Heavenly Bran Muffins Recipe: Your 7-Day Breakfast Hero

These quick, easy, and delicious bran muffins are moist and made with simple pantry ingredients. Enjoy them with butter, jam, or even a bit of cheese.

“Try Bran Muffins with Milk Tart Shooters—you’ll absolutely love the perfect blend of flavors!”

The recipe for these bran muffins was made to taste like the ones I had when I was growing up in South Africa. A lot of people made these muffins, and when I wanted them again, I knew I had to make a recipe that was as close as possible to what I remembered.

I tried a few different ways to make these muffins before I found the one I like best. This easy recipe uses just a few simple ingredients and doesn’t take long to make, but the muffins turn out hearty and delicious.

Ingredients

This recipe requires either a regular-sized or a large-sized muffin tin, and the following ingredients (refer to the recipe card for details):

Wheat Bran
Wheat bran is the main ingredient that gives the muffin its tasty bran flavor and adds a lot of fiber. You can usually find wheat bran next to the flour at the store. I use Edmond’s wheat bran, which is made in New Zealand.

Flour
Use plain, standard, or all-purpose flour for these muffins. If you don’t have those, you can use bread flour, but make sure not to mix it too much.

Egg
The egg helps hold the muffin together and adds some moisture to keep it from being too dry.

Vegetable Oil
Use vegetable oil with a neutral taste, which means it doesn’t have a strong flavor. This oil adds fat to the muffin and helps keep it moist.

Whole Milk
Whole milk adds flavor and moisture to the muffin. You can also use low-fat milk if you want. If you prefer plant-based milk, soy milk works best.

Brown Sugar
Brown sugar makes the muffin sweet and keeps it moist. Baking soda helps the muffin rise, and salt enhances the flavor of the wheat and bran.

Baking Powder/Baking Soda
To make sure your baking powder or baking soda is fresh, you can test it by putting a little in boiling water. If it bubbles, it’s still good to use!

Salt
Salt is very important in baked goods. I use table salt in my recipes. One teaspoon of table salt is the same as 1.5 teaspoons of Morton Kosher Salt or 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal salt.

Raisins or Add-Ins
To make raisin bran muffins, add a cup of raisins or sultanas. You can also add one of the following: 1 cup of chopped nuts, 1 cup of grated carrots, or 1 cup of chocolate chips.

Add-Ins (1 cup of each)

• Raisins or sultanas for raisin bran muffins.
• Chopped nuts.
• Grated carrots.
• Chocolate chips.

Room Temperature Ingredients

Using room temperature ingredients helps everything mix together better in the batter or dough. Room temperature is about 20°C (68°F). If your eggs are cold, you can bring them to room temperature quickly by placing them in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Weighing & Measuring Ingredients

Weighing ingredients with a kitchen scale is more accurate than using measuring cups. All my recipes are developed and tested using grams only.

However, check out the recipe card for cup measurements. For these conversions, cups are equal to 240 millilitres/8 fluid ounces, tablespoons are 15 milliliters and teaspoons are 5mL.

Instructions

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C/355°F. Line a 12-well muffin pan with cupcake or muffin liners.

Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, bran, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

Step 3
In a medium bowl or jug, whisk together the egg, milk, and oil.

Step 4
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.

Step 5
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The muffins are ready when a cake tester or toothpick comes out mostly clean from the center.

Step 6
Let the muffins cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack. Serve warm with butter, jam, or a bit of cheese. You can also enjoy these muffins at room temperature.

Pro Tips for this Recipe

• These muffins are ready when a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. For moist muffins, avoid overbaking!

• This recipe is really simple, but you can make it more exciting by adding a cup of roughly chopped nuts, raisins, or grated carrots.

• To keep your muffins moist, try not to overbake them. Start checking the muffins at 18 minutes.

Ovens & Air Fryers

The temperatures given are for conventional ovens. If you’re using a convection, fan-forced, fan-assisted oven, or air fryer, lower the temperature by 20°C/25°F.

Make sure your oven is fully preheated and place the rack in the middle. Try to open the oven as little as possible. For best results, use an oven thermometer.

Every oven is a bit different, so you might need to adjust baking times for your specific oven.

Storage and Freezing

Store these homemade bran muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. In the fridge, they can last for up to a week. To warm them up, microwave for 10 seconds.

For longer storage, freeze the muffins individually for up to 3 months. Wrap them in cling film or plastic wrap, or place them in a ziploc bag. Let them set in the fridge overnight before serving.