Buttery and moist, these cranberry orange muffins are heavy on the flavor and bursting with cranberries in each bite.
Cranberry is an underrated fall flavor, dontcha think? It’s often lost in all the pumpkin pie and apple recipes flooding kitchens in the fall. Cranberry deserves some love! That being said, how about a POP of vibrant cranberry for breakfast? An abundance of cranberries in every soft, buttery bite. Paired with a bright zest of orange and a sweet orange glaze to finish things off.
Orange is cranberry’s soulmate. Like peanut butter is to jelly chocolate, Fridays are to wine, and french fries are to a chocolate frosty–> an obvious match made in heaven.
I love tart cranberries paired with sunshine-sweet orange. Over the years I’ve shared recipes for cranberry orange Bundt cake, cranberry orange icebox cookies, and orange cranberry bread. I have since made that bread, I don’t know, about 1 million times. Sometimes with streusel, sometimes without (who am I?), but always always always with tons of cranberries and orange zest. Divine.
And so, today’s muffins were born. Festive, fluffy, cinnamon-spiced, and packed with flavor. We’re talking huge flavor! I used my blueberry muffins recipe as the base. Why? All that glorious butter flavor packed inside. Paired with juicy cranberries and bright citrus, the combination of flavor is unreal in these cranberry orange muffins.
These are simple to make. There’s nothing fancy, nothing strange about them. Just a few basic ingredients to make one outrageous morning breakfast.
The star of the show is obviously the cranberries. You may use fresh or frozen. I go a little heavy handed on them—and I think you’ll love that. Because you know when you bite into a “fruit” muffin only to find three small blueberries in one bottom corner? So all you’re really eating is baked flour, sugar, and butter masking as a “fruit” muffin? No, that’s not happening here. All crannies, all over the place.
Besides the burst of tart cranberries, I absolutely love the texture of these cranberry orange muffins. They have more of a cake-like crumb, which is a result of creaming butter and sugar together—as opposed to using oil. They’re light and fluffy, just like cupcakes. Also: they’re so moist. Two eggs, yogurt, and a splash of orange juice (for flavor!) are to thank for their tender, moist centers.
The sweet orange glaze adds to their charm. You can leave the glaze off, but it adds a little extra orange flavor. Kevin and I both liked the muffins with the glaze more. Shocking.
Warm from the oven, these glazed cranberry orange muffins are the best treat to cozy up with on chilly mornings. Or these brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts. Both winners.
And 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!
More Muffin Recipes
I have dozens of muffin recipes on my site. Here are a few favorites:
Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Buttery and moist, these cranberry orange muffins are heavy on the flavor and bursting with cranberries in each bite.
Ingredients
- 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
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120g) yogurt*, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- zest of 2 oranges
- 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
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk (any kind), at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups (185g) fresh or frozen cranberries (do not thaw)
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) 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.
- In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated and brown sugars and beat on high until creamed, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, then turn up to high speed until the mixture is combined and uniform in texture. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Then, beat in the orange zest until combined.
- In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and slowly mix with a whisk. Add the orange juice and milk, gently whisking until combined and little lumps remain. Fold in the cranberries with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling them all the way to the top. Top the batter with an additional cranberry or two, for looks if desired. (I like the pop of color on top of the muffins in doing this.) Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C), then keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake for 18-20 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total times these muffins take in the oven is about 23-25 minutes.
- While the muffins are cooling for a few minutes, make the glaze by whisking the glaze ingredients together. Drizzle over warm muffins. Allow to briefly cool before serving.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Muffins without glaze stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 5 days. Cover and store muffins with glaze at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Glazed or unglazed muffins freeze well for up to 2 months.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Small Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk
- Yogurt: Use your favorite yogurt; I prefer low fat plain Greek yogurt but regular (not Greek) would be just fine. Try with orange flavored, vanilla, honey, nonfat, or full fat. Sour cream works as well.
- Cranberries: You can use 1 and 1/2 cups dried cranberries as a substitute for the fresh/frozen cranberries.
- 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.
Keywords: cranberry orange muffins
There’s more where these muffins came from! Try this same recipe, 3 other ways: Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping, Apple Cinnamon Muffins (with lots of crumbs on top!), and Peach Muffins.
For a more hearty, bakery style muffin, try these chocolate chip muffins! And here is my insanely-over-the-top-in-the-best-way-possible Orange Cranberry Bread:
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!
★★★★★
So glad you loved these muffins, Ruth!
Hi Sally! Have you ever tried these with a streusel topping as well as the glaze (thinking of your delicious pumpkin crumb cake muffins that have both). Any tips?
A streusel topping would be wonderful on these muffins!
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!
Can you use dried cranberries?
Hi Teadra, 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!
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.
Another tasty recipe! I used King Arthur GF flour — measure for measure or whatever it’s called — and followed the recipe exactly. I cut a couple minutes off the cook time, but my oven tends to run hot so that’s probably why. Definitely recommend.
★★★★★
I don’t bake a lot so this was an endeavor and due to my lack of experience I didn’t check on them while baking.
Baked at 400 for 20 and they burned quite a bit :*(
400 was just for the first 5 min