This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Cranberry Orange Muffins with a rich, sour cream batter
Made with tart cranberries, fresh squeezed orange juice and bright orange zest folded into a wonderfully moist sour cream batter.
Have you ever gone into a trendy bakery and lusted over their gorgeous seasonal Cranberry Orange Muffins? Yup, me too. And I’ve often wished they weren’t so expensive.
Buying Cranberry Orange Muffins to enjoy with a cup of coffee is fine, but I can’t imagine buying a dozen to have on hand during the holidays for out-of-town company. Not very cost effective for sure!
I often think about how their muffins are so pretty, with big beautifully domed tops and a perfect light texture. Now we can all make these delicious muffins at home!
Ingredients needed to make Cranberry Orange Muffins recipe:
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- granulated sugar
- sour cream
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- orange zest
- orange juice
- eggs
- cranberries – fresh or frozen
- coarse sugar for topping
Packed with a full two cups of fresh cranberries, these lightly sweet muffins are delightful and delicious.
You know I couldn’t rest until I embraced the challenge and made my own bakery worthy cranberry orange muffins at home, complete with big beautifully domed tops and a perfect light texture!
I bet you’ll be looking for an excuse to make them again and again, like me!
The secret to the perfect domed tops is to let the unbaked muffins rest in the tin for about 15 minutes before baking.
For those you will serve right away, a nice orange flavored glaze is a pretty great topping. Mix a little powdered sugar together with fresh orange juice and drizzle away.
However, I don’t recommend icing or glazing the muffins until ready to serve.
How to make big, beautiful, fluffy Cranberry Orange Muffins:
- Start by whisking the dry ingredients together: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and the sugar.
- Next, combine the sour cream, melted butter, vanilla, orange zest, orange juice and eggs.
- Add the sour cream mixture to the flour mixture and blend until moistened.
- Gently fold in the cranberries taking care not to over-mix.
- Using a large ice cream scoop, portion the batter into 18 muffin wells or paper liners.
- Allow the unbaked muffins to rest at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before baking. This ensures plenty of loft and nice round domed tops.
- Sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Drizzle with an orange glaze just before serving, if desired.
Sprinkle with a little coarse sugar just before baking.
The lightly crisp top makes a great first impression when biting into the muffin.
You need to try one Cranberry Orange Muffin warm from the oven. I’m practically drooling just writing about these treats! Your guests will be begging for the recipe and hoping you make more during their visit.
Our Cranberry Orange Muffins keep well for about 3 days but are best eaten slightly warm from the oven, or on the day they’re made.
Can you use frozen cranberries?
When properly stored in an airtight container, fresh cranberries freeze beautifully for up to 12 months. These muffins can be made with fresh or frozen cranberries so you may want to keep an extra bag on hand for later. This recipe has not been tested with dried cranberries.
Cranberries have such a nice tart bite, they really make a statement in these not-too-sweet muffins. Oranges are readily available now too, and their sweet flavor is fantastic combined with cranberries.
Can you freeze these Cranberry Muffins?
Absolutely! These muffins freeze very well and thaw at room temperature in about 30 minutes. For a slightly warm muffin, microwave for 15 to 20 seconds before serving.
The crispy, sugary top may soften, but the muffins are still very tasty. Enjoy 🙂
Baking tips for Cranberry Orange Muffins:
- Around the holidays is a good time to stock your kitchen with fresh baking soda and baking powder. Write the date opened on the can or box, and replace every 6 months or so for best results.
- You can use cupcake liners or just bake right in the muffin tin. Be sure to lightly spray the liners or muffin pan with vegetable cooking spray for easy removal.
- Reserve about a 1/4 cup of the fresh cranberries and scatter them on top of the unbaked muffins for a pretty presentation.
- This recipe makes 18 Cranberry Orange Muffins but is easily halved.
- You will need 1 juicy orange for the juice and zest.
- To freeze leftover Cranberry Orange Muffins, place them on a baking sheet and freeze for a few hours. Transfer the muffins to an airtight container for storage.
- Thaw the unwrapped muffins in the refrigerator overnight or for an hour or two at room temperature. If planning to freeze, I would skip the coarse sugar topping as it may seem wet after thawing out.
- Don’t forget to let the unbaked muffins rest at room temperature for at least 15-20 minutes before baking. This helps create the beautiful, big, domed muffins tops!
Thanks for PINNING!
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (334g)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (170g)
- 1 cup sour cream (8 ounces)
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly (113g or 8 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest about 1 large orange
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice about 1 large orange
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 cups cranberries rinsed and dried
- coarse sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 18 muffin cups or cupcake liners with vegetable cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Make a well in the center.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the sour cream, melted butter, vanilla, orange zest, orange juice and eggs. For together with a spatula until blended. Pour the sour cream mixture into the flour mixture. Fold together with the spatula until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Gently fold in the cranberries. Divide the batter between the 18 muffin wells or paper liners. Allow the unbaked muffins to rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before baking.
- Sprinkle the tops of the unbaked muffins with coarse sugar, if desired. Bake at 400F for 16-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool the muffins in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve slightly warm if desired.
- If desired, drizzle with an orange glaze just before serving. Mix together 1/2 cup powdered sugar with the juice of 1/2 an orange and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over muffins and serve.
Recipe Notes
- These muffins are best served the day they are made but keep well a day or two in an airtight container at room temperature.
- For best results, only drizzle icing on those that will be consumed immediately.
- Substitute frozen cranberries for fresh if desired. Allow the cranberries to thaw for about an hour at room temperature.
Nutrition
Here are a few more of our favorite fresh cranberry recipes to make for the holidays!
Cranberry Almond Breakfast Cake ~ Lightly sweet, moist and delicious, this easy treat is perfect as a breakfast (coffee) cake, a light dessert after lunch or an anytime snack cake.
Almond Cranberry Scones – Airy and light with pockets of almond deliciousness, these are the perfect lightly sweet scones terrific served for brunch or breakfast.
Cranberry Swirl Buns – soft almond scented yeast buns swirled with a fresh cranberry filling then topped with a simple drizzle of fresh orange juice mixed with powdered sugar.
Originally published November 2018, updated November 2020
Michelle
I made these and they are delicious! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Michelle!
Pat
I make muffins all the time and these are the most tasty and unique ones I’ve tried in a long time. The nuts, tart cranberries and all the orange created a taste tantalizing to the tastebuds. The changes I made were instead of two cups of all purpose flour: 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour; also, I used 1 cup of orange juice instead of 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup OJ.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Pat! Great to hear those wonderful changes worked well for you. Love the extra orange juice, too. Happy baking!
Mandy McDevitt
Love your recipes. Print many and pin the rest. Can’t be without them. Thank you! You are the premier baker, for sure.
Keep baking, Tricia, and I will, too.
Mandy
Tricia Buice
Mandy you are awesome! This comment made my day. I’m so thrilled you enjoy our recipes and have tried a few. We truly appreciate that you took the time to comment. Thank you so much!!! Happy baking to you 🙂
Beth Starr
PS: Is the nutritional data available?
Tricia Buice
Hello again Beth – I added the nutritional data you asked for. Enjoy!
Beth Starr
Love these muffins! I top them with the course sugar. They look so pretty. Friends love getting a half dozen on a plate, tied up in cellophane. I use duck eggs and cranberries from the NJ Pine Barrons, this makes them an extra special local treat.
Tricia Buice
How sweet Beth! I bet your friends love you 🙂 Sharing is best when it comes to baking. Duck eggs sound wonderful in these muffins! Haven’t had them in years. I was always amazed at the deep color of the yolks. Thanks for the feedback!
Ashley Brun
I made these muffins for Christmas morning. I am an avid baker and make muffins from scratch all the time. The batter for these was definitely a different consistency. It was the consistency of a biscuit dough, never seen a muffin recipe mix up like that. I was very careful not to do too much flour. The texture of the muffin was surprisingly good. However, the absolute lack of sweetness didn’t balance out the tartness of the fresh cranberries. I know it says “lightly sweet” in the recipe, but these weren’t sweet at all, just overly tart. I ended up making an orange glaze for them and they were much better. Everyone ended up liking the finished product, but I think I would try a different recipe next time..
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Ashley. I guess we prefer our muffins more like muffins and less like cupcakes. A little less sweet is okay with us. Adding a glaze is perfect for those that want them a little more sweet. I love the sugary crusty top myself. Thanks again!
Mary Schuck
I made these this morning. They have a bright, fresh taste. I added the juice of another orange as I have never had such dry muffin battter. They did bake up okay with that addition.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Mary. Please be sure you are stirring your flour in the bag before scooping and leveling off the top of the measuring cup. Perhaps you added a little too much flour. The batter is thick for sure, but should not be dry. Glad they turned out okay. Check out our Top 9 Baking Tips and Tricks.
Della J
I just made these 11.16.2020. And they are yummy. Definitely a keeper. Will be making again soon. I love that it’s not extremely sweet. Just right. I dont like the after taste of baking soda, so I used only aluminum free baking powder. I added the zest of the full orange, cause I love that fresh orange flavour.
Tricia Buice
Sounds terrific Della! Thanks for trying the muffins and for taking the time to comment. We love these delicious muffins anytime!
Liz
Perfect for Thanksgiving morning! I was going to make a loaf of cranberry bread, but your yummy muffins are swaying me another direction!!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Liz! We just love these muffins. All that tart cranberry flavor and tons of orange. Enjoy and have a wonderful Thanksgiving 😉
Dena
Cranberries are tart and delicious, but I found the batter bland. I may try the recipe again, but it needs more orange flavour. Not sweet enough. Disappointed overall.
Tricia Buice
We appreciate the feedback Dena. These muffins are designed to be not as sweet as cupcakes, but I understand they’re not for everybody. Thanks for trying them!
Shelly hinkley
How do I keep my muffins bottoms from getting so dark. Some is almost black.
Tricia Buice
Hi Shelly. My first guess would be to check your oven and make sure it is baking correctly. Perhaps you could also move the oven rack up a notch. You may even consider a new muffin pan. Hope this helps!
Dorothy
Good Morning,
Since I have frozen cranberries in my freezer can I use those and if so,
defrost or not?
Thanks
Tricia Buice
Hi Dorothy – no need to defrost. Enjoy! I love these muffins and hope you do too.
Garfield Hiscock
Holy doodoo these were awesome! Even though I didn’t notice the 18 muffin yield.
Substitutions:
1 cup of whole wheat flour
Applesauce for butter (to reduce cholesterol)
I don’t preheat the oven until all ingredients have been combined
Now it’s time to make the scones on this page.
Tricia Buice
Love the addition of whole wheat flour Garfield. Great substitutions and so glad you enjoyed. Bravo!
Diana
Cranberries to tart
Rachel
Made these today on Christmas morning. Love that they aren’t too sweet since they are a muffin. I was concerned that the batter didn’t have enough moisture as I live at a higher altitude, so I added a touch more orange juice and they baked up nicely. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Rachel. Glad you enjoyed these muffins.
Karen
Tricia:
This sounds like the perfect recipe to take to my neighbors on Thanksgiving morning! I hope mine turn out as gorgeous as yours are in the picture. Such a pretty, festive looking muffin. Thanks for sharing.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Karen – I’m sure they will be very pretty. Be sure to reserve a few fresh cranberries to put on top just before baking. The tops spread out a bit so put them in a group in the middle. Divide the batter between 18 muffins tin wells and they will come out fine. Don’t forget to spray the tin or cupcake liners with vegetable spray. You’re going to love them! Thanks so much for trying the recipe.
Diane Ablack
Very disappointing! The batter was so dry that the flour wouldn’t mix in. I added another 1/4 cup of orange juice and that still wasn’t enough so I had to add some milk. They are very dense and chewy. I followed the recipe exactly using 2 1/2 cups of flour as specified.
Tricia Buice
Sorry you didn’t enjoy these muffins Diane. I must say however, that this is a well tested recipe and I’ve never had trouble with it. It’s always been great for us and our readers.
Della J
Hi try adding the sugar to the egg, sour cream and melted butter mix, so it dissolves the sugar. That’s what I did. Mine came out perfectly wish we could share pics. I’m very happy with how mine came out. Also I use unbleached flour for all my baking. It creates a more moist texture.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the suggestions Della. Unbleached flour is my favorite too.
Amber
I read all the way through, but didn’t see how to prepare the fresh cranberries for the recipe. Thanks
Tricia Buice
Hi Amber. As with anything baked with fresh fruit, the cranberries should be washed, dried and rotten or smushed fruit discarded. Pick over all the cranberries using only the firm, best berries. Hope that helps!
Pam
I have looked over several times and I cannot find the recipe for the cranberry orange muffins??? I cannot wait to try.
Thanks
Pam
Tricia Buice
Hi Pam – the printable recipe is just above the box where you left this message, at the end of the post. It’s shaded in beige. Please let me know if you don’t find it. You’re going to love these muffins – they are so good!
Emma
Love this recipe my cranberry orange muffins turned out amazing. Instead of making 18 muffins I made 12 muffins and 12 mini muffins it was the prefect about of batter. I also added extra orange zest to the sugar I sprinkled on top of the muffins. They are delisious! Thanks for the great recipe. The mini muffins took 16 minutes to bake and the big ones were 20 minutes
Tricia Buice
Thanks Emma! I love that you added more orange zest on top. Thank you for the info on baking mini muffins. So easy to pop in your mouth.
Gloria Hopper
Do you have the recipe in metric weights instead of cups?
They look absolutely delicious.
Tricia Buice
Hi Gloria – I’m sorry I do not have the conversion. They are really good muffins. Hope you get to make them.
Susan
So pretty and I can already taste that warm muffin! This is my kind of dessert, not too sweet and loaded with flavor!
Tricia Buice
These are delicious Susan – hope you get the chance to give them a try! Thank you.
Yogesh
Lovely muffins and looking so pretty
Tricia Buice
Thanks so much!
angiesrecipes
These gorgeous muffins screams HOLIDAY out loud, Tricia. Bet they are very delicious too.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Angie – they are tasty!
Teresa
These sound heavenly!!! Have you tried using dried cranberries such as Craisins in this recipe or do you need fresh cranberries?
Tricia Buice
Hi Teresa. I have not tried it but was thinking about using dried cranberries combined with fresh. Fresh cranberries are not sweetened and most dried are, so the muffins may have a little different taste. The muffins may be a bit more sweet. May be worth a try! Good luck and let us know how it goes 🙂
Teresa
Thank you!!!
Tricia Buice
🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Cranberry orange muffins might just be my favourite muffin flavour. They are the ones I always pick when given a choice 🙂 These look perfect and since I have some cranberries in the fridge looking for a destination, I’ll be making these!
Tricia Buice
I hope you make them Jennifer – they’re really good. Thanks so much!
Larry
They look delicious and with plenty of cranberries.
Tricia Buice
This recipe has two full cups of cranberries – so plenty of flavor for sure. Thanks Larry
Chris Scheuer
Beautiful, definitely company-worth muffins! Thanks for all your great tips too Tricia. I love a high-domed gorgeous muffin bakery-style muffin! Those cranberries look like jewels!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Chris.
Taylor
Can this same recipe be used in a loaf pan or would you reccomend only using muffin tins?
Tricia Buice
Hi Taylor. That’s a great question. I bet it would turn out great. Not sure of the baking time, etc. but feel certain it will be fine. Good luck – let us know how it turns out!
Rita
Hi
Just baked this and the muffins turned out dense and chewy. I carefully folded the wet ingredients with the dry. Dough was not smooth after folding so I added 1/4 cup milk. Muffins rose as expected.
Disappointed?
Tricia Buice
Sorry Rita – not sure why you had trouble with this recipe. The base recipe has been used for many other recipes, with great results. I hope you’ll try again sometime. I’ve never had them turn out dense and chewy. Perhaps you added too much flour? You should not have needed extra milk, which might have changed the texture. Again I’m sorry but thanks for trying the recipe.