These Dried Cranberry Orange Muffins bring simple orange and cranberry goodness to the table, and my kids happily grab one whether it's a grab and go for breakfast or tossed in their lunchbox for a snack. These muffins land right between a soft, tender muffin and a light, flaky biscuit, the best of both worlds. With years of cooking in restaurant kitchens and plenty of family taste testing at home, I love creating homemade goodies that are easy and always family friendly. I have tested and perfected them several times so you can bake a batch your whole crew will love too.
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This post was originally posted on 5/5/2020 and updated on 11/13/2025.
Why We Love These Orange Cranberry Muffins
- Made with dried cranberries so you can enjoy that cranberry orange flavor any time of year, not just during the holidays.
- Easy to make with simple ingredients you likely already have on hand.
- Family friendly texture that lands between a soft muffin and a lightly flaky biscuit.
- Perfect for breakfast, snacks, lunchboxes, or a quick grab and go treat.
- Freezer friendly so you can bake a batch now and enjoy delicious muffins anytime.
Cranberry Orange Muffin Recipe Ingredients
- Salted Butter
- White Sugar
- Large Egg
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Unbleached All Purpose Flour
- Orange, zest and juice
- Milk
- Dried Cranberries
Substitution Suggestions
- Salted Butter: Feel free to use unsalted butter, but I suggest adding an additional ¼ teaspoon salt to the muffin batter.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: I prefer to use pure extracts in all my baked goods. It yields the best flavor. Some of the imitation extracts can leave an unpleasant after taste.
- All Purpose Flour: These muffins are best with unbleached all purpose flour. I tested them with whole wheat and they were too dense for my liking. If you want to use whole wheat flour use white whole wheat and reduce the amount of flour to 1 ¾ cup.
- Orange: You'll need a large navel orange for this recipe. If you don't get enough juice from the orange you can use bottled orange juice or extra milk. For a fun twist you can substitute with a lemon or grapefruit.
- Milk: Any type of milk will work in this recipe. I use 2% cows milk because it is what I have on hand. You could use almond milk, soy milk or even buttermilk.
- Dried Cranberries: I like to use sweetened dried cranberries in this recipe. You can use unsweetened dried cranberries. You could also sub with raisins, golden raisins or other dried fruit. For some extra crunch you can substitute a ½ cup of the dried cranberries for some chopped nuts like: pistachios, walnuts or almonds.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Muffins with Dried Cranberries
- First, preheat oven to 375°F and line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease it very well.
- Next, in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a large bowl and hand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes.
- Then add the egg and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Now it's time to add the dry and liquid ingredients alternately. First add the baking powder, salt and 1 cup of all purpose flour and mix just until incorporated.
- Next mix in the orange juice and scrape the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Then add the remaining cup of flour and mix just until barely combined.
- Add the milk and mix until fully incorporated but being very careful not to over mix. It's ok if the batter is still lumpy.
- Finally, stir in the dried cranberries and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Using a large cookie scoop or 3 tablespoons fill the muffin tins about ¾ full.
- Bake on center rack in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool a few minutes in the pan and then remove and cool completely.
If you love cranberry you have got to try these Cranberry Scones. They are super easy to make and are the perfect blend of sweet and tart with just a hint of orange! Or for a sweet treat give these Cranberry Bars a try!
Storing and Freezing Muffins
Storing: Once the muffins have completely cooled store them in an air tight container or zip top bag at room temperature, on the counter, in a bread box or in a cupboard. They will stay fresh for 3-4 days. To keep the muffins longer, simply freeze them.
Freezing: Put completely cooled muffins in a freezer safe airtight container or freezer bag. Label, date and place in freezer. Muffins will last 3-4 months in the freezer. Always make sure to rotate your stock in the freezer.
Thawing: Simply thaw muffins at room temperature.
Heather's Favorite Tools for this Recipe
- I don't think I could live without my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. It's the best tool ever for making baked goods, frostings and so many other things.
- Long ago, I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant and I still prefer their baking tools and pans to any others. Their muffin pans and loaf pans are the ones I prefer. Find yourself a consultant, host a party and treat yourself to something new. I also like the Food Network and Wilton muffin pans and baking pans. You can order them online.
- A large sized scoop that holds about 3 tablespoons is great for these muffins. Again I use the pampered chef one but this large scoop from OXO on Amazon is a great option.
Tips for Dried Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Gather all the ingredients before you start preparing the recipe. It is so much easier to bake when all the ingredients are ready.
- Read the recipe from start to finish before you start baking. I am speaking from experience.
- Always fluff your flour, then spoon it into the measuring cup and level off. That way you won't add too much flour and end up with dry muffins.
- Do NOT over mix the batter, this will make the muffins very tough. Lumpy batter is good batter.
- Use fun paper liners to make the muffins more exciting. Plus, it makes clean up so much easier.
- Spray the paper liners with a bit of nonstick cooking spray so the muffins don't stick to them.
- Use a scoop for filling muffin pans ¾ full. This helps keep everything even and will ensure even baking throughout.
- Do NOT skimp on the dried cranberries. You can add a few extra on top of the muffins after filling the cups to make them have an extra pretty presentation.
- For some extra crunch you can substitute a ½ cup of the dried cranberries for some chopped nuts like: pistachios, walnuts or almonds.
More Muffin Recipes:
- Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
- Easy Blueberry Muffins
- Peanut Butter Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Applesauce Mini Muffins
Did you make this recipe? Rate it!
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Dried Cranberry Orange Muffins
Cranberry Orange Muffins are an easy, homemade treat filled with bright orange flavor and sweet dried cranberries. Soft, tender, and perfect for breakfast or snacks, these family friendly muffins bake up beautifully and bring a fresh, cheerful bite to any day.
Servings: 16 muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 large orange, zest and juice
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- ¼ cup orange juice, from the orange
- ¼ cup milk
- 1½ cups dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease well. Spray the liners with a little nonstick cooking spray.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or large bowl and hand mixer, cream together the softened butter, sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes.
- Add in egg and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Add baking powder, salt and 1 cup of the flour and mix just until incorporated.
- Mix in orange juice and scrape sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
- Add in remaining cup of flour and mix just until incorporated.
- Mix in milk until combined. Be careful not to over mix the batter. The batter will be thick.
- Stir in the dried cranberries.
- Using a large scoop or 3 tablespoons fill the muffin tins ¾ full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool muffins a few minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire rack or counter.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 muffin | Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 232IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg
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