Harvest the Flavor of Fall with These Moist Apple Bran Muffins!

Filled with oats, bran, and juicy fresh apple pieces, these quick and easy apple bran muffins are the perfect filling snack or grab-and-go breakfast option.

Photo bySouthern Plate

Jump to Recipe

Quick and easy muffin recipes like this apple bran muffin recipe are a great breakfast or after-school snack. They’re filling thanks to the addition of rolled oats, deliciously moist thanks to the milk, oil, and yogurt, and have just the right amount of sweetness thanks to the honey, vanilla, and brown sugar topping. Yep, there’s no added sugar so you could even go so far as to say this is a pretty healthy muffin recipe!

Now, there are a lot of ingredients listed below to make these apple bran muffins. But don’t let that long list scare you! I promise many of the ingredients are baking essentials that you probably already have on hand. The instructions aren’t difficult either. We just have to combine our wet ingredients, combine our dry ingredients, and mix them together. Then we add the batter to the muffin tin and add brown sugar and oats on top. In 20 minutes, your apple muffins will be baked and ready to eat.

I just love the combination of bran cereal with fresh apple and cinnamon. This is truly the perfect fall muffin recipe for those busy back-to-school days. If you’re on the hunt for other easy muffin recipes, here are a few to choose from: apricot muffins, apple spice muffins, raisin bran muffins, vegan banana nut muffins, and oatmeal muffins (add your own mix-ins). Alright, let’s get baking!

Photo bySouthern Plate

Recipe Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup quick or old-fashioned rolled oats plus 3 tbsp for topping
• 1 1/4 cup crushed bran cereal
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

How to Make Apple Bran Muffins

Preheat the oven to 375 and line your muffin tin with paper liners.

Photo bySouthern Plate

Next, we’re going to mix the wet ingredients together. So in a mixing bowl, add the eggs…

Photo bySouthern Plate

Oil…

Photo bySouthern Plate

Milk…

Photo bySouthern Plate

Vanilla or plain yogurt…

Photo bySouthern Plate

Vanilla extract…

Photo bySouthern Plate

And honey.

Photo bySouthern Plate

Mix until blended.

Photo bySouthern Plate

Fold in the rolled oats and the crushed bran.

Photo bySouthern Plate

Let that soak for 10 minutes.

Photo bySouthern Plate

In the meantime, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt) to a separate mixing bowl.

Photo bySouthern Plate

After 10 minutes, combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients.

Photo bySouthern Plate

Stir well and then fold in the grated apple.

Photo bySouthern Plate

Scoop the batter into the muffin tin until each cup is 3/4 full.

Photo bySouthern Plate

Mix brown sugar and the remaining oats together in a small bowl and…

Photo bySouthern Plate

Sprinkle that on top.

Photo bySouthern Plate

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Photo bySouthern Plate

Allow them to cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pan.

Photo bySouthern Plate

Enjoy!

By the way… they taste amazing when served warm with a spread of butter or jam.

Storage

• Store leftover muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
• You can also freeze muffins for up to 3 months. Just thaw at room temperature before serving.

Recipe Notes

• Feel free to use any kind of milk to make these muffins, including buttermilk.
• If you’d like to add more spice, add a teaspoon of apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice, or nutmeg.
• You can also use any kind of oil, like olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or coconut oil. Another option is to substitute it for melted butter.
• Another easy substitution? Swapping the flour for whole-wheat flour. You can also substitute the flour for gluten-free flour, but you’ll need to also use gluten-free bran for these to be gluten-free apple bran muffins.
• If it’s not a muffin recipe for you without some chopped nuts, fold in 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or chopped pecans when you add the grated apple.

Recipe FAQs

How do you serve apple bran muffins?

My kids will devour them as is, but they also taste great served warm with butter, jam, or honey. Just give them a quick zap in the microwave or air fryer and you’ll be good to do.

What are the best apples for baking?

You can never go wrong with a tart and firm apple like Granny Smith, but other good options include Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Golden Delicious.

Check out these other easy apple recipes:

Homemade Apple Fritters

Apple Pound Cake

Apple Butter in the Crock Pot

Cinnamon Apple Bread

Apple Pie Overnight Oats

Frozen Apple Pie (And How to Bake From Freezer)