The Best Bran Muffin Recipe

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.

Grandma’s classic bran muffin recipe yields moist, fluffy treats that are sweetened with molasses and raisins.

Square side shot of classic bran muffins on a cooling rack

These muffins were a big hit! My husband does not like fruit so I added in a teaspoon of cinnamon and a peeled diced apple. They were light and tender. This was a surprise to me because the batter was pretty thick. This is definitely a keeper! Thank you for sharing!

– N.C.

A Few Notes Before You Get Started

This recipe calls for All-Bran Original cereal. This is an easy way to incorporate wheat bran into the muffin batter, since regular oat bran or wheat bran can be hard to find in some stores. You can probably substitute with Fiber One, raisin bran cereal, or bran flakes cereal instead, but I have not tested this recipe with those other varieties.
Properly measure the flour by fluffing the flour with a fork, and then spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife. Do not use the measuring cup to scoop the flour directly out of the canister. This will pack the flour too tightly in the measuring cups, resulting in more flour than you need, which in turn yields dry, dense muffins.
Keep the muffins moist by using full-fat sour cream. Also, don’t overmix the batter. Mixing too much activates the gluten in the flour and results in dry, dense muffins.
Start with room temperature sour cream and eggs, which will blend more easily into the batter.
Don’t over-bake the muffins and don’t let them cool in the pan. Leaving them in the oven for too long can dry out the muffins. Similarly, it’s important to remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool so that they don’t continue cooking in the hot muffin pan.

Processing cereal in a small food processor

Directions

Our favorite bran muffin recipe is very easy to mix together! I’ve included the detailed step-by-step directions in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post, but here’s the overview:

Process half of the cereal into a fine crumb. You can do this with a food processor (I love my mini version for small jobs like this), or you can do so by hand with a meat mallet or rolling pin.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk together the wet ingredients in a medium bowl, and then soak the cereal in the wet ingredients for about 5 minutes to soften.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and then fold in the raisins. The key to a perfect muffin is just barely mixing the ingredients. You want them to come together, but some lumps are fine. This way they’ll stay moist and tender!
Divide the batter between paper-lined or greased muffin cups. Fill the muffin cups to the top. I like to use an ice cream scoop to make sure that each cup has an equal amount of batter, ensuring that the muffins bake evenly in the oven.
Bake for 16-20 minutes. To check if the muffins are done, insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin and make sure it comes out clean.

Close overhead shot of grandma's bran muffins in a vintage tin

Serving Suggestions

These delicious old fashioned bran muffins are such a versatile little treat — especially when paired with butter, cream cheese, peanut butter, honey, or jam. My mom always serves them with apple butter! You can offer them for a quick grab-and-go breakfast on busy mornings; pile some in a basket as a part of a special brunch buffet; or set out a few with a glass of milk, a cup of tea, or a mug of coffee for an afternoon snack.

Square side shot of a bowl of the best bran muffins

Storage Tips

How to Store: Allow the muffins to cool completely. They are best enjoyed on the day that they’re made. Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
How to Freeze: Store muffins in a large Ziploc freezer bag or other airtight container. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat: If the muffins are frozen, allow them to sit on the counter for a few minutes while you preheat the oven to 350°F. Frozen muffins will require about 10-12 minutes in the oven. Room temperature muffins will only need about 5 minutes to warm through. Alternatively, you can microwave one muffin at a time for 15-30 seconds or just until warm.

The best bran muffin recipe cooling on a wire rack

I make this recipe once a month. Sometimes I add 3 very ripe Bananas, crushed Walnuts and a pinch of cinnamon if I want banana bread themed bran muffs! Thank you for a wonderful recipe.

– Hillary

More Muffin Recipes to Try

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 400°F. Take about half of the All Bran cereal, place it in a food processor, and process until finely ground. Alternatively, you can place half of the cereal in a large Ziploc bag, and use a rolling pin or meat mallet to crush the cereal into fine crumbs. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, oil, eggs, brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla extract.
Stir in the crushed cereal and the remaining whole cereal. Let the mixture sit until the cereal is evenly moistened, about 5 minutes.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir just until combined; do not over-mix. Gently fold in the raisins, cranberries, or cherries.
Divide the batter into greased or paper-lined standard muffin cups, filling each cup to the top. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Cool muffins in the pan for about 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

This recipe calls for All-Bran Original cereal. This is an easy way to incorporate wheat bran into the muffin batter, since regular oat bran or wheat bran can be hard to find in some stores. You can probably substitute with Fiber One, raisin bran cereal, or bran flakes cereal instead, but I have not tested this recipe with those other varieties.

Properly measure the flour by fluffing the flour with a fork, and then spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife. Do not use the measuring cup to scoop the flour directly out of the canister. This will pack the flour too tightly in the measuring cups, resulting in more flour than you need, which in turn yields dry, dense muffins.

Keep the muffins moist by using full-fat sour cream. Also, don’t overmix the batter. Mixing too much activates the gluten in the flour and results in dry, dense muffins.
Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen.

Serving: 1muffinCalories: 271kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 5gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 339mgPotassium: 380mgFiber: 5gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 452IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 110mgIron: 4mg

Bran Muffin Recipe Variations

I have only tested this recipe with All-Bran Original cereal, so I cannot guarantee that the muffins will turn out well with other bran cereals. If you give bran flakes, raisin bran, or Fiber One a try, please let us know!
Swap out the vegetable oil and use an equal amount of melted butter or canola oil. Melted coconut oil would probably work well, too.
Replace the sour cream with a full-fat Greek-style plain yogurt. Buttermilk would accomplish a similar result; however, it’s thinner than the sour cream, so your muffins will not rise as high.
For even more whole grains, substitute half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
Try other mix-in’s. For instance, diced apples, chopped dates, dried currants, chopped dried apricots, dried blueberries, or chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts would all be good. For softer raisins or dried fruit in your muffins, soak them in boiling water before mixing into the batter.
Make blueberry bran muffins by folding in 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries.
Mini Muffins: bake the batter in mini muffin tins in a 350°F oven for about 12-15 minutes.