VEGAN CRANBERRY ORANGE MUFFINS
Soft and tender on the inside with a crispy top (thanks to a little sugar) and full of orange and cranberry flavors, these Vegan Cranberry Muffins are my favorite in the winter months!
Muffins are a great way to start the day and light snack for a quick pick me up during the day.
You’ll find these sweet and flavorful muffins are made dairy and refined sugar free using wholesome, everyday ingredients!
They’re oil-free too, using applesauce instead, making them a healthy addition to your muffin routine.
Whether making for family and friends, a holiday gathering or just because, these delicious Cranberry Orange Muffins will not disappoint!
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Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s a list of everything you’ll need, plus ideas for substituting when needed.
- Cranberries – Fresh or frozen work well, so use whatever is most accessible. If using frozen, there’s no need to thaw them before adding to the batter.
- Orange Juice + Zest – Use fresh squeezed or your favorite bottled brand. I highly recommend adding orange zest as it adds so much flavor and it looks pretty too!
- Flour – Use unbleached all-purpose, light spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour for best results. For GF, use a 1-to-1 gluten free flour blend.
- Sugar – I used organic pure cane sugar, but coconut sugar or date sugar would be great too. You may even be able to get away with using half and half of sugar and pure maple syrup. Adding a sprinkle of sugar before baking will yield a nice crunchy muffin top!
- Applesauce – Unsweetened applesauce is preferred. Make your own homemade applesauce (it’s so easy using an Instant Pot or slow cooker) or use store bought. If you don’t have applesauce on hand, use light flavored olive oil (or your favorite neutral flavored oil).
- Baking Powder – This double acting leavening agent is a must to ensure a good rise and spread.
- Baking Soda – This ingredient helps rise and helps give the muffins tops a nice golden color. If you don’t have baking soda on hand, use HEAPING teaspoons of baking powder.
- Salt – My favorite everyday salt is pink mineral salt (affiliate link) which naturally contains essential minerals and trace elements the body needs.
How To Make Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins
Making cranberry orange muffins is super easy and requires just a few simple steps. (Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with parchment liners or lightly grease with oil.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the orange juice and applesauce, mix well until just combined, don’t overmix. Gently fold in the cranberries and orange zest, as pictured above.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin tin holes, filling to the rim (shown above). Optionally, top with a few cranberries and sprinkle of sugar.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Once done (shown below), let cool a few minutes and enjoy!
Top Tips
- When measuring the flour, don’t scoop it out of the container with the measuring cup. Instead, spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Don’t overmix the batter, as overmixing can cause muffins to be tough and bake unevenly.
- Add a sprinkle of sugar overtop each muffin just before baking. The sugar hardens and will create a nice crispy muffin top.
- Place muffins on the center rack when baking.
- To test for doneness, insert a wooden toothpick into center of one of the center muffins in the pan. The toothpick should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
How To Store Leftover Muffins
- Counter: Once completely cooled, store the muffins in an airtight container, lined with a paper towel, on the counter for up to 3 – 4 days. The paper towel will soak up moisture and keep them from getting too moist. They also do fine loosely covered for 1 – 2 days.
- Refrigerator: Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezer: Store in the freezer for up to 2 months stored individually wrapped in a freezer safe container or bag. When ready to eat, let the muffins come to room temp and warm in a toaster oven before eating if you like.
Can I make bread out of this muffin recipe?
You sure can! Head on over to this Favorite Cranberry Orange Bread and give it a try.
More Easy Baking Recipes
- Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Banana Cake
- Pumpkin Scones
- Pumpkin Oat Muffins + Crumble Topping
If you try this vegan muffin recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintVEGAN CRANBERRY ORANGE MUFFINS
Sweet, fluffy, with an amazing orange aroma and juicy, tart cranberries in every bite, these Cranberry Orange Muffins are healthy, easy to make and so delicious!
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Makes 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Snack
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar (pure cane, coconut or date)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with parchment liners or lightly grease with oil.
Mix: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the orange juice and applesauce, mix well until just combined, don’t overmix. Fold in the cranberries and orange zest.
Fill Muffin Tin: Spoon the batter into the muffin tin holes, filling to the rim. Optionally, top with a few cranberries as desired and a sprinkle of sugar for a crunchy top.
Bake: Place on the center rack and bake for 30 minutes. Once done, let cool a few minutes and enjoy!
Store: Muffins will keep on the counter, loosely covered, for up to 3 days. For longer storage keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 days, or freeze for up to 2 – 3 months.
Notes
Flour: Use light spelt, unbleached all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour. You can play around with a mix of any of these. For GF, use 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend.
When measuring the flour, don’t scoop it out of the container with the measuring cup. Instead, spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
Don’t overmix the batter, as overmixing can cause muffins to be tough and bake unevenly.
Add a sprinkle of sugar overtop each muffin just before baking. The sugar hardens and will create a nice crispy muffin top.
If you don’t have baking soda on hand, make the teaspoons of baking powder heaping.
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: I love these parchment muffin liners for lining this 12-cup muffin tin (affiliate links).
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Can I substitute 1 cup of all purpose flour with any other flavor? If yes please let me know which flour might work well. Trying to use a healthier flour.
Loved this recipe. Thank you sooo much.
I’ve made these muffins twice in the past month and they have been such a hit both times! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
These were delicious! And I hate when people do this, but I made a couple changes. Felt I had to share because they turned out so great! I added 1 flax egg to the wet ingredients (1 Tbsp ground flax mixed with 2.5 tbsp warm water, let set for 5 minutes), as well as 4 tbsp avocado oil instead of the applesauce (which I didn’t have, but also I don’t have any faith in oil-free muffins). I also threw in some chocolate chips. They were moist, fluffy and perfectly sweetened!
These are so delicious! They are sour if you get a lot of cranberries in one bite but I liked it. I added vegan dark chocolate chips after baking, and wow!! will definitely add to the batter next time
These were delicious! I subbed 1/2 a cup of 100%cacao chips for 1/2 cup of the cranberries! The balance of sweet, tangy, bitter… its PERFECT!
I just made these muffins today😊 They are very delicious and so easy to make!
So glad they well for you – thanks for sharing, Sue!
Don’t know what went wrong. Followed the recipe but my muffins turned hard and sticks into my muffin liners. Half of my muffin was wasted.
Sorry about that Tess! In case of the sides sticking to the paper liner, I would just loosely cover them for a few hours which will help soften them up a little. They tend to be more crisp and dryer right after baking which would cause them to stick. Hope that helps!
An excellent recipe. We thoroughly enjoyed the healthy cup cakes and will make them regularly as the recipe is so simple.
These muffins came out absolutely delicious. The texture was perfect and really healthy so is a great treat. We are trying out new vegan recipes and this is our favourite so far!
These muffins were delicious! They were moist in texture and the perfect combination of sweet and tart. Playing with vegan recipes is new to me and my family and this was a hit.