Healthy Oat Bran Muffins
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Published Jan 06, 2020, Updated Mar 11, 2022
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These healthy oat bran muffins are made with oat bran cereal and whole wheat flour. They’re moist, delicious and perfect for a quick on-the-go breakfast.
I feel like most people think about bran muffins and immediately turn up their nose. They assume that bran muffins will be dry, dense and flavorless… almost like eating cardboard in muffin form. Well folks, I’m here to prove you wrong! Oat bran muffins can be healthy AND taste good and the recipe I’m sharing today proves it!
Before getting into the details of this oat bran muffin recipe, let’s discuss what oat bran is and why it’s so healthy.
What’s the Difference Between Oat Bran and Oatmeal?
Ready for a little science lesson? A grain has three parts: the germ, the endosperm and the bran. The germ is the innermost part, the endosperm wraps around that and the bran surrounds both. With the oat grain, the hull is removed and what’s left is the oat groat. With rolled oats (or oatmeal) you’re consuming the entire oat groat (including the bran), but if you purchase oat bran cereal you’re just getting the outermost part of the oat groat that has been ground into a fine powder.
Health Benefits of Oat Bran
According to Healthline, oat bran has similar amounts of carbs and fat as rolled oats (or oatmeal), but more protein and fiber and significantly less calories. It’s also high in beta-glucan, which is a type of soluble fiber that’s linked to improving cholesterol levels and boosting heart health. Soluble fiber may also help control blood sugar levels and help with digestion.
What Can You Make With Oat Bran?
Oat bran is so nutritious and surprisingly versatile! In my opinion, oatmeal tastes much better than oat bran cereal if you’re planning to whip up a hot bowl of grains for breakfast. Oat bran can also be used to thicken soups or stews or added to yogurt bowls and baked goods (like these muffins). The oat bran adds extra fiber and protein.
A Healthy Take on Oat Bran Muffins
Despite oat bran itself being super healthy, traditional oat bran muffins aren’t. They’re typically loaded with lots of sugar (a mix of brown sugar and white sugar) and vegetable oil. Naturally, I decided to put a healthy spin on these muffins by using better-for-you ingredients!
- Whole wheat pastry flour – I swapped in whole wheat pastry flour for white flour for the added nutrition benefits, but also to keep the texture lighter!
- Bananas and maple syrup – I skipped the brown and white sugar and used a blend of mashed bananas and maple syrup to sweeten the muffins. These natural sweeteners add plenty of sweetness to the muffins and a little extra nutrition.
- Coconut oil – Instead of vegetable oil, I upgraded for a healthier option: coconut oil. I love the slightly sweet flavor and healthy fats this oil adds to the muffins!
- Flaxseed egg – To keep these muffins vegan, I used a flaxseed egg (a mixture of ground flaxseed and water) in place of an egg.
- Oat bran – As you know, oat bran packs a punch when it comes to protein and fiber. It also adds a nice mild oaty flavor.
- Carrots and raisins – I added shredded carrots and raisins for texture, flavor and nutrition! Veggies in muffins? Yes, please!
I personally think these muffins are so tasty and can’t wait to make another batch soon. They’re great to prep on the weekend for a portable and easy breakfast on the go. You can pair one with a hard boiled egg or yogurt for a complete breakfast with protein, carbs and healthy fat!
Want More Delicious Muffin Recipes?
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Flourless Pumpkin Muffins
- Healthy Apple Muffins
- Carrot Raisin Almond Flour Muffins
- Cranberry Pecan Muffins
- Blueberry Almond Muffins
- Healthy Chocolate Muffins
- Blueberry Yogurt Muffins
- Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Oatmeal Banana Muffins
Oat Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour see note
- 3/4 cup oat bran cereal
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 1 Tablespoon flax egg or 1 egg
- 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup grated carrot
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Line muffin tin with paper or silicone liners or coat well with cooking spray.
- Make flaxseed egg by whisking flaxseed with 3 Tablespoons in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Combine flour, oat bran, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Mash bananas in a bowl and add flaxseed egg, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, carrots and raisins.
- Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.
- Fill each muffin cup 3/4 of the way full, sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of each muffin (if using) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of a muffin.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely before enjoying.
Video
Notes
- I’ve found that whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat white flour keeps the texture lighter for these muffins. You can use regular whole wheat flour, but they will be a bit more dense.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Excellent and very tasty recipe! It’s so easy and delicious and I added almonds and cranberries.
Will definitely pass it on and try it again soon. Thanks for sharing g your recipe.
This is an excellent and delicious and easy recipe. I made it today for the first time and added almonds and cranberries and they came out excellent. I didn’t make muffins though but use my 8 x 8 baking pan and after it cooled I cut them in squares.
Thank you *EBF* for sharing this great recipe. Will pass it on.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Wendy! Love the addition of almond and cranberries. Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!
Love these so much! I was nervous because it’s hard to find a healthy muffin recipe that doesn’t come out dense. These were so light and tender not to mention delicious I added a tablespoon of wheat germ and some cranberries and they were perfect. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
Woo!! I’m so glad to hear these muffins were a hit, Jessica! I love the addition of wheat germ and cranberries, sounds delish! Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!
These turned out very hard and dry. I did use brown sugar instead of bananas. ??
Hey Marian – So you swapped the 2 mashed bananas with brown sugar? That is likely the reason your muffins turned out hard and dry and you swapped part of the wet ingredients with a dry ingredient.
Made these for the first time today and thought I’d try an experiment. Half in the oven and half in my airfryer. Both were delicious but the ones cooked in the airfryer turned out so light and fluffy and more moist than the ones in the oven. Soo good 👍
Hi, Laura! Thanks for making this recipe and coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it. And thanks for sharing the air fryer tip! They sound amazing.
Delicious and chock full of goodness! I used sweetened dried cranberries instead of raisins.
Woo! So glad you enjoyed these muffins, Linda. Thanks for sharing!
Made yesterday and already ate half of the recipe and making this recipe again. I had some changes to the recipe (e.g., swapped walnuts for blueberries and regular whole wheat flour for pastry flour) and cooked them in my air fryer after reading other comments. 10/10 will make again. I recommend baking for 20 minutes if using an air fryer, but even having baked for 25, it was still great!
YESS! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Shola. Thank you for sharing how you baked them in the air fryer, this is incredibly helpful! Your substitutions sound amazing too! Thank you for your review + star rating, I so appreciate you being here.
So delicious, amazing recipe! My family said they were the best muffins I’ve ever made
Ahh yay! That’s so amazing, Dagny. So glad to hear it.
I dont use wheat flour for a gluten free version how much to substitute with almond or coconut flour?
Hey Lola – I haven’t tried these muffins with almond or coconut flour so I’m not sure how they’d turn out. Let me know if you decide to experiment!
These were great! Thank you. I have celiac disease, so I used an all purpose GF flour, and GF oat bran. I used 2 frozen bananas (I was worried the batter would be too wet with the melted frozen banana but it was perfect), a whole egg and some chopped up dried cherries. They were perfectly sweet, had a tender/moist crumb, and the chewy cherries were delicious. It made 9 muffins and took exactly 20min to bake. Thanks so much, I will make these again!
YUM! I am so that that these muffins are a hit, Rachelle! I love the idea of adding those chopped dried cherries! Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I truly appreciate it!