This Cranberry Orange Muffin recipe is so festive and flavorful! Made with fresh cranberries, orange zest, and a hint of rosemary, they are perfect for the holiday table! Vegan and GF adaptable.

This Cranberry Orange Muffin recipe is so festive and flavorful! Deceptively vegan and gluten-free, these are simple to make-a tasty addition to your holiday table! 

It’s hard to believe, but these delicious, festive Cranberry Orange Muffins made with fresh cranberries are not only vegan, they can also be gluten-free! Created by my friend Alison over at Boots Bakery and Lounge, they offer lots of fresh, bright flavor. The orange glaze and rosemary bring them over the top, a tasty treat for the holiday season.

Why You’ll Love This!

  1. Vegan and gluten-free. If you’re looking for a tasty treat to serve during the holidays that is both free of eggs and dairy and gluten-free, this is it!
  2. Ingredients you recognize. These muffins are made with simple, healthy ingredients that you know and love—and likely already have on hand.
  3. Easy, yet impressive recipe! With only a few simple steps these muffins are incredibly easy to make, but the orange glaze over top makes these muffins look quite impressive!
  4. Perfect for holiday treats. Bring these bakery-style muffins to any special holiday occasion. They are delicious and make for a beautiful display.
  5. Bursting with fresh flavor. These vibrant muffins have so much fresh flavor from the fresh cranberries, orange, and rosemary. Plus, they will make your home smell delicious!

Cranberry Orange Muffin Ingredients

  • Gluten-free flour: use a gluten-free flour blend, like Bob’s Redmill one-to-one blend. Of course, you can use regular all-purpose flour!
  • Gluten-free oats: Add a subtle nutty flavor and a bit of texture to the muffins. They also contribute to the overall moisture and tenderness. Feel free to sub more flour.
  • Cane Sugar and Brown Sugar: Provide sweetness to the muffins and helps to enhance the flavors of the tart cranberries and orange. It also helps to achieve a light and tender texture.
  • Baking soda: A leavening agent that helps the muffins rise and become fluffy. It reacts with the acidic ingredients in the batter, such as the orange zest, juice and apple cider vinegar, to create light pockets of air.
  • Salt: Enhances the flavors of all the ingredients and helps to balance the sweetness in the muffins.
  • Fresh Orange: We use the zest and the fresh orange juice to add a bright orange flavor to the muffins.
  • Chopped rosemary: Adds a subtle earthy and pine-like flavor to the muffins. It pairs well with the cranberries and orange, creating a unique and festive taste.
  • Fresh cranberries: Add a burst of tartness and color to the cranberry muffins. Feel free to use frozen cranberries, but do not thaw them first.
  • Olive oil: Adds moisture to the muffins and helps to keep them tender. It also contributes to the overall richness and flavor. You can sub avocado oil or melted coconut oil.
  • Pure vanilla extract and Cinnamon: add warming flavors to the muffins.
  • Plant-based Milk: Oat, soy, cashew or almond milk al work great.
  • Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda to create bubbles, which helps the muffins rise. It also adds a very subtle tanginess to the flavor.
  • Orange Glaze: Freshly squeezed orange juice adds a tangy and bright citrus flavor and is combined with powdered sugar to create a sweet and smooth glaze that is drizzled over top of the muffins!
  • Garnish: Rosemary and fresh orange zest add a decorative touch to the muffins. They provide a burst of fragrance and visual appeal when sprinkled on top.

How to Make Cranberry Orange Muffins

  1. Preheat Oven to 400 F 
  2. Spray a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with olive oil spray, or use cupcake liners.
  3. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together, including rosemary, zest and cranberries.
  4. In a separate medium bowl, mix wet ingredients together.
  5. Pour wet mixture into the flour mixture and fold it together mixing until combined.
  6. Fill the greased muffin pan to just below the rim. Lower heat to 350F.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
  7. Make the glaze: In a small bowl, mix orange juice with powdered sugar until smooth and combined. Drizzle over muffins.
  8. Garnish with rosemary and orange zest!
cranberry orange muffins

Expert Tips

  1. Toss cranberries in gluten-free flour. To prevent the cranberries from sinking to the bottom or sticking together, toss them lightly in a little flour before mixing everything together.
  2. Don’t use an electric mixer. Mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Otherwise the texture may become too dense.
  3. Resist the urge to open the oven door! This can affect the baking time and result in the muffins deflating. Use your oven light to keep an eye on the muffins.
  4. Use a toothpick to check if they are done. When the muffins are done baking, place a toothpick in the center of the muffin. If it comes out clean then the muffins are ready. Internal temp should reach 200F.

FAQs

Can I use frozen or dried cranberries?

We think fresh is best! However, you can use frozen cranberries. Just be sure to use them frozen—thawing them will cause them to bleed into the batter. It may take an additional minute or two to bake.

Dried cranberries will be chewier and sweeter. If using dried, we recommend placing them in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes to soften them before using. Reduce to ¾ cup.

How long do they last?

You can store leftovers of this Cranberry Orange Muffins recipe in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The cranberries will be freshest if the muffins are stored in the fridge.

Can you freeze these muffins?

Yes! Let them freeze in your muffin tin and then add them to a freezer bag, pressing the air out. Or, let them cool completely then wrap them individually and add to the freezer. They will keep for 2 months. To enjoy, thaw overnight in the fridge or simply reheat in the microwave.

Can I add nuts or chocolate chips?

Yes! We haven’t tried these variations, but walnuts or pecans would make a lovely addition for a bit of crunch, and you can never go wrong with chocolate chips. Just be careful not to add too many of either as they can overcrowd the muffins or weigh them down and sink to the bottom.

More Favorite Muffin Recipes!

If you make these Cranberry Orange Muffins, let us know how you like them in the comments below!

xoxo

Sylvia

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Cranberry Orange Muffins

Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: vegan, gluten free, baked
  • Method: baked
  • Cuisine: american
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This Cranberry Orange Muffin recipe is so festive and flavorful! Made with fresh cranberries, orange zest, and a hint of rosemary, they are perfect for the holiday table! Vegan and GF adaptable.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend (like Bob’s Red Mill 1 to1 blend)
  • 1/4 cup gluten-free oats- or sub more flour
  • 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 12 tablespoons orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries- or use frozen, do not thaw
  • 1 cup plant-based milk- oat, almond, soy, cashew, etc.
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup olive oil (or avocado)
  • 1 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar

Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 23 tablespoons orange juice, more as needed.

Garnish: rosemary and orange zest


Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven to 400 F 
  2. Spray a 12-cup nonstick muffin tin with olive oil spray, or use cupcake liners.
  3. In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together, including rosemary, zest and cranberries.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients together.
  5. Pour wet into dry and mix well.
  6. Fill greased muffin cups to just below the rim. Lower heat to 350F.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
  7. Make the glaze: In a small bowl whisk orange juice with powdered sugar until smooth and combined. Drizzle over muffins. Garnish with rosemary and orange zest!

Notes

Muffins will ke ep on the counter covered for 4 days. 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Portion
  • Calories: 381
  • Sugar: 26.1 g
  • Sodium: 234.4 mg
  • Fat: 20 g
  • Carbohydrates: 47.1 g
  • Protein: 4.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 104.2 mg

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Comments

  1. Made these this morning after hubby had twice in one week requested mini cranberry muffins, and they were absolutely delicious. Rough chopped frozen cranberries for the mini muffins, and left them whole for some heart-shaped jumbo muffins. This recipe made 24 mini muffins and 6 rather jumbo-sized ones! Used .25 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon since hubby loves nutmeg more than cinnamon. Used GF flour, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, and lactose-free milk. Minis baked in about 15 minutes; jumbos need 25. Hubby loved these so much that within a few hours of the minis being baked half were gone! Thank you for this recipe. Will definitely be making them again, esp. when I can get fresh cranberries!






  2. This is not a review of the recipe, but I didn’t know where else to put this – I’ve missed having a “Desserts” option to select in the drop down options. I noticed this category disappeared when the website’s format changed. I don’t know if it was on purpose or if it was an oversight but figured I’d say something in case it was the latter.

    1. Oh OK thanks Amanda- I will see what I can do. In the meantime, you can go to “all recipes” and find the dessert category there! Thanks for the feedback!

  3. My friend introduced me to your blog and I am so excited and grateful she did. Made these muffins last night. So delicious! I have made a few of your salads and fell in love immediately. Just found out my other favorite chef is a friend of yours-Jenn Segal!

    1. Glad you enjoyed these Susan- they are from a GF Bakery here in Spokane called Boots. 🙂

  4. Summer is such a great time to entertain. You have the warm daytime sunshine as well as refreshing nights. I was looking for some holiday party ideas, found them including a couple of cocktail catering presentations.

  5. This is the second time I have seen orange, cranberry and rosemary as flavor components. I am quite taken with it. Seems like they would both compliment and enhance each other. I love scones.These are keepers to me.

  6. These muffins look incredibly festive.. not to mention delicious! Definitely a recipe I can see myself making this upcoming Christmas!

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