These cranberry oat bran muffins will fill you up with plenty of fiber!
Bran muffins are supposed to be good for you. But truth be told, many are not. They are filled with sugar and other not-so-good-for-you ingredients. So I just had to try my own version.
I used one of my regular muffin recipes and converted it to the muffin you see above. It was tasty and I had a hard time keeping Mini Chef from eating the whole batch. How’s that for making sure a kid gets his fiber?
These freeze really well too. You can freeze them for up to 4 months in a food-safe, air-tight container. They will last in the fridge for up to a week or two. These are not meant for the pantry or countertop because there are no preservatives!
They make a great take-along snack, they go well with coffee for breakfast in the morning, or on occasion, even make a great dessert!
More Healthy Muffin Recipes
CRANBERRY OAT BRAN MUFFINS RECIPE:
Cranberry Oat Bran Muffins
Equipment
- Standard muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup oat bran
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup honey (for sweet muffins – OR ¼ cup for not-so-sweet muffins)
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce (use ½ cup if you used ¼ cup honey)
- 1 cup dried cranberries (fruit juice sweetened – I get mine at Whole Foods. Amazon has them too)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oat bran, baking powder and cranberries.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, honey, almond milk and apple sauce.
- Whisk the flour mixture in to the wet mixture and blend well.
- Spoon batter in to standard sized cupcake papers until the batter is approximately 1/4 inch from the top of the papers.
- Bake at 350F. for approximately 20-30 minutes or until they just start to turn golden brown.
- Cool and serve.
Anonymous says
Hilliary – Hope you enjoy them!
Anonymous says
ilovegoodfood – It’s not juice. The cranberries are sweetened with fruit juice instead of sugar.
Anonymous says
Liane – That’s wonderful!!!
Anonymous says
DPhiE – Fabulous! Glad you enjoyed it!
Anonymous says
Caroline – Fabulous! Glad you enjoyed them!
Anonymous says
Sharon – Yes, they would with those adjustments. Please keep in mind that Truvia is not clean. So if you are trying to eat clean, you will want to switch to stevia. Maybe try making the recipe as is first so you can get a feel for what they are supposed to be like. I think you’ll enjoy them. 🙂
Anonymous says
Sherri – You’re welcome! They can be a little tough to find. But you can always switch to raisins or some other dried fruit. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
Pina – Yes, either of those will work. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
Kimberley – Unsweetened rice milk or soy milk will work too.
Anonymous says
Kimberley – How about unsweetened rice milk or light coconut milk?
Anonymous says
Lauren – I don’t see why not.
graciouspantry says
Asmilligan – If you are referring to fresh cranberries that have been frozen, I don’t recommend it because they are so bitter.
graciouspantry says
mpgallom – I believe so. I don’t usually freeze them because they get eaten so fast around here. But I don’t see why they wouldn’t freeze well.
lichel burt says
I just researched this for myself and found out yes they do freeze very well, they are good for 10-12 months in freezer.
The Gracious Pantry says
Lichel – Great! Thanks for the info! 🙂
Girlofclay says
These look amazing! I make muffins almost every week and send two with my hubby every day for his coffee break at work. I’ve been buying box-mixes and “healthifying” them with adding bran, wheat germ, nuts, etc but want to start making them from scratch now that we’re trying to live healthier.
I rarely have applesauce on hand, though. Maybe that’s something I need to change. But in the meantime, What can I substitute for the applesauce that will still be healthy and work with the recipe? Yogurt? Coconut oil?
graciouspantry says
Girlofclay – Non-fat, plain yogurt is a good sub. Enjoy!
Galietti3 says
Where do you find oat bran? I cannotfind anything labeled oat bran.
graciouspantry says
Galietti3 – You’re best bet is to call around. I get mine at Trader Joe’s. But I believe most health food stores carry it, or you can purchase it online from Amazon.com
Jah_1976 says
Can you use regular milk 1%?
graciouspantry says
Jah – Sure!
Alica says
Could I add a scoop of protein powder and use xylitol instead of honey. I know I would have to adjust the wet ingredients.
graciouspantry says
Alica – I personally don’t consider xylitol to be clean. But if that’s an allowance you make in your eating plan, then sure. Give it a try. Just be aware that you will need to add extra moisture somewhere.
Elaine says
I don’t have oatbran, can I use quick oats or blend some oats in my mixer?
graciouspantry says
Elaine – It wouldn’t really be the same, and the muffins would probably turn out rather dry. Do you have any wheat germ? That would work as well.
Elaine says
Hello! I don’t buy almond milk, I make my own. To make one cup I put a couple of tablespoons of almonds in a glass with a cup of water and soak it over night. Whiz it up in the morning and you are good to go. Adjust the recipe as needed to get the amount you need.
graciouspantry says
Elaine – Yes! I’ve been meaning to try it, and just have not gotten around to it yet. It would certainly be much cleaner than the store-bought variety!
Danielle says
Can These be frozen?
graciouspantry says
Yes.
graciouspantry says
I wouldn’t suggest fresh cranberries for these. But I do have a couple fresh cranberry smoothie recipes on here that are yummy.
Lily says
Can you substitute agave nectar for the honey?
The Gracious Pantry says
Yes, but just so you know, agave is not clean. You can substitute in equal amounts however.
Jean says
Made these today and they are yummy! I did the “less sweet” way, and added some chopped walnuts. Delicious! I like to make big batches of muffins and freeze them – they’re a great, quick and healthy snack. Thank you for such amazing recipes!!! Your website has made my clean eating adventure a lot of fun!
The Gracious Pantry says
Jean – My pleasure! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Carisa says
We have tree nut allergies – What would you recommend as a substitute for the almond milk?
The Gracious Pantry says
Carisa – Rice milk would be a good substitute.
Sheylon says
Hi,
I’m a lil confused. Are u only using the juice from the cranberries. No actual cranberries go in? And if so, why do you mix the juice with the dry mix and no the wet?
Thanks S~
The Gracious Pantry says
Sheylon – No, they are dried cranberries. But instead of being sweetened with sugar (as most dried cranberries are) they are sweetened with fruit juice instead. I get mine at Whole Foods and you can also order them through my amazon store. The cranberries go in the dry mix to coat them with flour so they don’t all sink to the bottom of the muffin during baking.