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
these are the tastiest cranberry orange muffins I’ve ever had and this recipe is a keeper for sure. I used 1 c of cranberries which was plenty.
Instead of glazing, I sprinkled turbinado sugar over each muffin before baking. It gave the tops a nice bit of sweet crunch, like the Dunkin’ Donut ones. I will do this every time. Thanks for the recipe!
Our family loved these muffins too, but we thought there weren’t quite enough cranberries, so I guess it’s a matter of taste. Also, I substituted buttermilk for the yogurt and it worked great.
can you use canned whole cranberries?
Hi Liz, we don’t recommend it. Canned whole cranberries tend to include sugars and other ingredients and will add quite a bit of liquid to the batter. It’s best to use fresh or frozen cranberries (or even dried cranberries — see recipe Notes for details) in this recipe.
As a UK resident I was very happy to find a recipe that had all the measurements in grams too! My muffins turned out beautifully and everyone loves them! Thank you very much.
I made these for some family and friends and we all thought these were the best muffins we have made/eaten! Great recipe! Question-I want to make them for family but they don’t have a muffin tin. Can I use casserole dish/pan? If so, what size?
Hi Rachel, you could use a 9×5 inch loaf pan instead and follow the bake time and instructions from cranberry orange bread. So glad these were a hit!
If I don’t have yogurt on hand would buttermilk sub in about equal parts with similar outcome?
Hi Mariah, we don’t recommend leaving out the yogurt, but you could use buttermilk in place of the regular milk.
I realize you may no longer read comments, but I would love your input! I’ve made this 3 times and each time, after adding the yogurt, the batter curdled. All of my ingredients, including the yogurt were brought to room temperature. Any thoughts? Super frustrating! Your recipes usually work very well for me.
Hi Adrienne! My team and I try to answer as many blog comments/questions as we can! Even for older recipes like this. What you’re experiencing is completely normal. Room temperature butter is solid, much thicker than yogurt/eggs, so it all has a hard time mixing into a smooth consistency. It smooths out when you add the dry ingredients, orange juice, and milk. Some lumps are fine in this batter.
Baked at 425 for 18 minutes- they turned out perfect. Wonderful recipe!
What would be the change in temp and/or time for making mini muffins?
Hi Jennie, For mini muffins, bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes.
I make treat baskets at Chrstmas and love using your recipes. This year I wanted to use some small loaf pans (ceramic three inch x five inch ) I was gifted to make different mini loaves. Should I use the loaf or muffin recipe and how long should I bake them. I definately want to make the orange cranberry, banana and pumpkin
Hi Jody! Either recipe will work fine. We’re unsure of the exact bake time as mini loaf pan sizes vary. Keep en eye on them in the oven and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Enjoy!
I tried this recipe for the first time, a d they are a hit. Thank you so much
Wow these are amazing muffins! I’ve never made cranberry orange muffins and have always loved them when I order them in coffee shops/bakeries. This is the first recipe I found when I was searching online, and I’ve always loved the recipes I’ve made on this site, so I gave it a try. I used fresh cranberries and this recipe turned out perfectly. These are so flavorful and moist. The glaze makes them delicious and I highly recommend anyone to try this recipe. It wasn’t difficult and the results are like a bakery. I followed every recommendation so they wouldn’t turn out dry and or dense like muffins can. Perfection!
These were good but too dense, in my opinion. Any advice you may have on how to make them a bit lighter and fluffier, I’d appreciate. Maybe omitting the yogurt? More flour?
Hi Mary, any chance the batter was over mixed? That’s usually the culprit for overly dense muffins, cakes, etc. We don’t recommend omitting the yogurt as it will make the batter too thin, and adding additional flour would dry them out. If you decide to try them again, try mixing the batter until just combined and that should help!
These are AMAZING! I substituted the flour for Bobs Red Mill Gluten free 1 to 1 flour and the end result couldn’t be better! They are fluffy and are perfectly orange flavored with bursting tart cranberries. Perfection! *Chef kiss*
Wow, tossed my old recipe after baking & tasting your recipe. They are Incredibly tender & flavor packed deliciousness!!! The hint of cinnamon is a welcome note. Never thought I would like it together with cranberries but lends a beautiful accent. Only thing I added extra was 3/4 C. walnuts (love the taste & texture together). They’re so good without the glaze, never made it that far, they disappeared fast. Thank you for sharing your recipe & passion. I am most appreciative. Will make these often. So good, unable to leave them alone. Addictive!
I have a question: Is it possible to freeze the muffins and when I want to serve in a month, is it possible to glaze then? If so, do I re-heat so they are warm as recipe states? Thank you.
Hi Pat, You won’t need to re-heat them, but allow them to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before glazing. Enjoy!
I have honeybees, and plenty of honey. If I sweeten this recipe with honey instead of the white granulated sugar and brown sugar will it change the texture/taste of the muffin? Will it still be fluffly like all the other reviews have been saying? Thanks for the recipe!!
Hi Lisa, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes like honey. Thank you!
This recipe is one of my all time faves! I love the combination of cranberry and orange. My mom used to make a similar muffin. And when I gave birth to my first baby my mom made me a dozen of her cranberry orange muffins and brought them to the hospital for me. I was starving and I think I ate all 12 during that 48 hour hospital stay! Hee hee. These muffins brought back that sweet memory! Thanks Sally!
Also I made a batch with dried cranberries (craisins) and another with fresh cranberries and the fresh is definitely superior.
So sorry, I just reread your recipe and I got my answer concerning the orange juice!
I would love to try your recipe for the cranberry muffins. How much store bought orange juice should I substitute for the fresh orange? Thank you!
These are the best muffins! So moist and favor full. I have made your cranberry scones and everyone loves them!
Hi! I’d like to try these with half whole wheat and half white flour. Do you have any tips for adapting the recipe?
Hi Stephanie! You could make this recipe with 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all purpose flour without any other changes to the recipe. The muffins will be a little heavier and more dense. Still delicious, though!
My husband’s favorite muffin is orange, but I don’t think he’d like the cranberries. Will the recipe work leaving the cranberries out? I love and trust your recipes, so I prefer to go with yours than one from a site I am not familiar with. 🙂
Hi Melissa, You can leave them out with no other changes. We hope he enjoys them!
I changed out the cranberries for partridge berries. Great recipe though.
What on earth are partridge berries??!
Very good recipe, but had enough batter for at least 18 regular muffins.
I love lemon cranberry muffins, but couldn’t find a recipe for them on your website, so I adapted this recipe to make them. I used one lemon for the zest and juice instead of the oranges, and omitted the cinnamon. I also didn’t put a glaze on top (doesn’t need it.) And I used frozen cranberries, not dried. They are so, so good! The best lemon cranberry muffins I’ve had. Store bought are always too greasy and don’t have enough cranberries. These muffins are amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, I was just wondering what the temperature change would be to make jumbo muffins. They look delicious!
Hi Amanda, Follow the baking time and instructions from our jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide. Enjoy!
Needed to bring breakfast to work. Found this recipe. It was easy and the muffins came out bakery-quality. Thank you!
Could I leave out the milk and use another 2 tbsp. of orange juice?
Hi Kari, That should be fine. Let us know if you give the muffins a try!
Any idea how many calories are in one of these delicious muffins?
Hi Margie, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
OMG, the fluffiness!!! This recipe makes the most fluffy and soft cupcakes ever. I’ve made them idk how many times so far and they are always super easy and perfect. Once made them with whole-wheat flour and they were still super soft, also have remplaced the cranberries for blueberries and dark chopped cherries and gosh… still super great!
Your muffin recipes are always reliable, easy and tasty. I make them to have for breakfast or as a snack at work. Love the flavour with the orange and dried cranberries definitely going to make this one again.