Healthy Cranberry Orange Muffins

Packed with bright flavors of citrus and cranberries, Healthy Cranberry Orange Muffins are an easy holiday healthy breakfast idea or snack! Yogurt gives these muffins both a moist and light texture while whole wheat flour adds fiber. 

Love fruity baked goods? You might also like these almond muffins with berries and raspberry muffins.

These healthy cranberry orange muffins are not only beautiful to look at but they use simple and wholesome ingredients like many of my healthy muffin recipes that you either already have on hand or can easily find at the store.

Bursting with fresh flavor, these cranberry muffins are not only fluffy and moist, but full of holiday cheer.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Nutrient dense: These healthy muffins swap processed white flour for fiber rich whole wheat or spelt flour! 
• Superfood cranberries: Not only do cranberries provide a vibrant pop of color, they are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C.
• No refined sugar: Maple syrup is less processed as well as has a lower glycemic index and because it is sweeter to the taste you can use less of it in recipes. 
• Yogurt: Not only does it keep these healthy cranberry muffins moist and fluffy, it adds calcium and is lower in fat than sour cream. 
• One bowl: You will make the batter for these fresh cranberry muffins in one bowl, because who needs more dishes during the holidays?
• Versatile: Use fresh, frozen or dried cranberries and muffins can be made gluten free and even egg free! 
• Perfect balance of flavors: Sweet and tart cranberries combined with juicy citrus is sure to make these deliciously moist muffins ones everyone will love!

Ingredients for Healthy Cranberry Orange Muffins

• Whole wheat or spelt flour: I love using nutrient dense whole grain flours for muffins. If using all purpose flour, use 1 cup for every 3/4 cups whole wheat. You’ll also need to reserve a bit of flour for dusting the cranberries.
• Liquid sweetener: Maple syrup, honey, or agave. Do not use dry sweetener, it must be liquid.
• Plain yogurt: Adds moistness to the muffins. Try to avoid Greek yogurt unless you are a more experienced baker and know how to balance the liquids.
• Oil: Neutral oils like avocado, melted coconut oil, light olive oil, or melted butter.
• Egg: For binding and lift, see section on variations for egg free.
• Orange zest: Pairs so well with cranberries, I also use this combination of flavors for healthy cranberry sauce and healthy cranberry oatmeal cookies.
• Fresh or frozen cranberries: Either works! You can also use dried cranberries, just be sure they are unsweetened are you will be adding a lot of extra sugar.
• Baking staples: Pure vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda and salt for both taste and lift in baked goods.
• Organic cane sugar (optional): I love to add a little ‘sparkle’ to these muffins when baking them at the holidays! You could substitute granulated monkfruit (or another granulated sugar free product) to keep these lower in sugar.

How to Make Healthy Cranberry Orange Muffins

This is a no fuss healthy cranberry orange muffins recipe. A little prep and some combining in a bowl, and you’re well on your way!

• Prep: Preheat the oven and spray a nonstick muffin tin, silicone, or otherwise, with cooking spray. Use muffin cups if you have them. If you can find unbleached and chlorine-free muffin wrappers, feel free to use those. They’re super convenient and pretty cute! It makes releasing out of the tin really easy. Set the prepared tin aside.
• Grate zest: I use my microplane grater and grate the orange peel over a shallow bowl.

• Whisk wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg for 10 seconds. Then add all of the ingredients with the exception of the flour and cranberries. Whisk until there are no lumps.
• Add dry ingredients: Add baking staples, whisk, then add flour and gently stir to combine. Over mixing your batter will cause too much air to be released and the result will be dense not fluffy muffins.

• “Dust” and add cranberries: Grab a medium bowl, and add cranberries and a tbsp of flour. Stir to coat. Once they’re nice and coated, add them to the muffin mix and stir gently to combine.
• Scoop and sprinkle: Using an ice cream scoop, pour the batter into prepared muffin tins, trying to divide them as evenly as possible. For no other reason than to have them bake evenly and so they look uniform. If you’d like, you can sprinkle the top with a bit of granulated sugar for that ‘holiday’ sparkle!
• Bake: Bake for a total of 23 minutes, starting with higher heat to help muffins rise to that bakery style look. Then reducing the heat part of the way through. Insert a toothpick into the middle of one of the muffins. If it comes out clean, that’s a good indication they are done. Remove them from the oven to cool before transferring to a cooling rack.

Variations

• Gluten free: Try gluten free all-purpose flour. Bob’s Red Mill makes it. It’s a bit drier, so if you have experience with baking, try adding a bit of liquid like milk to thin out the batter. If you’re not experienced, perhaps don’t take the chance as putting too much milk it may be a problem! Either way, plain yogurt will give your muffins added richness and a slight tang. So good!
• Egg free: Try replacing egg with flax egg or chia egg.
• Dried cranberries: If you are using dried cranberries, use unsweetened. This way your muffins won’t be overly sweet.
• Streusel: Combine flour, butter, and sugar for an indulgent streusel topping.
• Sugar: The added sprinkling of sugar on top gives the muffins a lovely added texture, a bit of sparkle, and extra sweetness. I use raw cane sugar. You could use turbinado raw sugar or even your favorite granulated sugar free product.
• Glaze: Alternately, skip the sugar and make an orange glaze by combining icing sugar and orange juice, like I do in my healthy gingerbread loaf.
• Zest: You could use lemon zest like in lemon zucchini muffins or healthy lemon blueberry muffins, it will add a different flavor profile, but still a lovely citrus taste.
• Nuts: A small amount 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts could be added to the batter.
• Chocolate chips: Add 1/2 cup of your favorite chocolate chips- dark, semi-sweet, white or sugar free.

Tips for Best Results

• Finding the right yogurt: Use at least 2% for body and thickness but not Greek as it is too thick. See, it really is a science! 
• Wet to dry ingredient ratio: If you use dry sweetener like sugar, batter consistency will be thrown off and muffins will not turn out.
• Don’t over mix the batter: Do not use an electric mixer for this recipe, it will result in dense muffins. Use a spatula and mix gently to combine.
• Use pure vanilla extract: For both taste and health reasons.
• Proper flour measurements: Although you can get creative with flavours and toppings, measurements aren’t as flexible when it comes to baking. I like to use the scoop and level method for flour. Scooping adds air into the flour and then leveling with a knife ensures your measurement is precise.

FAQs

How to Serve

These healthy cranberry muffins are decadent enough to be enjoyed for dessert but healthy enough to grab for breakfast!

• Breakfast: I love to keep them in my breakfast rotation along with healthy banana muffins and banana oatmeal bars. You could even include them on a holiday brunch charcuterie board.
• Snack: Perfect for holiday snacking along with almond flour sugar cookies, almond flour thumbprint cookies and healthy pecan pie bars.
• Dessert: Serve with a dollop of homemade whipped cream, chocolate spread or with vegan vanilla ice cream.

Breaking open one of these little treats and watching the steam release is enough to make your heart sing. Enjoy!

How to Store

Store: In a cool dry place for up to 3-4 days. Place in refrigerator for longer storage up to 5 days.

Freeze: In a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

More Healthy Muffins Recipes to Try

• Healthy pumpkin muffin recipe
• Healthy carrot muffins
• Almond flour banana muffins
• Healthy blueberry muffins
• Blueberry lemon muffins
• Rhubarb muffins
• Blackberry muffins
• Healthy strawberry muffins

Alternately, you may love this list of my healthy muffin recipes!