Weight Watchers Recipe of the Day: Healthy Bran Muffins
This bran muffin recipe is a winner in my book for lots of reasons. First, it makes bran muffins that are moist, chewy, and not too heavy.
Second, this recipe for bran muffins is not too sweet. I like muffins with just a hint of sweetness, not cupcakes masquerading as muffins.
Fiber-rich bran muffins with raisins
Third, these bran muffins call for the ingredients I commonly have on hand. Many recipes, such as Nancy Silverton’s Bran Muffins from David Lebovitz, sound delicious but call for unprocessed bran, something that I don’t stock in my pantry.
However, I always seem to have a box of Kellogg’s All Bran on the cereal shelf!
And the best part about these bran muffins is that the batter can be mixed up and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, which means that warm fresh from the oven muffins are never more than 30 minutes away!
How Many Calories and WW Points in these Bran Muffins
This is a healthy, low fat bran muffin recipe too. Each muffin weighs in with just 211 calories and 5.5 grams of fat and
9 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
9 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
9 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
6 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
This is less than half of the fat and calories in a Dunkin Donuts Honey Bran Muffin, which has a whopping 480 calories, 15g of fat and 79g of carbs. I still shudder to think of how many of these muffins I ate back in college, thinking I was being “good” by avoiding donuts!
Bran muffin with raisins
You’ll find this bran muffin recipe in King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains (affiliate link), one of my most recent cookbook acquisitions, and is most definitely a keeper.
These moist bran muffins were enthusiastically gobbled up when I served them for breakfast Sunday morning. Enjoy!
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If you like these low fat bran muffins, be sure to check out my other Weight Watchers friendly recipes including Chocolate Banana Muffins, Apple Pecan Muffins, Skinny Banana Oatmeal Blender Muffins, One-Bowl Coconut Muffins and WW 2-Ingredient Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
Bran Muffins with Cranberries
Bran Muffin Recipe Variations
- I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins, and plain whole milk yogurt for the buttermilk with good results.
- You’ll want to mix this batter ahead. It needs to sit in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
If you’ve made these Bran Muffins, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Bran Muffin Recipe
These deliciously moist bran muffins were enthusiastically gobbled up when I served them for breakfast Sunday morning.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time26 mins
Chilling Time8 hrs
Total Time8 hrs 41 mins
Servings (adjustable): 12
Calories: 211
Ingredients
- ¾ cup boiling water
- 1-¼ cups bran cereal (not flakes), divided
- ¾ cup raisins
- ¾ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups (10 ounces) whole wheat flour (traditional or white whole wheat)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup orange juice
Instructions
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In a small mixing bowl combine boiling water and ¾ cup bran cereal. Add the raisins, brown sugar, and oil. Set aside to cool.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
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In a large measuring cup, stir together the egg, buttermilk, and orange juice until well blended. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients.
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Stir in the remaining ½ cup bran cereal, and then the bran-raisin mixture. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
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When you are ready to bake your muffins, preheat the oven to 375F degrees.
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Lightly grease a muffin tin or line with papers that you coat with nonstick cooking spray. Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full.
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Bake the muffins until a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 23 to 26 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
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Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack to cool or serve warm. Be sure the muffins are completely cool before wrapping them for storage or they will get soggy.
Recipe Notes
I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins, and plain whole milk yogurt for the buttermilk with good results.
You’ll want to mix this batter ahead. It needs to sit in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
Serving size: 1 bran muffin
Click here to see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site.
9 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
9 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
9 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
6 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
Nutrition Facts
Bran Muffin Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 bran muffin)
Calories 211
Calories from Fat 50
% Daily Value*
Fat 5.5g8%
Carbohydrates 38.7g13%
Fiber 3g12%
Protein 4.4g9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: breakfast pastry, healthy muffins, low fat bran muffins
Source: King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains (affiliate link) by King Arthur Flour
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan’s ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
More Favorite Healthy Bran Muffin Recipes
- Basic Bran Muffins from the folks at King Arthur Flour that uses unbleached flour instead of whole wheat
- Best Ever Banana Bran Muffin – with splenda and just 3 WW PointsPlus found at Marlene Koch Eat What You Love (affiliate link)
- Blueberry Bran Muffins from Stephanie at Joy of Baking
- Classic Bran Muffin Recipe using unprocessed wheat bran instead of All Bran cereal from All recipes
- Gluten-Free Bran Muffins with almond flour and flax from Elana’s Pantry
- Honey Bran Muffins with Figs from Epicurious
- Kellog’s All Bran Muffin Recipe The classic back of the box healthy bran muffin recipe that I began baking routinely in college
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she’s not experimenting in the kitchen, you’re likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
More about Martha McKinnon
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