Banana Bran Muffins

This banana bran muffin recipe is the perfect blend of wholesome and delicious! They are moist, flavorful and a great source of fiber! These healthy muffins will become a grab and go breakfast staple in your house!

One of the most popular recipes here on my blog are my high fiber super food muffins, and my banana nut muffins. So when I saw bananas turning brown on my counter top I thought it would be a great idea to try and combine those two recipes into one amazing muffin!

That is when these banana bran muffins were born! And boy did they turn out delicious. Who knows maybe this recipe will surpass its parents in popularity?

I love muffins. Seriously, do a quick search here on the blog and that love will become apparent. Whether they are blueberry, banana, streusel-topped or any other variation, muffins are an easy go-to breakfast that is delicious!

The thing about muffins though, they walk a fine line away from being a cupcake, while I have never met a sweet I didn’t like, they aren’t necessarily the best way to start the day.

So I while I love a good crumbly topped bakery blueberry muffin that could easily turn into a cupcake with the addition of some icing, I also like to create muffins that are full of healthy ingredients, but also a whole bunch of deliciousness. These banana bran muffins have all kinds of wholesome ingredients in them like flax seed, chia seeds, coconut oil, and of course bran and bananas. The result is bran muffins that are super healthy and they are nice and moist and light!

In a perfect world we could sit down to a healthy breakfast every morning but in real life healthy eating can be difficult! I love having easy recipes that I can make ahead of time so that on busy mornings we have a delicious option that is quick and easy!

I know you are probably skeptical. Bran muffin recipes have a tendency to be boring, heavy, dry, and no fun at all to eat. Just have some faith in me here ok? These are healthy moist banana bran muffins that will make you forget that bran is supposed to be a boring grandma food!

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Tips for Success-

Make sure your bananas are nice and ripe– It is important that your bananas have a lot of brown freckles on them for this recipe. It is even ok if they are completely brown! If they still very yellow they have more starch and won’t mash well. It is important that the mashed bananas are nice and smooth and will mix into the batter nicely.

Use muffin liners- I always use paper liners for muffins, it makes them so much easier to eat! If you don’t have any you can cut a square of parchment, butter it or spray it with cooking spray and press it into your muffin tin! Don’t worry if it sticks up over the top. This is a great way to keep your muffins from sticking! If you don’t have muffin liners or parchment the best way to keep your muffins from sticking is to butter and flour the pan.

Storing the muffins– These keep well in an airtight container for about 3-5 days. If you refrigerate them they will keep for about a week. You can also freeze these muffins to enjoy any time. I like to wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Remove the frozen muffin from the freezer to thaw before eating. It is a great idea to get out the frozen muffins the night before for a quick breakfast!

Here’s what you’ll need to make these banana bran muffins-

This makes 16 muffins.

1 1/2 – Cups Bran Cereal (the kind that looks like little sticks, I use All-Bran or Fiber One)

1/4- Cup Ground Flax Seed

1- Cup Milk (you can use dairy or non-dairy milk)

1/4- Cup Coconut Oil (melted)

1- Egg

3- Ripe Bananas Mashed

2/3 – Cup Honey

1- Tbsp Chia Seeds

1/2- tsp Vanilla

2- Cups Flour

1- tsp. Baking Soda

1- tsp. Baking Powder

1/2- tsp Salt

1/2- tsp Cinnamon

Here’s how to make these Banana Muffins –

Like most made from scratch muffins these healthy banana bran muffins are pretty easy to make! You’ll need a whisk, a small, medium and large mixing bowl, muffin pan, muffin liners, and a large spoon for mixing.

First you’ll need to soak your bran cereal. Bran cereal doesn’t soften very quickly so this part is important or it won’t mix in well with the other ingredients.

Place the cereal and milk in a large bowl and soak for about 10-20 minutes.

** One reader shared that she placed her cereal and milk in her vitamix blender and blended it. If you want to skip the soaking you can try blending it!

.Next preheat oven to 375, and prepare a muffin pan lining it with paper liners.

Now in a medium size mixing bowl combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk them together to mix them well and break up any clumps. Alternately you can use a sifter and sift the dry ingredients together.

In a separate bowl gently whisk the eggs. I like to whisk eggs separately from the rest of the wet ingredients so that they are well mixed and blend into the rest of the batter well.

I also like to mash my bananas in a separate bowl I find I can make them smoother than I can if I try to mash them in with the other ingredients. This is a matter of preference so you can do it however you’d like

Now add the eggs and flax seed, coconut oil, honey, chia seeds, vanilla and mashed bananas to your bran cereal and milk.

Stir until well mixed.

Now add the flour mixture into your wet mixture a little at a time, stirring well between each addition, until it is all blended.

Scoop the batter into prepared muffin tin about 3/4 full. I like to use an ice cream scoop to make sure to get an even amount in each muffin.

Now place them in the oven for 20-25 minutes. They are done when they are a light golden brown and the top springs back when they are lightly pressed.

Allow them to cool and then enjoy!

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Additions & Substitutions

Want to change these muffins up a little bit or need to swap out an ingredient or two. Here are some ideas!

Add chocolate chips– I know the idea here is for healthy muffins but a handful of dark chocolate chips or sugar free chocolate chips can actually add a bit of sweetness, flavor & added nutrition. My recommendation is 1/4-1/2 cup of chocolate chips depending on how many you like.

Add raisins or dried cranberries- Dried fruit is another delicious addition to this recipe! It is a great way to change up the flavor a bit and add a little texture. Be mindful that dried fruit can add quite a bit of sugar and calories so if that is something you are counting you’ll want to factor that in.

Something I like to do is double the recipe, make a big batch of muffins, add chocolate chips to some and raisins to others so we have a nice variety throughout the week!

Add in blueberries– Fresh blueberries make a delicious addition to these muffins! To add them use 1/2 cup and toss them in 1-2 Tbsp of flour to coat them before folding them into the muffin batter.

Add pumpkin pie spice– Want to make these have a nice seasonal fall taste? Swap out pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon to change the flavor. They are delicious and go wonderfully with a pumpkin spice latte!

Can I substitute the honey? I like using honey in these for some delicious natural sweetness but if you need to swap it out for any reason you can! Some great alternatives are maple syrup or agave nectar. They are both natural and you won’t need to change the recipe at all. You could also use brown sugar, but I would reduce the amount 1/2 a cup so they don’t end up overly sweet.

Can I substitute the milk? Yep! I have made these with almond milk instead of regular milk and they turned out very well. You can also use buttermilk if you enjoy baking with it!

Can I substitute the coconut oil? Coconut oil helps make these nice and moist but if you need to swap it out you can. Butter makes a great swap, make sure it is room temperature and nice and soft. Another great option is vegetable oil.

Can I use whole wheat flour? My original bran muffin recipe uses whole wheat flour but I opted for white for these muffins so that they are not too dense or dry. If you prefer whole wheat flour I recommend using 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all purpose white flour so that you get the benefit of both!

Can I use coconut flour or almond flour? I’m going to be honest and tell you I haven’t tried swapping out these flours in this recipe. I have used almond flour in my other bran muffins and it turned out well. They do tend to be denser flour so the muffins don’t end up as fluffy, but they taste delicious!