Apple bran muffins are easy to make with simple pantry ingredients. Low in fat and high in fiber, apple bran muffins can be part of a healthy breakfast or snack.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: These homemade apple muffins are hearty, moist and tender. Be sure to enjoy a freshly baked muffin warm out of the oven!
How long it takes: 35 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, mixer (optional), muffin tins
Servings: makes 12 muffins
About these Apple Bran Muffins
- Make ahead breakfast: I’m always looking for healthy breakfasts that I can prep ahead of time. In the morning rush, homemade muffins are perfect for a quick and easy breakfast, served with a glass of milk, scrambled eggs, or a cup of yogurt.
- Fall Vibes: These cinnamon-scented apple bran muffins are so delicious, especially when they’re warm out of the oven. You’ll love how the aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking apples fill the kitchen while these apple bran muffins bake. It’s heavenly!
- Nutritious: Low in oil and sugar, and high in fiber. They’re a filling breakfast win!
More Make Ahead Breakfasts
If you love the idea of a make-ahead breakfast, try these ideas:- We often enjoy healthy morning glory muffins with carrots, raisin, coconut, and pineapple.
- I always have a bunch of whole wheat pancakes in the freezer. They reheat perfectly in the toaster oven (or toaster). We top them with warm applesauce and cinnamon, or chunky apple compote.
Ingredient Notes
Apple bran muffins are simple to make, nutritious, and so tasty. They are similar to my blueberry bran muffins.
- Whole Wheat Flour and Bran: This recipe uses whole wheat flour and wheat bran for lots of grainy texture and flavor. You can easily substitute all-purpose flour if you don’t have whole wheat or if you would like a lighter muffin. Oat bran can be substituted for the wheat bran in these bran muffins.
- Apples: What kind of apples? I use Granny Smith apples because they are tart and stay firm when cooked. Go ahead and use whatever kind of apple you have or like; the results will be similar. The apples can be peeled or unpeeled, chopped or grated, whichever you like best. I usually leave the peels on. They soften during the baking time and are hardly discernible, and apple peels add extra fiber and nutrition.
- Oil/Greek Yogurt: For this recipe, I use a combination of canola oil and plain Greek yogurt (nonfat, 2%, or whole milk). The muffins turn out amazingly flavorful and are lower in fat than muffins made with butter. You can substitute vegetable oil, light olive oil, or any light-tasting oil you prefer.
More Baked Treats With Apples
- Apple Cider Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Air Fryer Apple Fritters with Apple Cider Glaze
- Apple Spice Cake with Bourbon Icing
- Apple Crisp with Ginger – Easy & Delicious!
Cool apple bran muffins completely before storing them in an airtight container. They’ll keep at room temperature for a few days, longer if you refrigerate them.
Freeze muffins in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 3 months. They thaw quickly, and are handy for lunchboxes or a quick snack.
More Muffin Recipes
Recipe
Healthy Apple Bran Muffins Recipe
Apple bran muffins are easy to make with simple pantry ingredients. Low in fat and high in fiber, apple bran muffins can be part of a healthy breakfast or snack.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (can substitute all-purpose flour)
- ⅔ cup wheat bran (oat bran is fine, too)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 3 tablespoons canola oil (or any light tasting oil)
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt (nonfat, 2%, or whole milk)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ½ cups chopped Granny Smith apples (see note)
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar or cinnamon sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line 12 muffin cups with liners, or lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl, set aside.
- Using a mixer (see note), beat oil, yogurt, and sugar on high until combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined. With mixer on low, alternate adding flour mixture and milk (about half of each at a time). Do not overmix. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Fold in chopped apples.
- Divide into prepared muffin cups and sprinkle tops with turbinado sugar or cinnamon sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging.
- Cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove the muffins from the tins to cool completely.
Notes
- Use your favorite apple variety. I like apples that stay firm when cooked, like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. The apples can be shredded if you prefer. I usually don’t peel the apples because the peels soften when baked but that’s up to you.
- Batter can be mixed by hand if you don’t want to get your mixer out.
- Storage: Muffins will keep at room temperature for a few days. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Freeze muffins for. longer storage, up to 3 months. They thaw quickly and are perfect for lunchboxes or a quick snack.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 159kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 29mg, Sodium: 187mg, Potassium: 155mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 70IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 82mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Would palm sugar work in place of the turbinado sugar!
I don’t have a lot of experience w/ palm sugar, but that should be fine.
Was, is ‘turbinado sugar”
It’s a coarse sugar with some molasses still in it. It adds a nice crunch to the top but you can easily leave it off if you’d like.
Rachel, I usesd Splenda granulated sugar and because I never can follow directions I inadvertently put the sugar in the dry ingredients (ugh) so I went ahead and put the sugar like I was suppose to and they are delicious. I will not mind eating these healthy (albeit maybe a bit much Splenda) but you live once. Thank you – now I’m on to the Skinny Banana recipe. Thank you so much.
So glad you liked them! I hope you love the banana muffins as well!
Rachel, due to pandemic, I am not able to go out and get the butter flavored olive oil. Could I substitute butter flavored Crisco? How much? I realize they won’t be quite as healthy but running to store is not possible right now.
I haven’t tested it that way, but it should work alright. Do you have canola or vegetable oil available?
Hi, Rachel. These muffins sounds good. I am counting calories, could you yell me the calories content per muffins? I would love to try them, Greek yogurt in them sounds good.
Hi Robin –
Thanks! I don’t calculate nutritional values for my recipes due to the variations in brands, etc. But there are lots of great online calculators if you want to do a quick calculation yourself. Hope you love the muffins!
I’m feeling crabby this morning…..I probably DO NOT have these things already in my pantry: butter flavored olive oil, non fat Greek yogurt
Ha! No worries. I always have non-fat Greek yogurt on hand but I understand that not everyone does. As for the butter flavored olive oil, you could easily use canola or just a light olive oil.
These look so great– I am always looking for healthy muffin recipes and this is perfect!
Any time I can give my family something healthy without them knowing it, I do it!! We will definitely try these!