Bran & Prune Muffins (Vegan)

These healthy vegan muffins are sweetened with prunes, packed with fibre, and make a perfect take-away breakfast or snack. Made without dairy or eggs, the recipe is easily halved or scaled.

These muffins are what you want to eat after returning from a long trip.

Two weeks ago I returned home after a long bout of travels. We had spent three weeks in Taipei and after returning to Toronto, we were only home long enough to repack our bags before boarding a train to Montreal to see family over Christmas. I had in my head a vision of the kind of bran muffin I wanted to make when I got back home: fibrous, burnt caramel, sticky and sweet, but good for you.

After a month of eating out and eating *not my own food* I felt that my internal system was completely out of whack. A digestive reset was in order.

Three rounds of recipe testing later and here they are: the bran and prune muffins of my vision that will get things moving and return you to being regular.

Do you love bran muffins? Try my Healthy Carrot Bran Morning Glory Muffin. Also try this blender iteration of these bran prune muffins: Blender Bran Prune Muffins (Oat-based, Oil-free, High-fibre) They’re low-gluten (easily gluten free) but no longer vegan/egg-free.

Prunes add natural sweetness and moistness.

Personally, I don’t like my muffins to be too sweet. This recipe contains minimal refined sugar; the muffins are instead sweetened by prunes and molasses. The prunes and molasses add moisture and a dark caramelized depth. I always think that a bran muffin should be dark and textural.

Bran and prune muffins get better the morning after.

Fresh out of the oven, these muffins will be crisp on the outside. Like banana bread, these get better (more moist) the next day.

Store cooled muffins in a air tight container and a short while later, the muffins will be evenly moist. The bran will have had time to absorb and assimilate, and the muffins’ texture will have evened out.

Notes on making the muffin and troubleshooting

1. soaking the bran

It is important to soak the bran before baking. That is why it is the first step of the recipe. If the bran is not soaked beforehand, the texture of the muffin will not be as good. In an attempt to cut down steps, I have tried mixing everything in one bowl (both dry and wet). Unfortunately, this resulted in a muffin that was less fluffy where the bran tasted hard and dry. I highly recommend soaking the bran as a first step. It does not take much time to soften (5-10 minutes) and will be ready by the time the other ingredients have been measured and are ready to be added.

2. making the prune paste

In the process of developing this recipe, I was inspired by a Washington Post recipe for Molasses Bran Muffins which featured prune puree as an ingredient. That recipe called for boiling dried prunes in orange juice, and then pureeing with a blender until smooth. The prune puree sounded like a great idea to me – comparable to applesauce in function but more intense in flavor. However the method of boiling and blending did not pass my low-effort threshold.

I achieve the same effect by soaking the prunes in hot water and snipping them with scissors. Like dates, prunes expand and soften quite a bit once soaked and easily turns into a paste. Using kitchen scissors cuts down (?) extra washing and gives better texture as some chunks of prunes in the final muffin is desirable.

What to do if your prunes are not turning into a paste? If your kitchen is particularly cold or your prunes are particularly dry, your prunes may need a bit of extra cooking to soften. Simply place the prune mixture into the microwave and cook for 30 seconds (or longer if needed). If your prunes are too chunky, snip with scissors some more after microwaving.

Make sure that the prune mixture has cooled enough before adding to the batter so as not to activate the baking soda and baking powder too soon!

Scaling the recipe

I originally tested and developed this recipe working with small batches which made four muffins at a time. If you want to scale down, use the measurements below.

For 4 muffins:

• 20-25 g wheat bran
• 80 g milk
• 20 g brown sugar
• 18 g molasses
• 70 g prunes
• 40 g boiling water
• 10 g oil
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Variations and additions

• Coconut – I have tested this muffin recipe with the addition of coconut flakes and they are delicious! For this variation – reduce the wheat bran by 10 g (so it measures 40 g) and add 10-15 g desiccated coconut.
• Bran – I have tested this recipe with two different types of bran – hard red wheat bran and soft white wheat bran. Both worked wonderfully and I did not notice differences in texture or taste between the two. I have not tested this recipe with oat bran, but I see no reason why it should not work.
• Milk – I have made my Bran and Prune Muffins with soy milk, dairy milk, and buttermilk. I have even tried milk with 1 tsp vinegar. While buttermilk and the vinegar milk combo did not hurt the muffin, it also did not improve any aspect because there was already slight acidity from the prunes. Any milk you have should work. If you are all out of milk, substitute with water.

Nutritional Information

Here is the detailed nutritional analysis for this recipe. These Bran Prune muffins are low fat and high fiber but relatively high sugar.

Recipe Card