Honey Date Bran Muffins

By Genevieve Ko

Updated April 10, 2026

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Media 1 of 3
Ready In
1 hr
Rating
4(108)
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These mahogany treats deliver the toasted nuttiness and hearty chew of bran and avoid whole wheat’s common afflictions of heaviness and bitterness in baked goods. The key to making these muffins tender and keeping them from drying out is simply liquid — in all different forms. Water helps soften the bran along with orange juice, which adds a floral aroma; molasses and honey highlight bran’s natural sweetness; and oil and buttermilk add a touch of richness. Soaking the bran before baking and infusing the muffins with an orange-honey syrup while they’re still warm ensure they stay soft and moist for days. Dates lend a caramel depth to the mix, but if you’re nostalgic for classic bran muffins, you can use raisins instead.

Featured in: Bran Muffins Can Be Tender and Moist. Here’s How.

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Ingredients

Yield:12 muffins

  • 2 to 3 large navel oranges

  • 2 cups/160 grams wheat bran

  • ½ cup/70 grams dates, pitted if needed and chopped (see Tip)

  • ½ cup/116 grams buttermilk

  • Nonstick cooking spray or oil, for the pan

  • ¾ cup/100 grams whole-wheat flour

  • 1½ teaspoons baking soda

  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt

  • 2 large eggs

  • ⅓ cup/74 grams canola or other neutral-flavored  oil

  • ⅓ cup/100 grams molasses (not blackstrap)

  • ½ cup/148 grams honey, divided

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Zest 2 of the oranges into a large bowl. Into a liquid measuring cup, squeeze the juice from 1 orange (reserve the remaining oranges) and add enough water for ¾ cup total liquid. Pour over the zest. Add the wheat bran, dates and buttermilk, and stir until well mixed, breaking up any clumps of dates. Let the bran soften while you prepare the other ingredients, at least 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease the top of a muffin tin with cooking spray or oil and line the cups with paper or foil liners.

  3. Step 3

    Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.

  4. Step 4

    Stir the eggs, oil, molasses and ¼ cup/74 grams honey into the soaked bran until well blended. Add the flour mixture and stir until no streaks of flour remain. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, which will end up almost full.

  5. Step 5

    Bake until domed and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean but moist, 20 to 25 minutes. 

  6. Step 6

    While the muffins bake, squeeze ½ cup/113 grams juice from the reserved oranges into a small saucepan. Add the remaining ¼ cup/74 grams honey and bring to a simmer over medium, stirring occasionally. Simmer until thickened to a syrup, 3 to 5 minutes.

  7. Step 7

    Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then poke about 8 holes in each muffin from top to bottom using the cake tester or toothpick. Gradually brush all of the honey glaze over the tops, letting each addition soak in before brushing on more. 

  8. Step 8

    Transfer to a wire rack to cool and serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins keep for up to 4 days at room temperature in an airtight container or for up to 2 months in the freezer.

Tip

  • Any variety of date tastes great here, and it’s best to start with whole ones and chop them yourself. Store-bought chopped dates work, but disappear into the batter after baking. You also can mix in raisins or dried cranberries or a combination instead.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
108 user ratings
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Comments

MG

If (like me) you are having a heck of a time finding wheat bran, try the cereal aisle of a regular grocery store. It was worth the hunt, these are perfect bran muffins. I made them in giant, ‘90s size muffin tins. Raisins, not dates.

dhwsmith

My wheat bran at 160 grams was way more than 2 cups. Same story for the buttermilk. The whole wheat was exactly to the recipe. Apparently different versions of an ingredient can weigh differently. I went by weight and the result was quite dry. I added more buttermilk to make it batter-like. The finished muffins are nice, but quite delicate. And could use more dates. I wish I had a recipe for a good NYC bran muffin.

Noah

I added 120g of bran (around 3 cups) since my bran density was clearly not identical. This required a bit more liquid (I used milk) but the muffins still turned out really well. I would recommend greek yogurt and some milk or water as a substitute for buttermilk. Also forgot to add the honey to the batter but the glaze more than makes up for it. Muffins are plenty moist and soft without it. Overall delicious and forgiving recipe.

AngieR.

I read all the comments before making this. Upon weighting the ingredients my results were the same as dhwsmith. I went with the cup measurement of wheat bran rather than the weight and added extra buttermilk. Also I added dates times two and used 1/3 cup maple syrup rather than a half cup. We liked the esults were quite good.

Bethperson

Very good bran muffins-- without the extra sweet stuff on top. Though they were not quite cooked through even though they baked for 25+ minutes.

Jessica Hunsdon

I followed the recipe as is. Delicious! Very moist and I loved the orange essence.

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