Soft, fluffy and bursting with citrus flavor, these cranberry orange muffins are the perfect mix of sweet and tart. Made with fresh or frozen cranberries, orange juice and plenty of orange zest, they’re just as great for a holiday brunch as they are for an everyday treat.
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Bakery-Worthy Cranberry Orange Muffins
Cranberry and orange go together like peanut butter and jelly. Delicious on their own, but even better together. From cranberry sauce with a hint of orange zest and cranberry bliss bars to glazed cranberry orange scones and even my favorite holiday cranberry champagne cocktail, it’s a flavor combo I come back to every single winter.
These cranberry orange muffins are everything I love about that pairing wrapped into a golden, bakery-style muffin: bright citrus, tart bursts of cranberry and a tender, moist crumb thanks to my secret ingredient: sour cream.
Whether you’re baking a batch to serve a crowd of holiday brunch guests or just because fresh cranberries finally hit the produce aisle (spoiler alert: frozen cranberries work great, too!), this is the recipe that’ll make you wonder why you ever settled for store-bought.
Serve them warm with coffee and all your favorite breakfast recipes, and watch them disappear before the second pot finishes brewing.
- All-purpose flour: Measure your flour correctly to avoid dense muffins.
- Sugar: Sweetens the batter and balances the tart cranberries.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These two leaveners work together for the perfect rise. The baking soda reacts with the orange juice and sour cream (both acidic) to create tall, fluffy muffins with soft centers.
- Eggs: Bind everything together and add structure. Let them come to room temp before mixing so they incorporate smoothly into the batter.
- Orange zest: Freshly grated orange zest adds a big punch of citrus flavor to these muffins, so don’t skip it. You’ll want to use a microplane to zest first before juicing (trust me, it’s much harder the other way around). Here’s my post on how to zest if you aren’t familiar with this technique, but the key is to zest just the bright orange part, not the bitter white pith.
- Orange juice: I used the freshly squeezed juice from the same orange I zested. Bottled orange juice works too (pulp or no pulp is totally fine), but you’ll still need a fresh orange for the zest since bottled OJ doesn’t have that punch of citrus oil we need for real orange flavor.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and rounds out all the flavors.
- Butter: Melted and slightly cooled for a rich, buttery flavor and tender crumb.
- Sour cream: My go-to ingredient for making any baked good ultra-moist, tender and soft for days. It also adds a subtle tang that pairs perfectly with the orange and cranberry. Full-fat Greek yogurt is a great 1:1 substitute.
- Cranberries: Fresh cranberries bring bright, tart bursts to every bite. If using frozen, add them straight from the freezer, no thawing needed, or they’ll tint your batter pink. Skip dried cranberries here; they don’t deliver the same juicy pop (save them for cranberry bliss bars instead!).
- Sanding sugar: Optional, but highly recommended for a little sparkle and crunch.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Recipe Variation: Add Nuts! Fold ½ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter along with the cranberries for a nutty twist.
This recipe makes enough batter for 16 muffins, so you’ll want to line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Next, grab a couple of mixing bowls, a whisk and a spatula. In one bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients; in another, whisk the wet. Then, use a spatula to gently mix them together before folding in the cranberries.
The batter will be thick and spoonable, not pourable.
Divide the orange cranberry batter among the muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full (a large cookie scoop works great here). Sprinkle with coarse sugar, and bake for 23–25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. These muffins are amazing warm, but the citrus and cranberry flavors deepen as they cool.
Storage and Freezing Tips
Keep these cranberry orange muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I like to warm my muffin in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to bring back that soft, just-out-of-the-oven texture.
To freeze: Let the muffins cool completely, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm one straight from the freezer in the microwave for 20–30 seconds.
If you’re building a holiday brunch menu, here are a few more recipes I love to serve alongside these muffins:
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
- 2 Tablespoons sanding sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin pan with muffin cups.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda with ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the eggs, orange zest, orange juice, vanilla extract, melted butter and sour cream.
- Add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix just until combined then fold in the cranberries.
- Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the sanding sugar.
- Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool completely in the pan before serving.
Kelly’s Notes
- If using frozen cranberries, do not thaw.
- Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I like to warm my muffin in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to bring back that soft, just-out-of-the-oven texture.
- To freeze: Let the muffins cool completely, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm one straight from the freezer in the microwave for 20–30 seconds.
- Add nuts: Fold ½ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter along with the cranberries for a nutty twist.
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