These Cranberry Orange Muffins are the perfect healthy sweet treat for any occasion! Soft, fluffy, and super easy to make in just about 30 minutes, they are packed full of flavor and great for a dessert, snack or even breakfast. They're vegan, gluten-free and oil-free too!
Over the years, I’ve gotten more and more into holiday baking, and try my best to experiment with some new recipes each season.
I think these muffins are a perfect holiday treat with plenty of seasonal flavor. They have a lovely hint of orange and tanginess from the fresh cranberries.
Together, the two flavors work like magic! You can either bring these along to the Christmas table, or at any point in the buildup to the 25th. But they're also so easy and delicious, that I bet you'll find yourself snacking on them throughout the entire year!
The main ingredient in these muffins is buckwheat flour, which is one of my favourite gluten-free flours to bake with as it’s quite easy to work with. The end result is fluffy, soft muffins that will make the kitchen smell amazing while they bake.
You will love these cranberry orange muffins because they are…
- Simply beyond delicious
- Festive and Christmassy
- Perfect for sharing with friends and family
- Made with healthy ingredients
- Gluten-free
- Oil-free
- Vegan
- Super fluffy
- Beginner-friendly and easy to make
These are perfect either as dessert, a snack with a cup of tea or even as breakfast! I can guarantee that I will be making these many times throughout the year, sharing them with friends and family.
If you love vegan baking, make sure you grab a copy of my free vegan baking cheat sheet while you're here. It's packed with all my favorite plant-based substitutions to help you vegan-ize any recipe!
Making Cranberry Orange Muffins
This muffin recipe seriously couldn’t be easier! Even if you’re a complete beginner when it comes to baking, anyone can make these a success.
Start off by simply stirring together the dry ingredients, which are buckwheat flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda and ground flaxseed.
In a separate bowl, stir together the wet ingredients, which are oat milk, orange juice, apple cider vinegar and peanut butter. Then, add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix them together well, before adding fresh cranberries and the zest of an orange.
Distribute the batter evenly between muffin cases and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C/356 F for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. Allow them to cool for around 5 minutes, and that’s pretty much it!
Tips & Tricks
Storage
I recommend eating the muffins straight away while they’re still warm, but they also last for a good 2-3 days at room temperature. Being as delicious as they are, they’re usually gone within a few hours though!
Ingredients & Substitutions
I like working with buckwheat flour, as it gives the muffins a really great texture. But you can also use regular all-purpose flour or another gluten-free baking flour of your choice. Just be aware that it may change the moisture content of the batter - add a bit more milk if the batter is to dry.
I used oat milk in this recipe. The thick, creamy texture is great for baking. You can also substitute regular whole milk, soy milk, or cashew milk for the same results.
Don't skip the flaxseed! While we don't explicitly make a "flax egg" in this recipe, the flaxseed serves the same purpose. When it's mixed with the wet ingredients, it acts lie a glue to hold the batter together.
This recipe is what I call accidentally vegan. I didn't set out to make it that way, but it is naturally plant based nonetheless. But if you're into vegan baking, be sure to grab my free vegan baking cheat sheet while you're here!
More Recipes to Try
If you love these cranberry orange muffins, be sure to check out these other delicious recipes. Or see all my dessert recipes here.
- Caramelized Orange & Cardamom Upside Down Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake
- Vegan Biscotti
Recipe
Orange Cranberry Muffins (Vegan and Gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups buckwheat flour
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- ¾ cup oat milk or any plantbased milk of choice
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 3.5 oz fresh cranberries
- zest of 1 large orange
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/356 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (buckwheat flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground flaxseed). In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the oat milk, orange juice, apple cider vinegar and peanut butter.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix together well, before folding in the fresh cranberries and orange zest.
- Divide the batter evenly between 7-8 muffin cases. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
What Do You Think?