In this article
- How the muffins compare on fiber and sugar
- Bran muffins: the fiber leaders with a sugar habit
- Keto, protein and everyday muffins
- Why blueberry muffins barely register
- Two muffin myths, checked
- Fiber for the calories, ranked
- The quiet alternative: whole wheat English muffins
- Fitting high fiber muffins into a better breakfast
- One label detail that changes everything
- High fiber muffins: your questions answered
- Sources
Eighteen grams of added sugar. That’s what a Marketside Breakfast Bran Muffin carries alongside its 5 grams of fiber, and it’s typical of the high fiber muffins we reviewed.
The fiber is real, and it beats a standard blueberry muffin by a wide margin. But only one muffin product in our data paired solid fiber with zero added sugar, and it comes as a mix you bake yourself.
How the muffins compare on fiber and sugar
Every number below comes from USDA FoodData Central. Branded rows use the label data each company submitted, and the three small muffins at the bottom use USDA’s own analysis.
| Muffin (serving) | Calories | Fiber (% DV) | Added sugar | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwise Banana Bran Mini, 4 minis (112 g) | 290 | 6 g (21%) | 23 g | 6 g | 470 mg |
| Marketside Breakfast Bran (99 g) | 290 | 5 g (18%) | 18 g | 5 g | 370 mg |
| Publix Raisin Bran (76 g) | 200 | 5 g (18%) | 19 g | 3 g | 180 mg |
| Duncan Hines Keto Friendly Blueberry mix (27 g dry) | 120 | 5 g (18%) | 0 g | 3 g | 95 mg |
| Kodiak Blueberry Muffin Power Cup (65 g) | 260 | 3 g (11%) | 14 g | 12 g | 370 mg |
| Oat bran muffin, small (USDA, 66 g) | 178 | 3.0 g (11%) | n/a (5.4 g total sugar) | 4.6 g | 259 mg |
| Corn muffin, small (USDA, 66 g) | 200 | 2 g (7%) | n/a (12 g total sugar) | 4 g | 250 mg |
| Otis Spunkmeyer Blueberry (85 g) | 340 | 1 g (4%) | not listed (26 g total sugar) | 5 g | 360 mg |
| Blueberry muffin, small (USDA, 66 g) | 250 | under 1 g | n/a (21 g total sugar) | 3 g | 220 mg |
USDA’s generic records list total sugar but not added sugar, so those rows show the total instead. The FDA’s Daily Value for added sugars is 50 grams, which puts 18 to 23 grams at 36 to 46% of a day’s limit.
For fiber, the Daily Value is 28 grams, and 20% DV per serving earns a high fiber label. Only the Greenwise minis reach it, and they need four muffins to do so.
Bran muffins: the fiber leaders with a sugar habit
Marketside Breakfast Bran
Whole wheat flour and wheat bran both make the top six ingredients, along with raisins. That gives 5 grams of fiber in a hefty 99 gram muffin.
Brown sugar comes second on the list, right after water. Total sugar is 24 grams, with 18 added, and the muffin has 290 calories and 10 grams of fat.
Publix Raisin Bran
This one matches the 5 grams of fiber in a smaller 76 gram muffin and just 200 calories. Per 100 grams that’s about 6.6 grams of fiber, the densest of the ready to eat muffins we checked.
The catch is the flour. Enriched wheat flour sits near the top of the ingredient list, and added sugar reaches 19 grams.
Greenwise Banana Bran Mini Muffins
Four minis add up to 112 grams and 6 grams of fiber, the highest per serving here. Whole wheat flour, bananas and wheat bran all appear in the first six ingredients.
They also carry the most added sugar on the list, 23 grams, and 470 mg of sodium. Eating two minis instead of four halves all of it.
Keto, protein and everyday muffins
Duncan Hines Keto Friendly Blueberry
This mix is built on almond flour and coconut flour, with inulin (a fiber the FDA counts as dietary fiber on labels) further down the list. A 27 gram portion of dry mix gives 5 grams of fiber and 0 grams of added sugar.
Sweetness comes from erythritol and allulose instead of sugar. The fiber per calorie is the best on the list, about 4.2 grams per 100 calories, though remember the numbers are for the dry mix before you add eggs or oil.
Kodiak Blueberry Muffin Power Cup
Kodiak’s single serve muffin cup starts with 100% whole grain wheat flour and adds whole grain oat flour. It brings 12 grams of protein, far more than any other muffin here.
Fiber lands at a middling 3 grams, and brown sugar is the second ingredient, with 14 grams added.
Oat bran and corn muffins
USDA’s small oat bran muffin gives about 3 grams of fiber for 178 calories, with a modest 5.4 grams of total sugar. Per 100 grams, though, it holds less fiber than any of the branded bran muffins above.
A small corn muffin offers 2 grams of fiber and 12 grams of sugar. It sits in the middle of the pack, ahead of blueberry but well behind bran.
Comparing muffins with fiber bars, cereals or a supplement for your mornings? Our comparison charts set out popular options side by side so you can weigh fiber against sugar.
Why blueberry muffins barely register
Otis Spunkmeyer’s blueberry muffin lists sugar as its first ingredient and enriched bleached flour as its second. It delivers 1 gram of fiber with 340 calories and 26 grams of sugar.
USDA’s generic small blueberry muffin is similar, at under 1 gram of fiber per 66 grams. With sugar and refined flour leading the ingredient list, a scattering of berries can’t lift the fiber much.
Per 100 calories, these muffins give about 0.3 grams of fiber. The Publix raisin bran muffin gives about 2.5, roughly eight times as much.
Two muffin myths, checked
Myth: A bran muffin is a low sugar breakfast. Fact: The three bran muffins in our data carry 18 to 23 grams of added sugar each, more than Kodiak’s protein muffin at 14.
Myth: Oat bran muffins pack the most fiber. Fact: Per 100 grams, USDA’s oat bran muffin has 4.6 grams, while the Marketside, Greenwise and Publix wheat bran muffins have about 5.1, 5.4 and 6.6.
Fiber for the calories, ranked
Serving sizes in the muffin aisle range from 27 to 112 grams, so fiber per serving can mislead. Dividing fiber by calories gives a fairer view of which muffins earn their place.
- Duncan Hines Keto Friendly Blueberry mix: about 4.2 grams per 100 calories
- USDA whole wheat English muffin: about 3.3 grams
- Publix Raisin Bran and Thomas’ 100% Whole Wheat English: about 2.5 grams each
- Greenwise Banana Bran Minis: about 2.1 grams
- Marketside Breakfast Bran and USDA oat bran: about 1.7 grams each
- Kodiak Blueberry Power Cup: about 1.2 grams
- USDA corn muffin: about 1.0 gram
- Otis Spunkmeyer and USDA blueberry: about 0.3 grams
Anything near 2.5 grams or more per 100 calories is doing well for a baked breakfast. Below 1 gram, the muffin is a dessert in breakfast clothing.
Sodium deserves a quick look too. The FDA’s Daily Value is 2,300 mg, and the Greenwise minis at 470 mg take about a fifth of it, while Publix’s raisin bran muffin stays at 180 mg.
The quiet alternative: whole wheat English muffins
If you want a muffin shaped breakfast with real fiber and little sugar, look one aisle over. USDA lists a whole wheat English muffin at 6.7 grams of fiber per 100 grams, about 4 grams in a 66 gram muffin with 134 calories.
Thomas’ 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins list 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein and under 1 gram of sugar in a 57 gram muffin. Whole wheat flour is the first ingredient, and the whole muffin has fewer calories than half of the Otis Spunkmeyer blueberry muffin.
That works out to about 3.3 grams of fiber per 100 calories for the USDA version, better than every sweet muffin here except the keto mix. Harvard’s Nutrition Source names whole grains among the great sources of fiber, and the English muffin shows why.
Looking for ways to dress up an English muffin or bake your own lower sugar muffins? Our recipe eBooks have plenty of high fiber breakfast ideas.
Fitting high fiber muffins into a better breakfast
A muffin works best as part of a meal rather than the whole thing. Pairing one with a protein and a piece of fruit spreads the sugar across a more filling plate.
- Half a Marketside bran muffin with Greek yogurt and berries
- A whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter and banana slices
- Two Greenwise minis instead of four, plus a hard boiled egg
- A keto muffin from the Duncan Hines mix next to a pear
Building up from low fiber muffins? Harvard suggests increasing fiber gradually and drinking more fluids, since a quick jump can bring bloating or cramping.
Curious how many grams your breakfast should provide? Our fiber calculator can help you set a daily target.
One label detail that changes everything
Muffin serving sizes are all over the place. The Greenwise serving is four minis, Marketside’s is one 99 gram muffin, and Duncan Hines lists a 27 gram portion of dry mix.
Muffins from a bakery case often have no label at all, so there’s nothing to check at the counter. So before you trust any fiber number, look at the grams in the serving and compare it with what’s actually on your plate.
High fiber muffins: your questions answered
Which muffin has the most fiber?
In our data, Greenwise Banana Bran Mini Muffins have the most per serving, 6 grams in four minis. Per 100 grams, Publix Raisin Bran Muffins lead at about 6.6 grams.
Are bran muffins healthy?
They have more fiber than most muffins, usually around 5 grams. But the ones we checked also carry 18 to 23 grams of added sugar, so they’re best as an occasional breakfast.
How much fiber is in a blueberry muffin?
Very little. USDA lists a small commercial blueberry muffin at under 1 gram of fiber, and Otis Spunkmeyer’s blueberry muffin has 1 gram.
Is an English muffin healthier than a regular muffin?
For fiber and sugar, usually yes. A whole wheat English muffin gives about 4 grams of fiber with around 5 grams of sugar, compared with roughly 21 grams of sugar in a small blueberry muffin.
Do keto muffins have fiber?
Many do, thanks to almond and coconut flour. Duncan Hines Keto Friendly Blueberry mix lists 5 grams of fiber and no added sugar per serving.
Are oat bran muffins high in fiber?
Moderately. USDA’s small oat bran muffin has about 3 grams, less than the wheat bran muffins in our review.
How can I make muffins with more fiber at home?
Use whole wheat flour, wheat bran or oat bran in place of some white flour, and fold in fruit such as bananas or raisins. Cutting the sugar in the recipe helps keep the balance right.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. “Branded Foods: Marketside Breakfast Bran Muffins (2471982); Publix Raisin Bran Muffins (2499992); Greenwise Banana Bran Mini Muffins (1952250); Duncan Hines Blueberry Keto Friendly Muffin Mix (2666235); Kodiak Blueberry Muffin Power Cup (2636748); Otis Spunkmeyer Blueberry Muffins (1923928); Thomas’ 100% Whole Wheat English Muffins (2434645). SR Legacy: Muffins, oat bran (172769); Muffins, corn, commercially prepared (175002); Muffins, blueberry, commercially prepared (172765); Muffins, English, whole-wheat (172762).” FoodData Central. 2018 to 2023. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” 2024. www.fda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Questions and Answers on Dietary Fiber.” 2024. www.fda.gov
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Fiber.” The Nutrition Source. 2022. nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu
