Wholesome Homemade Banana Bran Muffins

These nutritious Banana Bran Muffins are soft, airy, and healthier thanks to nutritious oat bran cereal, bananas, and no butter or added sugar. A tasty quick breakfast option for busy mornings!

What could be better than freshly baked, comforting banana bread? This wholesome banana bran muffin recipe truly satisfies! They’re soft, airy, and the ideal quick breakfast. Enhanced with healthy oat bran cereal, oat flour, and naturally sweetened using banana, applesauce, and maple syrup. I plan to add chocolate chips or chopped nuts next time for extra flavor and texture. I’m sure the entire family will love these!

Reasons You’ll Enjoy These

• These nutritious banana bran muffins are soft, naturally sweet, and an ideal make-ahead breakfast or snack!
• A fantastic recipe for utilizing those overripe bananas in your kitchen.
• A wholesome snack rich in dietary fiber that kids will adore.
• I prefer to prepare them in batches for meal prep and store them for easy school lunches or snacks.

Essential Ingredients

• bananas – opt for overripe bananas to extract the maximum natural sweetness. A great way to use overripe bananas!
• eggs – they provide the muffins with structure and height.
• applesauce – a bit of unsweetened applesauce substitutes for oil in this recipe, ensuring moist muffins. If you lack applesauce, Greek yogurt or melted coconut oil can work as substitutes.
• oat flour – essential for creating light and fluffy muffins, perfectly complementing the oat bran. If you don’t have oat flour, you can easily make it at home (see notes below). Whole wheat or all-purpose flour can be alternatives.
• oat bran – contributes considerable fiber and protein along with a pleasant oaty flavor and texture. Wheat bran can be a substitute for whole grain muffins.
• baking soda – serves as a leavening agent for muffin rise.
• milk – one-fourth cup is needed, and any kind of milk works well for this banana muffin recipe.
• sweetener – I used a mix of maple syrup and cane sugar for natural sweetness without refined sugar. Honey, white sugar, or brown sugar can also be used.
• vanilla – one teaspoon vanilla extract will enhance these muffins’ flavor!
• cinnamon + salt – boosts flavor; a pinch of nutmeg or allspice can add even more warmth.

Steps to Create Healthy Bran Muffins

1. Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and either spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners.
2. Mash bananas. With a fork or potato masher, mash the bananas in a medium bowl until you achieve the desired consistency.
3. Combine ingredients. In a large bowl, blend together the oat flour, oat bran, cane sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, then set aside. In a different bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, mashed bananas, milk, applesauce, and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
4. Create the batter. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing. This is when you can add any mix-ins like chocolate chips or chopped nuts to the wet mixture.
5. Prepare muffin tins. Generously apply non-stick spray to a muffin pan (or use paper liners) and divide the batter evenly across 12 muffin cups, filling them nearly to the top.
6. Bake the muffins. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.

How to Create Oat Flour

To craft your own oat flour, take rolled or instant oats and blend them in a food processor or blender for approximately 60 seconds until they reach a fine, powdery flour consistency! While oat flour is available in stores, this method is cost-effective, and the flour can last up to three months in your pantry. The ratio for oat flour is one cup of oats equals one cup of oat flour, making it quite straightforward to measure.

Variations and Alternatives

• Ensure to select overripe bananas with brown spots for maximum sweetness!
• Avoid overmixing the batter; doing so results in dense, dry muffins, which isn’t the goal. We aim for softness and fluffiness!
• Feel free to replace oat flour with whole wheat or all-purpose flour. Almond or coconut flour isn’t recommended for this recipe as preferences can differ.
• You can easily exchange unsweetened applesauce for melted coconut oil, olive oil, or plain Greek yogurt. Extra banana can also be used in place of the applesauce.
• Consider mixing in exciting additions like chopped walnuts, pecans, raisins, chocolate chips, cacao nibs, coconut, chia seeds, dried fruit, or fresh berries for topping.
• For chocolate banana bran muffins, simply incorporate 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and reduce the oat flour to 1 cup.

Storage and Prepping Tips

To Store: Keep these banana muffins in a sealed airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil at room temperature for up to a day. Refrigerate after this point to extend their freshness. These muffins can last up to a week in the fridge when stored correctly.

To Freeze: These healthy muffins freeze excellently! Wrap each muffin in plastic wrap individually or store them collectively in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to enjoy, simply microwave them for 30 to 40 seconds or allow them to thaw at room temperature for a nutritious breakfast. They can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months!

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Wishing you all the best with this wholesome, fiber-rich muffin recipe! If you enjoy it as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I genuinely love seeing all your delightful recreations!