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
Could you use half whole wheat flour and half all purpose, or does it need to be totally all purpose?
Hi Sharon, you can certainly try it, but the muffins will taste heavier that way.
Question… could one use orange emulsion instead of zest and juice?
Hi Danuta, we haven’t tested it, but that should work. We’re unsure of the exact amount needed with that swap.
Hello. Can I make the Cranberry Orange muffins in mini Bundt molds?
Hi Cindy, we can’t see why not. We’re unsure of the exact bake time (it will vary based on the size of your mini Bundt pans), so keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Haven’t made yet but could I use buttermilk
Hi Marilyn, you can use buttermilk in place of the milk.
have you ever made this as a loaf?
Hi Mitzi, you could use these muffins as a loaf, or here is our cranberry orange loaf recipe instead!
These were fantastic!! I’m in Wyoming at 5200 ft elevation and sometimes baked goods don’t turn out quite right here but I made this with no adjustments and was absolutely thrilled! I just love having the weights for dry ingredients so I can truly recreate what I make. Felt like a ton of orange zest when I was preparing them but this recipe is perfect!!!!! I didn’t do the glaze and they were great without it.
Love this recipe, I’ve made them a few times and they always come out delicious. I added extra Greek yogurt, a little less sugar, flax seed and skipped the glaze to make them a tad healthier- my kids eat them for breakfast and will sometimes add a little honey to the top. Great recipe!
These were AMAZING!! I doubled up the batter in the muffin tin and made 7 instead of 12 and they turned out incredible! Nice and tall, moist and fluffy, and so much flavor!!! My family really enjoyed them!! Thank you!
These muffins were disappointing, they were dry and needed butter and a second cup of coffee to wash them down. Followed the recipe to a T and no my oven does not need to be calibrated.
Sounds like you over baked yours. It’s a good idea to check on your bakes to test and see if they’re done before the full bake time.
this was incredible. there’s only two left since yesterday. i got 14 muffins out of this, and added orange extract instead of vanilla extract as that’s what i have. each muffin without the glaze came to about 120 calories each – so like – almost a diet muffin! 😉 thanks for the recipe and for posting measurements in metric. it’s SO much more accurate, which i know as a former pastry chef.
can the juice from the orange be used or from the juice from tropicania
I love your blueberry muffin recipe
Hi Faith, the orange juice can be fresh or store bought. Enjoy!
Help! I live in rural Iowa and cannot find a whole cranberry, be it fresh or frozen! The closest thing I can come to is dried cranberries. Dare I use them instead? If yes, should I use them in a 1:1 ratio? Thank you for any help you can provide!
Hi Becky, dried cranberries will work here — you can put them in directly from the bag, or you can rehydrate them by soaking them in water for a bit. Either works! If using dried, I recommend reducing the amount to 1 cup (about 130g).
I made these with dried cranberries (Craisin 50% less sugar); the yogurt I used was vanilla Siggi’s Icelandic Style Skyr Non-Fat Yogurt; and I used powdered milk reconstituted with OJ instead of water.
They. Were. So. F’n. Good. Great recipe! Thanks!
These cranberry- orange muffins are phenomenal!!
Very happy with the result! Love the exact batch size and the perfect toastiness. Subbed in 40g whey protein to sneak in a little extra something for my kids. Will also try with my white whole wheat, which often substitutes for or at least plays well with APF.
They didn’t raise and were soggy and dark. A complete disaster.
This is the creamiest batter. Great job on the recipe ingredients! Fantastic!!
Can you substitute cherries for cranberries? If so, what other changes would you recommend?
I can’t find cranberries but cherries are in season!
Chopped cherries would be lovely here! No changes needed.
Hello! I love your jumbo muffin recipes and was wondering if I could use my quick bread recipes in my jumbo muffin tin? I’ve had many of these recipes for years and some are from my late mom. I wasn’t sure if I needed to make any adjustments. Thank you!
Hi Priscilla, for the most part, quick breads should work just fine as muffins or jumbo muffins. You can follow the baking time and directions from these jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide. Hope this helps!
I used what I had on hand to make these and ended up with some slight adjustments. 1 orange zest instead of two, 1/4 sour cream + 1/4 cup (and 2 tbsp) milk. Coconut oil instead of butter. And after reading the comments i only used half the cinnamon (1/4 tsp). I also made the mistake of baking for 425F for 15min because I was in a rush and misread the instructions. Luckily I smelled them and pulled them out at the perfect time and they were perfect. I probably could have used half or even a third the amount of glaze that I made, so I will make less of it next time. In spite of all my troubleshooting, these were a hit! My husband and his coworkers LOVED them, calling them “clouds” and “perfect consistency”. My husband was asking me to make them again after his first muffin. I’m sure they would be even richer if I made them exactly to the recipe, but they were good regardless! My favorite part about this recipe is how versatile and forgiving it is. It really built my confidence with baking and I am excited to make these again when cranberry season rolls back around.
Hi Sally. Can This recipe be baked in jumbo muffin pans? I love your jumbo blueberry muffins. I bake them for friends at work and wanted to surprise them with a different kind. Thank you
Hi Sharon, absolutely! You can follow the baking time and directions from jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide.
Hi! I tried these muffins with a flax egg & whole wheat & they turned out amazing !!! I added chocolate chips instead of cranberries – even the kids loved them !
I really like this recipe but usually use vegetable oil instead of butter. This time I stayed true to your recipe and used butter, the flavor was good but the Texture was a bit dry.
I still like the the recipe though
Awesome muffins! Can I do less zest and more juice instead and keep the same flavor? If so, how should I substitute?
Hi Morgan, more juice will add too much moisture to the batter. Best to use zest!
It would be nice to have the nutrition info for these and all your recipes
Hi Denise, 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
Delicious! I subbed the eggs with flax eggs, as I didn’t have any eggs left, and turned out fine. The batter seems so thick but they are light and moist.
I have made these before and added some pecans as they were left over and I didn’t have oranges at the time (with a plain glaze). This time, the cranberry orange per the recipe. Great both ways! Would be wonderful if you could put time and temp for 6 jumbo muffins as well as mini-muffins in your notes. I often make 6 and give them as gifts (smaller than a loaf and bigger than a regular muffin). I am always poking into the oven to see if they are done yet! LOL! Which is probably not good for baking 🙂 I have found notes for 6 muffs in the comments, but to scroll through the comments is rather tedious and I often give up. Thank you for your great recipes though! Always enjoy coming back for more!
About Jumbo Muffins, She answers this question alot. Use the directions from her
Jumbo Blueberry muffins. Mini muffins are listed in the notes just past the recipe. 350 entire time 11 to 13 minutes
The glaze puts it over the top
Delicious! I used frozen cranberries, sour cream and substituted 1/4 c of white flour for wheat flour. They raised beautifully and are so so moist. I used the recipe’s baking directions and when they were almost done, I’ve put the oven at a low broil for the last 1.5 minutes to give them a golden look. Next time, I’m going to add more orange zest and omit the cinnamon as we found the cinnamon overpowered the orange test. Thanks for the recipe!
These were SO good and worth the effort! I even made a second batch for the freezer once we tried them.