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So excited to share my bran muffins with you! After 6 months of testing and developing muffin recipes, I am now teaching you how to make delicious bran muffins with tall, bakery-style tops so you don’t have to make the baking mistakes that I did.
This bran muffin recipe is packed with insoluble dietary fiber, does not require a mixer, and thanks to my easy step-by-step instructions, you don’t need any prior baking experience!
When you think of classic bran muffins, you may think of dry, tasteless muffins that are healthy but not so tasty. That is not the case with this bran muffins recipe! These healthy bran muffins have a nutty flavor, fluffy texture, and are perfectly moist.
Even if this is your first time making any type of muffins, I’ve got you! Follow my easy 7 steps below and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start baking muffins sooner!
Anyone can make muffins, but there are key steps and tricks to making the muffins perfectly moist and tall at the same time.
In this homemade bran muffins recipe, you’ll learn not only how to make the most delicious and hearty bran muffins, but you’ll learn my tried and true muffin tricks. So roll up your sleeves, the only thing between you and a perfect, warm muffin are a handful of easy to follow steps!
Why You’ll Love These Bran Muffins
- No mixer required
- Packed with insoluble dietary fiber
- Great for meal prep for an easy breakfast, afternoon snack or just because!
- Freeze well
Bran Muffin Recipe Ingredients
These buttermilk bran muffins are made with basic ingredients that come together to make perfectly tender muffins. Follow my easy recipe below in the recipe card and you’ll have perfect muffins every time.
- All bran original cereal
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Large eggs
- Buttermilk
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Bran Muffins
Below I’ll walk you through seven simple steps to a delicious, healthy breakfast or snack. You don’t need to be a pro baker to make these muffins perfect every time! Get the full recipe with measurements and ingredients in the recipe card below.
- Blend Cereal. Place the all bran cereal in a blender, blend until fine crumbs form.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl combine the bran, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together and set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a spatula.
- Combine all ingredients. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. The batter will be very thick!
- Rest batter. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Fill muffin pan. For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Fill the liners to the top with batter, about 6-8 heaping tablespoons. Use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the muffins if lumpy.
- Bake. Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 15-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Repeat with the remaining batter, bumping the temperature back up to 425ºF.
Easy Bran Muffin Recipe Variations
- Add-Ins: You can mix in 1 1/2 cups of any add-ins you like into your bran muffins. Some popular options include fresh or dried fruits such as plump raisins, blueberries, or diced apples, and nuts like walnuts or almonds for added crunch.
How to Create Bakery Style Muffins
Bakery style muffins are known for their domed tops. Plus who doesn’t love them? I used a few techniques to help “lift” these muffins so they would have large, domed tops!
1. The Rest Period
Let the batter rest for 15 minutes after it’s mixed and before you scoop it into the muffin pan. During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour are absorbing the liquid in the batter, causing them to swell and giving the batter a thicker consistency (ref the kitchen whisper). Our 15 minute rest is just a quick rest.
2. Fill Every Other Muffin Cup
This tip has been a game changer! For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffin liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other cup allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other. This technique also encourages the muffins to brown, creating a golden muffin top.
3. Fill Them To The Top
Fill your muffin liners to the top with batter. Yes, this goes against everything you’re heard but it’s important in helping the muffin gain that height.
4. Bake at High Temperature Initially
Bake the muffins at a high temperature (425ºF) initially, then lower to 350ºF. Starting the muffins off at a higher temperature causes the batter to rise rapidly, setting the outer surface of the muffin, producing a dome shape.
Bran Muffins Recipe Tips
Be sure to use a wheat bran cereal that is shaped like little logs, like Kellogg’s All Bran Original Cereal or Fiber One Original Bran Cereal. I do not recommend bran buds or flakes.
How to Properly Measure Flour
The most accurate way to measure flour is to use a kitchen scale, weighing it in grams.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, follow this method.
- Aerate the flour with a whisk or spoon. Flour becomes heavy and compact as it sits. Aerating is the same as fluffing the flour, but not the same as sifting it. Do not sift the flour unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
- Use a spoon to sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup. Do not tap the cup against the counter, as this will compact the flour.
- Use the back of a butter knife to level off the excess.
Storing and Freezing Muffins
Muffin Storage
If you’ll be eating the muffins within 24 hours of baking, you can leave them uncovered on the counter. The muffins will not dry out while left at room temperature for 1 day.
In fact, muffins are so moist they can become soggy and those crunchy, sugary tops can disappear when stored in an airtight container.
But I have a trick to help that – paper towels.
For longer storage, 2-4 days, line the bottom of an airtight container with paper towels. Place the muffins in a single layer in the container then cover the muffins with any additional layer of paper towels. The paper towels will act like a sponge, absorbing the moisture they release while they are stored.
If the paper towels become too moist around day 2 or day 3, replace them with fresh paper towels.
How To Freeze Muffins
Individually wrap each muffin in plastic wrap. Then place them in a ziploc bag or airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To thaw, leave them at room temperature until defrosted, about 1 hour. Or unwrap them and microwave at 20 second intervals until defrosted.
Best Bran Muffin Recipe FAQs
All-Bran cereal is a brand of breakfast cereal that is primarily made from bran, the outer layer of grains such as wheat or oats. It is known for its high grams of fiber and is known as a healthy option for maintaining digestive health. All-Bran cereal typically comes in the form of flakes or bran buds and can be eaten with milk or added to other foods like yogurt or smoothies. Individuals seeking to increase their fiber intake and promote regular bowel movements may eat lots of wheat bran.
Not all bran muffins are actually healthy, and it largely depends on the ingredients. While this bran muffins recipe does have sugar, they still make a relatively healthy breakfast or snack, as long as you aren’t trying to avoid sugar completely.
Bran muffins can be beneficial for constipation as they are rich in dietary fiber, which helps promote regular bowel movements and improve overall digestive health.
More Muffin Recipes
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Best Bran Muffin Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all bran original cereal, 123 grams
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, 360 grams
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar, 300 grams
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk, 300 ml
- ½ cup vegetable oil, 118 ml
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the all bran cereal in a blender, blend until fine crumbs form.
- In a mixing bowl combine the bran, flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir together and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a spatula.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. The batter will be very thick!
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Fill the liners to the top with batter, about 6-8 heaping tablespoons. Use a butter knife to smooth the tops of the muffins if lumpy.
- Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 15-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Repeat with the remaining batter, bumping the temperature back up to 425ºF.
They were delicious! Great job. I wanted to try to add cane sugar instead of regular sugar. Just wondering how you think that would turn out.
BUT…After 6 months of tasting muffins, are you still in your jeans? LOL!
Hahaha! We bring a lot of muffins to daycare!
I made these muffins, they turned out fantastic. I had never heard of resting the batter, it worked , I had large domed muffins. My family loved them!!
I would like to make these but instead of sugar can I use banana or apple sauce? They are for my 91 year old dad. Thank you
Why don’t you recommend the all bran buds? What’s the difference (beside size/shape)
I personally haven’t test this recipe using the bran buds!
Muffins have great flavour and domed shape. However, I found that in my oven, the sides of the muffins got quite dark which led to a drier texture as well as the muffin top that overhung onto the muffin tin burned. Next time, I might not go to 425 as I wonder if that’s a bit too hot.
I made this recipe for my family who was visiting last week and they LOVED it! They were so impressed with how beautiful and tasty the muffins turned out. Each family member asked for the recipe and of course I was delighted to share your blog with them. I am so excited to try your other recipes!
I just made these bran muffins and they are so delicious! the resting method made my muffins have the perfect dome top and texture and flavour was great. While I might tweak the sugar amount slightly to suit my personal taste, these muffins still earn a solid 10/10. A huge thank you for generously sharing your recipe – it’s a definite keeper!