If you’re looking for a muffin that’s perfect for breakfast or a snack, these Cranberry Orange Muffins are it. I love this recipe because the cranberries give a nice tart punch, and the orange adds a fresh, zesty flavor that just wakes up your taste buds. Plus, I’m always looking for an excuse to bake something easy and delicious, and these muffins are just that.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These muffins are simple to make but packed with flavor. The fresh cranberries add a tart burst in every bite, while the orange zest and juice give a light citrus note that pairs beautifully with the sweet muffin base. They’re not too sweet, bake up fluffy, and get a little extra fun from the easy orange glaze on top. Perfect for mornings, snacks, or sharing with friends.

What You Will Need to make Cranberry Orange Muffins

You will need all-purpose flour to give the muffins their structure and hold everything together as they bake. Granulated sugar adds sweetness and also helps the muffins stay soft. A little baking powder helps the batter rise so the muffins bake up light instead of dense, and kosher salt balances the sweetness and brings out the flavors.

For the citrus flavor, you will use orange zest along with a little fresh orange juice. The zest gives the muffins a strong orange flavor while the juice adds a bit of freshness to the batter.

Buttermilk keeps the muffins tender and moist while adding a slight tang that works really well with the cranberries. Oil helps keep the texture soft, and eggs help bind the batter together so the muffins bake properly.

Of course the star of these cranberry orange muffins is the fresh cranberries, which add little bursts of tart flavor in every bite.

To finish them off, you will mix powdered sugar, fresh orange juice, and a small pinch of orange zest to make a simple orange glaze that gets drizzled over the cooled muffins.

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ cups buttermilk
• ½ cup oil (vegetable, canola or avocado oil)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh cranberries, halved (cut before measuring) or use dried

Orange Glaze

• ⅓ cup powdered sugar
• ½ – 1 teaspoons fresh orange juice
• pinch orange zest, optional

How to Make Cranberry Orange Muffins

Start by heating your oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or lightly spray the cups with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, add the sugar and orange zest. Stir them together so the zest mixes into the sugar. Then add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir everything until it’s well combined. Set this bowl aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir gently just until everything comes together. Be careful not to overmix. Fold in the halved cranberries.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups and bake for 20–26 minutes, or until the muffins are lightly golden and set in the center. This recipe makes 12 muffins.

While the muffins cool, make the glaze. In a small bowl whisk together the powdered sugar, orange juice, and a pinch of orange zest until smooth. If it seems too thick add a little more juice, and if it’s too thin mix in a bit more powdered sugar.

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins before serving.

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