"World's Best Bran Muffins" is not a title to be taken lightly. Once you taste these All Bran muffins, you'll call them by no other name. You will want to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
These moist bran muffins are inspired by a childhood favorite. We would often have them with dinner, and leftovers would be our breakfast the next day.
Seems strange, I know, to have All Bran muffins for dinner, but as kids it was the best thing ever. Still is. Try it!
You can definitely call this a healthy breakfast (or dinner!). With 3 grams of fiber in each muffin, and low-fat yogurt mixed in (adds a little protein), you're not doing so bad.
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Recipe Ingredients
For most people, bran muffins are a boring breakfast food. Something slightly bland that goes down in the name of fiber. Not this recipe!
In my recipe, I kept the fiber. Kept the signature bran. Added some whole wheat flour, extra brown sugar, sweet raisins, and poof! The World's Best Bran Muffins are ten times better than any muffin you've ever had.
For added moisture and flavor, I added plain yogurt and molasses to the batter. Vanilla extract and a pinch of salt round everything out!
How to Make Bran Muffins
Muffins are quick breads, so the recipe is really easy for kids to put together and bake. This was one of our dinner duties as kids, making muffins. Instead of plain bread and butter with dinner, it was something slightly sweet on the side of our main dish.
Here's a look at how the bran cereal muffins are made:
- Add half of the All Bran cereal to a food processor. Process until finely ground.
- Add the raisins to the food processor and process until finely chopped.
- Transfer the bran-raisin mixture to a bowl with the remaining cereal, flour, whole-wheat flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, combine the butter, eggs, yogurt, molasses and vanilla.
- Stir together wet and dry ingredients until just combined.
- Line a muffin tin with baking cups; fill each just more than halfway. Sprinkle generously with sugar crystals, if desired.
- Bake until the bran muffins spring back when touched.
Oh who wouldn't want to put a little butter and honey on these gems? Best bran muffins for the win!
What Muffin Pan Should I Use?
I like using a heavier gauge muffin tin, rather than a standard pan. I find it bakes my muffins more evenly. This gold version from Calphalon (shown above) is great.
If you typically don't use muffin papers, a good non-stick muffin pan like this one from USA Pan is a necessity. You still have to grease the cups, but it just takes a little cooking spray and your muffins pop right out with a little nudge.
Can I Use Regular Wheat Bran?
No, regular wheat bran (i.e. the base grain product and not a wheat bran-based cereal) will not work for this recipe. This recipe is meant to use the cereal and needs the texture and bulk it provides.
Let me know how it went!
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Can I Use Bran Flakes Instead of All Bran?
I have not tried this bran muffin recipe with Bran Flakes. While I can’t guarantee perfection, I think the swap should work okay.
If you make this recipe using Bran Flakes, please leave me a comment below letting me know how it turns out! It looks like a few people have tried flakes with success and commented.
What can I use instead of All Bran?
All Bran is a classic cereal from the Kellogg's brand, and looks like little twigs! It's slightly sweet and has a nice whole wheat texture.
There are other brands like General Mills Fiber One cereal, or generic brands that have a similar cereal offering. Just look for the bran cereal that looks like mini twigs instead of flakes.
I haven't tested bran flakes as a swap, but several commenters below have said they used them with success.
Tips for Making the Best Bran Muffins
- Grind the raisins in the food processor with some of the All-Bran cereal. These small bits of dried fruit add sweetness, flavor, and actually absorb a bit of the liquid to help the muffins stay moist.
- I made these bran muffins with molasses. Be sure to use unsulfered molasses and NOT a bitter molasses such as blackstrap molasses.
- I recommend using a regular yogurt for this recipe, not a thicker kind like Greek yogurt or Icelandic skyr. If you do use thicker yogurt, add a few tablespoons milk or buttermilk to the recipe.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes:
I have lots of breakfast recipes on my site, but here are some of my family's favorites:
More Muffin Recipes:
World's Best Bran Muffin
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups All-Bran cereal (not flakes)
- ½ cup raisins (or dried currants or dried cherries)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole-wheat flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1¾ cups plain yogurt
- ¼ cup unsulfured molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Raw sugar crystals (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- In a food processor, finely blend half the cereal until it resembles fine crumbs. Add raisins and blend until finely chopped. Transfer mixture to a bowl with remaining cereal, flour, whole-wheat flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine butter, eggs, yogurt, molasses and vanilla. Stir together wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Line muffin tin with baking cups; fill each just more than halfway. Sprinkle generously with raw sugar crystals, if desired.
- Bake until muffins spring back when touched, 15 to 18 min. Remove from the tin and allow to cool slightly.
Notes
- You can store remaining batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and bake when ready.
- If using Greek yogurt or another thick, strained yogurt, you may need to add two to three tablespoons milk or buttermilk to the batter.
Nutrition
Newest recipes from Tara Teaspoon!
About Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in the food publishing business for over 20 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television & advertising. Order my new cookbook & stick around for amazing things to eat.
Recipe Tara Teaspoon. Photographer Rita Maas. Prop Stylist Tiziana Agnello. Food Stylist Anne Disrude. Originally published in LHJ 03/09
