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
Can you make the cranberry bread or muffins with the canned “jellied” cranberry sauce?
I always make your cranberry nut bread with the whole cranberries, but since just my husband ate the canned, rolled cranberry sauce I have a lot leftover.
Thank you.
Hi EC, we wouldn’t recommend it. Jellied cranberry sauce is very different than whole cranberries. One thing you could try–which we haven’t tested so can’t promise this will work–is make the base orange muffin batter, then fill the muffin cups halfway with the batter, add a little scoop of cranberry sauce on top, then top with the remaining batter. You can use a knife to do a gentle swirl. If you decide to try it, let us know how it goes!
The muffins are fantastic! Delicious! Moist! And leftover muffins – we popped in the microwave for 13 seconds and they were like right out the oven. Added benefit – the house smells wonderful as they bake
Do you think I could substitute buttermilk for the yogurt or sour cream?
Hi Ellen, we don’t recommend leaving out the yogurt, but you could use buttermilk in place of the regular milk.
This was delicious! Refreshing and sweet. Perfect.
Stoked about this recipe. I made the New York Times cranberry curt tart, and I just couldn’t throw out the orange and cranberry skins. So, I blended them up and put them in these muffins. They were devoured. I’m sure they weren’t quite as good as the written recipe, but a win for not wasting!
Great recipe. I had the dough made and since it’s late and I’m tired I turned it into a coffee cake. It looks great and I’ll glaze it in the morning.
All of your recipes are amazing!! I have made this one a few times, it never disappoints. I wanted to know, can I make this ahead of time, put in a muffin tin and bake tomorrow morning?
Hi Hanna! We don’t recommend making muffin batter ahead of time. It won’t rise properly when baked.
I made these and brought them to work. My coworkers raved about how good they were! This site never disappoints. The recipes are always delicious and amazing.
Could this be made in a mini muffin pan? And if so what would the oven temp and and what would the time change to?
See recipe Notes! For mini muffins: 350°F (whole time) for 12–14 minutes. Makes about 36–40.
I was just wondering, could you use dried cranberries instead of fresh ones?
Hi Avery! 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, we recommend reducing the amount to 1 cup (about 130g).
Made these yesterday for by bestie’s birthday, and she said they were the best muffins she’s ever had. I did not add the glaze, and to my surprise they are very very good. Recipe is a keeper.
Made them gluten-free using 1:1 GF and they were delish! Sprinkled chopped craisins on top of the icing.
These are terrific muffins. I made them in the giant muffin pan, and they came out perfect. The crumb topping adds a touch of sweetness in muffins that aren’t overly sweet. And, thank you for the pro tip of refrigerating the crumb topping while the muffins batter is prepared!
My stepson and I. made this recipe, and it is extraordinary! The streusel top is crunchy and orivides a contrast to the plush muffin cake. We used fresh cranberries, and they are wonderfully tart in contrast to the sweet, orange-cinnamon cake. The icing brings everything together. We made a few changes– doubled the cinnamon and used 5% Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream (because that’s what we had). Totally excellent! I might double the orange zest next time! We will definitely make this again!
I made these today and added extra cranberries and made 24 muffins out of the recipe. They are delicious. I’m on WW and it figured out to be 3 points apiece, such a bonus!!
Loving your recipes!
These muffins are incredibly soft and packed with flavour. Will definitely make again!
For mini muffins should I cut up the cranberries?
You definitely can!
I must admit, this recipe was a lot of work, way more than what I am used to….BUT OMG, it is worth it!!!!! This recipe is fantastic!
The inside was airy and tender. I am a girl that doesn’t like stuff too sweet and this recipe was perfect. All the flavors come through nicely without all that extra sweetness!
Definitely keeping this recipe as a favorite, thank you so much!
Hi, your recipes do not disappoint! My favorite muffin near where i worked prior to retiring, was orange nut cranberry. Love the nuts with it. Can nuts be added to your muffin recipe without tweaking anything? Thank you!
Absolutely! Let us know how they go, Debbie.
Can this recipe be used in a Mini Loaf pan
Hi Margie, sure! Or you could use our orange glazed cranberry loaf recipe.
I am sure these muffins are delicious…I’ve used several of your muffin recipes and they have been delicious…..I don’t know what I did wrong this time, but when I added the dry ingredients to the wet i ended up with something like cookie dough. I baked it because I thought perhaps this recipe is just a bit different than the others. What in the world did I do???
Hi Merilee! Could there have been too much flour in the batter? How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
My husband asked me about the nutritional facts about these over the top yummy cranberry orange muffins. We have been trying to help my daughter who has polycystic ovary syndrome eat better and I couldn’t find any nutritional information anywhere in reading. Any help would be awesome. Thank you, your recipes have become my go to for delicious, foolproof, easy recipes.
Hi Linda! 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
It is a little thicker than other muffin recipes. I actually used a cookie scoop to place the batter into my muffin papers. I do weigh all my ingredients. I also think the density of yogurt, milk and even orange juice can vary by brands and make a tad difference too. I hope you do give it another try because they are really, really great tasting and great texture.
Is there something else we can use aside from cranberries? Chocolate chips perhaps? I am going to make these tomorrow but not a cranberry lover. Thank-you!
Hi Sharon, that should be fine!
Try blueberry and use lemon instead of orange ,it’s a classic combination.
These were fantastic! I made my batch in a jumbo muffin tin, followed her time recommendations and it was perfect. Sally’s is ALWAYS my number 1 go to when I need a good, tried and true recipe. You get accurate and detailed steps which results in a perfect product. I’m a foods teacher and I’ve used many many recipes for my students and always have success. Thank you!
So glad you love these, Megan!
WOW! Best cranberry muffin ever. I love how big they puffed up. Sometimes muffins just get slightly larger than the muffin but not these. I thought there was too much topping so I used less but the way they puffed up I should have used more. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly. Best not to second guess Sally.
These muffins are amazing. I used Cup to Cup GF flour and almond yogurt and they are to die for. Great for Thanksgiving breakfast too. Thanks for sharing another great recipe.
I made these muffins earlier today, to put it mildly, they were a huge hit! The directions were clear and if you follow them, you will have an amazing outcome. I did use dried cranberries, but I rehydrated them in about 4 tablespoons of orange juice, for about 30 mins. They were light, very flavorful and impossible to resist!
Thank you for posting about using dried cranberries. Fresh ones are difficult and expensive to find and frozen ones are non existent. I’ve made them with dried ones with the old recipe and happy to hear they still work!
I want to make these for a friend, but I’m at a loss. He hates cinnamon.
What can I substitute with? And, what would the measurements be?
As always. thanks in advance.
BTW: your CC cookies were a hit, as always.
Hi Sheila, you cane leave the cinnamon out or try the same amount of a different spice like ginger or cardamom, depending on preference.
This sounds amazing. Is there something I could use as a substitute for the yogurt or sour cream?Lactose issues. Thanks.
Hi Jennifer, you could try a plant-based yogurt instead.
I use this recipe very frequently. I make weekly jumbo muffins, using your posted recipes. I do not add the crumb topping or icing, just for personal reason of not wanting more added sugar.
What about a loaf pan?
Hi Rosel, you could use these muffins as a loaf, or here is our cranberry orange loaf recipe instead!