Blueberry Maple Bran Muffins
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Looking for a wholesome muffin that everyone will love? These blueberry bran muffins hit the sweet spot between nutritious and delicious.
Most delicious muffins are loaded with white flour, sugar, and butter, making them more like cupcakes without the frosting than a wholesome breakfast. On the flip side, most healthful muffins don’t taste very good. These blueberry bran muffins, sweetened with maple syrup, strike the perfect balance between nutritious and indulgent. They’re lower in fat and sugar than most muffins, enriched with wheat bran and whole wheat flour, and packed with antioxidant-rich blueberries. They’re a treat you can feel good about baking for your family. The recipe was inspired by a similar version in Lucinda Scala Quinn’s Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys.
Table of Contents
“These are delicious and easy to make. I made them this morning, following the recipe to a T. The best bran muffins ever!”
What You’ll Need To Make Blueberry Maple Bran Muffins
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the muffins. Measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Whole Wheat Flour: Adds a hearty texture and boosts the nutritional content with more fiber and nutrients. Like the all-purpose flour, measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Wheat Bran or Wheat Germ: Increases fiber content and introduces a subtle nutty flavor that complements the other ingredients.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Act as leavening agents to help the muffins rise, making them light and fluffy.
- Cinnamon: Adds a warm, spicy depth of flavor that pairs well with the blueberries and maple syrup.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together, provide structure, and add richness to the muffins.
- Maple Syrup: Sweetens the muffins naturally and imparts a distinct, rich flavor that complements the whole wheat and blueberries.
- Sugar: Adds necessary sweetness and helps with the browning of the muffin tops, creating an appealing crust.
- Vegetable Oil: Keeps the muffins moist and tender by providing necessary fat.
- Milk: Adds moisture to the batter, contributing to a tender crumb and helping to blend the ingredients smoothly.
- Blueberries: Provide bursts of fruity flavor and natural sweetness, adding juiciness and a pleasant texture to each bite.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, add 1 cup of the all-purpose flour, the wheat flour, wheat bran (or wheat germ), baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Whisk until fully combined.
In another bowl, beat together the eggs, maple syrup, sugar, oil, and milk. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until batter is smooth (note: batter will be very wet).
Rinse the blueberries and toss them in a small bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons of flour until they are well-coated (the blueberries need to be wet in order for the flour to stick).
Add them to the batter and fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed.
Using a ladle or 1/3-cup measure, scoop the batter into the muffin cups until they are almost full.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp around the edges.
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn muffins out onto a wire rack. Serve warm.
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and reheat before serving. (To reheat, wrap muffins in aluminum foil and place in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure, that’s fine! Just be sure not to thaw them or they’ll “bleed” in the batter and change the color of the muffins. Also, toss them in flour as you would with fresh blueberries to prevent them from sinking.
You can use just all-purpose flour if you prefer, but using both gives the muffins a nice texture and added nutrients.
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and reheat before serving. (To reheat, wrap muffins in aluminum foil and place in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.)
Absolutely! The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the counter before serving.
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Blueberry Maple Bran Muffins
Looking for a wholesome muffin that everyone will love? These blueberry bran muffins hit the sweet spot between nutritious and delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off, divided
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ⅓ cup wheat bran or wheat germ
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 cup of the all-purpose flour, the wheat flour, wheat bran (or wheat germ), baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In another bowl, beat together the eggs, maple syrup, sugar, oil and milk. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until batter is smooth (note: batter will be very wet).
- Rinse the blueberries and toss them in a small bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons of flour until they are well-coated (the blueberries need to be wet in order for the flour to stick). Add them to the batter and fold gently with a spatula until evenly distributed. Using a ladle or ⅓-cup measure, scoop the batter into the muffin cups until they are almost full.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp around the edges. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn muffins out onto a wire rack. Serve warm. Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days and reheat before serving. (To reheat, wrap muffins in aluminum foil and place in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.)
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the counter before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 243
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Sugar: 17g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 183 mg
- Cholesterol: 33 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made these muffins exactly as written and they are very, very yummy!! Thank you!!
It is very puzzling to me the number of people who comment on a recipe who completely switch everything up!
What’s the point of commenting when you didn’t actually make the muffins as outlined? Perhaps a small addition as in cinnamon might be a helpful suggestion but the whole darn recipe?? Weird!
By the way, I’m going to make these muffins now and I’m actually going to follow the recipe.
Hello,
Can I omit wheat bran? I don’t have any. Thank you!
Hi Gita, You could replace the wheat bran with additional whole wheat or all-purpose flour. Keep in mind that although they’ll still be good, they won’t be bran muffins. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Thank you!
This muffin has a wonderful texture. I’ve been making a different muffin recipe every 2 weeks for the past year. I’m not someone who generally alters a pastry recipe but nowadays I use what’s on hand or needs to be used. Let me say this recipe is very forgiving especially when you look at the substitutions I made.
I used all whole wheat flour. Added 1 tablespoon of flax meal. 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Molasses replaced maple syrup. Golden brown sugar. All out of neutral oils so I used olive oil. Buttermilk. Plumped large golden raisins in the buttermilk instead of blueberries, and added 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts.
Baked all in a 12 cup muffin tin, filled to the top. Had 1 additional muffin that baked in a liner in a small glass container. Some were a dark bake in a convection gas oven, would check next time at 18 mins, this didn’t deter from taste.
I recommend this bran muffin for its excellent crumb.
I don’t have whole wheat flour. Can I replace the whole wheat flour with all purpose flour?
Thanks,
Lisa
Yes, I think that should work. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Hi Jenn, can I use butter instead of oil? I see a review where they used applesauce. What would be a good substitute for the oil?
Sure, Eugenia – melted butter should work.
These are SO delicious!! Thank you Jenn for another great recipe. I added some whole flax seeds on the top before baking for some crunch.
These are fantastic. I’ve made these several times and typically add 1 tbs of molasses for a golden finish and extra flavour. Sometimes I mash a banana into the mix as well. For the kids, I use homo milk for extra fat and reduce the amount of white sugar.
Jenn, can I use oatmeal in this recipe? Oatmeal and bran? I am trying to make as healthy of a blueberry muffin that I can. I like a hearty muffin, and dense is okay. What will work?
Hi Kate, I’ve never put oatmeal in these, so I can’t say from experience, but I suspect it will work (and as you said, the muffins will definitely be a bit drier and more dense). I’d replace the flour with an equivalent amount of oats (and I’d suggest keeping the oats to no more than 1/2 cup). Hope that helps — I’d love to hear how they turn out if you make them this way!
Hi Jenn, can’t wait to try this recipe and I was wondering if the recipe could be cut in half for smaller batches, also if it can be doubled for a larger group. Thanks in advance T.C.
Hi Tracy, Yes and yes! 🙂
These muffins look incredible. I’m wondering if I could use buckwheat instead of whole wheat? Would I need to make any other adjustments with leavener or liquid? Thanks for your help, and for such amazing recipes!
Hi Alanna, I’ve never baked with buckwheat flour, so I’m not certain how it would impact the muffins. If you want to use buckwheat flour, I’d recommend using just a bit of it in place of the whole wheat flour, so in this case, using 1/4 – 1/2 cup of buckwheat and the remainder of that 3/4 cup should be whole wheat. If you like the texture of the muffins, you could up the buckwheat a bit more the next time you bake them. Hope that helps!