This 30 day raisin bran muffins recipe is filled with dried fruits and nuts; wholesome, soft, moist and tasting faintly of ginger spice even though no spices are added.
I prefer to bake the bran muffins the day after the mixture is made so that the ingredients have time to soften and the flavors can infuse. However it can be baked within 30 minutes of mixing.
This 30 day bran muffin recipe is so awesome that we usually kept it a maximum of 2-3 days before it was all baked and eaten. However, my recent test had it in the fridge for 3 weeks before baking with very little loss of integrity and only a slight increase in density.
I was at high school when a family friend first gave me her 30 day muffin recipe made with nutty wheat flour and wheat bran. She was making the raisin bran muffins as part of a healthy eating plan and said that it was a lifesaver on days when she was busy and needed something to grab and go.
I was not sure what to expect from a refrigerator raisin bran muffin recipe, but since we all liked muffins I agreed to at least try it. I was pleasantly surprised because despite the lack of fancy ingredients it is a relatively healthy bran muffin recipe that tastes so good, and is both delicious and filling.
What to add to raisin bran muffins
- Dried fruits like raisins, sultanas, dates or figs add sweetness while cranberries added a sweet sour note.
- Chopped or grated fruits like apple or pear add moistness to the baked muffin but may start fermenting if the mixture is kept longer than 4-5 days.
- You can add banana for raisin bran banana muffins or grated carrot for a carrot bran muffin recipe.
- I like to add chopped toasted walnuts or pecans for additional texture and flavor.
- Soft brown sugar gives the muffins a delicious caramel flavor and color but this can be substituted with light brown, castor or fine granulated sugar. Note that the substitution will result in a lighter color and less depth of flavor.
- You can make this an all bran muffins recipe by replacing the cake flour with wholewheat flour. You should note that the consistency will be much heavier and it will have a denser crumb.
- The recipe can also be tweaked to use oat flour instead of cake flour and making oat bran muffins.
- You can also replace the eggs and make vegan bran muffins with applesauce or flaxseed egg replacer. I have not tried the recipe without eggs but it is an option for vegans or those with egg allergies.
- The digestive bran in the recipe gives a fiber boost and the high fiber bran muffins are quite useful when you are suffering constipation. Just remember to drink lots of water.
Surprisingly the refrigerator raisin bran muffins were also a favorite of my teenage Saturday cake stall customers. I suspect that it’s because they were great in school meal bags for a mid-morning or afternoon snack, when learners often experience an energy slump.
Somewhere along the line when my product range expanded we stopped making these healthy raisin bran muffins recipe as much, and the recipe was lost. I was so pleased when I received my Ultimate Snowflake Collection recipe book written by Heilie Pienaar, and saw that there was a similar Snowflake 30 day bran muffin recipe to the one I recall from my youth.
For more breakfast options why not try:
- Moist Blueberry muffins
- Almond and Coconut breakfast pancakes
- Banana pancakes
- Easy Moist Banana Walnut bread
- Greek Yogurt and Granola breakfast bowl
30 day Raisin Bran muffins
Ingredients
- 210 grams cake flour approximately 375 ml or 1 1/2 cups
- 140 grams high bran wholewheat flour approximately 250 ml or 1 cup
- 10 ml bicarbonate of soda approximately 2 teaspoons
- 5 ml salt
- 90 grams digestive bran approximately 500 ml or 2 cups
- 275 grams light soft brown sugar (Muscovado) approximately 435 ml or 1 3/4 cups
- 5 ml lemon rind, grated
- 150 grams raisins approximately 250 ml or 1 cup
- 125 grams pitted dates, chopped approximately 17 medium dried dates
- 110 grams walnuts, chopped approximately 250 ml or 1 cup (equivalent to 1 1/4 cup walnut halves)
- 2 large eggs approximately 70 grams each
- 500 ml milk approximately 2 cups
- 125 ml olive oil approximately 1/2 cup
- 5 ml vanilla extract approximately 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- Sift the flours, bicarbonate of soda and add the salt into a large bowl.
- Empty the sifted bran into the bowl as well and add the other bran.
- Add the raisins, chopped dates and walnuts and mix with the dry ingredients.
- Rub the lemon rind into the sugar to release the essential oils and aromatics.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk and oil and add the vanilla extract.
- Add the egg mixture to the sugar and lemon rind and whisk for a minute to dissolve any sugar lumps.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix lightly until just combined and still lumpy. Overmixing will make the muffin rubbery.
- At this point you can cover and refrigerate the muffin batter until required (it lasts up to 30 days), or let it rest while you prepare the baking pans.
- Heat the oven to 180 degree celcius or 160 if it is a fan assisted oven / 355 F / Gas mark 4.
- Line a muffin tin with deep muffin liners and fill each liner at least two thirds of the way.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.
- For batter that has been refrigerated, spoon into the muffin liners and allow to come off the chill at room temperature for 10 minutes before baking.
- Serve muffins warm or at room temperature with salted butter, jam and cheese.
Notes
- You can substitute melted coconut oil or sunflower oil for olive oil.Â
- For the high bran wholewheat flour I use Snowflake Nutty Wheat but you could use Graham Flour instead. I find that store bought wholewheat flour always goes bad easily or has weevils.
- I have made my own on occasion. For 250 grams whole wheat flour combine the following: 6.25 grams wheatgerm + 35 grams bran + 208.25 grams cake flour
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information for the recipe is an approximation and varies according to the ingredients and products used.
This recipe was first published on 12/05/2015 and has since been updated.
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37 Comments
Jeannette (Jay Joy)
April 30, 2019 at 12:07 amThese 30-day raisin bran muffins looks so scrumptious. I was just thinking that I needed to start baking again. They bring such joy in the home. Why is no one asking why they are called 30-day? Are they good for 30 days?
Razena Schroeder
April 30, 2019 at 12:23 amTechnically they are supposed to be able to keep in the fridge for up to 30 days. When I made them previously I always baked up the entire batch within a few days. As mentioned in the article, I have actually kept the muffin mixture for 3 weeks before baking the first batch. I baked the rest on 30 days and it still tastes delicious.
Danielle
April 29, 2019 at 12:33 amThese look delicious! I can’t wait to try.
Kalyan Panja
April 26, 2019 at 6:08 pmThanks for sharing this nice and easy muffins recipe, which is one of my favorites anytime.
Faithnturtles
April 26, 2019 at 3:15 pmThis looks so good! Omg! I love Muffins but I’m definitely not the best baker lol. Thanks for sharing.
Preet
April 26, 2019 at 12:38 pmI love this recipe so much! Every single ingredients sounds amazing. I’l definitely be adding this to my list of things to try.
Flavia
April 26, 2019 at 11:22 amYummy! These look deliscious! I’ll surely try to make a vegan version of them this weekend 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Alexandra Cook
April 26, 2019 at 10:52 amThis looks nice and simple to put together but so delicious! Perfect for a weekend treat!
aisasami
April 26, 2019 at 4:01 amRaisin Bran was one one my favorite cereals back home. I miss it teribbly. I have to hunt down a box here in Japan and make this.
Razena Schroeder
April 26, 2019 at 11:30 amThis does not require raisin bran cereal. It uses wholewheat flour and wheat bran and I have never tried to substitute that with cereal.
aisasami
April 26, 2019 at 4:50 pmThanks! We have wheat bran here in Japan, so I will try to make this!
Ogbugbu Ejiroghene
April 26, 2019 at 3:17 amthe sight of these make me hungry, am definately going to try them out. thanks for sharing
Razena Schroeder
April 26, 2019 at 11:31 amAfter reading your comment I had two for breakfast this morning with a big mug of coffee 🙂
Samar
April 25, 2019 at 9:41 pmI am a muffin fan already, from today, i became a fan of your blog as well
Amberly
April 25, 2019 at 5:43 pmThese sound so yummy! I love the idea of putting raisins in them!
Krista
April 25, 2019 at 5:29 pmI can’t believe they last so long! Thanks for the great recipe! I am dreaming of butter now!!!
Razena Schroeder
April 25, 2019 at 5:35 pmI suspect that very few people actually get to find out since the muffins literally fly off the plates. Having tested it for myself, I can confirm that they taste as good after 3-4 weeks as they do if you bake them within the first 24 hours :). I did keep it refrigerated and covered the entire time and there was no unnecessary liquid or any mould on the surface at all.
Britney
April 25, 2019 at 9:08 amI always get Raisin Bran muffins when we go to sprouts but I’ve never made them! This recipe looks amazing.
Owen G
April 25, 2019 at 7:26 amThey look delicious Razena. Definitely a recipe for us to try.
Indya | The Small Adventurer
April 25, 2019 at 7:16 amThese look awesome, and I bet they taste amazing! I used to be OBSESSED with raisin bread, I’d have it every single day, until I had to cut out gluten. However, I think I could substitute my gluten free flour and whip up a batch of these guys for myself 😊
Razena Schroeder
April 25, 2019 at 5:41 pmIf you can find a gluten free equivalent of wholewheat flour / graham flour that could work. Perhaps buckwheat flour or something that has oat bran.
Purva
April 25, 2019 at 6:00 amMy little one loves muffins! Although I not sure if she will like bran muffins, I am thinking of giving it a try. It’s a much healthier option 🙂
Razena Schroeder
April 25, 2019 at 5:39 pmIf my nephews are anything to go by, topping it with sliced fruits or berries works every time, even for the picky eaters 🙂
sabrina
April 25, 2019 at 5:39 amYour pictures are making me drool. These look fantastic! Pinning this recipe for later.
Razena Schroeder
April 25, 2019 at 5:38 pmThanks Sabrina, you made my day 🙂
Ashli Ferguson
April 25, 2019 at 1:26 amI normally don’t eat muffins but these do look great and moist!!
Chad
April 25, 2019 at 1:20 amBran Muffins are my absolute favorite, yummm!!! And the recipe is so easy to follow, thank you so much.
Kenneth
April 24, 2019 at 5:04 pmWooh! This looks really delicious and fluffy! I would love to try this recipe out. Mouth-watering <3
Razena Schroeder
April 24, 2019 at 5:32 pmThanks Kenneth. It really tastes so good with just a pat of good quality butter.
Joanna
April 24, 2019 at 4:22 pmThis is definitely a great recipe to make especially that the muffins keep for so long in the fridge. Sometimes you just want to grab a healthy snack and don’t have time to make it, so these are perfect for moments like this.
Razena Schroeder
April 24, 2019 at 4:43 pmIndeed, we have so much else that take up time in our lives that every make ahead recipe, shortcut, time saver or hack helps 🙂
Nahashon Kyalo
April 24, 2019 at 3:04 pmI love muffins, but that is one long procedure. I hope I’ll be able to pull through and have results just like yours.
Razena Schroeder
April 24, 2019 at 4:47 pmEven on a slow day it takes me no more than 20 minutes to prepare the muffin batter. It doesn’t have to rest more than 30 minutes before baking, but I do believe it gives a better result.
cait
April 24, 2019 at 2:58 pmim actually not a huge raisin bran fan but it looks good in the muffin form! ill have to try it sometime
Razena Schroeder
April 24, 2019 at 4:53 pmI wasn’t either until I tasted this bran muffin recipe. I found that other recipes are always too sweet or the muffin texture is very dry.
lau
April 24, 2019 at 2:08 pmthese look good and healthy! I Would surely add carrot or banana!
xx
lau
malibluemymind
Razena Schroeder
April 24, 2019 at 2:23 pmI am a bit of a purist and love them as is, preferably with a generous pat of butter and a cup of hot tea 🙂