A quick and easy overnight Bran Muffin Recipe that makes super moist whole grain muffins. The batter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks, so you can have fresh baked homemade muffins every day for breakfast, even on busy mornings!
Bran Muffin Recipe
There is no secret to making this bran muffin recipe. All you have to do is stir it all together and then store it in the refrigerator to bake up later.
The overnight batter makes perfect muffins every time!
What is bran?
Bran is the hard outer layers of cereal grains, such as wheat, oats, rice, rye, corn, barley, and millet.
It’s a whole grain with a slightly sweet, slightly nutty flavor.
It’s uber rich in dietary fiber, which helps with digestion and healthy gut bacteria.
Bran is also loaded with nutritional benefits, like protein, iron, fiber, carbohydrates, fatty acids, and high doses of B-vitamins.
For the best tasting muffins: use all natural, non-GMO, organic cereals
When choosing cereals for this recipe, go for the the ones with the most natural ingredients and as less sugar as possible.
Using all natural cereals make for the best tasting muffin mix because the less artificial ingredients, the better.
My favorite cereals to use in this recipe are Nature’s Path Organic SmartBran and Cascadian Farms Organic Multi Grain Squares Cereal.
Both are natural, non-GMO, organic, and contain less sugar than the commercial brands.
Plus, they taste damn good and make a scrumptious bran muffin!
How to make muffins at home
Overnight batters make muffin making at home so ridiculous easy! The longer the batter sits in the refrigerator, the better it is.
The cereals will soften and the flavors will develop deeper resulting in a highly flavorful mixture.
I’ve kept the batter safely in the refrigerator for 4 weeks, although this type of muffin batter can be stored for up to 6 weeks.
Why is it important to alternate wet and dry ingredients?
The order of mixing is crucial in making quick breads, like muffins. In this recipe, I alternate the flour mixture and milk mixture when making the batter.
This mixing process is an idea way to achieve a tender crumb, in a similar fashion to The Muffin Method.
Folding the dry ingredients into the wet ones make it easier to produce a quick bread dough without the fear of over-mixing.
The more you mix a batter, the more gluten develops, and that will result in a tough and dense muffin.
Tough and dense muffins are never a good thing.
Soft, fluffy, and moist ones are what you want and what you’ll make with this bran muffin recipe.
An overnight muffin recipe for an excellent make ahead breakfast idea
This simple muffin mix is perfect for busy mornings and makes life so easy when you want to bake homemade muffins for breakfast.
It’s always a welcome relief for me to be able to easily make fresh homemade muffins on a Thanksgiving or Christmas morning too.
Each year, starting with November, I keep a huge batch of this bran muffin mix in the refrigerator for ready to bake muffins.
Satisfying the hungry family quickly on a school or holiday morning is a win-win in any household!
More easy breakfast recipes
- Red Flannel Hash – Made with red beets, the root vegetable yuca, and any leftover meat and/or veggies from the refrigerator!
- Ham and Broccoli Egg Casserole – This is one of the most popular easy healthy breakfast ideas on TEA. Leave out the ham for a vegetarian
- Asparagus Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust – A completely vegetarian breakfast recipe that is also Keto, gluten free, and low carb!
- Pumpkin Bread – A quick bread recipe made with all-natural organic canned pumpkin. Takes less than 10 minutes to mix up!
- Herb Breakfast Sausage – A healthy Paleo and Whole30 breakfast recipe with none of the additives, preservatives, or sugar.
- Cranberry French Toast – French toast made with leftover soda bread, served with a cranberry orange sauce and a homemade whiskey butter.
- Hash Brown Casserole – An easy hash brown casserole using a homemade béchamel sauce instead of canned soup.
- Coffee Nutella Donuts – Coffee and Nutella in my favorite flavor combo in a doughnut ever!
- Hot Chicken and Jalapeño Bacon Cheddar Waffle – One of those fantastically unusual make ahead brunch recipes
- Carrot Cake Donuts – Now it’s perfectly acceptable to eat cake for breakfast or brunch.
- Homemade Bacon – Bacon. Enough said. lol!
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Overnight Oats – An easy breakfast recipe for kids that you can eat on all week!
- Mixed Berry Chia Breakfast Pudding – One of those super easy healthy breakfast ideas, made the night before and ready to eat in the morning!
Make life and breakfast easy by making a batch of this Bran Muffin Recipe!
Please let me know in the comments below how you enjoyed the homemade muffins too.
Bran Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups dry cereal (Use combination of shredded multigrain or wheat, oatmeal, and/or Raisin Bran. I use a mixture of all-natural cereals of bran and shredded multigrain squares.)
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 3/4 cups brown sugar , packed
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 whole eggs , beaten
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup wheat germ , toasted
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Make The Cereal Mixture:
- In a large bowl, add 3 cups of cereals and pour 1/2 cup of boiling water over top. Let the water moisten the cereals for a few minutes.
- Add to the bowl of cereals, 1 3/4 cups brown sugar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and the 2 beaten eggs. Stir together until fully combined. Set aside.
Make The Milk Mixture:
- In a small bowl, add 2 cups buttermilk and whisk in 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda. Set aside.
Make The Flour Mixture:
- In a medium bowl, mix together 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
Make The Muffin Mixture:
- Alternate folding into the cereal mixture, a 1/3 of a cup of the flour mixture and then a 1/3 of a cup of the milk mixture, ending with the milk mixture.
- Put the muffin mixture in a tightly covered container and refrigerate overnight (batter will keep for up to 4 weeks).
Bake The Muffins:
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Stir the muffin mix and scoop into a lightly greased muffin pan until right at the top of each muffin pan well.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Serve immediately or cool and freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Muffin batter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Bake fresh muffins as needed!
- Cooked muffins can be frozen by wrapping in freezer proof paper or bag and storing for up to 3 months.
- Reheating muffin tip: cut the muffin in half and fry in a pan with melted butter.
Rahul says
These Bran Muffins looks amazing and light Karrie! Perfect for breakfast on-the-go. Will have to try these.
Karrie says
Thanks Rahul and please let me know how you like them!
Nehal Preet says
Wow wow wowwwww…. I am a huge fan of muffins or you can say I am a Muffin girl. I am gonna try this recipe asap at home for my cousin’s birthday party. Thanks a lot for sharing this beautiful recipe with all of us. Much love and Regards.
Karrie says
Thank you Nehal and happy birthday to your cousin! Hope you all love the muffins!
Sandi Wakefield says
These muffins are excellent! They were moist and very tasty! They weren’t “typical” bran muffins because they were moist and delicious! Solicited raves from all family members. Looks like I will be baking these at least once a week or more often. They are absolutely addictive! and the fact that they are healthy makes them a good choice for breakfast – or any other time of the day!
Karrie says
Thanks so much Sandi and very happy everyone likes them!