Gluten-free cranberry orange muffins! A bakery-style muffin, loaded with flavour, bursting with cranberries, and topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar! They're absolutely delicious!
These bakery-style gluten-free cranberry orange muffins are super easy to whip up and taste great! They have a moist, tender crumb, bursting with flavour, and have a cinnamon sugar topping. No one will ever guess they're gluten free!
Orange compliments cranberries so well, and with the added touch of cinnamon, these orange cranberry muffins are perfect for the winter holiday season! They’re moist, tart and just sweet enough to be the perfect treat for a holiday brunch!
This is a small-batch recipe, making 6 muffins, but you can easily double it to make 12.
Like small-batch gluten-free muffin recipes? In addition to these gluten-free cranberry muffins, you should also try my delicious gluten-free chocolate chip muffins, gluten-free double chocolate muffins, and gluten-free blueberry muffins. These classic muffin flavours are sure to satisfy all muffin lovers year-round!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Full of flavour – bursting with tart cranberries, fresh orange zest and just the right amount of sweetness!
- Bakery style, domed muffin top – a sky-high, cinnamon and sugar topped, crispy, domed muffin top!
- Moist – gluten-free muffins can sometimes be dry and gritty, but thanks to the inclusion of greek yogurt, these muffins and perfectly moist.
- Easy to make - you don't need fancy equipment or any special techniques, this is a simple recipe that comes together quickly and easily.
- Small-batch recipe – this gluten-free recipe makes 6 bakery-style muffins. When it comes to gluten-free baking, I like the flexibility smaller batch recipes offer for two reasons: gluten-free baked goods don’t stay fresh as long as traditional wheat flour-based baked goods, and it’s not unusual for only one person in a household to be gluten free. Of course, this recipe can easily be doubled to make 12 muffins!
Ingredients
- gluten-free flour, all-purpose blend
- granulated sugar
- almond flour
- baking powder
- salt
- cinnamon
- greek yogurt
- egg
- vegetable or canola oil
- orange, zest and juice
- cranberries, fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries
For topping:
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
See the recipe card for quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Gluten-free flour blend: Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum. This ensures your muffins aren’t crumbly and can support a tall, domed muffin top. Also make sure your blend doesn’t contain any ingredients with strong flavours, such as bean flour. Refer to baking with gluten-free flour for more information on the different types of gluten-free flour blends, and tips on how to bake with them to get the best results. I use Robin Hood Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Blend or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
Almond flour: Adding almond flour helps to keep the muffins moist. It also adds greater richness in flavour. I use Robin Hood Almond Flour or Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour.
Greek yogurt: I use low-fat greek yogurt. Gluten-free baking generally requires more moisture than wheat-based alternatives. The yogurt provides additional moisture, added structure, and depth of flavour.
Cranberries: Use fresh or frozen. If using frozen cranberries, don’t thaw. Sort through your berries to ensure no bad berries or stems.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners or grease with vegetable oil. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, granulated sugar, almond flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: greek yogurt, egg, vegetable oil, orange juice and zest.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Stir the muffin batter until well combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl and ensuring all of the flour mixture has been fully incorporated.
- Gently fold in the cranberries.
- Divide the batter equally among the 6 muffin cups.
- Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, and evenly sprinkle on top of each muffin.
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool slightly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Substitutions
To make nut free: If you need your muffins to be nut free, you can replace the almond flour with an equal amount of additional gluten-free flour. Please note, that while still delicious, your muffins will be a little drier.
To make dairy free: If you need your muffins to be dairy free, you can replace the greek yogurt with an equal amount of unsweetened, plain, plant-based yogurt, such as coconut-based or almond-based yogurt. Make sure your yogurt is plain, and not flavoured in any way.
Top Tips for Perfect Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Use tulip-style muffin liners - For bakery-style and sized muffins, use tulip-style muffin liners. These liners allow for bigger and taller muffins. If not using this type of liner, use a 12-cup muffin pan and make 7 or 8 slightly smaller muffins, rather than 6 jumbo muffins to avoid over-filling your muffin cups. Reduce the baking time by a few minutes.
- Serve warm – I find these muffins are best served warm. To retain a crisp muffin top, reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes. You can also heat in the microwave for 20 seconds on high, but the muffin top won’t regain its crispness.
- Add an orange glaze - For a special occasion, such as a holiday brunch, drizzle the muffins with an orange glaze before serving. Mix together ½ cup of powdered sugar with a tablespoon of orange juice and drizzle over the muffins. Add slightly more orange juice for a runnier glaze. This is enough for 6 muffins, double for 12 muffins.
Troubleshooting
Help, my muffins are dry!
Two main reasons could cause this: you overbaked your muffins and/or you used too much gluten-free flour.
Remove your muffins from the oven when the tops are slightly golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
If you’re measuring your gluten-free flour with measuring cups, use the spoonful method. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup until the flour is mounded over the rim, but don’t pack it down, and then scrape off the excess with the back of a knife. If you dip your measuring cup into the flour and then scrape off the excess, you’ll compact the fine grains and starches found in gluten-free flour blends and overmeasure.
Help, my muffins have soggy bottoms!
Once removed from the oven, don’t let your muffins cool in the muffin tin for more than a few minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely as soon as they are cool enough to handle. This prevents steam from getting trapped in the bottom of the tin and causing any sogginess as they cool.
Storage
Baked muffins: Baked muffins are best the day they are made. Leftovers will keep for 1 – 2 days in an air-tight container at room temperature. Reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes. Don’t store them in the fridge, it will dry them out faster. Gluten-free baked goods don’t keep as long as their traditional wheat-based counterparts. Anything you don’t think you’ll finish in 2 days you should freeze.
Freeze: These muffins freeze really well. Cool the freshly baked muffins completely before freezing and store them well wrapped in a freezer bag or container for up to 1 month. I generally freeze them in a single layer in a freezer bag, making sure to squeeze out all of the air. To serve, thaw in a microwave for 20 seconds on high, and then warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes. You can also thaw and heat using only a microwave, but the muffin top will not regain its crispness.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the best gluten-free muffins, I like to use a combination of a good gluten-free all-purpose flour blend and almond flour. A good gluten-free all-purpose flour blend will include rice flour, starch (such as tapioca, potato, or corn) and xanthan gum, and not contain any ingredients with strong flavours, such as bean flour. The gluten-free flour blend will give your muffins the structure they need to ensure they’re not crumbly and can support a tall, domed muffin top. The almond flour helps keep the muffins moist, prevents grittiness and adds greater richness to the overall flavour.
You don’t need to coat your cranberries in gluten-free flour, cornstarch or anything else. This muffin batter is thick enough to prevent the cranberries from sinking. So really, you don’t need to do anything! But if you’re concerned, for added security you can add a tablespoon of the muffin batter to the bottom of each muffin cup before you mix in the cranberries.
Yes, these muffins freeze really well. Cool the baked muffins completely before freezing and store them well wrapped in a freezer bag or container for up to 1 month. To serve, thaw in a microwave for 20 seconds on high, and then warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes. Instead of using the oven, you can also thaw and heat using only a microwave, but the muffin top will not regain its crispness.
In addition to making sure that you’re following the recipe as written, make sure your baking powder is active. Baking powder generally has a shelf life of between six months to one year. You can check to see if it’s still active by spooning ½ teaspoon into a bowl and pouring ¼ cup of boiling water over it. If active, it should bubble up right away.
Also, make sure not to open the oven door while baking. The rush of cold air can cause your muffins to collapse. If you want to check on your muffins while baking, turn on the oven light and look at them through the door.
Yes! You can use a 12-cup muffin tin and just leave the extra muffin cups empty. You may have heard that you should fill the empty cups with water to prevent the pan from warping and to act as a “heat sink” to ensure even baking. I have not found this to be the case. In my personal experience, whether baking with a muffin pan completely filled with batter, with 6 cups filled with batter and 6 with water, or 6 filled with batter and 6 empty, I have found no difference in the final baked muffins and my tins have never warped.
More Gluten-Free Muffins
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your muffins turned out, and your feedback also helps other readers!
Recipe Card
Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Muffins
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ¾ cup gluten-free flour, all-purpose blend (see note)
- ½ cup granulated sugar, plus more for topping (optional)
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Add-Ins
- 1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
Topping
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners or grease with vegetable oil. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: gluten-free flour, granulated sugar, almond flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: greek yogurt, egg, vegetable oil, orange juice and zest.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Stir the muffin batter until well combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl and ensuring all of the flour mixture has been fully incorporated.
- Gently fold in the cranberries.
- Divide the batter equally among the 6 muffin cups.
- Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, and evenly sprinkle on top of each muffin.
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool slightly in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use tulip-style muffin liners - For bakery-style and sized muffins, use tulip-style muffin liners. These liners allow for bigger and taller muffins. If not using this type of liner, use a 12-cup muffin pan and make 7 or 8 slightly smaller muffins, rather than 6 jumbo muffins to avoid over-filling your muffin cups. Reduce the baking time by a few minutes.
- Serve warm – I find these muffins are best served warm. To retain a crisp muffin top, reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes. You can also heat in the microwave for 20 seconds on high, but the muffin top won’t regain its crispness.
- Add an orange glaze - For a special occasion, such as a holiday brunch, drizzle the muffins with an orange glaze before serving. Mix together ½ cup of powdered sugar with a tablespoon of orange juice and drizzle over the muffins. Add slightly more orange juice for a runnier glaze. This is enough for 6 muffins, double for 12 muffins.
- To make nut free: If you need your muffins to be nut free, you can replace the almond flour with an equal amount of additional gluten-free flour. Please note, that while still delicious, your muffins will be a little drier.
- To make dairy free: If you need your muffins to be dairy free, you can replace the greek yogurt with an equal amount of unsweetened, plain, plant-based yogurt, such as coconut-based or almond-based yogurt. Make sure your yogurt is plain, and not flavoured in any way.
- Baked muffins: Baked muffins are best the day they are made. Leftovers will keep for 1 – 2 days in an air-tight container at room temperature. Reheat in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes. Don’t store them in the fridge, it will dry them out faster. Gluten-free baked goods don’t keep as long as their traditional wheat-based counterparts. Anything you don’t think you’ll finish in 2 days you should freeze.
- Freeze: These muffins freeze really well. Cool the freshly baked muffins completely before freezing and store them well wrapped in a freezer bag or container for up to 1 month. I generally freeze them in a single layer in a freezer bag, making sure to squeeze out all of the air. To serve, thaw in a microwave for 20 seconds on high, and then warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes. You can also thaw and heat using only a microwave, but the muffin top will not regain its crispness.
Nutrition
Nutritional information shown is an estimate only.
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