When I was a kid, my favorite school-time breakfast was bran muffins. To this day, bran muffins are at the top of my list, but I often forget about them. I was reminded of my favorite recipe (which is in Go Dairy Free: The Ultimate Guide and Cookbook) when I stumbled across this dairy-free Northwoods maple bran muffins recipe in our archives.
Northwoods Maple Bran Muffins to Keep Mornings Dairy-Free & Healthy
Paul England of Cookies, Etc altered this Northwoods maple bran muffins recipe just a touch from The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook. He shared his version with us way back in 2007, and today I’m updating the recipe!
Paul’s version is 100% whole wheat and naturally dairy-free, but not vegan. For egg-free muffins, see the options I’ve listed in the Special Diet Notes below. If you confuse eggs with dairy, you’re not alone! See this post: Are Eggs Dairy?
Special Diet Notes: Northwoods Maple Bran Muffins
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, peanut-free, soy-free, vegetarian, and optionally nut-free.
For egg-free and vegan maple bran muffins, enjoy the Maple Bran Muffins recipe in Go Dairy Free: The Ultimate Guide and Cookbook. Or you can enjoy the Vegan Molasses Bran Muffins Recipe that I just reposted.
For gluten-free, dairy-free maple bran muffins, you can try substituting oat bran for the wheat bran and gluten-free all-purpose flour for the flour. The muffins might be a little more crumbly, depending on the flour blend you use. If you are celiac, be sure to use certified gluten-free oat products. Please note that we haven’t tested this recipe gluten-free. If you do, please share your notes in the comments below!
- 1 cup dairy-free milk beverage (unsweetened, original, or vanilla)
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup oil (your favorite type for baking)
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup wheat bran
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1¼ cups + 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 425° F and grease or line 12 muffin cups with cupcake liners. The picture above is a fancier presentation with parchment paper lined, muffin-sized, ramekins. But you don't have to get that fancy!
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk beverage, maple syrup, oil, and eggs. Add the wheat bran and oats, and stir to combine. Let this sit for 15 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
- Fold the dry ingredients and the cranberries (if using) into the soaking bran and oat mixture.
- Divide the batter between your muffin cups.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
More Healthy Dairy-Free Muffin Recipes
Banana-Oat Trail Mix Muffins
Blackberry Oat Muffins
Zucchini Carrot Bran Muffins
For More Dairy-Free Baking Recipes, Get Go Dairy Free!
4 Comments
I just made the dairy free muffins. I used almond milk. My only variation was, rather than cranberries, I added a cup of chopped dates and sprinkled finely chopped almonds on top prior to baking. The overall baking time turned out to be 23 minutes. They were fantastic! Moist and delicious. I will definitely use this recipe again.
That’s wonderful! And thanks for sharing your swap!
I’ve now used this recipe half a dozen times. I switch it up depending upon what flavors I want. I’ve used pumpkin puree with cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. I’ve used banana with pecans. Pumpkin puree with cranberries. It’s excellent every time!
Thank you for sharing your feedback Suzanne!