Healthy Bran Muffin Recipe (with Raisins)

Is there a better way to start the morning or enjoy an afternoon treat than nibbling on a freshly baked muffin? You may be wondering, however: Are bran muffins healthy? Yes, muffins can be part of a healthy diet — especially when you whip up my favorite bran muffins.

All the things that make us wary about many bran muffin recipes, like white flour and refined sugars, are absent from my raisin bran muffin recipe.

Instead, we use a mix of brown rice and gluten-free flours, add-ins like raisins and pecans for flavor and crunch, and tons of coconut-based ingredients to get in healthy fats. This bran muffin recipe is a muffin lovers dream.

Key Ingredients

What are bran muffins made of? Here are the main ingredients for this healthy version of a classic:

  • Brown rice flour and gluten-free flour. As a gluten-free flour, brown rice flour is high in fiber and may support liver health. It may not be the most nutritious flour around, but it contains no gluten. Plus, I combine a gluten-free flour mix as well to add more vitamins and minerals to this base.
  • Coconut products: Did you know that coconut milk helps lower your blood pressure and cholesterol? Remember that when you gobble down this healthy bran muffin recipe. Throw in the healthy fats provided by coconut oil and the fact that coconut sugar is healthier than traditional sugar, and you get all the benefits this amazing food has to offer.
  • Egg: What’s baking without the egg? That’s good news since egg nutrition is chock-full of goodness, including protein, selenium and B vitamins.
  • Raisins and Pecans. While you can swap these out for other fruits and nuts of your choosing, I go with these two because they’re healthy and combine for a great flavor. Raisins can aid digestion, protect against cavities and gum disease, support heart health, and help manage diabetes. Pecans, meanwhile, contain protein, healthy fat, and a slew of vitamins and minerals, making them good for the heart, brain and immune system.

How to Make Bran Muffins

How do you make bran muffins from scratch? Let’s get started on my raisin bran muffins.

Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and lining a muffin tin with liners. Then, mix the brown rice flour and coconut milk together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the coconut oil, egg, coconut sugar and vanilla. When it’s all combined, go ahead and add it to the brown rice flour and coconut milk mixture.

Bran muffin recipe step 1 - Dr. Axe

Fold in the gluten-free flour and cinnamon, and then add in the remaining ingredients. If you wanted to get a bit naughty, you could even add chocolate chips to this mix, swap pecans out for another nut or try another dried fruit in place of the raisins, like cherries, for an alternative to bran muffins with raisins.

This bran muffin recipe is a terrific starter, but once you get the hang of it, it can easily be altered to your family’s tastes.

Bran muffin recipe step 2 - Dr. Axe

Once all the ingredients are mixed together and co-existing happily, spoon the batter into the waiting muffin liners. You want to fill each liner up about 3/4 of the way.

The muffins will rise as they bake, and we don’t want any muffin spillage or waste.

Bran muffin recipe - Dr. Axe

Slide the muffin tray into the oven, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until you can slide a toothpick into the muffins and it emerges clean.

That’s how easy it is to make your own healthy bran muffins. They taste great right out of the oven, but you can heat these up in the microwave to rewarm them, too.

Like my gluten-free blueberry muffins, this bran muffin recipe makes a great grab-and-go breakfast or a dessert. You could even add frosting to keep a special occasion a little bit healthier.

Make them your own!

Print

Bran muffin recipe - Dr. Axe

Bran Muffin Recipe



  • Author:
    Dr. Josh Axe

  • Prep Time:
    10 min

  • Cook Time:
    20 min

  • Total Time:
    30 minutes

  • Yield:
    12

  • Diet:
    Gluten Free

Description

This healthy bran muffin recipe doesn’t contain white flour or refined sugars. It uses brown rice, gluten-free flour and coconut ingredients.


Ingredients

  • 1½ cups brown rice flour
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1 egg
  • ⅔ cup coconut sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup gluten-free flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and line muffin tin with liners.
  2. Mix brown rice flour and coconut milk together in a bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix oil, egg, coconut sugar and vanilla. Once combined, add to flour and coconut milk mixture.
  4. Fold in gluten-free flour and cinnamon.
  5. Add in remaining ingredients and mix until well incorporated.
  6. Spoon batter into lined muffin tins until 3/4 full and bake for 15–20 minutes.

Notes

  • For a sweeter muffin, add chocolate chips.
  • You can swap the pecans for another nut of your choosing.
  • Try another dried fruit in place of raisins if you’re looking for a different flavor, such as cherries.
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: By hand
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 muffin
  • Calories: 235
  • Sugar: 6g
  • Sodium: 227mg
  • Fat: 14.7g
  • Saturated Fat: 9.9g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 4.8g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 24.8g
  • Fiber: 1.9g
  • Protein: 2.9g
  • Cholesterol: 14mg

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