These easy Vegan Bran Muffins are moist, fluffy, full of fiber and ready in just 35 minutes. They’re sweet and deep golden brown from molasses, apple sauce, cinnamon and nutmeg. A wholesome make-ahead option for meal prep. Serve them warm with a generous spread of vegan butter and a hot cup of coffee for the perfect cozy start to your day.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
After baking bran muffins a few times, they’ve quietly become one of my favorite everyday recipes. They’re simple, classic and just feel right when you want something homemade with no fuss. Here’s why I think you’ll love them too:
- Classic flavor: Warm spices, sweet, a little nutty, perfectly moist and fluffy. I tested this so many times with multiple sweeteners and ultimately decided that a blend of molasses, apple sauce, maple syrup and brown sugar had the best depth of flavor without being overly sweet. I think it gives them the perfect classic flavor.
- Quick and easy: These muffins are so quick to make you could whip them up on a weekday morning in just 35 minutes.
- They keep well: I like to make these for meal prep. The apple sauce helps them stay moist for about 6 days in the fridge.
- Adjustable ‘base’ recipe: I’ve deliberately kept this recipe as a simple as possible so if you’d like to include some add-ins like chopped, blueberries, or raisins you can do so. Consider this a foundation recipe that you can build on.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s a shopping list of everything you’ll need to make my Vegan Bran Muffins. Jump to the recipe card at the bottom for the exact amounts when you’re ready to bake.
- Whole wheat flour
- Wheat bran
- Brown sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Unsweetened plant milk
- Maple syrup
- Molasses (optional)
- Neutral oil (like sunflower or canola)
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Apple cider vinegar
- Vanilla extract
- Rolled oats (for sprinkling on top)
Instructions
Here’s a quick photo summary on how to make your own batch of vegan bran muffins at home. For the exact times and temperatures skip ahead to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One: In a large bowl, whisk together the plant milk, maple syrup, molasses, oil, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth.
Step Two: Add the flour, bran, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg on top of the wet ingredients.
Step Three: Gently fold until just combined.
Step Four: Let the batter rest for a few minutes to allow the bran to hydrate. This step helps the muffins stay moist and tender.
Step Five: Spoon the batter into the prepped muffin cups, filling each nearly to the top. It will still be quite runny – this is okay! Sprinkle rolled oats over the surface for extra texture if you like.
Step Six: Bake until the muffins are domed and spring back when lightly pressed.
Substitutions & Variations
The great thing about these Vegan Bran Muffins is that you can build on this recipe to make it your own and add a little variety (the spice of life, after all). Here are a few ideas you could try:
- Flour swaps: Whole wheat flour gives them a hearty feel, but you can go half-and-half with all-purpose if you want something lighter. I haven’t tested it myself, but in theory a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend should work well.
- Oil options: I usually use sunflower or canola as they have a neutral flavor, but a mild extra virgin olive oil or melted vegan butter would also work.
- Sweeteners: Maple syrup adds a fragrant flavor, but if you don’t have any, then agave or brown rice syrup will do the job.
- Add ins: This recipe works really well with extra add ins. I’ve tried it with raisins, chopped dates and frozen blueberries. All work well! Just keep in mind with frozen blueberries that they add moisture – so remove about 1 tbsp of the milk to compensate. Chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans are also great for some added bite, and if you want to make them more of a treat then chocolate chips are a no-brainer.
- Toppings: I like sprinkling rolled oats for a rustic look, but pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds also look cute and add a nice crunch.
Storage
I love bran muffins for meal prep because they keep so well and don’t dry out thanks to the apple sauce and syrups. Always store them in an airtight container – they’ll keep on the counter for about 3 days or up to 5 days in the fridge.
You can also freeze them for up to two months in a freezer bag (make sure to squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible to avoid oxidization and freezer burn). To thaw, warm in the microwave on medium-high for 20-30 second flashes. Or leave it to thaw on the bench.
You can in theory also re-heat them in the oven but I haven’t tested it myself as I’m more of a microwave person. I found this handy guide on how to reheat muffins in the oven from Quaker Oats in case you need it.
Expert Tips
If you want that classic bran muffin taste and deep golden color, then don’t skip the molasses!
Also, keep in mind this batter looks very runny initially but this is okay. The bran will absorb a lot of the liquid and the muffins turn out perfectly moist and springy.
FAQ
No but I do recommend it for that classic deep earthy sweet flavor. You can find molasses on Amazon. If you can’t use molasses, you can swap the it out for extra maple syrup, but the muffins will be a bit lighter in color and the flavor a bit milder.
Liners are the easiest option, but you can also lightly grease your muffin tin a spray of oil will do. At the moment I have been using these silicone liners from Amazon and the work really well – they peel right off.
Any neutral unsweetened milk will work with this recipe. I use soy as it is a good source of protein but feel free to use any you like. Oat or almond would be nice (but keep in mind they have less protein, so it will change the nutritional profile). The only milk I would suggest avoiding is coconut milk as it will impart too much flavor.
More Muffin Recipes
Muffins are one of my favorite breakfast and snack options. Especially now that I have a toddler, handheld food and a ready supply of snacks is always a top priority in our house to avoid tantrums ha.
Another healthy recipe I love for breakfast are my Banana Oatmeal Muffins – simple ingredients and basically porridge transformed into muffin form. For a richer option (with hidden veggies) try my Chocolate Banana Zucchini Muffins – you can’t taste the zucchini it just keeps them moist. Another veggie option is my very lightly sweetened plain Vegan Zucchini Muffins or for something sweeter, try my Sweet Potato Muffins with streusel topping.
And that’s it – muffins that are simple to make, and cozy to eat. I’d be so happy if you gave them a try and let me know how they turned out for you. Leave a comment below, and share the recipe with a friend. And of course, tag me on social @glowdiaries___ when you bake a batch, I’d love to see how they turn out!
Vegan Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups unsweetened plant milk 300 ml
- ⅓ cup maple syrup 80 ml / 105 g
- 1 tbsp molasses optional (15 ml / 21 g) Notes: for deeper flavor
- ⅓ cup neutral oil such as sunflower or canola (80 ml / 72 g)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce 80 g
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 5 ml
- 1 tsp vanilla extract 5 ml
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour 180 g
- 1 cup wheat bran 60 g
- ½ cup packed brown sugar 100 g
- 2 tsp baking powder 8 g
- ½ tsp baking soda 3 g
- ½ tsp salt 3 g
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 g
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg 0.5 g
- Rolled oats for sprinkling on top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners, or lightly grease with oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the plant milk, maple syrup, molasses (if using), oil, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the flour, wheat bran, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the wet ingredients. Gently fold until just combined — the batter will be thick but moist.
- Let the batter rest for 5 minutes to allow the bran to hydrate.
- Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling nearly to the top. Sprinkle oats over each muffin, if desired.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the tops are domed and spring back when lightly pressed.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Slice in half while still warm and top with a square of butter, allowing it to melt before serving.
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