Orange walnut oat bran muffins are a healthy and delicious way to start the day ~ oat bran has lots of fiber along with vitamins and minerals. Orange juice and zest give these easy muffins great flavor, and walnuts give them crunch!

orange walnut oat bran muffins
When you feel like something warm and comfy for breakfast, but still want to eat healthy, bran muffins are the answer.
oat bran basics
- Bran is simply the outer layer of a grain like wheat or oat, and it’s usually removed when the grain is milled into flour.
- Oat bran itself is super healthy, full of vitamins and fiber, and makes fabulous muffins when you use it in combination with different types of flour.
- Oat bran makes a fabulous morning cereal, too, my husband and I love the flavor and texture of oat bran more than we do regular oatmeal.
- Look for oat bran in the specialty flour section of your supermarket, or with the cereals and oats.
- I love all types of bran muffins, but oat bran makes a particularly tender muffin, so it’s a good place to start if you’re new to the concept.
what you’ll need
- oat bran
- oat flour + regular flour
- orange juice and zest
- you’ll need one good sized navel orange for this recipe.
- vegetable oil
- buttermilk
- sour cream or yogurt
- brown sugar
- eggs
- walnuts
- baking powder, baking soda, and salt
tips for baking muffins without paper liners
Usually I bake my muffins with paper liners, and I love to use parchment liners because the muffins don’t stick at all. But sometimes I like to change it up and forgo the paper. Here are some things to remember…
Prep your pan super well ~ I spray or butter it thoroughly, then dust completely with flour.
After you pull the muffins out of the oven let them sit for 5-7 minutes to allow them to firm up.
Run a thin offset spatula or palette knife around each muffin to loosen the edges before easing them out.
storing and freezing orange oat bran muffins
- Store muffins on the counter covered in foil or under a glass cake dome.
- Bran muffins reheat well, just microwave them for 15-20 seconds.
- To freeze these muffins, wrap individually in foil, then put in sturdy zip lock freezer bags or an airtight freezer container.
variation suggestions
- Use pecans instead of walnuts, or leave them out.
- Use tangerine juice and zest.
- Use wheat bran in place of the oat bran.
- Add raisins if you like, or a dash of cinnamon or cardamom. (Have you tried my orange cardamom muffins??)
muffin mania
- Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
- Perfect Zucchini Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
- Apple Crisp Muffins
- Fresh Cranberry Muffins
- Perfect Lemon Muffins
- Perfect Blueberry Muffins
Orange Walnut Oat Bran Muffins
Equipment
- 12 cup muffin pan, or two 6 cup pans
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oat bran
- 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
- 1/4 cup sour cream, or Greek yogurt
- 3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
- zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 tsp orange extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with paper liners or butter and flour well.
- In a medium bowl mix the oat bran with the buttermilk, sour cream, orange juice, extract and zest. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the oil, sugar, and eggs until smooth.
- Add the oat bran mixture and stir to combine.
- Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Fold in the flour, oat flour, and walnuts. Fold just until no dry flour remains, don't over mix.
- Fill muffin cups and top with a sprinkle of oats and sugar.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden, a toothpick will come out moist but not wet.
- Let the muffins set for 5-7 minutes, then remove from the pan.
I recommend the muffins be baked at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
These look great for a mid-shopping treat!
These are beautiful muffins. I love the look of the oat topping and the orange is a great twist.
YUM! these looks so good – I’d love to wake up to a batch tomorrow morning – delish!
Mary x
Sue, these look amazing. I love treats that actually have healthy ingredients buried in them. It lowers the guilt index :-). Have a wonderful weekend. Blessings…Mary
you know me a muffins….these look fab!! i need to hunt me down some oat bran here…this is the second recipe I have read today with oat bran!! ๐
I love all the flavors and aromas of fall and winter. Orange and walnuts in an easy to eat muffin fit the season nicely.
These sound awesome! I love the combination and know it would start my day off just right ๐
These look delicious! I’ll bet they get you moving in the morning too! As for the holiday shopping . . . bah hum bug!!! I try to do it through out the year!
Have a lovely weekend!