Tangy-sweet and moist, these cranberry orange muffins are heavy on the flavor and bejeweled with beautiful cranberries in each bite. Enjoy them plain, or spruce them up with a crumb topping and drizzle of orange icing. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries. They’re simple to make, extra buttery, and freeze easily!
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and more helpful success tips.
Cranberry is an underrated flavor in the fall and winter months. Often overshadowed by pumpkin, apple, and gingerbread, this tart beauty deserves its own spotlight. It is, afterall, perfectly hot pink when baked. 😉
I love cranberry and orange together, and the two lend a POP of vibrant flavor to today’s muffins. I use the same base muffin recipe that I rely on for many other fan-favorite muffin flavors including blueberry muffins, lemon poppy seed muffins, and apple cinnamon muffins.
One reader, Cathy, commented: “The muffins are fantastic! Delicious! Moist! For leftover muffins, we popped them in the microwave for 13 seconds and they were like right out of the oven. Added benefit—the house smells wonderful as they bake. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Terry, commented: “Just absolutely delicious and pretty, too! Love the cake-like texture, but the brightness of the orange and tartness of the cranberry take it over the top! Added a little orange zest to the frosting as well. Thank you for another perfect recipe! ★★★★★“
Here’s Why You’ll Love Today’s Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Bursting with tart and juicy cranberries in each bite
- Can use fresh or frozen cranberries—so convenient
- Loads of orange flavor with a touch of cinnamon spice
- Soft, tender, and cakey
- Top with brown sugar crumb topping or a sprinkling of coarse sparkling sugar
- Finish with sweet orange icing
Use My Base Muffin Recipe
Have you ever tried my go-to muffin recipe? It’s a standard muffin base I use for a variety of flavors, including my popular blueberry muffins. And with a couple simple tweaks, you can go from sunshine-sweet peach streusel muffins to chilly-morning cranberry orange muffins.
The carefully selected ingredients and ratio of wet-to-dry ingredients promises a moist and cake-like muffin that’s still denser than, say, vanilla cupcakes. The batter is thick, so the muffins rise nice and tall.
I developed the recipe back in 2014 and still use it all the time. I heavily depend on it because not only does it produce delicious muffins, it uses basic baking ingredients and holds up well to nearly any add-in. When you have a solid and forgiving baking recipe, the possibilities are endless.
You need a handful of familiar baking ingredients including butter, white granulated and brown sugars, eggs, vanilla, sour cream to add some moisture, milk to thin out the batter, plus flour, leaveners, and salt. A little cinnamon spice adds a seasonal spiced flavor.
Then you’ll load it up with orange zest, a splash of orange juice, and cranberries.
Overview: How to Make Cranberry Orange Muffins
You’ll need a couple mixing bowls and an electric mixer (either a stand mixer or handheld), because we’re creaming the butter and sugar together. (Here’s a quick refresher on how to cream butter and sugar, if you need it.) From there, it’s as easy as combining dry ingredients in one bowl, and wet in another, and then mixing them together and folding in the cranberries.
Expect a thick batter:
Divide the batter among 12 muffin cups, using a standard 12-count muffin pan. You’ll fill them to the very top and, because the batter is so thick, the muffins will rise straight UP instead of straight OUT like mushroom tops.
You can add a sprinkle of coarse sugar or bake them plain. But, to really make the most of these magenta-studded beauties, let’s add a crumb topping.
Crumb Topping
The crumb topping uses some of the SAME ingredients you need in the muffin batter—very convenient! Some crumb toppings require cold butter and a pastry cutter to mix, but we’re using melted butter here, so just use a fork. It’s the same crumb topping I use when making peach streusel muffins and apple cinnamon muffins (the apple has more cinnamon).
My crumb topping advice: do not overmix the crumb ingredients or else you will end up with paste. Keep it crumbly and press the crumbs slightly down into the muffin batter so it will stick.
Orange Icing Is Optional
Orange icing is a lovely finishing touch and adds even more flavor. You need just 2 ingredients: confectioners’ sugar and orange juice. Whisk together and drizzle over your warm muffins. Feel free to skip the icing, and, again, you can skip the crumb topping as well.
Below I have muffins from 2 separate batches: one plain served with homemade cinnamon butter (highly recommend!) and the other with crumb topping + icing.
If you can’t get enough of cranberries for breakfast, try my cranberry Christmas cake next. But don’t limit it just to Christmas… or just to breakfast! And serve this cranberry curd tart for dessert!
More Muffin Recipes
I have dozens of muffin recipes on my site. Here are a few favorites:
Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 23 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Buttery, tender, and moist, these cranberry orange muffins are topped with a brown sugar crumb and sweet orange glaze. Both toppings are completely optional if you prefer plain cranberry orange muffins. Try them with homemade cinnamon butter!
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2/3 cup (83g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
Muffins
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest (from about 2 oranges)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature*
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk (any kind), at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (185g) fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw)
- optional: coarse sparkling sugar, for sprinkling on top (if not using crumb topping)
Orange Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Make the crumb topping: Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter together in a small bowl until combined. Add the flour and use a fork to gently mix until crumbs form. Don’t over-mix into a paste. Just mix until it is crumbly. Place in the refrigerator while you make the muffin batter. Cold crumbs hold shape better when baking.
- Make the muffins: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) Add the orange zest and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the eggs, yogurt/sour cream, and vanilla, and beat for 1 minute, then turn up to high speed until the mixture is combined and mostly creamy. (It’s ok if it appears somewhat curdled.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, orange juice, and milk, and beat until no flour pockets remain. Gently fold in the cranberries. Avoid over-mixing. Batter is thick.
- Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them all the way to the top. Spoon crumb topping on each, gently pressing it down so it sticks. If not using crumb topping, sprinkle muffins evenly with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F; then, without opening the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21–24 minutes. (Usually closer to 21 minutes if you’re skipping the crumb topping.)
- Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Let them cool for at least 15 minutes before icing.
- Make the icing: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice together and drizzle over warm or cooled muffins.
- Iced or plain muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked & cooled muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before enjoying. Warm up in the microwave if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer)
- Yogurt: You can use nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt, Greek or regular. You can also use sour cream.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy. For best taste and texture, I do not recommend nonfat milk.
- Cranberries: If using frozen cranberries, do not thaw.
- For a jumbo muffin pan: 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F for 22–25 minutes, for a total of 27–30 minutes. Makes about 6. For mini muffins: 350°F (whole time) for 12–14 minutes. Makes about 36–40.
Reader Comments and Reviews
The muffins are moist, flavourful and totally delicious. I used rehydrated dried cranberries as that was what I had on hand. Best muffins I’ve ever made❤️ Thank-you for sharing
These are really delicious! I followed the recipe exactly (except no glaze) using sour cream, and they’re outstanding. Thank you!
Hi Sally, love your muffin recipes! Been making them for 2 years with rave reviews Every. Single. Time. if I wanted to make these muffins (or any other) into mini muffins, do you know what the adjusted bake time would be? Thank you and keep baking!
So glad to read that! For mini muffins, bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes.
Had a craving for cranberry muffins after someone gave me some cranberries and whipped these up. They are delicious! I made them exactly as per the recipe and they came out perfect. I really use your site a lot because your recipes are so reliable and good. Thank you
Made these today and added a half cup of walnuts, just because I like nuts. I also omitted the glaze and made a streusel topping (and added more nuts). They are wonderful.
Would lemon be a good substitute for orange?
Definitely!
These are delicious! My favorite muffin is the orange cranberry. I used to purchase them at the famous Starbucks coffee shop, they no longer offer them.
I only have a 6 cup giant muffin pan, and this recipe filled it up. I did add more frozen cranberrys. I didn’t have milk, so I used half and half, and I also grated two large oranges, next time I’ll grate three. I squeezed the oranges for juice, but..I found Tropicana with pulp more flavorful and used that instead. I sprinkled sugar ontop. I baked them at 375 for 20 minutes, turned the oven down to 350 for an additional 10-15 minutes. My oven is a bit wonky and I needed to check them.
They’re moist and flavorful. I love the tartness of the cranberry. I did make the glaze mentioned, I didn’t care for it. I used paper muffin liners, I found the large ones in a grocery store.
Heaven, the moment the aroma hits the kitchen, and when you take a bite, simply devine.
Thanks for the recipe and all the reviews, they gave me the courage to make them.
could i replace the orange with the zest and juice of one lemon?
Sure can! Would be delicious.
Hi there! Quick question about this recipe. It says to use fresh or frozen cranberries, but not to thaw them? All I have is frozen cranberries, but why shouldn’t I thaw them first? I am very confused by this.
They’ll release a lot of juice when thawed. It’s best to have them frozen or fresh in the batter.
These look delicious! I’m going to bake them for the favors at my sister’s wedding. I’m going to be using giant muffin tins. Would you be able to tell me the temperature and time difference I would need?? Also, do they freeze well?
Hi Erin– what a nice favor. The muffins freeze well up to 2-3 months. For the jumbo, bake at 425F degrees for 5 minutes. Keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce oven temperature to 375F and continue to bake for 25-26 minutes until tops are lightly golden.
I was wondering if this recipe could be used in a loaf pan instead of the muffin tins, and at what temp it should cook?
Absolutely! 350 is the temp. Unsure of the bake time!
I just made these. These are outstanding…so flavorful. Just ate one and have to restrain myself from having 2 more right now. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is a keeper!!
I just baked these muffins–so delicious! Best cranberry orange muffins I’ve ever made. Extremely moist and flavorful. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I made the cranberry orange muffins today! This recipe is awesomely delicious! Nice and moist with or without the glaze! Thank you for sharing!
Sally. I must confess I made 26 regular size muffins from this recipe 2 days ago and I have 2 left. I have finally found a website I can trust for great baked goods I am going to start selling some of my baked stuff around where I live and I’d love to add this to my list thank you so so much your the bomb girl keep posting please!
These turned out really well! I was looking for a recipe to use up some extra cranberries that I had on hand and am so glad I stumbled upon this one. I used low fat kefir in place of the yogurt and it seemed to work. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these tonight and they were really good and easy. I only had dried cranberries so I put them on to simmer in orange juice while I mixed everything else. By the time i was done they were nice and juicy. I drained them and added them to the mix.
Thanks for the recipe!!
These turned out to be the best muffins I’ve ever made. They were perfectly sweet and tart with the cranberries and so lovely and moist. I really enjoyed them with my friends and my husband who’s not a big fan of muffins absolutely loved them as well. I didn’t glaze them and found the muffin by itself had great flavour. Thanks for another wonderful recipe, Sally!
We made them and they came out super! Exactly like you said, buttery and moist. Only we replaced the fresh cranberries with the dry ones. Nevertheless, still good!
Do you think I could substitute dried cranberries? I was given a huge bag and wanted to use some of them.
Definitely. Enjoy.
These were so yummy! I used sour cream instead of yogurt and I used zest from 3 lemons and 3 tbs of orange juice instead of 2. These came out perfect to me! I added in chocolate chips because I love chocolate with oranges and it was delish! I found that sprinkling the tops of the muffins with sugar before you put them in the oven gives them a nice golden crisp top. Wonderful recipe!
Hi all! Do you think cherries would work in this recipe? I could not find cranberries in my small town grocery store.
Absolutely! Yum.
I made these last night and all I can say is they are Awesome!!
Made these yesterday and they were the bomb! My husband and office staff LOVED them! I used the whole bag of cranberries and I still think I could have used more – probably 3-4 cups total. I like having a cranberry in every bite. Only used 2 TBL of orange juice for the glaze – made it a little thicker. Lined the muffins on a cookie sheet and poured all of the glazed on the muffins and sprinkles green sugar sprinkles on top to give it a more Christmasy look. THANK YOU for sharing this delicious recipe!
Made this recipe as a bread in a tea loaf pan. Used 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour to make it a tiny more healthy. It was delicious! Will make this again soon! Love the cranberry-orange flavor!
Oh my goodness, these were AMAZING! My four year old begged me to buy cranberries the other day and we used them to make these muffins. The house was filled with the most delicious aromas of vanilla, brown sugar, orange and cranberry. They were also the first muffins I baked in my new oven (and early Christmas present as my old one died several weeks ago and I’ve been forced to use an old one we keep in the basement…travesty!) They turned out perfect! Tender, buttery, with delicious light orange flavor throughout and tangy bites of cranberries everywhere. Next time I think I’ll chop half of the cranberries smaller to vary the consistency. I have enough glaze leftover for another batch, so they’ll be make again very soon…likely this weekend! Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
I made these for my daughter’s birthday celebration at school, and made them as mini muffins. Just an FYI for anyone who might want to do minis, they took about 19 minutes to cook and made 4 dozen (!!). Delicious! I’m sure the kids will enjoy the special treat.
We had some cranberries and oranges in this week’s farmshare, so I made these this evening – flipping delicious. my glaze was a bit runny and I only had a cup of cranberries, but they still turned out amazing. Can confirm the sour cream works perfectly fine in place of yogurt. My only note is that I took you very literally when you instructed to fill to the top & ended up with a lot of overflow. But that just gives me nibbles to eat at 10pm when it’s not acceptable to down whole muffins before bed. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!