Pumpkin Bran Muffins

These pumpkin bran muffins are easy to make and taste like fall. Perfect for those busy mornings.

I made these muffins on those mornings when I was crazy busy and needed something to pop into the oven. They’re easy to make, requiring just one bowl, no electric mixer, and minimal prep before they go into the oven.

I loved that I could make them and toss a few in my lunchbox for later. They’re filling and perfect for those busy mornings.

I even tested them out on a bran-averse member of my household. They liked them and they have no idea what’s in them.

What Makes This One Worth Making

• Raisin bran cereal: The cereal adds a lot of fiber as well as flavor. It’s sweet and has raisins in it which pair well with the added raisins below. Bran also adds a lot of substance to the recipe. Bran muffins can be dense but I’ve found that bran helps these from getting gummier, soaking up some of the liquid.
• Pumpkin: Moisture-wise, pumpkin keeps these moist for days. Recipes that rely on fat alone sometimes turn out too gluey or dense. Pumpkin muffins are wonderfully moist and pumpkin holds its own as a flavor. It’s subtle enough to shine alongside raisins and cinnamon.
• Yogurt: Yogurt is a source of acidity for the recipe, reacting with baking soda for lift. It’s tangy too, which balances out all the sweet notes. It’s handy to use as we always have yogurt on hand but not necessarily buttermilk or sour cream.
• Raisins: The recipe calls for a whole cup. There are raisins in the cereal too but I find it’s important to add raisins to the batter so they’re incorporated throughout the recipe.
• Whole wheat flour: Another ingredient that gives body to the muffins. It’s a breakfast-y muffin and doesn’t melt away. It’s hearty.

What to Know Before You Start

• Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl first and stir them together. Then add in the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Over stirring isn’t good.
• Store in an airtight container for freshness. They’re best served same-day.

Beat the rest of the ingredients together until blended. Overmixing will activate the gluten in the flour and result in a tougher muffin.

It’s OK if there are small lumps of flour in the batter.

Fill prepared muffin cups. If you are using raisin bran you will have to push the batter into the muffin tin.

It will be thicker than other muffin batters. Bake for 25 minutes.

Start checking for doneness after about 20 minutes since all ovens are different. Muffins are done when tops are firm to the touch or when a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

About the Raisin Pumpkin Muffin Ingredients:

Grease muffin tins well or line with paper. Whole wheat muffins have a tendency to stick more than muffins made with all-purpose flour.

You’ll need canned pumpkin that is 100% pure pumpkin. Read the label to make sure the can has pumpkin as it’s only ingredient.

Pumpkin pie filling has additional sugar and spice and will alter the end result.

Plain yogurt will give the muffins a slight tang which offsets the sweetness of the muffins. Greek yogurt will work fine as well, you’ll find the batter a little thicker.

If you happen to have a container of vanilla yogurt on hand, go ahead and use that. It will make for a little sweeter muffin.

You will need about 1-1/2 cups Raisin Bran cereal. It will soften and become a part of the base of the muffins.

The sweetness of raisins from the cereal balances out the recipe. If you would prefer to use plain bran you’ll want to add some raisins and sugar.

I used whole wheat flour in this recipe for a heartier muffin with added fiber. You can use all-purpose flour if you’d like but will lose a bit of the fiber and nutty flavor whole wheat lends.

I used 3/4 cup sugar in the recipe to take edge of the sweetness. These aren’t a dessert muffin so I wanted to balance out the ingredients.

You may add more if you’d like.

I love the combo of pumpkin and cinnamon so I added 1-1/2 teaspoons. Don’t reduce it.

I used 1 teaspoon of each baking soda and baking powder. The baking powder gives the muffins a good lift.

The baking soda is needed to react with the acidity of the pumpkin and yogurt.

Salt is used to balance out flavors in foods. Never leave the salt out.

The amount of salt here is 1/2 tsp.

• The cereal already comes with raisins but I like to add another cup of raisins. You can sub dried cranberries for the raisins or leave them out altogether if you like.
• Use exactly 1 cup of pumpkin. Not the whole can, which is usually 15 oz. Left over pumpkin can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for about one week.
• The eggs add structure. They act as binders in muffins and help to form the structure once baked.
• I like to use vegetable oil but you can use melted coconut oil if you like. It gives it a subtle coconut taste. The fat in muffins, whether oil or butter, adds tenderness.
• Yogurt adds lift and moisture. Low fat or full fat works great here. I think non-fat yogurt would work too but I’m not as fond of the rubbery texture you get from using non-fat yogurt in baking. Use 2/3 cup.

How to Make Pumpkin Bran Muffins

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line or grease a muffin tin with cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl combine Raisin Bran cereal, whole wheat flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, raisins. Stir together with a spoon, spatula or whisk until cereal is evenly coated with the flour and spices.
• Add pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil, yogurt. You can add these right into the same bowl as the cereal/flour mixture. This recipe doesn’t require mixing wet ingredients separately from dry ingredients like many muffin recipes. Less bowls to wash. Yay!
• Use a large spoon or a spatula to stir/mix/fold the batter just until all of the dry bits are combined and incorporated. It will NOT be a silky, smooth batter. More thick and coarse.
• Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full.

Step 6: Bake.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. They will be done when they are no longer shiny or wet-looking on top and the color looks a bit more muted, they spring back when touched in the center, and/or when a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, and definitely no raw batter.

If you’re concerned that they may brown before being fully baked, which is more likely to happen in a really hot oven or when baking in darker colored pans, cover them with a “tent” of loose aluminum foil partway through baking, making sure to leave it loose so it isn’t trapping any steam.

Helpful Tips

When it comes to optional mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans or 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, etc., I’d keep the amount of mix-ins to about 1/2 cup, if desired.

When it comes to spices, you can totally jazz those up. Try more cinnamon to taste, a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, a pinch of ground cloves, etc.

You could totally amp up that cinnamon to something closer to a fall spice blend with those additions.

Spooning is fine, but the batter is pretty thick, so I’d highly recommend a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop for neater scooping and more evenly-sized muffins. Scoop slightly heaping mounds of batter; they won’t spread much during baking.

The shape you make them will pretty much be the shape they’ll remain, so mound them up a bit if you like those cute domed tops.

Resist the urge to dive in. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool for another 10 minutes before devouring.

They are pretty delicate right out of the oven and will fall apart if you’re not patient. The brief time on the wire rack will give the structure time to set up a bit and they’ll be much easier to work with.

Mini muffins will take about 12-15 minutes if you fill mini muffin tins about 3/4s of the way full. They’re done when the top is firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Can I double this recipe? Yes, but use two muffin tins and bake them on different oven racks.

It’s a good idea to rotate the racks during baking in case you have any hot spots in your oven.

Storage, Make-Ahead, and Leftovers

Store in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days. Line the bottom of the container with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture, otherwise the muffins’ bottoms will be a little soggier than we’d like.

They’ll last up to 5 days refrigerated but will be a little denser. Let sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes to soften up before enjoying, or heat for about 15 seconds in the microwave.

Freeze for up to 3 months. Make sure the muffins are completely cooled before freezing.

Wrap each muffin tightly in plastic wrap, place in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag, and store in the freezer. Defrost either on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

You can also nuke them in the microwave for about 45 seconds-1 minute on 50% power to prevent drying them out.

Make ahead: Mix up the dry ingredients the night before and leave them sitting (covered) on the counter. In the morning, just stir in the wet ingredients and bake, spending only 10 minutes.

Variations: You can skip the additional cup of raisins if desired, since there are still plenty of raisins coming from the cereal, or swap in another type of dried fruit, like dried cranberries. Try adding some chopped walnuts or pecans on top of the muffin batter before baking for a delicious, toasted crunch.

You can decrease the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup if you’d like since there is plenty of sweetness from the Raisin Bran cereal and raisins, though I don’t recommend going any lower than this as it will affect the texture and flavor. This recipe still creates a moist, delicious muffin, and definitely not some dense, health food brick.

Use an equal amount of dairy-free yogurt for a dairy-free bran muffin. Coconut or oat yogurts work best, preferably an unsweetened, non-vanilla variety, as they have a very similar texture to dairy-based yogurts.

Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon?

Yes, use 1:1. So, 1½ tsp pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon.

Pumpkin pie spice is a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger.

Can I use regular (not whole wheat) flour?

Yes. These muffins will be a little less nutty tasting and a little lighter in texture.

Follow the recipe exactly otherwise, using the same amount of regular flour as whole wheat and same baking time. You could also use a combination of half whole wheat and half regular if you are worried about them being too dense but want to retain some of the whole wheat flavor and fiber.

My muffins are gummy in the middle. What am I doing wrong?

Gummy centers are either from underbaked muffins or overmixed batter. Be sure to test for doneness (with a toothpick or by pressing on the center of the muffin and seeing if it springs back) before removing from oven.

Also, bran muffins do not tolerate overmixing, so mix until just combined and stop.

Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned?

You can use fresh pumpkin puree, but I recommend canned because moisture content in puree made from fresh pumpkin can be very hit-or-miss. If the puree is too wet, the muffin batter will be too wet and will not bake up right.

Make sure your puree is not watery before adding to recipe. If it is watery, drain off some of the liquid.

Is it really bran cereal in these muffins?

Will it taste like bran? Yes, it is bran cereal, which I know is shocking.

But, don’t let the name fool you. The bran is completely softened by the batter and cooks up to be part of the muffins, meaning you’ll hardly realize it’s bran, especially with the complementary flavor of pumpkin and cinnamon.

Even people that hate bran love these muffins. The raisins also help to mask any whole grain flavors, plus they cook into the muffins so they’re in every bite.

Can I use a flax egg in these muffins?

These muffins should be okay with a flax egg because of all of the liquid/moisture coming from the pumpkin. However, the texture of the muffins may be a little denser.

Keep in mind, too, that recipes that use flax eggs typically take 1-2 minutes longer to bake. To make a flax egg, combine 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed and 3 Tbsp water.

Let stand 5 minutes until thickened. Use as you would 1 egg in recipes.