A hearty and delicious whole wheat bran muffin that is a great grab and go breakfast! Start your day the healthy way with these delicious muffins.
These Whole wheat bran muffins are delicious and easy to grab and go! I also love our hash brown egg cups and tropical green monster smoothie when I’m in a hurry but still want something filling and healthy. 😉
Healthy Bran Muffins That Are Delicious!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a healthy & hearty recipe here on Life Made Simple. Today I’m changing that. Last week I made some really yummy whole wheat banana pancakes that we LOVED and this week it was these whole wheat bran muffins.
So why are these the best whole wheat bran muffins?! Because they taste amazing and they’re good for you too! Bran muffins are packed with vitamins, minerals, and other important things such as fiber.
These golden beauties are filled with bran, whole wheat flour, low-fat “buttermilk,” Greek yogurt, coconut oil, and fresh fruit. Oh, and did I mention they’re low in sugar? Yep, they’re the whole package.
How to Make WHOLE Wheat Bran Muffins
To start, you’re going to want to get a small mixing bowl or a 2 cup glass measuring cup to mix the wet ingredients in.
- You’ll need 1 cup of buttermilk, however, to keep these on the lighter side I opted to make my own by combining 1 cup of 1% milk with 1 tbsp. of lemon juice and allowed it to sit for 5 minutes. But you can use store-bought buttermilk if you prefer.
- You can use a plain version of almond milk and for every cup of milk mix in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then use as vegan buttermilk
- Along with the buttermilk, add the yogurt (Greek works great and adds extra protein), egg, oil (I used coconut), brown sugar (for moisture, flavor, and sweetness), and vanilla extract!
Now it’s time to whisk together the dry ingredients in a larger mixing bowl.
- That includes the wheat bran (I used Bob’s Red Mill), flour (I used all whole wheat), baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- You can use only whole-wheat flour, only all-purpose flour, or a ½ cup whole-wheat flour + ½ cup all-purpose flour. They taste great no matter what you use!
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix it up.
- Then fold in any fresh fruit, dried fruit or nuts you’d like. I added blueberries, raspberries, and coconut. Yum!
- Some bakers like to coat the berries in flour and then gently fold them in. This holds the moisture a little bit more and prevents them from getting squashed.
- Using frozen fruit won’t change the recipe too much. The high heat of the oven should work just fine to successfully defrost and bake in the muffins.
Once you’ve got the batter mixed up (don’t worry if it’s thick and lumpy, it should be) all you need to do is bake these babies!
- Pop them into a 425-degree oven (yes, it’s really that hot… it’s what gives these muffins their golden crunchy exteriors) for 14-16 minutes. Let ’em cool for a few minutes and then enjoy.
Variations
Changing it up – here are some ideas for other versions of these whole wheat bran muffins …
- Applesauce instead of yogurt.
- Molasses instead of brown sugar
- Variety of fruit: raspberries, blueberries, apples, and peaches
- Coconut
- Chopped pecans
- Dates
How to Store WHOLE WHEAT Bran Muffins
Store muffins at room temperature for 3 days in a ziplock bag. If they are collecting too much condensation you can open the bag slightly and allow them to dry out a little bit.
To freeze muffins tightly wrap them in foil and place in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight and then warm in the microwave if need be.
Other healthy breakfast options:
Next time you’re looking for a healthy, easy and delicious muffin recipe, I hope you’ll give this one a try! We loved them and I know you will too!
For more muffin recipes, check out:
Healthy Whole Wheat Bran Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk - or homemade buttermilk*
- 1/2 cup yogurt - Greek or other
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil - or vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar**
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup wheat bran
- 1 cup whole wheat flour***
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup chopped berries - OR dried fruit OR nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly spray or line one muffin tin, set aside.
- In a small glass measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the "buttermilk", yogurt, egg, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla.
- In a separate mixing bowl whisk together the bran, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Gradually pour in the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Gently fold in the berries, dried fruit or nuts.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, dividing evenly between the wells. Place in the oven and bake for 14-16 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
NOTES
**If you like your muffins on the sweeter side, add an additional 1 tbsp. of brown sugar.
***You can use only whole-wheat flour, only all-purpose flour, or a ½ c. whole-wheat flour + ½ c. all-purpose flour. They taste great no matter what you use!
-Any fresh fruit is a great addition to these muffins! We've used raspberries, blueberries, apples and peaches. We also like adding in coconut and chopped pecans.
One of the best bran muffins I’ve ever made. Healthy mouth feel, just sweet enough. I used frozen blueberries and strawberries, 1/2 and 1/2. I’ll be back to use this recipe again!
excellent muffin – makes them very moist to use a variety of fruits such as mango! I used half oat bran and half wheat bran. It worked well. I also used monkfruit instead of brown sugar. Monkfruit is safe for those who are on a low or no sugar diet.
So many great options to make these muffins exactly how you like!
Canned pumpkin puree works well as a substitute for the yogurt. We have these muffins every other morning for breakfast. I make 2 batches at a time and freeze them. Went to make them the other day and realized I was out of yogurt. That happened once before and I tried increasing the buttermilk. Didn’t like the result. I always keep canned pumpkin on hand so this time I tried it instead and the result was great – maybe even better than the yogurt version. I didn’t think these muffins could possibly be improved – they’re so incredibly delicious!
I’m so glad you love the muffins! And what a fun substitute to use canned pumpkin. A new twist on the flavor. Thanks for sharing!
I love these. Not too sweet. I’ve taken them to several friends and they’ve all asked for the recipe.
I’m so glad you and your friends liked them! Thanks so much for sharing.
Delicious and easy to make. Used frozen Saskatoons, otherwise followed recipe.
Will definitely make again.
I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks so much for sharing!