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These All Bran Muffins are a healthy, on-the-go breakfast the whole family will love. They are wholesome, delicious, and ready in minutes. And the best part? The batter keeps in the refrigerator for up to six weeks so you can bake a fresh batch any time!
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“These are so good!! When I’ve tried bran muffins in the past, they are usually so dry, but these are so soft & moist! Love them with nuts!” – Natalie
“These are amazing! I pop the extras in the freezer so I always have a healthy breakfast on hand.” – Krystle
“So good ! I normally don’t like muffins that are too “healthy” but these tasted great. Do you think it’s because of the buttermilk? I can’t tell … but something gives it a depth of flavor that just doesn’t taste like pencil shavings. Anyhow thanks for the great recipe.” – Lisalia
Not Your Average Bran Muffin
Can I be honest with you? I’ve had my fair share of sad, cardboard-y bran muffins over the years (you know, the kind that practically require a glass of water just to get down!). So when I first made these, I was a little skeptical. But one bite in, and I was completely won over. These All Bran muffins are genuinely moist, lightly sweet, and so good that my family goes through them faster than I can bake them. They’re delicious enough to eat completely plain, but if you want to take things up a notch, a little butter or your favorite jam on top? Perfection. I love that they aren’t heavily flavored, so they go well with just about anything. This is one of those recipes that everyone in the family loves – even the picky eaters!
🩷 Echo
Make Once, Bake for Weeks
This recipe is sometimes referred to as “6-week Bran Muffins,” because the batter for the muffins keeps in the refrigerator for up to six weeks! I have to confess it’s never lasted that long at my house because once I make the batter, I want to pull it out and make warm muffins for breakfast every morning. Once the batter is made, it is so easy to pour it into muffin tins and have warm muffins waiting for breakfast.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Baking soda – This helps puff up the muffins and give them that nice golden brown muffin top. Do not use baking powder.
- Boiling water – The baking soda and boiling water mix to help the batter have an even distribution of the baking soda. That way, all the muffins rise and puff up in the oven and not just a few.
- Butter – Make sure the butter is at room temperature to help it cream a little easier with the mixer. I use unsalted butter to control the sodium content.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar gives this bran muffin a little bit of warm sweetness!
- Eggs – Binds the ingredients together and helps the muffin batter combine and bake.
- All-bran cereal – This is the Kellogg brand, flavor, and type of cereal. You can find it in the cereal aisle close to the oat and wheat bran cereals.
- Bran flakes cereal – These cereals are similar to corn flakes but they are using bran rather than corn in the ingredients.
- All-purpose flour –The main texture and base of the bran muffin recipe has this dry ingredient to fill the muffin batter full.
- Buttermilk – Lends moisture, flavor, and contributes to the light and fluffy texture. For a dairy-free option, use almond milk.
- Raisins, craisins, almonds, nuts, chopped apples or dates – Add any extra flavors and texture that you love to the batter mixture.
- Add a pinch of salt if desired
Ingredient Substitutions
Try one or more of these substitutions depending on your needs and preferences:
- Honey or Molasses – Substitute one cup of honey for the two cups of sugar, or try a Stevia sweetener for baking.
- Olive oil – Use ½ cup olive oil or 1 cup melted coconut oil instead of 1 cup butter. The olive oil gives the muffins a slightly different taste, but, they are still very good.
- Substitute butter – To eliminate the butter, use 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce. You can also use ½ cup butter and ½ cup unsweetened applesauce.
- Replacing flour – Replace the white flour with whole wheat flour.
How to Make All Bran Muffins
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water; set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs.
- Stir in cereals and flour, then mix in buttermilk until combined.
- Add cooled soda water and mix well. Fold in any dried fruit or nuts, if using.
- Fill greased or lined muffin cups ¾ full. Bake 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Serve warm, or store in an airtight container (up to 5 days in the fridge or 5 months in the freezer).
Frequently Asked Questions
Once the muffins are baked, place them in an airtight container for up to four days. Store them in a single layer or place a paper towel over them to help prevent them from becoming soggy or having a sticky muffin top.
For extra flavor or fiber, try adding in one or more of the following: diced apples, raisins, golden raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, diced dried apricot, dark chocolate chips.
Yes, bran muffins freeze very well. Let them cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3-5 months. Reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or warm in the oven.
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes. Dairy-free milk options like almond milk can also be used.
Freezing Muffins
Good news! These muffins freeze really well! If you’d rather bake all six dozen at once and save some for later, it’s easy to do. Simply bake the muffins according to the recipe and let them cool completely. Once cooled, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then transfer the frozen muffins to a freezer bag, pressing out as much air as possible before sealing. When you’re ready to enjoy them, just set the bag on the counter and let them thaw for about 30 minutes before serving.
More Muffin Recipes
If you loved these bran muffins, you’ll want to check out some of our other favorite muffin recipes too! From fruity and sweet to rich and chocolatey, we have a delicious flavor for every mood and morning – and they’re all great for making ahead and grabbing on the go.
Whether you’re making a batch for busy weekday mornings or stocking your freezer for later, these All Bran Muffins are sure to become a staple in your home. Give them a try and let me know what you think – I’d love to hear how they turned out for your family! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to leave a star rating! 🧁🧡
All Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- 5 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 4 cups All-Bran cereal
- 2 cups Bran Flakes cereal
- 5 cups flour
- 1 quart buttermilk
- Raisins, craisins, nuts, chopped dates, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Dissolve baking soda in the 2 cups of boiling water. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs.
- Stir in the cereals, flour, and then add the buttermilk.
- When buttermilk is blended in well, add the soda water.If you are adding dried fruit or nuts, mix them in after the soda water.
- Fill greased muffin tins about ¾ full with batter and bake for 25-30 minutes, or when muffin tops begin to lightly brown. Cupcake liners can also be used.
- Serve warm or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 5 months.
Equipment
- Hand Mixer
Notes
- This makes approximately 6 dozen muffins. Remaining batter can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.
- To freeze batches of muffins, place the completely cooked place the muffins in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. Put the frozen muffins in a freezer bag and seal them as airtight as possible.
- Thaw on the counter, in the freezer bag, for approximately 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I really don’t want 72 muffins. Can someone provide the recipe for 12 muffins?
We don’t have a reduced recipe, but the batter keeps in the fridge for up to six weeks! So you can make the batter and then just make up a small amount of muffins when you want them.
I am all about healthy options & these will be great for grabbing on the go each morning!
These are so good!! When I’ve tried bran muffins in the past, they are usually so dry, but these are so soft & moist! Love them with nuts!
So good! Bran muffins are one of my favorite muffins! These are wonderful. 🙂 I’m thinking of using dark brown sugar instead of white sugar for the next batch. I just adore the taste of dark brown sugar in baked goods!
So good ! I normally don’t like muffins that are too “healthy” but these tasted great. Do you think it’s because of the buttermilk? I can’t tell … but something gives it a depth of flavor that just doesn’t taste like pencil shavings. Anyhow thanks for the great recipe.
These are amazing! I pop the extras in the freezer so I always have a healthy breakfast on hand.
Have you tried substituting coconut oil instead of the butter. Just curious thanks!
Can I substitute molasses for the sugar? If so, how much molasses would I use?
We haven’t used molasses in this recipe yet so I am unable to advise how much you would substitute. If you try it, let us know how it works out of you and what adjustments you made!
your cereal bran muffin recipe sounds good, can you tell me the amount of fiber in each muffin?
We are in the process of updating many of our recipe with nutrition facts. We will hopefully have that finished by the end of the year. If you need the info before then, you may type our recipe into a recipe calculator (like Livestrong) and should be able to get a good idea of how many grams of fiber is in each muffin. Hope this helps!
I am making these for the first time tonight. I substituted the honey for the sugar and the batter is really runny, is that normal?
Growing up, our house often had a batch of “6 week muffin” mix in the fridge – I even loved to sneak a spoonful raw every once in a while. The muffins were so good! I hope this is the same recipe.
This is one of our family favorites, only I make half a batch and works out great. Freeze the left over muffins to grab any morning we like.. Thanks for always sharing recipes, we enjoy them.