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I recently made these gluten-free cranberry orange muffins and they were such a tasty breakfast treat, I had to share the recipe!

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The tartness of the cranberries is balanced by the natural sweetness of oranges.

There is a burst of citrus flavor in every bite. These gluten-free cranberry orange muffins make for a delicious breakfast, or afternoon snack.

You might think these seem more like a Christmas or holiday recipe, but I beg to differ! The delightful blend of chopped cranberries and refreshing flavor of the citrus orange, makes this a perfect summertime muffin recipe. 

Whether you follow a gluten-free diet, or simply enjoy experimenting with new recipes, these cranberry orange muffins are enjoyable to make and bake.

I love cooking and baking with fresh ingredients, like the freshly squeezed orange and whole cranberries in this recipe.

We get farm fresh eggs from a friend of ours, and I can tell you, its made all the difference.

Food just tastes better when you use fresh ingredients; and when you know where it came from that’s even better!  I also love using the freshly squeezed orange juice and zest. It provides such a refreshing flavor and looks beautiful while you’re baking. 

How to Make Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Muffins

A sunny morning whipping up this colorful summertime muffin recipe is simply a joy if you love baking! Here is what you will need to make these delicious gluten free cranberry orange muffins. 

Ingredients

• 1 Cup fresh or frozen chopped cranberries
• 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 Tbsp large grated orange zest
• 1 Stick of butter (melted)
• ½ Cup heavy whipping cream (creamed/whipped)
• ¼ Cup brown sugar
• ½ Cup granulated sugar
• 3 Large eggs
• 2 Cups gluten-free measure for measure flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ½ Tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400F. 

In a medium bowl, use a pastry fork to blend together the dry ingredients. 

Using an electric mixer, cream the heavy whipping cream until it creates stiff peaks. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, eggs, melted butter, and orange juice. Once fully combined, fold in the whipped heavy cream, and grated orange zest. 

Fold in the chopped cranberries and slowly incorporate the dry ingredient mixture, fully incorporating until well blended. 

Let the muffin batter sit while you prepare your muffin tin for baking. This includes oiling and flouring (using GF flour). 

Using a large cookie scoop or ice cream scooper, fill the muffin tin with batter– a scoop for every muffin cup. 

Sprinkle the top of every batter filled muffin cup with a little extra granulated sugar. 

Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center is clean. 

Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Storing Leftover Gluten-Free Cranberry Orange Muffins

In my opinion, these gluten free cranberry orange muffins are best when eaten fresh out of the oven.

I love to put thick slices of butter on a warm muffin; butter makes everything better! However, if you do end up with leftovers (which rarely happens in my family), they can be stored in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container up to two days on the counter. 

If you want to bake these in advance to freeze for later, I suggest wrapping each muffin individually in plastic wrap before storing in the freezer. That way you can pull one out at a time and thaw it on the counter whenever you’re ready to eat!

You can also reheat these muffins in the microwave (without the plastic wrap of course!) for 30 seconds until thawed. 

What to Serve With Cranberry Orange Muffins

I love this combination of orange and cranberries! Here’s how I like to indulge in this tasty muffins and what I serve with them. 

1. Lather with a thick slice of butter! Spread the butter on when these muffins come straight out of the over for melty butter goodness.
2. For a more indulgent treat, drizzle a glaze made with additional orange juice and powdered sugar over the cooled muffins–um, yes please!
3. As always, you could also pair the muffins with a cup of freshly brewed coffee or a hot cup of tea.
4. Serve the muffins alongside a bowl of fresh fruit or some fresh scrambled eggs for a well-rounded and satisfying breakfast.

Substitutions and Additions

If you’re not a fan of all the dairy of the heavy cream, you can easily make a substitution without compromising the taste. 

Replace the heavy cream with your favorite dairy-free yogurt, such as almond, soy, cashew, or oat. Just make sure that the substitute is unsweetened, plain or vanilla yogurt to maintain the balance of flavors.

Not a fan of cranberries? You could substitute for my kiddos’ favorite, chocolate chips! If you have ever had a chocolate orange before, you know the combination will be delicious! 

Of course, you could also make these with traditional whole grain, or gluten flour, if you don’t need the recipe to be gluten free for dietary restriction reasons. 

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More Delicious Recipes to Enjoy

I really hope you enjoyed this recipe! I’d love to know if you gave these gluten free cranberry orange muffins a try.

If you enjoyed this breakfast treat, I’d recommend checking these out next: 

• Overnight Sourdough French Toast Bake with Blueberries and Lemon Glaze
• Applesauce Coffee Cake with Baked Streusel
• Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes with Anise Extract

You can also visit my recipe archives here.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today! Make sure to subscribe to get my Grace Notes directly to your inbox and to access all my insider perks. Follow along daily on Instagram and weekly on YouTube!

~ Sarah