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
I love this recipe. Question. Can I substitute coconut oil for butter?
Hi Suzanne, you need the butter to cream with the sugar, so we don’t recommend it. (Unless you use room temperature solid coconut oil.) So glad you love these muffins!
Made these today for New Years and dropped off to my neighbors as a treat. They were perfect! Had to bake them 3-5 extra minutes than suggested in order to get a clean toothpick and need to work on the icing trick listed below in notes. Absolutely fantastic recipe!
How do I get the glaze to look like in the photos? Following the recipe exactly, the glaze is translucent, not bright white and opaque.
Hi Aron! The great thing about a glaze like this is you can add more sugar to make it thicker and more liquid to make it thinner. Just add sugar until you reach the desired consistency.
Loved this recipe as I do most on this site! I use this site frequently because the recipes are easy, delicious, and always turn out wonderfully. I only gave 4 stars because they were a bit dry.
I will be making these in the morning. What is better for both taste and texture- yogurt or sour cream? I’m torn.
Hi Tracy, we use both interchangably!
Just absolutely delicious & pretty too! Love the cake like texture but the brightness of the orange & tartness of cranberry take it over the top! Added a little orange zest to the frosting as well. Thank you for another perfect recipe! Happy New Year to you & your team!
My crumble did not look like yours at all – too much flour?!!
Was it quite dry? It could be too much flour, yes.
Tastes good, but neither of your muffin recipes I did today raised! I just don’t know why. I followed the recipe to the letter. You’d think 2T of leavening would be more than enough. I love all your recipes though. They’ve all tasteD great!
Hi Alice, are your baking soda and baking powder fresh?
I’m an idiot. I knew the baking soda was new, I just opened it today. The baking powder…not so much. The expiration date was 2023. I’m totally embarrassed. I could have sworn i just bought that a few months ago.
I’m an idiot. I knew the baking soda was new, I just opened it today. The baking powder…not so much. The expiration date was 2023. I’m totally embarrassed. I could have sworn i just bought that a few months ago.
GREAT RECIPE! I loved keeping the berries whole – nice pop of tart! I baked at 350 for 19 minutes – perfection. What’s the advantage of high heat for the first 5 minutes?
Hi Dave, so glad you love these muffins! The initial high oven temperature quickly lifts up the muffin top. Once the temperature is lowered, the centers of the muffins bake. You’ll notice this in all our muffin recipes.
Hello!
Can I use whole wheat flour (or half whole wheat, half all-purpose) for this recipe?
Hi Alexandra! 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!
I am going to add walnuts. Said to put 1/2 cup. So in other words, do 1 cup cranberries?
Will this recipe work with oil instead of butter?
Hi Ruth, you really need oil for this recipe. You could make our oil-based cranberry orange bread recipe instead – see recipe Notes for muffin instructions.
This was a great treat!! Not too overly sweet despite the sugar and the crumble really pulled it all together. I also took the advice of adding in some allspice to my topping and it adds some depth to the taste. Super easy to follow and, she’s right, the batter gets thick! But just as in every aspect of life, persevere and you will be greatly rewarded.
These muffins are so good! Highly recommend
Absolutely lived these muffins as did all the family, wanted to make more but not got any yogurt, could I use something else? Thanks
Yes, sour cream can be used in place of the yogurt. So glad these were a hit!
Great recipe. I added a tsp of cinnamon and a pinch of cloves and nutmeg! I chopped fresh cranberries. Very delicious
I want to know can i use dried cranberries
Hi Gayle, 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).
Hi Sally! I was just wondering if anything needs to be adjusted from these to make into a mini muffin form? Thanks!
Hi Annabelle, See recipe Notes! For mini muffins: 350°F (whole time) for 12–14 minutes. Makes about 36–40.
I’ve made and loved this recipe before but now need to make mini muffins for an Engagement Party. Planning to use frozen cranberries – should I rough chop them a bit first? Maybe over-thinking but imagining a whole cranberry or 2 in a mini muffin might be too much. Thoughts?
Hi Mary, yes you can chop them first!
These are amazing! I these as mini muffins for Thanksgiving and then regular/jumbo size for gifts. I used non-fat greek plain yogurt and Lactaid milk. So light, airy and delicious!
Hi. Can I add white chocolate chips to this recipe ? Sounds delicious.
Absolutely! Enjoy!
I made these the morning after Thanksgiving
They were amazing the cranberries were so
yummy and orange zist made it taste orange
This inspired me to do a Christmas brunch
Thank you
This has inspired me to do a brunch christmas
Help! This is hands down the most beautiful muffin presentation wise and the muffin part was delicious (per all my Sally’s recipes!) however when I got a bite of cranberry, it was super tart. I know cranberries are naturally tart but have never had a cranberry muffin where I noticed such tartness. Anything I can adjust to fix this? I followed recipe as is.
Hi Tiffany, as cranberries are naturally tart, that’s expected, though it could be that you happened to get a batch of particularly tart berries. You can add a little more sugar to the batter to offset this if desired. Hope this helps for next time!
This is an excellent recipe. Just be aware if you are using frozen cranberries work quickly once you add them because the frozen cranberries will cool the batter and make it very thick as it’s the butter that hardens as it cools. It’s not a problem the muffins are still light and fluffy. You may need a minute or two more baking time. Just check with a toothpick.
So… goood… I ate five.. dangerous recipe, I also just sprinkled with a generous amount of powdered sugar out the oven and after a few minutes chilling instead of crumble or frosting
Made these but did not make them with the icing as there is enough sugar in this recipe. They came out great using the higher oven temp for the first 5 minutes. I used cranberries left over from Thanksgiving and a large orange for the zest and juiced it for the OJ in the recipe. I didn’t think I would like these because I am not a huge fan of cranberries. But they are very tasty and moist. The mild taste of the orange juice is refreshing. I can see making these for Christmas as an extra dessert.
Can I add walnuts to this? Making for Christmas Brunch. Thank you
Certainly! Try adding about a 1/2 cup (60g). Hope they turn out well!
I made regular size muffins that came out fantastic. I brought them to the woodshop and they were gone in no time. I was wondering if I can use the same recipe using a small Bundt cake pan
Hi Zulay, so glad these were a hit! We can’t see why not. We’re unsure of the exact bake time (it will vary based on the size of your Bundt pans), so keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
This is one of our most trusted sites. Thank you
I lost my fav. muffin top recipe – and found yours – 99% identical except a few tweaks. my household prefers muffin TOPS because they’re easier/less messy to eat on the run.
In the last 2yrs, I’ve probably made these 6-8x times, and a lemon blueberry version as many or more times. I use a whoopie pie pan for “muffin tops.” Icing: I whisk an egg white until frothy, then add powdered sugar and fresh OJ + vanilla paste until reaching desired consistency which makes a nice crispy sugary icing finish. I usually go an add’l orange worth of zest and tend to chop my cranberries in size to about 1/4ths. Some chunky, some small (b/c I’m NOT cutting each cranberry into fourths… lol) Even my non-cranberry family members gobble these up!
Made these into jumbo muffins, I used my homemade cranberry/orange thick chunky sauce leftover from Thanksgiving. Scoop mix with a cookie dough scoop, made a hollow in middle and filled with sauce. Repeat dough, sauce,dough then topped with the crumb. Making the glaze top. They look beautiful!
Wow! Can ijust say these are the BEST muffins! Absolutely delicious!