Make-Ahead Refrigerator Bran Muffins
This easy recipe for healthy, whole grain bran muffins is a huge family favorite! The batter can be kept in the fridge for up to a month, which means you’ll only ever be a few minutes away from warm, fresh-from-the oven bran muffins!
It’s no secret that we love breakfast around here.
If you ask me, breakfast is the only thing worth waking up for (says the matriarch of a family filled with other morning-haters).
I’ve talked my head off about this before, but during the week, I try to get a quick and easy, warm breakfast in the kids’ tummies before sending them off to school, relying on cold cereal as a backup for the extra chaotic days.
I don’t get fancy on school mornings. There aren’t any pancakes in the shape of a unicorn.
There’s not a single slice of French toast garnished with strawberries and artfully dusted powdered sugar.
It’s all about healthy, hearty survival around here.
Functionally delicious. That’s what I like to call it.
Here are a few of our go-to, easy breakfasts:
Overnight Buckwheat Waffles or Pancakes
Whole Wheat Make-Ahead Pancake Mix
Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancake Mix
Overnight Raised Waffles
Overnight Steel Cut Oats
Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes
Amid all those breakfast options (and even more of our favorite breakfast recipes here), excitement never gets quite as high as when these make-ahead refrigerator bran muffins show up to the party.
I’ll admit (and you can give me a hearty amen, cause I know you’re all thinking it), the bran muffin batter isn’t necessarily the most appealing-looking thing on the planet.
But humble looks aside, these bran muffins are stellar. Promise.
Out of all the muffin recipes on my site (yes, even the sweet treatsy ones), these bran muffins are my kids all-time favorites.
And to be honest, they might be my faves, too.
Ever so lightly sweet and packed with bran and other whole grains, these bran muffins are simple to make and so delicious.
The best part? You can mix up the one-bowl batter and store it in the refrigerator for up to 30 days!
That means you can have fresh, warm-from-the-oven bran muffins whenever you want with hardly any effort.
Bake two at a time!
No wait, how about 24?
It doesn’t matter, because that batter was born to be patient and wait.
When you are ready to bake some bran muffins, give the batter a good stir and start scooping.
To make quick, even work of the scooping, I use this cookie scoop for this batter (and actually most other muffin recipes, too). It’s the perfect size.
Sometimes, though, even knowing the batter is ok to stay unbaked in the fridge, I still bake all the muffins at once.
I let them cool and then toss them in large ziploc bags to go in the freezer.
I know it only takes a few minutes to bake a muffin, but there are some mornings where baking a muffin might be the thing that puts my time-sensitive person over the edge.
Pulling a few bran muffins out of the freezer and quickly warming in the microwave for less than a minute? Yeah, we can do that.
Or rather, my kids can totally do that.
Occasionally we dig out the cute honey bear from the pantry to drizzle on these bran muffins, but most often, we keep it simple.
Warm muffin + sweet cream butter = bran muffin perfection.
Soft and tender, these bran muffins are amazing.
Considering I grew up eating bran muffins very similar to this at least weekly and loved every bite, it’s no surprise I’m looping my kids into the same breakfast cycle.
When recipes are this easy and stress-free and still produce such delicious results, you really can’t help but love them.
Have you made these bran muffins before?
They are a long-standing favorite for my family and I know for many of you, as well.
Humble in appearance but magnificent in taste, these bran muffins are the best of the best.
I hope you love them!
Make-Ahead Refrigerator Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 cups (about 227 g) wheat bran flakes or plain wheat bran
- 2 cups (about 113 g) bran buds, (look like little pebbles) or all-bran (look like little twigs)
- 2 cups boiling water
- 4 cups (1 quart) buttermilk, (or equal parts sour cream and milk whisked together)
- ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, melted
- ½ cup (113 g) unsweetened applesauce
- 2 cups (425 g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 cups (about 710 g) whole wheat flour
- 4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl with a tight fitting lid (needed if you aren’t baking the muffin batter right away), add the wheat bran flakes or wheat bran and the bran buds or all-bran.
- Pour the boiling water over the top, and mix well. Stir every couple of minutes while the mixture cools to room temperature. The mixture will be thick and sticky; it’s ok if there are a few dry patches.
- After the mixture cools to warm room temperature, add the buttermilk, melted butter, applesauce, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir until ingredients are combined.
- The batter can be baked right away or stored in the refrigerator, covered well, for up to a month to bake as needed. Give the batter a good stir before using if it has been refrigerated.
- To bake, scoop the batter into greased or lined muffin tins, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees (350 degrees for dark coated muffin tins) for about 14-16 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
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Recipe originally posted September 2010; updated with new photos, commentary and recipe notes.
these are the bomb! sometimes before baking I add all the extra stuff to make them into morning glory muffins… either way, yum!
I’ve been making these for 5-6 years. They are awesome! They turn out perfect every time. A great, no fuss recipe.
I typically make a half batch – the recipe measurements make it easy. I also typically add chopped pecans.
These muffins are so yummy eaten hot with butter.
Today – in honor of fall being right around the corner – I added a few very finely chopped apples and cinnamon to the recipe along with the pecans. Oh my! An amazing recipe made even better!
Thanks, Mel!
These are so good! Bean muffins aren’t usually exciting and delicious. These make an excellent breakfast. Tasty and filling.
If I use regular flour, would I still use the 5 cups? These sounds great for back to school!
Yes, it would be 5 cups all-purpose flour.
I accidentally left out the butter – it was in the microwave melting. Muffins are great.
These are so delicious! My boys love it when I make them and my neighbors have asked for the recipe! Thank you for changing the world one recipe at a time!
If i grind my own flour, and sometimes soft it, could I use the ‘bran’ from that to replace one of the brans needed here? If so, what would you suggest? My kids would like some things with the fresh milled wheat sifted, and this could help justify it!
Hi Bambi – I haven’t tried that, but it’s definitely worth a try! I think this recipe would adapt quite well to that.
These are delicious! I tried a few variations in my batch: original, apple cinnamon, and raisin. My kids enjoyed them all, but their favorite was the apple. Getting ready for baby to come in Feb, so I’ll be starting to add things to the freezer here, and these muffins are definitely on the list to make! Thanks, Mel!
I LOVE these! My son likes muffins but not once they are a few days old and dry out. This is the perfect solution. I made a half batch and it fit in my fridge perfectly. I didn’t have buttermilk so used a combo of skyr yogurt, water and milk. I also added a giant handful of raisins and a tablespoon of molasses. Thanks so much for this. I will have a tub in my fridge at all times. Thank you so much!
Love these!!!! I’ve made them a bunch. I usually just use bran flakes! I’m adding that because I always come down and read the comments to see if I don’t have something on hand if there’s a substitution:)!
Also to make them extra special, try googling mini cafés bran muffins recipe dupes. Make the little caramel honey brown sugar glaze you put like a teaspoon in the bottom of each pie pan and you get kind of that gooey stuff. That’s at the bottom of those muffins or the great harvest muffins! It’s 10:30 pm and I’m marking these for my night treat!! That’s his yummy they are!
Mel, how on earth did you get me to like bran muffins!!!!!!??????!!!!!! I have always equated bran muffins with cardboard and just couldn’t get myself to eat them. But I decided to make these to help with my digestive system. Because muffins are the only way right! They were super easy to make and baked up beautifully. I prepared myself to take a bite of a cardboard box but to my surprise it was delicious! They delicious just plain, on their own, nothing fancy just pop a muffin in your mouth. So then I tried one with butter and homemade jam. What is wrong with me? Who have I become? I LIKE bran muffins!!! Only these ones. And those banana chocolate chip ones you have too. Who am I?
I’ve been making these for years. We all love them. Even the picky eaters!
Best bran muffin recipe out there. I feel like I know you because I’ve been cooking “with” you for so long… thanks for the time and dedication you put into this blog. It’s been a go-to for me for over 10 years.
Thank you so much, Kendra!
I have made many, many refrigerator bran muffin recipes, and this one is THE best. Even the nostalgia of my grandma’s recipe doesn’t come close. I used only 1 cup of white sugar w/ 1/2 of coconut sugar, but my family prefers baked goods to be less sweet. I made a batch two days ago w/ some extra granola on top for crunch; today I made a batch w/ some golden raisins. This will be a standard for many years to come.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe Mel!!! A friend of ours gifted us with this recipe. She had made 2 loaves instead of muffins, and it was absolutely delicious!! A lot like a sweet brown bread. Can’t wait to make our own now that I have found your recipe.
These are the best bran muffins! Healthy, delicious, and anyone I’ve ever made them for has been delighted. Thank you for another great winning recipe and this one rocks because it is make aheadable!
I’ve been wanting to make these for sooo long. But I’m not super familiar with bran products and want to get the right stuff…can you post ingredient pictures? Is the bran buds just grapenuts cereal? And the wheat bran something I would find in the specialty flour section?
Wheat bran is often sold in the bulk section if your store has it or in jars or bags in the baking aisle. The bran buds are a cereal like grape nuts (I usually buy the All-Bran brand). I haven’t tried grape nuts but that’s a good option!
Can I use regular flour instead of whole wheat?
Yes
Do you think you could put sour dough in these? How do you think you’d add it. I just got a sour dough starter and want to add it to everything
I think you probably could! For every cup of sourdough starter you want to use, decrease the liquid by 1/2 cup and the flour by 1/2 cup (I wouldn’t decrease the water in the first step, but I’d probably decrease the buttermilk)
My husband calls this is new favorite! He requested that I try to keep this batter in the fridge at all times! 😀
DAIRY FREE: I use 3 3/4 cups oat milk and 1/4 cup white vinegar in place of the buttermilk.
For the Bran flakes/buds, I use a combination of whatever I have on hand… Wheat bran, bran flakes, rolled oats, grape nuts …
I mix and store the batter in a 4qt square plastic food service container with a lid. Bought at US CHEF Store/Cash n Carry.
Hi,
Can I use less sugar?
If so, how much?
Thanks much
I haven’t tried reducing the sugar, but you could experiment.
I’ve made these all week, and my kids love them. I add blueberries – thawed overnight over paper towels. They’re very high in fibre. I won’t go into detail, but I’ll just put out a warning – maybe just have one. 😉
LOVE these muffins. My kids get so excited when I make them.
I was wondering if anyone tried using honey in place of some of the sugar?
I just made these using my own date paste, I only had 1 cup of date paste I then added 1/2 cup of white sugar. Next time I might try the molasses.
Everything else I followed the recipe! Very easy and tasty will definetely be making these again.
How many calories and carbs in one muffin?
Sorry, I forgot to rate these muffins so I’ll do it now. I’d give them more stars if I could!
I’m excited to try these! If I use wheat bran instead of bran flakes cereal, do I still use 4 cups?
Yes
I was looking for a recipe like this one that I used to make around thirty years ago, but lost…it had miller’s bran (which I used instead of bran flakes) and All Bran like this one, so I gave this a try and was not disappointed! I made minor changes….used a half cup of applesauce, (I made half the recipe, and one fourth cup seemed like such a paltry little amount), and used one half brown sugar and one half white. They were delicious yesterday, but even more so today….really moist and yummy! Thank you for the recipe….so glad to have found it!!!
I grew up eating muffins made from a recipe very similar to this one. In our family tradition it’s made with 4 c. of All-Bran, 2 c. Bran Buds. It doesn’t have the applesauce, and of course my mom’s original version probably said to use shortening. It called for 1 c. of fat, so to speak, and I use canola oil now and it works fine. I also use 1 c. of brown sugar and 1 c. white sugar; I like that added molasses-y quality.
One trick I started using recently: I soak the 4 c. of All-Bran in the quart of buttermilk at the same time I’m soaking the Bran Buds in boiling water. This breaks down all the bran stuff for a nice consistency right away; otherwise the All-Bran twigs maintain some of their structure until the batter has been in the fridge a day or two.
I’m very glad to find this online to make it easy to share. I went looking and found that oddly enough, the Kellogg’s site (which you would think wants to sell lots of cereal) has one recipe involving just the All-Bran, one involving just the Bran Buds, but not this one that can use both.