This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
Super moist and delicious, these easy One Bowl Buttermilk Bran Muffins roll out of the oven with rounded, bakery-style, tops!
I found a little treasure, polished it up just a bit and couldn’t wait to share it with you! These are the best bran muffins we’ve ever had and I love that they’re decently healthy too.
If you check out the ingredient list for most muffins, you’ll quickly discover that they’re really (what I call) “cake in disguise”. With 100% all-purpose flour, lots of sugar, and often a mountain of buttery crumble, there’s minimal worthwhile nutrition.
On the contrary, these Buttermilk Bran Muffins have whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, lots of wheat bran, eggs, buttermilk, oil, raisins and a relatively small amount of sugar in the cast of characters, making them much more suitable for a healthy breakfast. The cool thing about these little guys is that, with all the fiber in these bran muffins, I’ve found that they keep me satiated for hours.
I’ve actually been looking for a good bran muffin recipe for a long time, but every time I’ve looked online, I’ve been disappointed with the results. Either the muffins look dry and/or flat or the ingredient list includes a stick of butter and/or very little bran.
This time I was determined to find a recipe that not only looked good but was also decently healthy. It took me awhile, but when I spotted these muffins and checked out the ingredient list, I thought I might have a winner. And when the post described that they were “easy, incredibly moist and that they never fail to produce “nice high “bakery shop” style muffins”, I knew I had to try them.
I whipped up a batch and could hardly wait to see the results. The aroma was wonderful as the muffins baked and, when I peeked into the oven to see if they were done, I did a little happy dance. Just as promised, the muffins had risen up with beautiful domed tops.
And the flavor? Even better than I had hoped; super moist and delicious with a bit of caramel flavor from the molasses and brown sugar.
For a pretty, shiny presentation and a touch of extra sweetness, I added a honey-butter glaze. It’s super easy; just a dollop of honey combined with melted butter and brushed on the muffins as they emerge from the oven. The glaze is optional as the muffins will be delicious without it; but it does add a beautiful shiny coating.
Café Tips for making these One Bowl Buttermilk Bran Muffins
- Wheat bran is inexpensive and available at lots of grocery stores, but it can be a little tricky to find. Most stores that carry Bob’s Red Mill products will carry it and will stock it near the oatmeal or in the flour section. Health food stores will often carry it in bulk. If you can’t find wheat bran, check with your store manager or order it online and have it delivered to your door.
- No buttermilk? No worries! To make your own buttermilk, place 3 tablespoons of vinegar or fresh lemon juice into a 2 cup measuring cup. Add milk (I like to use whole milk, but use whatever you have) to measure 1 1/2 cups. Stir the mixture and allow it to sit for 5 minutes, then add to the batter in lieu of buttermilk.
- These bran muffins freeze well. Allow the muffins to cool completely, then freeze on a sheet pan, uncovered, for 1 hour. Once frozen, place muffins in a ziplock bag or airtight freezer container. Pull out as many as you want and allow to thaw before serving.
- Golden raisins, dried currants or dried cranberries are all delicious substitutes for the raisins.
- Add a teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves to the batter for a spiced bran muffin.
- This is a somewhat unusual muffin recipe in that you fill the muffin tins full rather than 2/3 or 3/4 full like most muffin recipes recommend.
- This recipe makes 16 muffins; but sometimes, after I fill my 12-cup muffin tin, I pour the rest of the batter into a small greased bread pan and make a little loaf.
- You can make this batter the night before, store it in the fridge then bake up the muffins in the morning.
- The honey-butter glaze is optional, but it’s super delicious and only adds 10 calories per muffin.
- If my raisins are dry, I like to plump them up before adding them to the batter. To plump, just combine the raisins with 2 teaspoons of water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cover with a plate or with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes, then proceed with recipe.
So, if you’re looking for a treasure to add to your recipe collection, here it is! Whip up a batch of these One Bowl Buttermilk Bran Muffins and share in the comments below how you liked them. We always appreciate having reviews from readers!
If you love bran muffins, you might want to also check out these Healthy Banana Bran Muffins. They’re sans refined sugar and also have lots of delicious flavor!
Super moist and delicious, these easy muffins roll out of the oven with high rounded bakery-style, tops!
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil I like sunflower oil but any mild flavored oil is fine.
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 5 tablespoons molasses
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cup wheat bran
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup raisins
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 16 muffin cups with non-stick spray. (Or see tip above for making a small loaf of bread in addition to 12 muffins.)
- Whisk together oil, sugar and eggs in large bowl until well blended. Add molasses, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir to combine.
Sprinkle bran, flours, baking powder and baking soda over the top. Stir just until all of the flour mixture is incorporated (do not overmix). Add raisins and stir to combine.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, filling almost to the top. Bake for 12-15 minutes until firm to touch and a tester comes out clean.
Allow to sit in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then remove to a cool rack.
Combine melted butter and honey in a small bowl. Stir well to combine. Brush mixture over the top surface of warm muffins.
For more details instruction and lots of tips check out the Café Tips above in the post.
Adapted from: Red Cottage Chronicals
The Café Sucre Farine is a participant in the Amazon Affiliate Program. Affiliate programs are designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon. The price you pay as a consumer does not change, but if you make a purchase through one of our links, we receive a small commission – and we continue delivering delicious recipes to you!
melanie wolczuk says
Super easy and delicious. I followed this exactly. This is going to be a staple recipe in our house!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks, Melanie, for sharing your results 💕
Janice Smith says
Can I just use all purpose flour I don5 have whole wheat
Chris Scheuer says
Yes! They muffins will be wonderful. Maybe not quite as healthy, but delicious!
Janice Smith says
I don’t have whole wheat flour can I just use all purpose flour,
Chris Scheuer says
Yes! That will work!
Farzana Firoz says
I would like to to try this today. Can I make this into one regular loaf pan?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Farzana, Yes, you can. The baking time will be longer but I can’t tell you exactly how long since I haven’t done it in a larger loaf pan.
Farzana Firoz says
Just made it but the sides overflowed.
Farzana Firoz says
Thanks for the quick reply I actually just made it but the sides overflowed a little. I followed the recipe exactly otherwise. Smells great (now that the burning smell has decreased in the oven LOL) can’t wait to let it cool to try it I baked it at 375 for 1 hour. Next time I’ll just make these into muffins.
Chris Scheuer says
The muffins come out great, Farzana!
Farzana Firoz says
The loaf is so delicious thank you! Next time muffins it is 😄
Linda Lilly says
…made up these delicious bran muffins today. It’s such a lovely recipe. So healthy and so yummy. I used dried cranberries and chopped pecans as
add-ins plus a T. of flax seeds. Thank you for another great gift, Chris.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Linda! Your rendition sounds wonderful!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Linda, I’m so happy you enjoyed the muffins. Your version sounds delicious!
Patti Rice says
Made this muffins today and they turned out nicely. Nice and light . Haven’t had a bran muffin in a long time & enjoyed one with my tea, warm
The only change I made was to add some frozen blueberries and omit the raisins as I didin’t have any on hand.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing your results, Patti. I bet they were wonderful with blueberries!
Polly says
Chris, can these be made into mini-muffins? If so, what is the baking time. If mini-muffins are not an option, could I make this in a loaf pan?
Looking forward to trying this. Thank you.
Ayesha says
Just baked these muffins in the form of mini loaves, turned out great. Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing your results, Ayesha. I know that will be helpful to other readers.
Carol Denise Phillips says
Just tried these muffins after searching for bran muffins that weren’t so dense. These were very tasty and moist. Thanks for the tip of making a mini loaf out of the rest of the batter. These hold up well to substitutions as well such as applesauce for 1/4 cup of oil,2 Tbls chia seeds, left off one egg for egg white, and added 1/3 cup walnuts, minus 1/3 cup raisins. Your version needs no substitutions but I always do this to most of the breads I make. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
So glad to hear you enjoyed these muffins, Carol! Thanks for sharing your substitutions
Susan says
I was so glad to find a recipe for bran muffins that didn’t used hyper-sugared cereal! These were delicious! I made some substituons from available ingredients and preference. Yogurt for buttermilk; half the amount of sugar; chopped prunes for the raisins. (Prunes are more moist and flavorful.) I also added chopped walnuts. I didn’t use the glaze. Definitely making these again!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Susan. Your rendition sounds wonderful!
Cheryl M. says
These are definitely the best bran muffins I’ve ever made. Not dense or leaden like the usual bran muffins. I substituted spent grains from my hubby’s latest batch of beer making for the bran and they came out great! Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Cheryl! What a great idea about using the spent grains! I love it!
Ace says
Hi! Can oat bran be substituted for wheat bran? I’m pretty sure the answer is “no”. If so, by any chance do you have a healthy oat bran muffin recipe to share? Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Ace, I haven’t tried that although I think the texture would be quite different. If you do try it, let us know!
ERYN TITE says
I just used 1.5 cups of oat bran and .5 wheat (that’s all I had ) and they were moist and delicious!
Jan says
These muffins are fabulous! A muffin I can enjoy that is healthy, satisfying and delicious. My three grandsons love these muffins as does my husband who can be a bit picky at times. He loves these muffins for his take to work breakfast. So easy to make too.
Jan
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Jan, I’m so happy that you have enjoyed these muffins as much as we do.
Ruth says
After searching years for “the one” bran muffin recipe, I have found it. The muffins made from this recipe always turn out moist and so tasty! I always follow the basic recipe, but sometimes I will change things up a bit by adding orange zest, and cinnamon, and swapping out the raisins for orange-infused dried cranberries purchased at Trader Joe’s. I keep a stash of these in my freezer at all times. AND, you are correct, the 6 calories from the honey and butter glaze are TOTALLY worth it.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! I felt the same way the first time I tried these, Ruth! I love all of your adaptations, delish! Thanks for sharing your results!
Martine Veillette says
I just made them for my colleagues at school tomorrow.
They came out nice, tender and so tasty.
You’re right, definately a winner.
Merci beaucoup Chris
Chris Scheuer says
Je t’en prie, Martine! I’m so happy you enjoyed these muffins.
Madison Robinson says
These are my new go-to muffins to have on hand because my whole family including baby and toddler gobble them up! I make them with whole milk (for extra fat and calories), blackstrap molasses (for extra iron), and blueberries inserted of raisins (for extra sweetness), I skip the sugar or sometimes use 1/4 cup coconut sugar. They turn out great every time in my mini silicone muffin tins. Thanks so much for the recipe. As a busy mom its important for me to feed healthy snacks to my kids. These freeze well and are super handy to bring along on our outings.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Madison – love your version!
Shirley F says
A great little muffin! I increased baking powder and baking soda to one and a half tsp each. Nice flavour and texture.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Shirley!
Matt S. says
Worked pretty well for me. My Loaf wasn’t done at the same time as the muffins themselves, and ended up getting a bit over-done around the edges before a toothpick would come out clean, but nothing catastrophic. Nice and tender with none of the sawdust texture store-brand bran muffins tend to have,and just sweet enough to satisfy. Used dried blueberries in place of raisins and that worked out well too. Might try the spiced version with chopped dates next time.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Matt, so happy you enjoyed them. Dried blueberries sound wonderful!
Bridget says
Can you make the batter a day ahead? Looking to serve these for Christmas morning? Excited to try. Will be using 1/3c raisins and 1/3c shredded carrots as well. Many thanks.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Bridget, yes you can definitely make the batter a day ahead, then bake in the morning!Merry Christmas!
Donna says
I just made these and they are terrific. I made more of the butter / honey glaze because I ran out of glaze after 12 muffins, so I made another half tablespoon of each. next time, I will just double the glaze and be nice and generous on top of each muffin. These are just perfect. Thank you so much
Chris Scheuer says
You’re welcome Donna, so happy you enjoyed them!
Maxine Cupido says
These muffins turn out exactly as shown in the picture. They are moist, tasty, not overly sweet or molasses-y. It’s the recipe I’ve been looking for for many years.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed them, Maxine!