These old-fashioned, hearty homemade bran muffins are moist, flavorful, and are made with both Bran Flakes and All-Bran for an ultra-high fiber breakfast option. The bran mixture is made in one bowl and is considered an overnight batter, as it should be refrigerated for at least 12 hours, but a full 24 hours or more is recommended.
The best part? This is a 6-week bran muffin recipe, meaning the batter can last for up to 6 weeks in the fridge. That way, you can bake off just one (or a few) at a time and have moist bran muffins whenever the craving hits.
This is the perfect muffin for breakfast, snack, or when that late night craving hits. If you love muffins as much as we do, try your hand at some other muffin recipes:
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Make ahead - this delicious bran muffin mix has to be made ahead of time and allowed to rest overnight (but longer is better). Letting the batter sit allows it to thicken, hydrate, and get super fluffy to make for the most textured muffins.
Moist and flavorful - these are anything like the dry muffins you may have had in your childhood. Thanks to the sugar, buttermilk, and vegetable oil, these bran muffins remain incredibly moist for days!
Variations - these all bran muffins are super versatile, and have a number of mix-ins or flavor additions that can be made. In my opinion, though, you just can't beat a classic bran muffin with a bit of salted butter. Interested in mixing it up? Check the variations and substitutions section of the blog post for a few ideas.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour. Standard flour is used in this recipe, but whole wheat flour can also be used for even more fiber.
- All-Bran. These are found in the cereal aisle and are in stick form. If you have trouble finding this, you can also look for Bran Buds.
- Bran Flakes. Called just that, these are the flakes you know in Raisin Bran cereal, but without the sugared raisins.
- Neutral oil. Vegetable or canola oil work best.
- Buttermilk. Full-fat or low-fat buttermilk can be used. Before mixing it into the batter, be sure it's at room temperature for the best results.
- Baking soda. This does all the work during the refrigeration and rest time. This cannot be substituted with baking powder.
- Eggs. Large, room-temperature eggs should be used.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use Bran Buds if you can't find All-Bran cereal.
- Use whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour for even more fiber.
- Add ¾ cup of raisins, chocolate chips, or blueberries as mix-ins.
- Add ¾ cup of craisins and ¼ cup orange zest for a cranberry orange bran muffin version.
- Make the bran muffins in a mini muffin tin (cook for 10-12 minutes) or in a jumbo muffin tin (17-25 minutes).
- Mix in a bit of your favorite warm spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin or apple pie spice.
- Top the muffins with coarse sugar, rolled oats, or leave them plain.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Add boiling hot water to bran flakes and allow them to soften.
Two: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, and oil.
Three: Add the buttermilk and whisk it in carefully.
Four: Add the softened bran flakes and water and mix carefully again.
Five: Fold in the whisked dry ingredients until fully combined and moistened (there may still be a few lumps).
Six: Fold in the All-Bran cereal until evenly distributed through the batter. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight (minimum), but 24-48 hours is best.
Seven: Scoop the batter using a spoon or large cookie/ice cream scoop. Note how thick it is.
Eight: Fill the muffin cups to the top of the well, then bake as is, or add coarse sugar or rolled oats.
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Hot tip! DO NOT stir the batter at any point, especially if you're not using the entire batter at one time. Agitating the batter causes it to lose its fluffiness.
"Cow Patty" Version
Our favorite way to enjoy bran muffin batter is in "Cow Patty" form, which is like a muffin top! Simply add ½ cup of batter to a greased cookie sheet (6 patties fit on a large cookie sheet) and bake at 375℉ for 10-15 minutes.
This creates a slightly crispy bottom and edges, with ultra-fluffy insides, almost like a pancake!
Butter the underside of the cow patty (with salted butter, of course) so the butter can soak in best. Then, enjoy with your hands or with a fork!
Expert Tips
- Don't over-mix the bran muffin batter during the dry ingredients incorporation process.
- Allow for at least 12 hours of refrigeration time for the batter to work its magic. However, 24-48 hours is best. I love to go the full 48 hours.
- After the refrigeration time, do not stir the batter at any point. Simply scoop and plop.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, bran muffins are especially high in fiber. This particular recipe uses both Bran Flakes and All-Bran cereal, so it doubles up on the fiber dosage.
Yes! Simply reduce the bake time to 11-12 minutes for mini muffins, and increase the bake time to 17-25 minutes for jumbo muffins. Once there is no wet batter in the center of the muffins, they're ready to come out of the oven.
Every recipe is different. In general, bran cereals host a high amount of fiber, which aids in digestion. However, many baked goods contain quite a bit of sugar to create an especially moist muffin. It's best to check the recipe's nutrition label to determine if the recipe is right for you.
Storage
Store the bran muffin batter tightly covered in the fridge for up to six weeks. Do not stir the batter at any point.
Store baked all bran muffins at room temperature, covered, for one week. Alternatively, freeze the baked all bran muffins in an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to two months. Remove from the bag to thaw completely.
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📖Recipe
All Bran Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin tin
- Cupcake liners optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup Bran Flakes
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups All-Bran cereal (sticks)
Instructions
- Add the bran flakes to a bowl and pour the boiling water over top. Set aside to soften for 5 minutes.1 cup Bran Flakes, 1 cup boiling water
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add the bran mixture, whisking constantly.2 eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 cups buttermilk
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.2.5 cups all-purpose flour, 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Then, fold in the All-Bran.2 cups All-Bran cereal
- Cover or transfer the mixture to a sealed container and refrigerate the mixture for at least 8 hours. 24 hours to two days is best.
- Prepare two muffin tins with cupcake liners (or grease the wells) and fill completely with batter.
- Bake in the center of a pre-heated 400°F oven for 13-17 minutes until the tops are no longer wet.
Joy Britt says
My GMA has this exact recipe. Yet first off she poured the hot water onto the baking soda, before cooling mixture and adding to batter. Baking soda is somewhat bitter, so the hot H2O tones down the flavor. Thought I'd share that bit of time tested info. with you.
Callan Wenner says
Hi Joy, this is a great tip! The water is still very hot when adding the softened bran flakes to the batter, and it still holds all of the liquid, so I'll bet this helps with that process (although a bit different than your steps)!