Healthy Breakfast Muffins with Bran and Dates

Ginny McMeans

Ginny McMeans

Published:

March 21, 2020

Last Modified:

June 18, 2024

Healthy Breakfast Muffins are egg free and easy.  The dates bring a wonderful sweetness and these little gems are so good even without a topping. There’s plenty of fiber in these vegan bran muffins so dive in!

Close-up of an open bran muffin sitting on top of a full muffin.

Everybody needs a good healthy Bran Muffin Recipe! These are sort of, like, ‘in disguise’ and no one will know they are such healthy muffins. Just call them breakfast muffins and you’ll be ‘In Like Flynn’.

That’s going to be my new mission. Use bran more often and promote it. Unite the nations! Make everybody happy! These muffins will be my first step.

I also love the sweetness that dates bring to recipes. These little gems are so good when they are served warm with or without any sort of topping. I like mine plain.

They are just delicious as you are sipping your morning beverage. In my world it’s coffee.

A Bowlful of vegan bran muffins with cracked tops after baking.

Chef’s tips

There’s sort of a trick to dicing dates. You use scissors!

Dates like to stick together but cutting them gives you the best control for size and they don’t make a sticky clump like they do in a food processor but you can sure use a food processor just crumble the pieces apart after processing.

Also, use a bran bud type of cereal – not flakes. This gives the muffins more texture. You can even make half of the muffins and keep the batter in the fridge for up to 2 weeks if you would like to make two smaller batches.

If you only have flake bran cereal in your cupboard you can use it but don’t soak beforehand.

And … the finished healthy breakfast muffins freeze perfectly too.

Holding a baked muffin in front of a bowlful of muffins with dates scarttered around.

Ingredients

  • Bran buds – are firm and actually hard little buds but soften up with liquid and give the muffins a great texture.
  • Boiling water – softens up those bran buds.
  • Flaxseed meal – to make the substitute eggs.
  • Extra virgin olive oil – adds lots of flavor and moisture.
  • Coconut sugar – is a healthier choice over refined sugar and gives a wonderful mapley taste.
  • Dairy-free milk of your choice – for a necessary wet ingredient.
  • Whole wheat flour – gives these muffins more nutrition and fiber.
  • Baking soda – is a leavening agent.
  • Baking powder – is also a leavening agent that mixes well with baking soda.
  • Salt – is just a wonderful seasoning.
  • Dates – are another texture that adds a lot of healthy sweetness to your breakfast.
A muffin almost filling out the whole photo and sitting on others.

Instructions

  • Lightly grease 12 muffins tin and set aside – if you don’t have paper muffin cups. If you do place the paper muffin cups inside the muffin tin.
  • Soak the bran buds in boiling water. Let stand to cool.
  • Mix 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons water and set aside. It will gel with sitting and become great egg substitutes.
  • In a large bowl add the soy milk, oil and sugar then mix well.
Soaking bran buds and a bowl of milk, sugar and egg substitutes.
  • Stir in the prepared egg mixture.
  • Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and mix well.
Mixing the dry ingredients with the liquid mixture and then stirring well with a wooden spoon.
  • Pour in the bran mixture and mix to just combine.
  • Fold in the diced dates.
Adding bran cereal and dates to the mixture for a final batter.
  • Spoon into the prepared muffin cups. The cups will be full.
  • Bake at 355 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Watch closely at the 20 minute mark.
  • Transfer muffins to a cooling rack and let cool.
  • Look how nice and fat these vegan bran muffins are!
Long angle of big fat baked vegan bran muffins still in their muffin tins.

Morning Muffins

Square photo of one muffin broken open to see all the textures.

Square photo of one muffin broken open to see all the textures.

Healthy Breakfast Muffins

Ginny McMeans
4.6700 from 15 votes
Date Bran Muffins Recipe is a good healthy breakfast that everyone needs!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12 Muffins

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup bran buds
  • 1 cup boiling water to soak the bran buds
  • 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal mixed with 6 tablespoons water
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups dairy-free milk of your choice – I am into oat milk these days
  • 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dates, diced small

Instructions
 

  • Lightly grease 12 muffins cups and set aside – if you don’t have paper muffin cups. If you do place the paper muffin cups inside the muffin tin.
  • Soak the bran buds in boiling water. Let stand to cool.
  • Mix the flaxseed meal with the water and set aside to gel for a couple of minutes.
  • In a large bowl add the dairy-free milk, oil, sugar and mix well.
  • Add the prepared flaxseed meal egg substitutes and mix.
  • Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix.
  • Add the bran mixture and mix to just combine.
  • Fold in the diced dates.
  • Spoon into the prepared muffin cups. The cups will be full.
  • Bake at 355 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Watch closely at the 20 minute mark.
  • Transfer muffins to a rack and let cool.

Notes

IF FREEZING:
After they have cooled you may freeze them for up to 6 months. They defrost quickly so it really doesn’t take any planning. The microwave will also zap them in 20 seconds.

Nutrition

Serving:1Muffin, Calories:255kcal, Carbohydrates:43g, Protein:5g, Fat:10g, Saturated Fat:1g, Sodium:364mg, Potassium:330mg, Fiber:6g, Sugar:17g, Vitamin A:116IU, Vitamin C:2mg, Calcium:83mg, Iron:2mg

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Ginny McMeans

Ginny McMeans

Hi, my name is Ginny and it is fantastic that you have come to visit and see my recipes. I have a positive attitude and can’t seem to be in nature enough. My North American bird count is 678 and I’m always watching for mammals and insects too. My head is stuffed full of recipes that I want to create and life is just to dang short. The recipes feature healthy and delicious vegan food that you can enjoy now or freeze for future meals.

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