These classic bran flake muffins are soft, egg-free, and made with simple, everyday ingredients. It’s a delicious way to turn bran flake cereal into wholesome bakery-style muffins, great for breakfast or on-the-go snacks. This is a recipe you’ll definitely want to keep on repeat.
Ingredients you'll need
These muffins are made with simple, everyday ingredients: all-purpose flour, brown sugar, yogurt, bran flake cereal, milk, oil, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
I use regular bran flake cereal. Crush it gently by hand, or pop it in a zip-top bag and press with the back of a spoon or rolling pin. No need to powder it, just break it up so it mixes in easily.
For the yogurt, I usually go with plain low fat (1–2% milkfat). It keeps the muffins nice and soft without making them heavy.
Greek or full-fat yogurt works too if that’s what you’ve got, but it’s a bit thicker, so just stir in a tablespoon or two of milk to loosen up the batter. Otherwise, the muffins can turn out a little dense.
You’ll find the full recipe with exact amounts at the end of this post.
How to make Bran Flake Muffins
- Wet mixture: Add yogurt, milk, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla to a bowl or jug.
- Whisk until smooth and thick, then set aside.
- Dry mixture: In a separate bowl, mix flour, crushed bran flakes, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add raisins or other optional mix-ins if using.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture.
- Stir gently until just combined. Don’t overmix, the batter will be thick and scoopable, with no dry flour visible.
- Scoop into muffin liners, filling each ¾ full. Sprinkle extra bran flakes on top if you’d like. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 18–20 minutes and until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, just enough so they firm up a bit and lift out more easily without breaking.
Tips
Spray the liners: Bran muffins tend to stick. I lightly spray the inside of the paper liners so they peel off the muffins easily, even while still warm.
Measure baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) carefully: If you don’t have a ¾ teaspoon measure, just use a ¼ teaspoon three times, it’s the same amount. Make sure it’s level, not heaped. Adding too much can leave a bitter or soapy taste, especially in recipes without eggs.
Keep add-ins light: Raisins, dates, or nuts are optional. Stick to about ½ cup total. Too many mix-ins can weigh the batter down or cause uneven baking.
Recipe
Classic Bran Flake Muffins (Egg-Free)
Wet mixture
- 1 cup (240 g) plain low fat yogurt (1–2% milkfat)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
- ¼ cup (60 ml) oil (any neutral flavored like canola or sunflower
- ½ cup (100 g) brown or white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry mixture
- 2½ cups (70 g) bran flakes, lightly crushed (see note 1)
- 1¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- ¾ level teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) see note 2
- 1 level teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Optional Add-ins (use up to ½ cup of any)
- ½ cup (75 g) raisins or dried cranberries
- ½ cup (85 g) chopped dates
- ½ cup (60g) chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts)
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) or 160°C fan.
- Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners. I lightly spray the inside of the liners so they peel off the muffins easily, even when still warm.
- Whisk the wet mixture: In a large bowl or jug, whisk together the yogurt, milk, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth and set aside
- Mix the dry mixture: In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, crushed bran flakes, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Optional: Add any mix-ins: If using raisins, dates, or nuts, stir them into the dry ingredients now.
Combine wet and dry mixtures
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Don’t overmix. The batter will be thick and scoopable.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full. Sprinkle with a little brown sugar or extra bran flakes if you like.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes and until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, just enough so they firm up a bit and lift out more easily without breaking.
- Then you could transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely, or you could eat one warm, straight from the pan, like a normal person with no self-control and excellent taste 😉
Storing
- Room temperature: cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days
- Refrigerate: If your kitchen is warm or humid, refrigerate them after the first day. They’ll keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. Let them come to room temperature before serving for best texture.
- Freeze: Let muffins cool completely before freezing. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.To reheat, thaw at room temperature or microwave a frozen muffin for 20–30 seconds until warmed through.
Video
2. Measure baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) carefully: If you don’t have a ¾ teaspoon measuring spoon, use a ¼ teaspoon three times to measure it out. Keep each scoop level. Too much can alter the flavor and texture of the muffins.
3. Keep add-ins light: Raisins, dates, or nuts are optional, but too many can throw off the texture or cause uneven baking.
Nutrition information: Nutrition is based on the basic recipe, without optional add-ins.
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Joseph says
Thank you, thank you, thank you Ashika! I had lost this recipe and used to make them years ago. Your version came out even better! Soft, moist as can be and can be flavoured in any way one would like. I used regular raisins with some chopped dried apricots. Delicious any time of day!
The Gardening Foodie says
Doing a little happy dance over here 😁 because I'm so glad you found the recipe again, and even happier it turned out well. There’s just something really special about old favorites finding their way back into the kitchen. isn’t there? And the added dried apricots to the muffins sounds so good.
Thanks again for the kind words, and you’re very, very welcome 😊