Cranberry Orange Muffins (video)
Brighten up your day with these amazing cranberry orange muffins. They are packed with delicious tangy cranberries and fresh orange flavor. These soft and fluffy muffins only take about 30 minutes to make from start to finish.
We’re in the midst of winter here in Ontario. The mornings are dark, so it’s challenging getting up out of bed sometimes. It’s especially hard when you look outside and it feels like it’s still night time. However, when you have a tasty breakfast to look forward to, it can really help motivate you to start your day.
Why this recipe is so great:
- All made by hand with everyday ingredients – All you need is two bowls, a whisk, and a spatula to make these delicious cranberry orange muffins. There are no fancy ingredients: you just need an orange and some cranberries and you can whip up these muffins in a matter of minutes.
- Moist and bursting with flavor – These muffins are incredibly moist and bursting with the bright flavors of citrus and tangy cranberries.
- Even better than Starbucks and McDonalds – These muffins are not as tooth-achingly sweet as the Starbucks or McDonald’s ones. They contain much more cranberries and are made with real orange flavor. And the best part is they are made fresh by you, with no preservatives.
- Here are some reviews:
“I’ve been searching for a muffin recipe like this! This recipe is now in my favorites! These muffins came out perfect and they were moist and soft for days. I used frozen cranberries and they were delicious! With other recipes, the muffins have turned out dry and a bit heavy. Not this time! Thank you so much for sharing this!” – Tara
“Just made these and oh my! They are delicious! Better than a well-known coffee shop chain muffin that I wanted to replicate. Just the right amount of cranberries and a lovely zesty flavour. Perfect for Christmas!” – Kayleigh
How to make cranberry orange muffins:
(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)
- You start by tossing some flour, baking powder and salt together.
- Then in another bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, milk, orange juice, vanilla extract, and orange zest.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients together. Fold in the fresh cranberries.
- Spoon the batter into a muffin pan. Top with more cranberries if desired. Bake at 425F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven to 375F and continue to bake for another 15 minutes.
How to substitute with frozen or dried cranberries:
- Frozen – Do not thaw. Add the frozen cranberries into the batter as if you were using fresh cranberries and bake for a few minutes longer until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Dried – Soak the dried cranberries in hot water for 10 minutes to soften. Pat them dry with a paper towel and add to the batter as instructed. Please note that the taste and texture of dried cranberries are not the same as fresh. They are a bit sweeter and a bit chewy.
Make-ahead option:
These muffins can be made the night before, which makes them a great time saver in the morning. It allows you to have a few more minutes in your warm comfy bed knowing that breakfast is already done. Also, if you are really pressed for time, you can just grab one of these scrumptious muffins to go.
How to store cranberry orange muffins:
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you store them in the fridge, you can warm up the muffins in the microwave for about 30 seconds or in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes.
How to freeze cranberry orange muffins:
Place the muffins in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to label and date. When ready to consume, thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for an hour. Then reheat in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes to freshen up the muffins. The texture of these cranberry orange muffins is moist, soft and fluffy. The taste is bold and vibrant with bursts of tart cranberries and speckles of orange zest throughout the muffin. These muffins also make a great afternoon snack, especially when you need a little pick-me-up. There is just something about the flavor of oranges and cranberries that really perk you up.
You might also like:
- Cranberry Orange Scones
- Cranberry Orange Baklava
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Blueberry Streusel Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.
PrintBEST Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12
- Category: breakfast, snack
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Brighten up your day with these amazing cranberry orange muffins. They are packed with delicious tangy cranberries and fresh orange flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 & 1/2 cups (310g) all-purpose flour
- 4 tsp (15g) baking powder
- 1/2 tsp (2.5g) salt
- 1/2 cup (125ml)) vegetable oil
- 1 & 1/4 cups (250g) sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (125ml) milk
- zest of one orange (about 1 tbsp)
- 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (62ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 &1/2 cups (150g) fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 12 cup muffin tray with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, milk, orange juice, vanilla and orange zest. Slowly add to the dry ingredients. Mix until JUST combined, then fold in the cranberries. Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temp to 375°F and bake for another 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Notes
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you store them in the fridge, you can warm up the muffins in the microwave for about 30 seconds or in the oven at 350F for 5-10 minutes.
To freeze: Place the muffins in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to label and date. When ready to consume, thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for an hour. Then reheat in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes to freshen up the muffins.
How to substitute with frozen or dried cranberries:
- Frozen – Do not thaw. Add the frozen cranberries into the batter as if you were using fresh cranberries and bake for a few minutes longer until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Dried – Soak the dried cranberries in hot water for 10 minutes to soften. Pat them dry with a paper towel and add to the batter as instructed. Please note that the taste and texture of dried cranberries are not the same as fresh. They are a bit sweeter and a bit chewy.
This post was originally published on Jan 13th, 2017 and has been recently updated with more information.
Holy wow. These are fantastic. I started them at 400 and then went to 375 after reading the comments and then left them in for a tiny bit longer. They turned out perfectly! Thanks for the recipe!Â
You’re very welcome and merry Christmas!
This was a great recipe. But my muffins came out a little dry. What did I do wrong?
Dry baked goods are usually due to overbaking, so try baking them for a few minutes less next time. Glad they still tasted good and happy holidays!
Great recipe!
Orange juice and zest really lift up the taste to a higher level.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
You’re very welcome and thank you for your lovely feedback!
I just made these. I followed the recipe exactly. They look very nice, but are slightly burned and taste dry. I think a lower temp would have worked better for me. Even worse, all the cranberries rose to the top so there are no cranberries in the middle of the muffins. How can I prevent that in the future? I’m not rating because possibly I made a mistake somewhere?
Yes, maybe your oven runs hot, so baking it at just 375F is a good idea. As for all the cranberries rising to top: I’m wondering if the batter was a bit thin? Try adding another 1-2 tablespoon of flour to thicken up the batter to prevent the berries from rising.
These really are SO good!!!! I went a little easy on the cranberries and orange because my toddler is a bit picky, but she gobbled them up so next time I’ll use a heavy hand. So yummy!!!
Aww, I’m so happy to hear you and your little one enjoyed the muffins. Thank you for your kind words and merry Christmas!
These were so good! I used DF milk and added sanding sugar on top. Turned out great!
I made these muffins! Didn’t have milk so I added 1/2 cup more orange juice and they  were delicious! Will try again with the milk.
I added a little  fresh grated ginger along with orange zest . I used bottled orange juice. They came out deliciousÂ
Yummerama! Thanks for posting Imperial measures, too, Lily. I hate metric. I added a cream cheese frosting, coz Hubby loves it.
You’re very welcome, Jettie! I find it much more accurate and thank you for your feedback:)
These muffins are so delicious! We top them with a little sanding sugar after lowering the oven temperature. I must make smaller muffins however, because I get 16 regular sized ones.
Great recipe! Very delicious!!Â
 I had to improvise with ingredients I had on hand
Buttermilk for milk
Fresh milled organic soft white wheat
Sucanat & honey crystals for sugar
Dried cranberries instead of freshÂ
These muffins are truly yummy!!! I swapped out the oil for melted butter and added a little brown sugar as my orange was more sour than sweet. Thanks so much for sharing!! Will 100000% be a recipe keeper 😊
You’re very welcome and thank you for your lovely feedback, Sophie!
Oh, forgot to add, could the Santa hat muffins be because I didn’t have baking powder so I replaced it with half the amount of baking soda? I dont see anyone else having this issue , next time I shall follow the recipe strictly.
Thanks again, it just came out the oven minutes ago
Yes, thanks for remembering that. Baking soda is 4x stronger than baking powder so you only needed 1 teaspoon, 2 was too much and caused the muffins to rise too high. I hope they still taste good and happy Friday!
The taste was great, but my muffins all came out like they had Santa hats on them , I think due to the initial 425F cooking up the top layer. I tried another batch using only 375F (but preheated the oven at 425F) and those came out perfect.
Delicious recipe. I ran out of orange juice so replaced with couple spoonfuls of lemon juice, and used lemon rinds.
Amazing! Best recipe for cranberry orange muffins that I’ve used after decades of baking and so easy. So fluffy and delicious, WOW! Note that I did add 1/3 cup plain yogurt.Â
Hereafter my go-to recipe!
Thank you so much for your rave review, Elvie! Enjoy the muffins and have a great day!
Hi, Â Question, Â how long would I need to bake the muffins in the jumbo muffin tins. It makes six muffins. Â
Bake them for an extra 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Enjoy!
This is the best cranberry orange muffin. I have tried other recipes but this one was perfect taste and texture.Â
From one Ontarioan to another..that’s recipe is soooo good. Light,sweet,tart and will be my go to muffin recipe. Thank you.
You’re very welcome, Mary! I’m always delighted to meet another Ontarian:)
I made these muffins, and they were absolutely delicious. Â This is a rainy morning, so I am about to make a double batch. Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Ruby! Enjoy the muffins and have a great weekend!
These are amazing! I had fresh wild cranberries I needed to use and this was the perfect recipe. Â I followed the exact recipe and directions except I had to cook the muffins for 20 minutes instead of the 13-15 recommended. Â Yummy!