Thrilled to share this 30-minute recipe for healthy bran muffins with you! Made without refined sugar and positively packed with dietary fiber, these wholesome bran muffins are a tasty AND nutritious treat. Dairy free, no mixer required, and the add-ins are up to you!
One reader, LT, commented: “Great recipe! I added 1 cup of fresh blueberries and 1/4 cup of hemp hearts, and they turned out fluffy, moist, and delicious. ★★★★★”
Another reader, Cynthia, commented: “I love a good bran muffin and this recipe is it! I added chopped apple this time, and it added a heightened level of moistness to this great recipe. From now on, this will be my add-in. Thanks for a great healthy muffin recipe! ★★★★★“
What do you think of when you think of “bran muffins”? Healthy but tasteless? Nutritious but dry? Well, I set out to change the humble bran muffin’s reputation, so get ready to rethink your preconceived notions. Because these healthy bran muffins are flavorful, moist, and anything but bland!
A few test batches later and we have ourselves a perfectly delicious, healthful, not-overly-sweet bran muffin that adults AND kids enjoy. I had a 2-year-old, 5-year-old, 6-year-old, 9-year-old, teenager, plus adult taste testers here… approval all around. 😉
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Healthy Bran Muffins
- Wholesome and nutritious
- Slightly sweet, cinnamon-spiced, nutty flavor
- Packed with insoluble dietary fiber
- Hearty but NOT dry, just like these applesauce muffins
- Sweetened with honey—no refined sugar
- Dairy-free baking recipe if using a dairy-free milk
- No mixer required
- Healthy grab-and-go breakfast or anytime snack
- Freeze well
- Add-ins are up to you: raisins, nuts, blueberries… choose your favorite
Recipe Testing for Bran Muffin Success
I adapted this recipe from my morning glory muffins and blueberry oatmeal muffins, two of the most popular healthier muffin recipes on my site. The recipe went through 3 rounds of testing:
- The first test batch I made was too wet—not enough whole wheat flour, so they tasted a little greasy.
- For the second batch, I left out the applesauce and let the batter sit for about 15 minutes before baking, so the bran could soak up some of the liquid. This made the batter really thick, but then the muffins tasted too dry. Better to bake the batter right away.
- My third try was the “just right” Goldilocks-approved batch of bran muffins, which is the recipe I’m sharing with you today.
What Is Wheat Bran?
The bran is the protective outer layer, or shell, of the wheat kernel, which is stripped away during the milling process. But it’s actually super rich in insoluble fiber and other nutrients, and has a lightly sweet, nutty flavor. What’s not to like about this superfood?!
What Type of Wheat Bran Should I Use?
A lot of bran muffin recipes call for bran cereal, but we are just using straight-up wheat bran here, so there are no added ingredients from the cereal.
I usually find wheat bran in the cereal aisle near the oats, or you can buy it online. I like Bob’s Red Mill brand (not working with them, just genuinely like their products). No need to soak it or sift it or anything before using, just add it as a dry ingredient.
A couple questions & answers:
- Can I Use Bran Cereal Instead? I recommend using wheat bran for these muffins, but I know some recipes call for grinding bran cereal (either flakes or strands, such as All-Bran or Fiber One) into crumbs to use in place of wheat bran. I haven’t tested it myself with this recipe. Keep in mind that most bran cereals include sugar.
- What if I Can’t Find Wheat Bran? If you’re unable to find wheat bran at your local store or purchase it online, you can try these blueberry oatmeal muffins or chocolate chip baked oatmeal cups instead. The recipe is similar, and you can choose any add-ins you prefer instead of blueberries (such as raisins).
- Can I Make These Gluten Free? You can’t without completely changing the recipe. I recommend my blueberry almond muffins instead.
All the Ingredients You Need:
- Whole Wheat Flour: I love using whole wheat flour in baking when I can. It can dry out baked goods, so it’s important to pay attention to the ratio of wet ingredients to balance it out. I use it in these peanut butter banana muffins, too!
- Baking Soda + Baking Powder: These leaveners help the muffins rise up tall. I usually use 1 teaspoon each in most muffin recipes, but that proved to be too much baking soda (it left a little bit of an aftertaste). So, use 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon soda here.
- Salt: Flavor enhancer.
- Cinnamon: A favorite ingredient in many muffin recipes!
- Egg: The egg helps to bind the ingredients together. If you’d like to make these muffins vegan, swap the egg for your favorite baking egg substitute.
- Honey: Likewise, you can swap the honey for maple syrup to make these muffins vegan.
- Coconut Oil: This is one of my favorite ingredients in baking. To avoid a coconut-y flavor, look for one that’s labeled “refined.” If you don’t have coconut oil, use vegetable oil, avocado oil, or melted butter instead.
- Applesauce: Unsweetened, smooth applesauce takes the place of more oil. If you don’t have applesauce, mashed banana is a great replacement.
- Vanilla Extract: Baked goods’ favorite flavor enhancer (shh, don’t tell the salt).
- Nondairy Milk: I tested this recipe with plain (unsweetened) almond milk, but you can use oat milk or your preferred type of nondairy milk. You could also use regular dairy milk or buttermilk.
- Optional Add-ins: I used raisins in the pictured muffins, but you can certainly leave the bran muffins plain or fill with fresh, frozen, or dried blueberries; dried cranberries; chopped nuts; apples; etc.
How to Make Your Bran Muffins
Making these bran muffins is as simple as combining the dry ingredients in 1 bowl, combining the wet ingredients in another bowl, then whisking them together and folding in your raisins or other add-ins. Honestly couldn’t be easier—even simpler than whipping up a batch of zucchini muffins.
*Success Tip: The batter will quickly start to thicken up as the wheat bran absorbs the liquid—think instant oatmeal, or bran flake cereal absorbing milk the longer it’s left in your bowl. Scoop the batter into your lined muffin pan as soon as all your ingredients are combined, and bake.
Always appreciate quick, uncomplicated prep work for breakfast recipes.
Enjoy the baked muffins warm and feel free to swipe a pat of butter on each, or apple butter, or my favorite honey butter. So satisfying!
For even more inspiration, see my complete list of 30+ healthy breakfast recipes.
Print
Healthy Bran Muffins Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Flavorful, wholesome, and tender, these bran muffins are an easy and quick healthy baking staple. Make sure you’re using pure wheat bran, not bran cereal. Use your favorite add-ins, or leave the muffins plain. See Notes for freezing instructions and mini muffin instructions.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (195g) whole wheat flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 cup (52g) wheat bran
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (170g) honey or pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup (75g) coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup (60g) unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) nondairy milk* (or dairy milk), at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (about 100g) raisins*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use muffin liners.
- Whisk the flour, wheat bran, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside.
- Whisk the egg, honey, melted coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla, and milk together in a medium bowl until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and whisk to combine. Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and fold in the raisins (or other add-ins).
- Spoon the batter evenly into liners, filling them all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 14–15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
- Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days, then transfer to the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then heat up in the microwave if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-Count Muffin Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Muffin Liners | Cooling Rack
- Whole Wheat Flour: Feel free to replace with all-purpose flour, or use a mix of both all-purpose and whole wheat.
- Wheat Bran: I usually find wheat bran in the cereal aisle near the oats, or you can buy it online. I like Bob’s Red Mill brand (not working with them, just genuinely like their products). No need to soak it or sift it or anything before using, just add it as a dry ingredient. If you’re unable to find wheat bran at your local store or purchase it online, you can try these blueberry oatmeal muffins instead. The recipe is similar, and you can choose any add-ins you prefer instead of blueberries (such as raisins).
- Can I Use Bran Cereal Instead? I recommend using wheat bran for these muffins, but I know some recipes call for grinding bran cereal (either flakes or strands, such as All-Bran or Fiber One) into crumbs to use in place of wheat bran. I haven’t tested it myself with this recipe. Keep in mind most bran cereals include sugar.
- Coconut Oil: If you don’t have coconut oil, use the same amount of vegetable oil, avocado oil, or melted butter instead.
- Applesauce: If you don’t have applesauce, mashed banana is a great replacement.
- Milk: I use plain (unsweetened) almond milk, but you can use any type of milk—dairy or nondairy—that you prefer, or buttermilk. Nutrition information calculated using plain unsweetened almond milk.
- Raisins/Add-ins: You can use 2/3 cup of any add-ins you prefer instead of raisins, such as dried cranberries, chopped walnuts or pecans, fresh or dried blueberries, or peeled and finely chopped apples, or leave the muffins plain. If using apples, I usually use closer to 1 cup. Nutrition information calculated using raisins.
- Why the initial high oven temperature? Like I do for most muffin recipes, bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a very hot temperature. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, switch to a lower temperature for the remaining bake time. This initial high temperature will quickly lift the muffin tops so they’re extra high, then the centers will bake during the lower-temperature bake time. This trick makes beautiful bakery-style muffins every time.
- Mini Muffins: If making these in a mini muffin pan, bake 12–13 minutes total at 350°F (177°C) the whole time.
- Nutrition Information Per 1 Muffin: Calories (191), Total Fat (7.3g), Sodium (174mg), Carbohydrates (31g), Dietary Fiber (4.2g), Sugar (14g), Protein (3.7g)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 191
- Sugar: 14.1 g
- Sodium: 174.7 mg
- Fat: 7.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 31.4 g
- Fiber: 4.2 g
- Protein: 3.7 g
- Cholesterol: 15.5 mg
I love them! Made according to recipe (made my own apple sauce no added sugar), mixed golden syrup, honey, maple syrup.
Do you think I could sub more applesauce for the oil. I know they may not be as fluffy but that’s ok..
Hi Lindsay, we don’t recommend removing all of the oil, as the muffins could be quite rubbery without it. But you can certainly give it a try, keeping that in mind.
HI, I was wondering if I could add Chia seeds to this recipe and if so how much, not in place of egg.
Hi Kristie, a teaspoon or two of chia seeds should be just fine here. Enjoy!
I was thinking of replacing the applesauce with date puree. Too sweet? Too sticky? I like the carmel-y flavor and added fiber.
Hi Tee, we haven’t tested it, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you do give it a try.
Hi Tee, we haven’t tested it, but fear the consistency difference won’t work well here. In place of the applesauce, you can use mashed banana instead. How about using chopped dates as the add-in?
This looks like a great recipe. Can I use gluten free 1 to 1 flour instead of the whole wheat flour?
Hi Mary, we haven’t tested it, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you do give it a try.
I pulled mine out of the oven 15 minutes ago and just ate one. Perfect! I used your recipe pretty much as written, using oat milk instead of almond milk and half honey/half maple syrup because I didn’t have enough honey. The muffins are just sweet enough especially with the raisins. These are so easy to make. Next time I’ll try chopped apples instead of raisins.
This recipe would be best for those in the southern part of the country, where room ‘temperature’ allows for coconut oil to stay melted. As soon as you add the egg and milk, the coconut oil solidifies and you’ve got chunks. Obviously it doesn’t bake well like that.
Yup, that happened to me too. The coconut oil solidified as soon as I added the almond milk.
Try warming the milk with the coconut oil first. Then add it to your recipe.
Thank you for that suggestion, I’ll give it a try next time I make a batch of these muffins.
I found this recipe to be very good for a Bran muffin. You have to have a mindset that this is not going to be a “chocolate cupcake” taste and texture. Its made to be for a healthy muffin and when I made a shared some people did not care for it. I loved it because I am looking for healthy heart conscious recipes for us 3 senior citizens that live here. I would like to add “over ripe” bananas to the recipe. What do you think?
Hi Carol, we’re glad you enjoyed the muffins! Mashed banana is a great replacement for the applesauce here.
Hi crew. 🙂 I’ll be making these soon but would like to use brown sugar instead of honey. Sugar less sweet than honey and is also hydroscopic so I am concerned doing this would make a dry less flavorful muffin. I understand this recipe was formulated for bakers who want to avoid refined sugar… but I just really want to try Sally’s muffins and honey is an allergen in our home. For what it’s worth, I’m also thinking of adding a tablespoon or two of molasses and more spices to bring this into the gingerbread category. I see you haven’t tested with molasses so won’t have advice for me there, but perhaps this may offset the hydroscopic sugar concern. I would really appreciate it if you could you just tell me how much brown sugar you’d use in place of the honey in this recipe. Thank you!
Hi Melissa, you would likely need to adjust the liquid ingredients so there’s still enough moisture. You can certainly try to use 1/2 cup of brown sugar (that’s what we would choose), but you may want to slightly increase the oil or applesauce—or try some molasses as you mention. Let us know what you try!
Thank you Lexi! I will be making these next Sunday with a slight increase in oil, a dollop of mollasses, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and some extra spices. I expect they’ll be perfect! And I will certainly share my results when I have them. Thanks again.
This recipe turns out perfect everytime. I use vegetable oil instead
of coconut oil, otherwise all ingredients just as recipe calls for.
My family loves them
Hello Sally, I tried your recipe for the healthy bran muffins and they turned out good. I’m just wondering if I wanted to make a double batch do I double the measurements for all the ingredients or do some ingredient amounts not convert equally in baking? If the recipe doesn’t work by simply multiplying everything by 2 then can you recommend what changes to make when doubling the recipe?
Thank you
Hi Janice, you can double the recipe with no other changes. Quite a few readers make a double batch of these muffins and have reported success. So glad you enjoy these!
I’m making this recipe for the first time. Do you recommend fine or coarse wheat bran???
Hi Faye, we typically use fine wheat bran. Hope you enjoy the muffins!
These muffins are delicious! Moist and just the right amount of flavor: not too bland and not too sweet! I used all purpose flour, canola oil, oat milk, and then I sprinkled mini chocolate chips on some and dried raisins/cranberries on the others. I made them for my 4 year old who enjoyed them but my parents and I ended up loving them too! Will definitely be baking them again!
I followed your recipe exactly and the bran muffins were moist and delicious! I will definitely make them again.
What would be your suggestion for timing when making 6 jumbo muffins with this recipe?
Hi Fred, you can follow the baking time and instructions from these jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, great recipe. It’s lacking something which I think would give it a richer, deeper flavor and wonder if you would consider adding: molasses. What do you think? Thanks so much!
Hi Kate, we haven’t tested molasses in these muffins, it would definitely change the flavor and make these more of a gingerbread bran muffin, but let us know if you try!
I subbed in blackstrap molasses 1:1 by weight and it turned out fantastic.
Followed recipe to a T and am a good baker. Added pecan nuts and some chopped dates. Sadly this recipe is really dry and quite tasteless compared to other barn muffins. I made a double batch and can guarantee they will all go in the bin. My family gave a resounding thumbs down
Thank you for your feedback. I wonder if something was accidentally mis-measured when doubling?
I want to try these. How much stevia powder should I use instead of honey, etc.?
Hi Katie, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
I love the texture but the flavor is lacking. it was kinda bland. any tips to make it more flavorful?
Hi Emily! Adding different add-ins like nuts or fruits would add some extra flavor – see recipe Notes for details.
I do not like nuts or frut in my muffins. I have had really flavorfull bran muffins without these add ins. Any other options?
Hi Emily, you could try increasing the cinnamon a bit or even play around with adding other warm spices like nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cardamom, etc.
The wet ingredients needed to be at room temp or warmer because when you add the melted coconut oil it clumps. I fished out all the bits and replaced it with olive oil
Can you use molasses in place of the honey?
Hi Janice, we haven’t tested molasses in these muffins, it would definitely change the flavor and make these more of a gingerbread bran muffin, but let us know if you try!
Lovely muffins. You need to put ALL the ingredients in grams. Especially salt. 1/2 teaspoon of diamond kosher salt , table salt, and sea salt, are three completely different things.
Love these! I used banana, blueberries and oat bran (because that was the only bran I could find in the store) and reduced the honey to 100 g. They turned out soooo good! My entire family loved them. Thank you for a great recipe!! I Look forward to breakfast tomorrow 🙂
Would it be possible to use molasses in place of the honey, or would that throw everything off? Thanks!!
Hi EM, we haven’t tested molasses in these muffins, it would definitely change the flavor and make these more of a gingerbread bran muffin, but let us know if you try!
I added small pieces of rhubarb & pecans. The muffins are so good!
I thought they needed to be a tiny bit sweeter but other than that they were really good. I added goji berries that I soaked for a bit. Also I only had regular flour and it turned out fine
The last few bran muffin recipes I’ve tried were so dry and almost inedible. I should have thought to come to your site right away! Your recipes never fail! Very yummy.