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(67)
Comments
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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
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

41 grams carbs; 31 milligrams cholesterol; 235 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 9 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 238 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 24 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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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
67 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.

Sissy

I loved this recipe. Bran muffins are getting so hard to find! This one was a near dupe to my favorite from the VIkor Benes bakeries inside Gelson's supermarkets in Southern California. Unfortunately, my local store inconsistently stocks them. Made the recipe as written, weighing the bran but using a measuring cup for the whole wheat flour after reading other notes. The consistency was perfect. My oranges (from a neighbor's tree) were a little bitter, but that was my only complaint.

Huh

Buy all- Bran Cereal, add a banana to the recipe on the box, enjoy. Genevieve Ko makes the best carrot cake in the world.

Aviva Garrett

These are moist muffins, moister than my long-time Martha Stewart recipe, so a good improvement. We didn't find them too sweet, even though I typically reduce the sugar in Genevieve's sweet recipes by about 10%. However, there is a bitter taste, probably contributed to by the orange zest, so I would omit the zest. We also don't like cooked oranges much. Any comments on substituting (cow's) milk for the orange juice?

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