This soft and moist Cranberry Orange Muffins recipe is topped with a delicious orange glaze, and bursting with flavor!

Want to try more muffin recipes? You will love my Blueberry Muffins or Lemon Raspberry Muffins!

A basket full of cranberry orange muffins.

Why I love them:

  • Easy – Only 10 minutes of prep and just a few steps, this is a great recipe for a child to help!
  • Freezer Friendly – Make a double batch and freeze the rest for an even quicker grab-and-go breakfast or snack!
  • Flavorful – we love the tart cranberries and sweet orange combination. It makes for beautiful and festive cranberry muffins, too.

How to make Cranberry Orange Muffins:

Dry Ingredients: Stir together sugar and orange zest. Add flour, salt, and baking powder.

A mixing bowl with granulated sugar and orange zest, and another mixing bowl with dry ingredients including flour, baking powder and salt.

Wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, stir together buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla.

A bowl with wet ingredients (buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla), then the wet ingredients added to a dry ingredients to make batter.

Combine wet and dry ingredients, stirring just until mixed. Fold in halved cranberries.

Cranberry orange muffin batter in a mixing bowl.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-26 minutes.

Optional glaze: combine powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Drizzle over baked muffins.

Pro Tips:

Use Room Temperature Eggs: They’ll be fluffier and will emulsify in the batter more evenly, making a difference in the final product. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl and run hot water over them 30 seconds.

Don’t Over-Mix the batter: When adding wet ingredients to dry ingredients just stir them with a spoon until everything is incorporated. It’s ok if the batter is not perfectly smooth. Over-mixing muffin batter can cause them to be tough.

Variations:

Cranberry substitute: You could use dried cranberries, if you don’t have fresh, or try substituting fresh or frozen raspberries or blueberries, for a fun flavor twist.

Mini Muffins: Bake at 350°F for 10-13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with just crumbs.

Freezing Instructions:

To Freeze: Allow muffins to cool completely, then place in an airtight container of freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, or rewarm in the microwave for a few seconds.

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Recipe

A basket full of cranberry orange muffins.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 30 minutes
Save Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

Orange Glaze (optional):

  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ – 1 teaspoons fresh orange juice
  • pinch orange zest , optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a standard muffin tin with liners, or spray with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl add sugar and orange zest and stir well to combine. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and stir. Set aside.
  • In a separate medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla.
  • Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. Fold in the halved cranberries.
  • Spoon the batter into prepared muffin pan and bake for 20-26 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.
  • While the muffins cook, make the orange glaze. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Whisk until smooth. Add more juice if needed to thin, or powdered sugar to thicken. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins.

Notes

Cranberry substitute: You could use dried cranberries, if you don’t have fresh, or try substituting fresh or frozen raspberries or blueberries, for a fun flavor twist.
Mini Muffins: For mini muffins, bake at 350°F (177°C) for about 11-13 minutes or until baked through. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Freezing Instructions: Allow muffins to cool completely, then place in an airtight container of freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature, or rewarm in the microwave for a few seconds.

Nutrition

Serving: 12gCalories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 114mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 1gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 34IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 1mg

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. Delicious! Was looking something to go with our breakfast this morning and found this recipe. I used about half the orange zest (we don’t care for it too strong), substituted dried cranberries, and added a touch of maple flavor. Now my wife wants me to translate it into Spanish

  2. I have looked at a number of cookbooks, and after 8 years of not cooking, am looking forward to trying your various recipes.

    Sincerely,
    Nicholette

  3. 5 stars
    These are amazing! Quick, easy, and perfect for an after school snack. These did not last long and I have now made these twice in two weeks. 🙂