These gluten-free blueberry bran muffins have the classic taste of wheat bran, but none of the gluten. They’re high in both protein and fibre, but most importantly taste great! A delicious breakfast or snack you can feel good about!
Made with oat bran, ground flax and greek yogurt, these gluten-free blueberry bran muffins are high in both protein and fibre. They’re perfect for a quick, easy breakfast or to pop in a lunch bag.
Made with either fresh or frozen blueberries, they’re easy to whip up anytime of year.
The combination of oat bran and ground flaxseed mimics the taste and texture of wheat bran. No one will ever guess they’re gluten free! The greek yogurt gives added moisture and protein. They’re moist and tender, and absolutely delicious. An easy breakfast or snack you can feel good about!
If you're looking for gluten-free muffin recipes, you should also try my gluten-free blueberry muffins and gluten-free oatmeal chocolate chip muffins.
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Ingredients
- oat bran, certified gluten free
- ground flaxseed
- greek yogurt
- milk
- gluten-free flour, all-purpose blend
- baking powder
- salt
- cinnamon
- eggs
- brown sugar
- vegetable or canola oil
- vanilla extract
- blueberries
- turbinado (raw) sugar, optional
See recipe card for quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Oat bran: If you want your muffins to be gluten free, make sure your oat bran is certified gluten free. During processing, oats are often contaminated with gluten-containing grains (wheat, barley, rye); therefore, it’s important to make sure you’re only using certified gluten-free oats. Certified gluten-free oats are harvested, stored, transported and processed in dedicated gluten-free facilities and tested for purity. For more information on adding oats to your gluten-free diet, please refer to the Canadian Celiac Association’s Oats Statement.
Ground flaxseed: The combination of oat bran and ground flaxseed really mimics the taste and texture of wheat bran in this recipe.
Gluten-free all-purpose flour blend: Use a blend that contains xanthan gum, so the muffins have enough structure and stability. Make sure your blend doesn’t contain any ingredients with strong flavours, such as bean flour. Refer to baking with gluten-free flour for more information.
Blueberries: Use fresh or frozen berries. If using frozen berries, don’t thaw before adding.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners or grease with vegetable oil. Stir together the oat bran, ground flaxseed, greek yogurt and milk in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.
- In large bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- To the oat bran and yogurt mixture, add the eggs, brown sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla and mix well.
- Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
- Add the blueberries and gently fold in. Do not over mix, otherwise the batter will turn purple. Divide the batter equally among the 12 muffin cups.
- Top each muffin with a pinch of raw sugar (optional). Bake for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool slightly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Top Tips for Perfect Gluten-Free Blueberry Bran Muffins
- Mix well – If you’re used to making muffins with wheat flour, you probably fear overmixing your muffin batter. But with gluten-free muffins, you don’t have to worry about overmixing the same way. If anything, the real risk is undermixing. Gluten-free flours don’t absorb liquids as quickly as wheat flour, so you need to give your batter a really good stir to make sure everything is really incorporated. And since there’s no gluten, you don’t have to worry about overworking the gluten strands, which is what can make traditional muffins tough. If anything, gluten-free muffins benefit from the added structure a well-mixed batter provides. Just don’t overmix after you’ve added the blueberries, or else you’ll end up with purple muffins!
- Use fresh or frozen blueberries – You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, which make these muffins a really easy option to whip up any time of year. If using frozen, don’t thaw, add the frozen berries straight in.
- Serve warm – I find these muffins are best served warm. To retain a crisp muffin top, reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes.
Variations
Swap out the blueberries for other berries to switch things up. Raspberries or blackberries, or a combination of mixed berries, will all work well.
Storage
Baked muffins: 2 – 3 days in an air-tight container at room temperature. Reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes.
Freeze: The baked muffins also freeze well – store well wrapped in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 1 month. To serve, thaw in a microwave for 20 to 30 seconds on high, and then warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes.
Recipe Card
Gluten-Free Blueberry Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup oat bran, certified gluten free
- ¾ cup ground flaxseed
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup gluten-free flour, all-purpose blend (see note)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup blueberries
- turbinado (raw) sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners or grease with vegetable oil. Stir together the oat bran, ground flaxseed, greek yogurt and milk in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.
- In large bowl, combine the gluten-free flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- To the oat bran and yogurt mixture, add the eggs, brown sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla and mix well.
- Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
- Add the blueberries and gently fold in. Do not over mix, otherwise the batter will turn purple. Divide the batter equally among the 12 muffin cups.
- Top each muffin with a pinch of raw sugar (optional). Bake for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool slightly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Mix well – If you’re used to making muffins with wheat flour, you probably fear overmixing your muffin batter. But with gluten-free muffins, you don’t have to worry about overmixing the same way. If anything, the real risk is undermixing. Gluten-free flours don’t absorb liquids as quickly as wheat flour, so you need to give your batter a really good stir to make sure everything is really incorporated. And since there’s no gluten, you don’t have to worry about overworking the gluten strands, which is what can make traditional muffins tough. If anything, gluten-free muffins benefit from the added structure a well-mixed batter provides. Just don’t overmix after you’ve added the blueberries, or else you’ll end up with purple muffins!
- Use fresh or frozen blueberries – You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, which make these muffins a really easy option to whip up any time of year. If using frozen, don’t thaw, add the frozen berries straight in.
- Serve warm – I find these muffins are best served warm. To retain a crisp muffin top, reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- Swap out the blueberries for other berries to switch things up. Raspberries or blackberries, or a combination of mixed berries, will all work well.
- Baked muffins: 2 – 3 days in an air-tight container at room temperature. Reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes.
- Freeze: The baked muffins also freeze well – store well wrapped in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 1 month. To serve, thaw in a microwave for 20 to 30 seconds on high, and then warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information shown is an estimate only.
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