4.85 from 13 reviews

The Best Maple Bran Muffins

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maple bran muffins with coffee on a cooling rack

The Best Maple Bran Muffins are a nutrient rich and wholesome way to start your day or to enjoy during an afternoon slump; they’re made with recognizable, healthful ingredients and are freezer friendly.

Muffin Monday is my FAVORITE day of the week! I am thrilled to have this #MuffinMonday series going strong with you all this year and I hope you are equally excited to be following along week by week!

It’s hard to claim something as “the best” but after multiple batches of this making this recipe I have finally perfected it for you all!

Savory muffins are some of my favorite type of muffins…buuuuut I have a sweet tooth and love a good, indulgent muffin as well like these maple bran muffins. What are your favorite kind of muffins?

What is Bran?

  • Bran is the hard, outer layer of whole cereal grains such as oats, wheat, rice, and rye to name a few.
  • Nutritionally speaking bran is rich in protein, iron, fiber, carbohydrates, fatty acids and B-vitamins.
  • You can buy pure wheat bran in the bulk section of most health food stores or online. (I get mine at Sprouts).
maple bran muffins in a muffin tin

Get on the BRAN Wagon:

  • Looking to increase your fiber intake? Get on the bran wagon!
  • Introduce bran into your diet via oat bran for a boost of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels.
  • Wheat, corn, and rice bran are high in insoluble fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Bran can be sprinkled into your favorite foods, from hot cereal and pancakes to muffins and cookies.
maple bran muffins with coffee on a white plate

Other ways to incorporate bran into your diet:

  • Sprinkle bran on your oatmeal/hot cereal or incorporate into your pancakes, cookies and muffin recipes like these maple bran muffins.
  • Many popular high-fiber cereals and bars are also packed with bran. Cereals with bran you may be familiar with include All-Bran, Raisin Bran and Fiber One Bran Cereal!
  • Do you have IBS and are concerned about bran? IBS (irritable bowel syndrome patients) strive for the same 20 g to 35 g of fiber recommended for the general population. Increasing fiber can help improve bowel function and decrease symptom severity, even though certain high-fiber foods like bran may increase gas and bloating.
maple bran muffins on a cooling rack

DID YOU KNOW…

  • One-half cup of oatmeal or two tablespoons of oat bran per sitting are considered low FODMAP?  (FODMAP is an acronym for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, all of which are short-chain carbohydrates fermented by gut bacteria).

What you’ll need for The Best Maple Bran Muffins:

  • Wheat Bran
  • Milk
  • Orange Zest
  • White wheat flour
  • Brown sugar
  • Baking soda & baking powder
  • Salt, cinnamon and cardamom
  • Vanilla extract
  • Egg
  • Maple Syrup
  • Vegetable oil or coconut oil
maple bran muffins on a cooling rack with maple frosting

How to make Maple Bran Muffins:

  • In a medium sized bowl, pour in the wheat bran with the milk and orange zest. Stir ingredients together. Let the wheat bran soak up the milk for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with non-stick baking spray.
  • In another bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cardamom.
  • Then in the bowl with the bran add in the vanilla, egg, maple syrup and oil. Fold in the dry ingredients and you can optionally add in 1/2 cup raisins or diced up dates.
  • Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the tops of the muffins spring back to the touch.
  • You can enjoy the muffins as is, with a smear of butter or make the frosting if desired (but highly recommend).
maple bran muffins with coffee on a white plate

These muffins are…

  • Perfect for breakfast or a snack
  • Easy to make
  • High in fiber
  • Great with coffee or tea
  • A delicious grab and go muffin

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

maple bran muffins with coffee on a cooling rack
4.85 from 13 reviews

The Best Maple Bran Muffins

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
The Best Maple Bran Muffins are a nutrient rich and wholesome way to start your day or to enjoy during an afternoon slump; they're made with recognizable, healthful ingredients and are freezer friendly.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup wheat bran
  • 1 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tsp. orange zest
  • 1 cup white-wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. cardamom
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted) or vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • In a medium sized bowl, pour in the wheat bran with the milk and orange zest. Stir ingredients together. Let the wheat bran soak up the milk for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with non-stick baking spray.In another bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cardamom.
  • Then in the bowl with the bran add in the vanilla, egg, maple syrup and oil. Fold in the dry ingredients and you can optionally add in 1/2 cup raisins or diced up dates.Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the tops of the muffins spring back to the touch.You can enjoy the muffins as is, with a smear of butter or make the frosting if desired (but highly recommend).

Equipment

Notes

Maple frosting: In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring 1/2 cup maple syrup, 2 Tbsp. butter, and 1 Tbsp. milk to a simmer – let simmer for 2 minutes while you are stirring. Remove from heat, whisk in 1 tsp. vanilla and then gradually add in 1-1.5 cups powdered sugar. Spread on top of muffins once cooled. 

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 130kcal (7%), Carbohydrates: 27g (9%), Protein: 4g (8%), Fat: 2g (3%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Trans Fat: 0.002g, Cholesterol: 19mg (6%), Sodium: 321mg (14%), Potassium: 189mg (5%), Fiber: 4g (17%), Sugar: 14g (16%), Vitamin A: 75IU (2%), Vitamin C: 1mg (1%), Calcium: 135mg (14%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

PIN THE BEST MAPLE BRAN MUFFINS FOR LATER!

Bran Cherry Muffins

muffins with nut butter on top

I made another Bran Muffin that deserves some attention. It’s so good and made using a blender or Vitamix.

You’ll Need:

Dry ingredients: 1.5 cups flour, 1.5 cups wheat bran, 1 Tbsp. baking powder, 1 Tbsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger.

Wet ingredients: 1 1/4 cup milk, 2 eggs, 5 oz. yogurt, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/3 cup honey/maple syrup/molasses.

Mix ins: 3/4 cup chopped almonds and 1 cup dried cherries.

Mix the dry ingredients together in 1 bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together in your blender. Once wet ingredients are mixed, add in the dry ingredients and mix JUST until combined. Then fold in mix ins and let batter rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375° F and bake for 12-13 minutes.

Enjoy with your favorite nut butter drizzled on top!

Krolls Korner

Krolls Korner

Welcome to my tiny “korner” on the Internet! I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who loves cookies as much as kale. (OK, maybe I like cookies a little bit more but shh, don’t tell anyone). I am so glad you’re here! Follow along for hassle free, realistic and approachable recipes.

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Denise

I’ve been yearning for a bran muffin. Crazy…couldn’t find any in my local grocery stores. I came across this recipe and it sounded worth trying. Needless to say, I’ve made it twice in a week. 2nd time doubling the recipe so I can freeze some.
The orange (I had clementines on hand) zest adds a delicious extra flavor.
I used dark robust maple syrup (I live in Vermont).
The two times I made these, I used different bran…flakes (crushed) and buds. The two batches tasted identical.
Also, I didn’t have whole milk the first time and used fat free milk with some light cream added in to measure 1 1/2 cups. Again, both batches were identical.
This seems like not only the Best recipe, but also the most adaptable.
I didn’t make the icing. I love the crisp top and moist crumb.
Thank you so much!

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Denise

I’ve now made these muffins for the 3rd time. This time using exact ingredients as listed in the recipe. I’ve stocked up so I can make these regularly. Where can I find the nutritional information? When I make these for friends or company, I want to make sure I am providing the correct information if asked. Thanks again for sharing your delicious recipes!!

Lisa

Completely amazing – my favorite bran muffin recipe. Turns out so smooth and not too sweet. Thank you for sharing 🙂

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Grammy Crackers

These are great, even without the frosting.

Pat

I just made these muffins. It is the third bran muffin recipe I’ve tried in the last couple weeks. I don’t think I could ever try another–these are the BEST EVER muffins!! They are so nutritious and yummy!! With my first bite, I could taste the orange zest, such a wonderful ingredient to add. Thank you for this yummy recipe!!

Jenni LeBaron

Bran muffins are one of my all-time favorite baked goods and these look just perfect. I always think a bit of citrus really elevates things so the orange in these is ideal!

Tisha

These are perfect for breakfast! The maple is so yummy!

Jessica Formicola

I have a batch of these in the oven right now! They smell incredible and I can’t wait to eat them!

Raia Todd

I haven’t had bran muffins in aaaages. I love the addition of cardamom in these! Yum!

Noelle

These were some great muffins, I love how healthy homemade muffins can be and these ones were great!!