Vegan Oat Bran Muffins

Name: Vegan Oat Bran Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 1 cup minus 1 Tablespoon non-dairy milk; 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour; 1/2 cup oat bran; 1/2 cup coconut sugar; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 cup applesauce*; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1/3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips + more for topping

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Made with whole wheat flour, naturally sweetened applesauce and hearty oat bran, these Vegan Oat Bran Muffins make for a wholesome snack or breakfast on the go!

Oat Bran Applesauce Muffins studded with chocolate chips stacked high on a blue plate.

Throughout my years of eating a plant-based diet, I've definitely gone through some oil-free phases. While I'm a firm believer in incorporating fats into my diet now, I still adore these oil-free vegan oat bran muffins. Applesauce is great in vegan baking for a few reasons. It can replace eggs and oil in different applications. It also adds a beautiful flavor and subtle sweetness like in these Vegan Applesauce Crumb Muffins. Whether you use homemade crockpot applesauce or store-bought applesauce, I know you'll love these oat bran muffins!

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❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe!
📃 Ingredients
🔀 Substitutions
Variations
🥣 How to Make this {Recipe}
🫙 Storage
✔️ Expert Tips
❓Recipe FAQs
More Vegan Bran Recipes!
📖 Recipe

❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe!

These muffins are chock full of whole grains and sweetened naturally with applesauce and coconut sugar, making them a wholesome way to start your day!
Instead of using store-bought buttermilk that can go bad quickly before you finish the carton, these vegan oat bran muffins call for homemade buttermilk using non-dairy milk and vinegar that you already have in your pantry!
While they're not necessary, the addition of chocolate chips will make even the pickiest of eaters want to devour these vegan bran muffins!
These muffins take no time to prepare, thanks to the fact that they require less than 10 ingredients!

📃 Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - I love baking with whole wheat flour as it provides a beautiful wheat-y flavor and extra nutrition. Whole wheat flour and oat bran is a match made in heaven in my opinion.
Oat Bran - Oat bran is the outer shell of the oat grain. It has a distinct flavor that pairs perfectly with the applesauce in these vegan oat bran muffins. Plus, oat bran adds tons of fiber and is a great way to start your day!
Applesauce - Oftentimes when baking vegan muffins, I'll make some flax eggs by whisking together ground flax seed with water. Because there is so much applesauce in this recipe, you won't need flax eggs or chicken eggs as the applesauce helps bind everything together.
Non-Dairy Milk - Any non-dairy milk should work in this recipe, including soy milk, almond milk and oat milk. I have found soy milk to react better to vinegar for a stronger buttermilk, but I always use whatever non-dairy milk I have on hand it these always turn out.
Apple Cider Vinegar - I love using apple cider vinegar in this recipe as the apple in the vinegar pairs well with the applesauce in the muffins. I usually have a ton of apple cider vinegar on hand in my pantry too!
Coconut Sugar - Coconut sugar is a natural sweetener that pairs well with the oat bran. You should be able to find it at your local grocery store in the organic, baking or health food section.
Baking Soda - Baking soda is crucial in this recipe as it reacts with the vinegar in the buttermilk to make these muffins nice and fluffy! No need for baking powder!
Chocolate Chips (optional) - I never think chocolate chips are optional and they are a beautiful addition to these vegan oat bran muffins.

See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.

🔀 Substitutions

🔀 Whole Wheat Flour - I haven't tried this personally, but I believe an all-purpose gluten-free flour would work instead of the whole wheat flour. All-purpose flour would also work. If using one of those substitutions, however, you may want to add a little bit less milk as the whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid.

🔀 Oat Bran - I've made these oat bran muffins with wheat bran and they turned out great!

🔀 Applesauce - Mashed banana would be a great substitute for the applesauce in this recipe. You could also try pumpkin puree, but you'd probably need to add a little bit more sugar as pumpkin puree isn't as sweet as applesauce.

🔀 Non-Dairy Milk - Any kind of non-dairy milk from a carton should work! Soy milk tends to make the best homemade buttermilk, but oat, almond and cashew would also work fine.

🔀 Coconut Sugar - If you can't find coconut sugar on hand, cane sugar would make a great substitution.

🔀 Chocolate Chips - You can use whatever mix-ins you think pair well with oat bran. I think blueberries, raisins, walnuts and pecans would be amazing!

Variations

Vegan Oat Bran Banana Muffins - Swap out the applesauce for mashed banana!
Vegan Pumpkin Oat Bran Muffins - Use pumpkin puree instead of applesauce and add in a couple teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. Oh, and bump up the amount of sugar a touch to ¾-1 cup.
Vegan Oat Bran Raisin Muffins - I think raisins and bran is a match made in heaven. Swap the chocolate chips for raisins for a more classic combination!

🥣 How to Make this {Recipe}

An overhead shot of non-dairy milk and vinegar turning into vegan buttermilk.

Step 1: Add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup. Fill the cup up the rest of the way with non-dairy milk and set the milk aside to curdle and turn into buttermilk.

Coconut sugar, oat bran, whole wheat flour, baking soda and salt in a large wooden mixing bowl.

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, oat bran, coconut sugar, baking soda and salt until combined. There's is no baking powder in this recipe!

A green spatula stirring the batter for vegan oat bran muffins in a large wooden mixing bowl.

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients-- applesauce, buttermilk and vanilla extract-- to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, but don't over stir.

Chocolate chips being stirred into oat bran muffin batter.

Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips, or whatever mix-ins you're using.

Vegan oat bran muffin batter divided among 12 muffin cups.

Step 5: Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Top each muffin with a few more chocolate chips if desired.

12 Vegan oat bran muffins baked in a black muffin pan.

Step 6: Bake the muffins for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

A blue plate topped with golden brown oat bran muffins with melted chocolate chips on top.

Hint: Allow these muffins to cool for a few minutes in the muffin pan before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. If you try to eat them when they're still hot, they may be a little gummy on the inside. So, for fluffy muffins, be patient and let them cool!

🫙 Storage

You can store these muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. To ensure they last longer, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. When stored properly in the freezer, they should last for 2-3 months.

✔️ Expert Tips

👉 Make sure you use fresh baking soda. Did you know you're suppose to replace baking soda every 30 days? If you've had your baking soda for a while, consider replacing it to ensure your baked goods are nice and fluffy!

👉 When it comes to making muffins, don't over-mix the dough. You want to stir the batter just until all of the ingredients are mostly incorporated. It's okay if there are small patches of dry flour in the batter. If you over-mix the batter, your muffins may end up tough.

👉 If you want nice and fluffy muffins, allow these muffins to cool completely. Breaking them open too quickly will cause them to be gummy on the inside.

❓Recipe FAQs

What is the difference between oat bran and oatmeal?

Rolled oats are the squashed version of the entire oat groat, while oat bran contains only the outside portion of the oat grain. They both contain a lot of beneficial nutrients and can make for a delicious, healthy breakfast.

Are oat bran muffins good for you?

Oat bran is a very nutritious ingredient. It's low in fat and high in protein and fiber. It can make a great addition to any muffin recipe. However, when it comes to making healthy muffins, you need to consider all of the ingredients used.

Can I use oat bran instead of oat flour?

Oat bran and oat flour are not the same thing. Oat flour is a blended version of oatmeal, which contains all parts of the grain. However, oat bran contains only the outer portion of the oat grain. To make oat flour, you can blend rolled oats, quick oats and even steal cut oats until they form a flour.

Which is better, oat bran or wheat bran?

A cup of wheat bran is lower in calories and fat than a cup of oat bran. Wheat bran is also higher in fiber. Oat bran has more protein per cup, but when it comes to weight loss, wheat bran may be a better option.

Is oat bran healthier than oatmeal?

Oat bran has more fiber and protein than oatmeal, but oat bran is only the outer portion of the oat grain while rolled oats contain the entire grain. Rolled oats and oat bran have very different textures when cooked. Rolled oats are chewy in texture, while oat bran is quite mushy in texture.

More Vegan Bran Recipes!

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