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These bran muffins are incredibly tender and flavorful. Look no further for a tasty, and healthier start to your day! 

Bran muffins stacked on top of each other.

Are you looking to have a healthier start to your day? These bran muffins pair perfectly with a bright Smoothie, some Bacon or Eggs!  

Homemade Bran Muffins

Muffins are a great option for breakfast. They can be made ahead of time, they are easy to grab and go, plus they are typically on the sweeter side. One of our favorite muffins to get from the bakery are Bran Muffins. They are lightly sweetened, ultra tender and moist, and definitely filling. 

These homemade bran muffins are just like the ones we always get from the bakery! They’re sweetened with a bit of light brown sugar, flavored with an extra boost of vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon. These muffins are the perfect way to start the day! 

Ingredients Needed for Wheat Bran Muffins

  • Wheat Bran: this is the hard exterior of the wheat that is separated during the milling process. It has a slight nutty flavoring.
  • Buttermilk: using buttermilk gives extra moisture to these muffins.
  • All Purpose Flour: the base flour used, could also use a white whole wheat, I don’t recommend wheat since it would dry out the muffin. 
  • Egg: one large egg 
  • Oil: vegetable oil is used for extra moisture. 
  • Light Brown Sugar: sweetens and gives a deeper flavoring than regular white sugar. 
  • Vanilla Extract: a healthy dose of vanilla is needed for flavor. 
  • Cinnamon: can be omitted, but the warm spice pairs wonderfully with the deep, nutty flavors of the muffin. 
  • Baking Powder: used as a leavening agent. 
  • Baking Soda: extra leavening that reacts with the buttermilk in the recipe. 
  • Salt: needed to get all the flavoring out of the muffin.

How to Make The Best Bran Muffins

  1. Soak the Wheat Bran: pour the wheat bran into a small bowl and pour the buttermilk over the top. Stir together and let this mixture soak for at least 10 minutes. 
  2. Mix wet ingredients: in a medium size mixing bowl combine the oil, egg, vanilla and light brown sugar. Stir this together until combined. 
  3. Mix dry ingredients: in a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a fork until well mixed. 
  4. Add the Bran: Add the soaked wheat bran to the wet ingredients. 
  5. Mix Together: Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while stirring. 
  6. Scoop into muffin tin. Spray the muffin tin with baking spray and fill to about 2/3 full, this recipe will make 12 muffins. 
  7. Bake for about 16-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Perfect Bran Muffin Substitutions

  • Wheat Bran: this is an ingredient that has been becoming more difficult to find in some markets, if you are unable to find plain Wheat Bran, you can use an All-Bran cereal instead. Treat it the same as the wheat bran and soak it in the buttermilk for the first step.
  • Buttermilk: use greek yogurt instead of buttermilk. Or make your own buttermilk by combining milk with vinegar or lemon juice.
  • Oil: swap the vegetable oil with coconut oil or apple sauce.
  • Egg: replace the egg with a mashed banana.
Bran in a cup measurement.

 

Buttermilk Bran Muffin Add Ins 

  • Raisins: add some raisins to the muffin batter. 
  • Carrots: shredded carrots are another fun way to get more vitamins in your muffins. 
  • Nuts: add some chopped nuts to the muffin batter for more texture. 

More Muffin Recipes

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The Best Bran Muffins

4.67 from 3 votes
By: Serene Herrera
Bran Muffins. These muffins are incredibly tender and flavorful. Look no further for a tasty, and healthier start to your day! 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes
Servings: 12 Muffins

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375℉ and spray a muffin tin with baking spray. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl add the wheat bran and pour the buttermilk over, stir to combine, let this soak for 10 minutes.
  • In a large size bowl combine the oil, egg, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir to combine.
  • In a medium size bowl add the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir with a fork or whisk.
  • Add the soaked wheat bran to the wet ingredients. Stir to combine.
  • Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix together.
  • Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, fill to 2/3 full. This recipe makes 12 muffins.
  • Bake for 16-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffinCalories: 212kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 7gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 219mgPotassium: 441mgFiber: 13gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 59IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Serene Herrera

Home cook, photographer, mother and lover of food. I love taking simple ingredients and creating delicious meals or sweet treats that the entire family will love, all with a hint of Texas charm.

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Recipe Rating




4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is almost identical to the Smitten Kitchen Blue Sky recipe except it has slightly more sugar, which it does need. (The recipe turns out fine if you don’t soak the wheat bran.)
    It’s a great muffin to start the day with – I like to also put in a mashed ripe banana.

  2. Do you substitute equal amt of yogurt to buttermilk 1 cup baked according to recipe but substituted swerve brown sugar and it worked well

  3. 5 stars
    I can’t believe how perfect these turned out! Really. Wow. Thank you. It was my first time making bran muffins so I wasn’t expecting perfection, but they’re so amazing I printed out the recipe to keep in my binder of favorites. My only changes – I doubled the recipe, didn’t have vanilla, and for the oil I used half Becel (Canola/Sunflower mix) and half coconut oil as it was a recommended substitute – I wouldn’t have thought of using that on my own. Thank you so much!