Healthy Oat Bran Muffins

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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!

Oat bran muffin cut open. Muffin is made with carrots and raisins.

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. 

Oat bran muffin topped with walnuts.

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. 

Muffin tin with oat bran muffins topped with walnuts.

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!
Muffin tin with oat bran muffins topped with walnuts.

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!

Oat bran muffin made with shredded carrots and raisins sliced in half.

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4.37 from 60 votes

Oat Bran Muffins

These healthy oat bran muffins are made with a mix of oat bran cereal and whole wheat flour. They’re moist and delicious and perfect for a quick on-the-go breakfast.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 9 muffins

Ingredients  

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

Serving: 1muffin without walnuts | Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: oat bran muffins
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
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95 Comments

  1. speaking of banana bread i just made a delicious loaf the other day…. Can’t wait to eat it tomorrow for breakfast! YUM!

  2. I think that’s the one Lara bar flavor I haven’t tried yet. I’ll have to look for it! And I definitely hope you’ll post that kale recipe because kale is one of my favorites – cheap, nutritious and tasty. I definitely enjoy cooking and make dinner at home at least five nights a week.

  3. If I have plenty of time, then cooking is relaxing for me. It is far too easy to let myself get stressed out in the kitchen so I try to make sure that I have given myself more then enough time to get thigns done. I am loving those muffins! They look so fillling and flavourful.
    Have a great night!

  4. those muffins look so good! when i used to work at a bakery they had these amazing morning glory muffins but were full of white sugar, so i’m eager to try our your recipe! thanks girl =)

  5. Wow! Everything that you made looks so good! I have pretty much been obsessed with kale for the last year. What’s your favorite way to make it?

  6. when i was in the bookstore i flipped thru tosca’s book and when i saw those muffins i fell in love and HAD to have the book.

    good choice for larabar. love that one. i also love the cocoa mole.. ever had that? really good!

    but seriously- those muffins- they turned out so good. it looks super grainy too which is a huge plus!

    <3 xo

  7. yum, I think this week I will pick up some of that broccoli rabe.

    I love to cook but sadly don’t have much time for it during the week. I am actually excited about tonight because I should be home by 6 so I can take my time with dinner.

  8. that’s one of my fave larabar flavors! love the broccoli rabe, the lady at the farmers market was telling me about the edible flowers on it too, i had no idea?!?! maybe ill pick some up this weekend 🙂

  9. I’ve never tried the banana bread larabar, but it sounds great!

    I love cooking when I’m not rushed. It’s not as fun when everything is crazy, but I still do it!

  10. I made some banana muffins yesterday too! It definitely depends on my mood, day, etc. but the majority of the time I love to cook!…especially for others to enjoy too!

  11. These sound amazing 🙂 In general, I really enjoy coking. Sometimes it’s a pain to know I HAVE to do (ie no one is going to do it for me) when I’m not in the mood.

  12. Ouuu those muffins look yummy. I don’t like overly sweey muffins so I have a feeling I would like these. And I LOVE broccoli rabe. Well I love anything broccoli I guess! 🙂

  13. I love the idea of cooking- just not the practice of it. I really like seeing pictures though!
    (yours are too good looking!)
    Katherine

  14. Yummy recipe – thanks for sharing, Brittany!
    Have a great night 🙂
    Brazilian XOXO´s,
    Gabriela

  15. That muffin recipe looks BOMB! The combination of banana, carrot, and raisins is right up my alley 🙂

    And I absolutely love broccoli rabe…it may actually be one of my favorite vegetables. My mom has a really great way of cooking it. She boils it for a few minutes (to get rid of the bitterness) and then sautees it in garlic and olive oil until it’s soft-ish. So SO good!

  16. I have made these twice now and really love them! I replaced the dried fruit with frozen blueberries the second time and they were still good! X

  17. 5 stars
    I made these and they are wonderful! I have to make myself stop at two per day! I made a few modifications, and will definitely play with this recipe again and again. I substituted reduced-sugar cranberries for the raisins; added 2T chia seed; 1/2 t baking powder, maybe 2T unsweetened coconut flakes, some chopped pecans, a few chopped dates, and 4 packets of True Lemon crystals. They are dense and just a little dry. May try adding 2T of pumpkin next time.

    1. Thanks so much for trying the recipe and leaving this feedback, Debbie. This is an older recipe that I’m going to retest soon too.

  18. 5 stars
    This was a hit with the family. We didn’t have flaxseed so replaced with chia seeds and we didn’t have raisins. But it was still so delicious! Thank you 🙂

    1. Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Sarah-Jane! So glad you and your family enjoyed these muffins. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating, I so appreciate it. <3

    1. Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Sarah! That’s always a win when the kids and hubby approve! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. <3

  19. What type of oat bran cereal do you use?Thank you! I’m excited to try these ince I have that part figured out. 🙂

  20. These muffins are yummy! I made them last night and you would never know that there’s only 1/4 cup of liquid sweetener in them. I like the texture (moist but hearty).

  21. 5 stars
    Hello, I am learning how to bake healthy and I love the tips you give like how to make your own oat flour at home. I would love to make these oat bran muffins for my family so my question is what oat bran cereal would you recommend that I buy? Do I put it in the food processor until it is flour form ? The recipe calls for 3/4 cup oat bran cereal so I just want to do this right. I have flaxseeds not ground can I use them in the 3 tablespoons of water ? I would really appreciate your guidance so I know how to make this beautiful oat bran muffin recipe . My cholesterol is high so I have decided to create a new me in 2020 so any recipes for dinners lunch snacks breakfast that will help me bring down my cholesterol and bring up my good cholesterol and help me loose weight would be appreciated I want to loose 100 pounds of weight I know it will help my heart ♥️ health also. I look forward to hearing back from you. Thanks and God Bless you 🙏👼😇🌹

    1. Hey Nannette – I love Bob’s Red Mill oat bran, but any brand will do! No need to process the oat bran into a flour consistency. I hope you enjoy this recipe, definitely let me know how it turns out for you. 🙂

  22. 5 stars
    We love these! I kind of consider them to be a carrot cake muffin. I make a lot of vegan and healthy muffins and many of them turn out to be dry but these are excellent. Thanks!

    1. Yay!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jeanette! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it.

  23. 5 stars
    Nice and moist muffins. I could not find the whole wheat pastry flour but used oat flour, ( gluten free). Baked a batch with honey and another batch with maple syrop. Both delicious.

    1. So glad these muffins turned out for you with the oat flour, Luisa. Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it!

  24. 5 stars
    Thanks so much for this recipe! I had no eggs, a few ripe bananas, almost exactly 3/4 cup of oat bran and substituted reduced sugar dried cranberries so you helped me create a tasty masterpiece of deliciousness 😋

    P.S. Only need to find a way to incorporate molasses to make it a truly religious experience 😉

  25. 5 stars
    This recipe is the best. I added an extra 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil cuz I like my muffins on the moister side and they were awesome. Hearty and not too sweet, but still delicious. Especially with a nice slice of butter on-top. Yummy!

    1. Woot woot!! So glad you enjoyed these muffins, Erika. Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂

    1. Yay!! I’m so pumped to hear you’re a fan of these muffins, Jean. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂

  26. 5 stars
    The muffins were moist and delicious. I used dried cherries which I prefer over raisins, cranberries would work too. Great way to get oat bran into your diet. Thanks for the recipe!

  27. I’m so excited to try these! Do you use refined or unrefined coconut oil? I’m new to coconut oil. Could I perhaps use avocado oil? Thanks!

    1. I typically used refined since it has a more neutral scent and flavor, but either will work! Avocado oil should work just fine for these muffins.

  28. 5 stars
    These are yummy! I used white whole wheat flour and syrup. I added the walnuts in the batter. These are a new favorite!

    1. So glad you enjoyed these muffins, Maureen. Thanks for coming back to leave a review, I so appreciate it!

  29. 5 stars
    I didn’t have oat bran, so I used regular oats instead. They turned out great! The texture is perfect and they are just the right amount of sweet. The whole fam loved them! Will definitely make these again and probably double the recipe :).

    1. So glad these muffins turned out for you with the oats. Thanks for coming back to share and leave a review. I really appreciate it!

  30. 5 stars
    Fantastic, moist, perfectly sweetened, and delish!! I was looking for a healthy bran muffin recipe and so glad I ran across yours. I also love your chia pudding. Thank you!!

  31. Would love to try these but have a question. Is oat bran cereal different than oat bran? What about Kellogg’s All Bran cereal?

    1. Hey Brenda – I haven’t tried a flour substitute, but you could possibly try gluten-free all-purpose flour. Let me know if you try it and how these muffins turn out!

  32. 5 stars
    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.

  33. 5 stars
    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.

    1. So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Wendy! Love the addition of almond and cranberries. Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!

  34. 5 stars
    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.

    1. 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!

    1. 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.

  35. 5 stars
    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 👍

    1. 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.

  36. 5 stars
    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!

    1. 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.

    1. 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!

  37. 5 stars
    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!

    1. 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!

  38. 4 stars
    These are fantastic, but I think the secret is to double the recipe and still only fill one muffin tin. Then, they’re big, beautiful bakery-style muffins. And they’re so full of good ingredients that it doesn’t bother me if they’re breakfast for my kids, so the bigger size is better! I also love to cut them and put butter and flaky salt on them, but they’re great without, too.

    I wish I had my life together in a way that I could make these every week! One of my boys doesn’t like nuts in his baked goods, so I just put big walnuts on top of half of them instead of mixing in. Great recipe!

    1. Hi JM! I am so glad you’re loving this recipe and it turned out delicious for you, love that they are are a hit for this kiddos too. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I so appreciate it!

  39. A little confused with the flax seed egg. First, your recipe states adding “1 Tbsp of flax seed egg”. In the directions you state: “Make flaxseed egg by whisking flaxseed (how much? and I am assuming, ground flax seed?) with 3 Tablespoons (OF WHAT?) in a small bowl. Set aside.” Why make so much when you only need 1Tbsp of the flax seed egg or is it 1 Tbsp of ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tbsp of water that makes one flax seed egg??

    1. Hi Jodi – You’ll need to first make the flax seed egg, it’s simple, just follow these instructions, HERE. Let me know if this makes sense. Hope you enjoy these!