80ml)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the wheat bran and the buttermilk. Let stand for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the raisins.
- After 10 minutes, whisk the sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla into the bran mixture. Add the flour mixture and stir together until just combined. Divide the batter among the muffin cups (about ¼ cup each).
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use an ice cream scoop or measuring spoon to scoop the batter for even-sized muffins.
- Measure your flour and wheat bran correctly by using a scale! Adding too much flour or wheat bran to the recipe is the most common reason the muffins end up dense. The best and easiest way to measure the ingredients is by using a scale.
- Don’t skip soaking the wheat bran cereal, as it helps soften it. It’ll also help the muffins rise better as they are less likely to cut through the gluten.
- Don’t overmix the batter, as it’ll lead to the muffins becoming dense and heavy.
- Bring your eggs to room temperature, so they incorporate fully into the batter without overmixing.
- Make sure your brown sugar isn’t lumpy. See my post on how to soften brown sugar if your brown sugar has hardened or has lumps in it.
Cyndi Solomon says
Best bran muffin recipe I have tried. Even my grandson loved it. I substituted three teaspoons oil and three teaspoons applesauce for the 1/3rd cup oil in the recipe (your mother isn’t wrong!).
Love your recipes!
Alisa says
These bran muffins were so delicious, I swear they’re bake shop quality. Absolutely love them! Moist, rich, full of flavor too. I’m so happy I found a recipe that works!
Mikki says
These muffins are fabulous. I made them exactly as you said using light olive oil. NO mix ins. I love that they only have brown sugar in them versus having white too, and they do not have very much sugar. They Taste AMAZING just like you labeled. Thank you
Jo says
Excellent!! I didn’t have any bran cereal so I used bran flakes and they turned out great. They were such a nice texture and weren’t too sweet, just perfect.
Amy Yates says
Really good recipe, thanks! My husband who doesn’t like bran muffins even liked them. I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing except to maybe add a few more raisins, but that is strictly personal preference. I agree that hydrating the bran makes a difference. They were lighter and more tender than a typical bran muffin. The sugar called for was spot on, I wouldn’t add more or less.
Ruthie Hunter says
I made these today!! Absolutely delicious!!! Thank you. I made two batches. I have never made bran muffins before. I didn’t have raisins, so I used crushed walnuts. I used all my bran in the recipe. so, what I did for the topping was to save out some of the brown sugar that would have gone into the batter, but instead I sprinkled the tops with it, then baked. My husband and son and I have already had three each! Thak you for making my first bran muffin recipe such a success!!
Lee says
Really delicious, soft and moist.
Delicious is actually an understatement!
Best part of all, I made it in my air fryer !
Faldiela says
Thanks for sharing love your recipes