Healthy bran muffins, anyone? I see you wrinkling your nose. I see you rolling your eyes. (I’m a Mom, so I’m used to being on the receiving end of “hands-on-hips, head-cocked-to-the-side, mouth-agape, head-shaking, what-planet-are-you-on” looks). Think what you want, but these cinnamon blueberry bran muffins are anything but a nose wrinkling, eye rolling, meh breakfast food. In Emily’s words, “Oh-Ma-Gawd! So good!” And she meant it.
I made these healthy bran muffins primarily because we had a load of fresh blueberries and one too many boxes of bran cereal in the house. Emily wandered into the kitchen as I was assembling this, took one look at the cereal soaking in almond milk, scrunched her nose and said, “What are you making?”
“Bran muffins.” I said.
“Yeah, I really don’t like bran muffins” was her reply. Okay.
She turned heel and went off to Snapchat or Periscope or whatever these kids do, while I folded in the blueberries and sprayed my muffin tin. I filled the pan to the brim with the hearty batter and added a few extra blueberries, along with a sprinkle of wheat germ, and set the blueberry bran muffins into the oven to bake.
In the last ten minutes of cooking time, she wandered out asking, “What smells so good?” True story. When I finally pulled them from the oven she was practically hanging over my shoulder, “Can I have one? Please?”
“Not yet — I have to take pictures.”
“When you’re done, can I?”
“Tell you what… if you hold my reflector and bounce the light for me, you can have one.”
“Deal.” Then: “Oh-Ma-Gawd. So good! They don’t taste like those sawdust bran muffins. They’re moist and sweet. And there’s a ton of blueberries! I could eat these blueberry bran muffins everyday!”
LOL! #told-ya-so! Success! Incidentally, Scott loved them too! These healthy bran muffins are hearty and filling thanks to the bran and they freeze beautifully. Perfect for an easy, healthy, delicious breakfast — anytime!
More Delicious Muffin Recipes:
- Maple Walnut Breakfast Muffins
- Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Light and Fluffy Gluten Free Strawberry Muffins
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Cinnamon Blueberry Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups All Bran cereal
- 1 1/2 cups almond milk
- 1 extra large egg
- 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 cups + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour divided
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1 tablespoon wheat germ optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray a standard muffin tin with vegetable spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cereal and almond milk, stir to coat. Set aside for a few minutes while you assemble the dry ingredients.
- In a medium bowl whisk together 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Add the egg and oil to the cereal mixture and stir until well combined. Add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
- Add the blueberries to the same bowl the flour was in and sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of flour. Toss to coat then add the blueberries to the bran mix and fold into the batter.
- Divide the the batter equally into muffin tins and sprinkle with a pinch of wheat germ.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 10 minutes on a baking rack, then turn them out of the pan and serve.
Nutrition
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Can I use all-bran buds?
You should be able to use All Bran Buds, just make sure you soak them well.
Hi Lisa,
I have tried some of your other recipes and they are fabulous! I want to try these yummy muffins. I will try with raisin bran cereal as I have a couple of boxes in my pantry. It is a cold winter day in Cobourg, Ontario so they will be a great breakfast addition this weekend and when friends come to visit served with a hot cup of tea. P.S. – love your website!
I hope you enjoy the muffins, Nancy and am so happy to hear you enjoy the website. Food and cooking are my passion and it sounds like you enjoy good eating too! Glad to have you as a member of our tribe!
For the almond milk do we use regular or unsweetened. Also all bran do we crush them or use as is? Thanks in advance ?
I usually use unsweetened, but you can use whatever you prefer on the almond milk. You don’t need to crush the bran cereal — just soak it in the milk until it’s mushy.
Thanks for this recipe! I made these last night, and I’ve already had two today. I did make a couple of substitutions to reduce fat and increase fiber – I used unsweetened applesauce instead of the canola oil, and I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. They still turned out moist and delicious! Next time I’ll try adding a chopped apple, similar to another bran muffin recipe I’ve used.
So glad you enjoyed them, Jennifer! Your subs sound great and I think the apple would be a delicious touch!
Hello,
If I don’t have all bran cereal can I use wheat or oat bran that I already have?
Can i use regular 1% milk instead of Almond?
Thanks so much!
Hi Annie, yes you can sub 1% milk instead of almond and another bran cereal should work though it may not be as dark as the All Bran muffins.
Made these and they are to die for!!! So tasty!!!
Glad you liked them, Jo! Thanks for letting me know!
Oh yums! Got to make these this weekend!!
Oh my god! These look AMAZING! Adding them to my must-try list 🙂
Let me know how you like them, Paola!
Your photos are sooo enticing!!! Makes me want to be a chef 🙂 Can’t wait to try to make this. I love baking even though I actually don’t do it much.
XOXO,
Mei
Thanks, Mei! Trust me, you don’t need to be a chef to make these muffins!
These look amazing! Hand on hips because they’re so good!!
Glad you like them Diana!
these muffins look delish. Never used whole bran..need to try it. Seems healthy!
If my daughter liked them, I think you would!
These look absolutely delicious! I actually quite like bran, and I know I would LOVE it in these muffins, and it makes them an extra good breakfast option! Sharing!
Thanks for sharing Michelle — I’m so glad you like the muffins! They really are good!
These look absolutely beautiful and I SO hear you about the kids and hubby saying…can I have one? Yep – if you help me with my lighting and positioning…absolutely! SO I feel your pain! Great recipe and pics!
Trials and tribulations of being a food blogger!
I actually love bran, some people think it is bitter but that only happens when it goes bad. These muffins sound amazing
I always have a box of All-Bran in the pantry, so really, this was just a natural!
I’m one of the few that actually LOVES bran muffins. I’m excited about this recipe because I love blueberries, and I tend to buy too many. This is a fantastic way to use them up in one sitting.
PS: Fantastic photos!
I secretly love bran muffins too, LOL! I’m glad you like my pictures – I’ve been working on them!
I agree with your daughter – I could definitely eat these muffins every day! They look so tasty!!
I appreciate that Sarah! They are really good!
Such gorgeous muffins and photos! Those blueberries look amazing. Definitely the perfect way to start the day.
Thanks, Tara! They are great – especially on the weekend!
I think your muffins sound deeeeelish! Blueberry muffins are always a win, and these look healthy too! I wish I had one now 🙂
Thank you Sarah! I agree, blueberries make them a winner!
Mmm delicious! If I could I’ll make them 🙂
I think your son would like them Jazmin!
Bran? Delicious? Child-approved? Really??? I have got to try these now…
I know. This should go in the super-secret healthy/delicious recipe file!
I’m not rolling my eyes either, I’m drooling, Now those would make the perfect breakfast treat.
I admit, they’re really good. So glad you liked them!
I am so NOT rolling my eyes! These look fantastic!!!
LOL! I appreciate it!
After looking at your gorgeous muffin pics, I need to get that packet of bran (that I keep ignoring in the aisle). These look so pretty and sound absolutely delicious.
That’s so kind of you, Molly! I’m so happy you like them!
How much oil?
Yikes! 1/4 cup. I’ll fix that ASAP!