Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Muffins

Nothing says holidays like cranberry orange flavor and these gluten-free muffins are moist, soft & fluffy and so delicious! Each bite is the perfect balance of sweet + tart with a fabulous creamy orange flavor and lots of cranberries! The optional Orange Glaze drizzle makes them extra festive and yummy! Super quick + easy recipe!

gluten-free cranberry orange muffins easy recipe
Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Muffins

Easy recipe for the yummiest Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Muffins!

So excited for you to try these Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Muffins!

They have the ultimate late fall Cranberry Orange flavor that just feels like the holidays, the perfect balance of sweet + tart, are bursting with cranberries and have the best moist, soft and fluffy texture.

A perfect gluten-free muffin and a quick + easy recipe!

They are based on our favorite Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Bread and have an optional orange glaze.  And I’ll be honest, my husband and I both loooove the cranberry bread and couldn’t imagine loving muffins more… but we do!

Same great flavor but individually sized, portable, and quicker to bake than a loaf bread!

gluten-free cranberry orange muffins easy recipe

It’s an EASY recipe that comes together quickly.

So let’s make it!

You’ll need 12 (mostly pantry) ingredients.

gluten-free all purpose flour (we use GF Jules – affiliate link)

sugar

baking powder

baking soda

salt

butter or dairy-free butter

orange juice

orange zest

milk

1 egg

chopped walnuts (skip if nut-free)

and of course, cranberries!

gluten-free cranberry orange muffins easy recipe

As an aside, you may have noticed that we are affiliate for GFJules.  To learn more about why we love GFJules flour and why we have used it for 10 years, click here.

Bonus: at the bottom of that post is a one-time use affiliate Discount Code.

And importantly, purchasing through an affiliate link does not change your cost at all. It generates a small percentage of the sale for me, and purchasing through an affiliate link helps me fund this website and all the recipes I share, so thank you!

Back to the Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Muffins…

gluten-free cranberry orange muffins easy recipe

The batter comes together in 4 easy steps.

  1. First mix together the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork
  2. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or fork until it resembles a coarse cornmeal.
  3. Separately combine orange juice, milk, orange zest and egg and whisk to combine, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix together.
  4. Add in chopped walnuts (if using) and cranberries, mix to just combine and that’s it!

 

All you do next is scoop the batter (it will be thick) into muffin tins (they will fill to the top/ a little over), top with turbinado sugar for that bakery feel if not using the glaze and bake for just 20-25 minutes!

 

Let cool in the muffin tins for 15-20 minutes (this is always an important step because even though the muffins are out of the oven the muffin tins are still hot and the muffins continue to set.

Then remove to a wire baking rack and let cool.

gluten-free cranberry orange muffins easy recipe

We have eaten several batches just like this! They store well in the refrigerator and freeze well.

But we have also made them with an orange glaze which is fabulously festive and so yummy!

The orange glaze is simply orange juice (I used juice from the oranges we zested) and confectioner’s or powdered sugar mixed together.

And you can add as much or as little glaze as you like!

Either way they are sooooo yummy!

If you opt for the glaze, it is best to add the glaze soon before serving because they don’t stay fresh as long as without but they are really yummy!

With or without the glaze, they have quickly become a favorite muffin around here! Amazing flavor, great texture (no one will guess they are gluten-free!) and an easy recipe!

Luckily they take only about 30-40 minutes beginning to end because I have been making them on repeat!

Hope you love them as much as we do!

gluten-free cranberry orange muffins easy recipe

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Recipe

 

gluten-free cranberry orange muffins easy recipe
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5 from 2 votes

Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Muffins

These gluten-free muffins are moist, soft & fluffy and so delicious! Each bite is the perfect balance of sweet + tart with a fabulous creamy orange flavor and lots of cranberries! The optional Orange Glaze drizzle makes them extra festive and yummy! Super quick + easy recipe!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time35 mins
Course: Breakfast, Muffins, Breads and Muffins
Cuisine: Nut-Free optional, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Optional
Keyword: easy gluten-free muffin recipe, gluten-free cranberry orange muffins
Servings: 12 muffins
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family

Ingredients

Cranberry Orange Muffins

  • 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour with xanthan gum we used GFJules - affiliate link
  • 1 cup granulated cane sugar
  • teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup butter or dairy-free butter room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons orange juice we used juice from the oranges I zested
  • 7 tablespoons milk we used 1%
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest (grated orange rind)
  • 1 large egg (whisked)
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts (skip if nut-free)
  • 2 cups fresh cranberries
  • turbinado sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Orange Glaze (optional)

  • 1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
  • 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Instructions

Cranberry Orange Muffins

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin tins with paper liners
  • Place all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix with a pastry cutter or fork.
  • Cut in butter using the pastry cutter until the mixture resembles a coarse cornmeal.
  • In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, add the orange juice, milk, orange zest and the beaten egg. Whisk to combine.
  • Pour liquid mixture all at once into the dry ingredients and mix just enough to dampen fully.
  • Carefully fold in the nuts and cranberries. Batter is thick.
  • Spoon batter into prepared muffins tins (batter is thick and they will fill just over the top). Top with an additional cranberry or two as desired. Top with turbinado sugar for that bakery look and a touch of sweetness if not using the orange glaze (optional)
  • Bake for 20-25 mins, until golden on top and a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Check at 20 mins and covering loosely with foil if top golden but a center not done for an additional 5 minutes.
  • Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on metal rack.
  • Enjoy as is or drizzle the orange glaze.

Orange Glaze

  • Whisk confectioners sugar ingredients together.
  • Drizzle glaze over cooled muffins. Enjoy!

Notes

Storing: Muffins without glaze stay fresh covered at room temperature for 1-2 days or covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Cover and store muffins with glaze at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
If freezing, freeze un-glazed and glaze before serving to be freshest.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!

6 thoughts on “Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Muffins

  1. 5 stars
    Made these Cranberry Orange Muffins yesterday for breakfast. Delicious and this is coming from someone who does not really like cranberries but my husband does. Since going gluten-free a couple of years ago, finding tasty muffin and biscuit recipes has been hard.

  2. 5 stars
    Made these muffins a couple weeks ago and I will be making them again soon. The combination of cranberry and orange is fantastic. I’ve always loved it but most recipes don’t let the orange flavor shine through. This is different though, you get a nice orange flavor as well as the tart cranberry. I always use GFJules flour and once again, it held up and stayed moist, no crumbly muffins! Thanks, Karen, for a great recipe!!

  3. These muffins were amazing! I completely forgot to glaze them but they didn’t need it with the turbinado sugar. The muffins were good piping hot and then we had leftovers for the next two days. (I kept the leftovers on the counter, uncovered.) They were perfect! The tops of the muffins were crunchy like a sugar cookie! I’m only sorry that cranberry season is over! I’m wondering what to substitute for the cranberries – maybe rhubarb?

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