Raisin Bran Muffins
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Let me introduce you to raisin bran muffins, my Mama’s favorite muffin recipe. Bursting with raisin bran cereal, these moist muffins are packed full of flavor and texture and make the perfect grab-and-go breakfast option.
I am a morning person, but I gotta tell you, I don’t even bother to think about my own breakfast beyond a cup of coffee until my kids are all settled into school for the day. There are two exceptions to this rule: when I’ve made my slow cooker oatmeal and when I have these raisin bran muffins in the fridge just waiting to be baked.
This is my mother’s favorite muffin recipe and there is a darn good reason why. Once made, the muffin batter sits happily in your fridge for up to one month. Yes, really! It’s like grab-and-go cookie dough but for breakfast.
All you need to do is scoop out enough to make your muffins for the day. Only need one or two muffins for your breakfast? Perfect, just scoop out that much and cover the rest to have another day. Want a last-minute bread accompaniment to your supper? Here ya go! Afternoon snack? Go go gadget muffins! I can’t think of any time that isn’t perfect for one of these delicious and wholesome raisin bran muffins, especially since they are just a preheated oven and a scoop away.
Fortunately, the batter for my is a cinch to make using mostly ingredients you probably already have on hand. This includes flour, baking soda, oil, sugar, buttermilk, eggs, and salt. Add in raisin bran cereal and you’re good to go! The buttermilk makes sure these muffins remain tender and moist, no matter when you bake them, and the cereal’s bran flakes and juicy raisins add flavor and texture.
I can’t remember many times growing up that we didn’t have some of this batter in the fridge. Once you try them, I bet you’ll have a permanent shelf for this batter in your fridge, too!
Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Kellogg’s Raisin Bran cereal
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar
- Buttermilk
- Eggs
- Salt
How to Make Raisin Bran Muffins
Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir those up until well combined like this.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture in the large mixing bowl.
Stir until well mixed, then cover and place the cereal mixture in the refrigerator overnight.
This is how it will look the next day.
When ready for muffins, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease your muffin tin or line each with paper.
Then scoop out enough for however many muffins you want to bake and bake for 15 minutes or until done.
Put the rest of the batter back in your fridge and keep it there for up to a month!
Enjoy these warm, yummy, raisin bran muffins anytime! I love adding a spread of butter to mine.
Storage
The unbaked raisin bran muffin batter will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month. Just bake as instructed when you’re ready. However, baked muffins will also last up to 5 days when stored, covered, at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- For added flavor, substitute the granulated sugar for brown sugar or use half and half.
- Speaking of added flavor, you can also add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, depending on whether you want extra spice or sweetness.
- Want to make a raisin bran muffin in a mug instead? Scoop the batter into a mug or ramekin and microwave for 1 minute and voila, you have yourself a quick and easy mug muffin for breakfast.
- For extra crunch, add a cup of chopped or almonds.
Here are more muffin recipes to munch on:
Bisquick Blueberry Muffins On A Budget
Gluten-Free Banana Nut Muffins (No Dairy or Eggs)
Oatmeal Muffins Recipe (Add Your Own Mix-Ins)
Ingredients
- 6 cups raisin bran cereal
- 2 ½ cups plain all-purpose flour
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup oil
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.6 cups raisin bran cereal, 2 ½ cups plain all-purpose flour, 2 cups buttermilk, 1 cup sugar, ½ cup oil, 2 eggs, beaten, 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- The next morning, stir well and bake as many as needed in a muffin tin. Make sure each needed muffin cup is greased with cooking spray or lined with muffin paper. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Store the remaining batter tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2008 but I updated the photos in 2020.
Hi Lellie! Great question!
Bran flakes are very delicate in their makeup. Leaving them in the liquid (especially considering the acidity of buttermilk) overnight causes them to break down entirely and become completely cohesive with the remaining ingredients forming a hearty batter for your muffins.
Oats, on the other hand, are sturdy. Rather than break down, they would absorb a great deal of the moisture and plump up, then absorb even more while the muffin is baking. You can try them but I am afraid you would end up with a rock.
I did go to wal mart this morning after reading this comment just to look at what I paid for Raisin Bran. I purchase store brand in just about everything and a box of store brand raisin bran was only 1.88 compared to 3.12 for the name brand. This box is enough to EASILY do one and a half batches of these muffins, but I feel pretty certain you could do two batches out of it.
Hope this helps!!!!
Christy
I remember this from my childhood.
I wonder if you could use a different cereal for a different result? What is it in the Raisin Bran that makes it last? Could you use oats?
I find processed cereals expensive and wonder if I could use bran, some sugar and some raisins.
Any ideas?
You better never hesitate to post a recipe! In reading your archives I’m reminded of things I may have had as a kid that were long forgotten! And in some other recipes I see a different method to try vs. how I do it and it’s always fun to see if I can improve on a recipe. 🙂
April: Thank you! These are so handy. I know whenever my in laws come for the weekend my instinct is to be in the kitchen cooking all the time so recipes like this are a huge help! I just love them to go along with supper, too!
Stephanie: Thank you so much for the hoe cake story!!! My wee ones just love it too. Its hard to believe it is so simple and has so few ingredients. The best things in life tend to be like that, thankfully!
Thank you for the linkback and I can’t wait to see it on your blog! I am working on a post now that will highlight all of my readers who have posted pics of things they have tried on their pages so I will be sure to add your hoe cake after I put your son’s birthday cake!
Pinky: You know, every time I go to post one of these recipes that I’ve just kinda known about all of my life, I wonder if it is something everyone else knows about and if I will get a big collective sigh from everyone after posting! I am so glad this one isn’t!!! I thought it would be really neat for folks who hadn’t heard of it.
Another thing, my kids don’t like bran muffins, but I do. So many of the foods I enjoy that the rest of my family doesn’t, I just have to do without. This helps me have one of my treats just for me and nothing goes to waste!!!
This IS a great idea just sitting there waiting to be cooked I love that idea alot I had never heard of it before!
Those look really yummy – I love a good muffin.
I made your Hoe Cake this morning for breakfast (probably not the traditional meal for hoe cake, but oh well…). It was fantastic! Everyone else is still eating it. The bottom/top really did turn out so crispy and delicious! Thomas, my 1-year-old, got really fussy when he was done with his piece, because I wasn’t giving him a second piece fast enough! Thanks for the great recipe, I’ll post it up on my blog (with a link back to you, of course) later this morning.
Have a great day! 🙂
What a great idea! I love the idea that this can just hang out until you’re ready to bake them. Perfect to make up ahead of time for when we have company and need a quick breakfast before going out to do things. And less time in the kitchen for me and more time to visit!