Valentina Ablaev
Our homemade cranberry muffins make the perfect fall dessert! Loaded with tangy cranberries and made bright with a refreshing orange zest. These muffins are easy to make and are the ideal muffin version of our classic cranberry bread!
Homemade muffins are so simple to make and will beat any bakery! Our easy blueberry muffin recipe is a classic and you simply can’t beat cream cheese filled pumpkin muffins!
These fluffy muffins are full of fresh cranberries and oranges! Thanks to the sour cream, these muffins are extra moist and taste incredible! This muffin recipe is so easy to follow and before you know it, you have the perfect fall pastry.
If you love cranberry desserts, be sure to try our cranberry white chocolate chip cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Pastry Recipe
- Seasonal favorite. Make your annual fall brunch memorable with these stunning cranberry orange muffins.
- Easy to make. Baking muffins is the perfect recipe for beginners.
- Perfect flavor combination. Juicy cranberries and zesty oranges combine to create the perfect medley of flavors.
Ingredients for Cranberry Muffins
- Flour – all purpose flour is perfect for this recipe.
- Baking powder & baking soda – this gives these muffins a good rise.
- Eggs – at room temperature.
- Sugar – makes the batter fluffy.
- Orange – fresh squeezed orange juice and orange zest.
- Sour cream – the secret ingredient to fluffy muffins (can be substituted for greek yogurt).
- Cranberries – halved, fresh cranberries.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Muffins with Cranberries
- In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and set aside.
2. In a separate large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together eggs, and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, sour cream, and oil. Add it into the egg and sugar mixture and mix until combined.
4. Add half of the dry mixture into the wet ingredients, and beat to combine. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Fold in the cranberries.
5. Line the muffin tins with paper liners. Spoon batter evenly between the muffin pan.
6. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes for 350°F. Remove the muffins from the muffin pan and cool on a wire rack.
Expert Tips:
Take your muffins to the next level with these expert-level tips:
- Add nuts: Add a great crunch to these muffins by adding walnuts, or pecans to the batter.
- Add a glaze: Top the muffins with an orange glaze! Mix powdered sugar, orange juice, and milk to make the perfect orange-flavored glaze like we did in our lemon blueberry bread.
- Add a crumble: An easy streusel topping may be added as we did in our easy blueberry muffins. It’s simple yet elevates the muffins.
Recipe FAQs
Use your favorite gluten-free flour to make these muffins gluten-free!
The secret to moist muffins is sour cream! Also be careful not to overmix the batter.
We like to use fresh cranberries, but you can also use dry cranberries for a different texture.
For this recipe, fresh cranberries do work better. They burst more with flavor.
This recipe doesn’t require soaking the cranberries.
Store & Reheat
- Storage. Muffins can be kept at room temperature for 1-2 days if stored in an airtight container.
- Freeze. Keep these muffins fresh longer by freezing them! Wrap each muffin tightly in plastic wrap, before adding to a freezer-safe bag. Store for up to 3 months.
More Dessert Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe for muffins with cranberries, be sure to try our other easy dessert recipes; here are some of our favorites:
If you tried this cranberry muffin recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour measured then sifted
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 large eggs room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 Tbsp orange zest
- 2 Tbsp orange juice
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup extra light olive oil or canola oil
- 1 cup fresh cranberries halved
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line the muffin pan with liners.
- In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, orange zest, orange juice, sour cream and oil; beat on low just until combine (or use spatula).
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the cranberries and gently toss to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the muffin pan. Bake for 18-22 minutes (until toothpicks come out clean if inserted into the center of the muffins).
Notes
- Add nuts: Add a great crunch to these muffins by adding walnuts, or pecans to the batter.
- Storage. Muffins can be kept at room temperature for 1-2 days if stored in an airtight container.
- Freeze. Keep these muffins fresh longer by freezing them! Wrap each muffin tightly in plastic wrap, before adding it to a freezer-safe bag. Store for up to 3 months. Reheat: To thaw, add the muffins to the fridge and let thaw overnight. You can also thaw in the microwave in 30-second increments.
