Cranberry Orange Muffins

Name: Cranberry Orange Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup salted butter ((melted)); ¼ cup canola oil ((or olive oil)); 1 cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup orange juice ((room temperature)); ½ cup sour cream ((room temperature)); 2 eggs ((room temperature)); 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; ¼ teaspoon cinnamon; 6 ounces fresh cranberries ((1 ½ cups cranberries)); 1 teaspoon orange zest ((optional)); 1 Tablespoon orange juice; 1 teaspoon whole milk; ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 cup powdered sugar

By Laura Sandford

Posted Nov 11, 2026

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These cranberry orange muffins are moist, buttery, and bursting with fresh cranberries and citrusy orange flavor. They have a soft, tender crumb, perfectly domed tops, and a balance of sweet citrus and tart cranberries. Plus, this bakery-quality cranberry orange muffin recipe is made with simple ingredients and no mixer required!

a stack of two cranberry orange muffins with orange glaze, the top one has a bite taken out of it so the moist texture and cranberries inside are visible, surrounded by 5 more muffins, fresh cranberries and orange zest

If you love bakery-style muffins, these cranberry orange muffins are a must-make!

Fresh orange juice and zest give these muffins a delicious citrus flavor, while sour cream makes them incredibly moist with a bakery-style crumb. Fresh cranberries add a tart pop in every bite and perfectly balance the sweetness. If you love this classic flavor combination, try my cranberry orange bread too!

They’re easy enough to make for a weekday breakfast, but special enough for a Christmas morning breakfast or holiday brunch. And since the batter comes together quickly by hand (no mixer required), you can have a batch of warm, homemade cranberry orange muffins in the oven in minutes.

Why You’ll Love These Cranberry Orange Muffins

Fresh flavors. Tart cranberries and bright oranges are the perfect combination!
Incredibly moist. Sour cream, butter, and oil make these cranberry orange muffins irresistibly soft and moist.
Made with fresh cranberries. Fresh cranberries give every bite a delicious pop of tart flavor that balances the sweetness of the muffins.
Easy to make. This recipe is simple to prepare with basic baking ingredients and fresh cranberries.
Perfect for the holidays. They’re effortlessly festive and perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas breakfast and brunch.

half of a cranberry orange muffin laying down on a brown muffin liner so the moist texture and cranberries inside are visible, surrounded by another muffin, cranberries and orange slices

Cranberry and Orange Muffins: Ingredients & Substitutions

overhead photo of the ingredients in this cranberry orange muffins recipe all in bowls and labeled like cranberries, flour, sugar, orange juice and more

Salted butter. Unsalted butter is a great substitute.
Canola oil. Olive oil works well in place of canola.
Granulated sugar. White sugar or organic cane sugar are both great choices. You could also use light brown sugar.
Orange juice. Use pulp-free, pure orange juice for the best results.
Sour cream. Plain Greek yogurt works great.
All-purpose flour. Make it gluten-free by using a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free baking flour.
Cranberries. Fresh are best, but frozen berries work too. Just be sure to thaw and drain them.
Glaze: You can use half and half or heavy cream in place of whole milk.

4 cranberry orange muffins with orange glaze on parchment paper surrounded by orange slices and cranberries

How to Make Cranberry Orange Muffins

Let’s walk through how to make this recipe together, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 degrees Celsius) and lining two muffin tins with 6 cupcake liners each. I always space out my muffins because it helps them rise more during baking.

making cranberry orange muffins - a muffin pan with half of the wells lined with brown muffin liners

Then, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set it aside.

making cranberry orange muffins - flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a white bowl before mixing

making cranberry orange muffins - flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a white bowl with a metal spoon after mixing

Next, whisk the melted butter, canola oil, sugar, orange juice, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla together in a large bowl until smooth.

making cranberry orange muffins - melted butter, canola oil, sour cream, sugar, orange juice, eggs and vanilla in a glass mixing bowl before mixing

making cranberry orange muffins - wet ingredients in a glass bowl mixed together with a metal whisk

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps of flour.

making cranberry orange muffins - dry ingredients added to the wet ingredients before mixing in a glass bowl

making cranberry orange muffins - batter in a glass bowl with a metal whisk

Then, fold in the cranberries and orange zest (if desired) until evenly distributed throughout the batter.

making cranberry orange muffins - cranberries and orange zest added to the batter in a glass bowl before mixing

making cranberry orange muffins - final batter in a glass bowl with a blue spatula

Fill each of the 12 wells (spaced between two muffin pans) with ¼ cup of batter.

Bake the cranberry and orange muffins for 5 min at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, then without opening the oven, reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean or with a few large crumbs.

Let the muffins cool in the muffin pans on a wire cooling rack for 5 to 10 minutes.

making cranberry orange muffins - a muffin pan with 6 wells filled with batter before baking

a muffin pan with 6 baked cranberry orange muffins in 6 of the wells on a wire cooling rack

Then, remove the muffins from the pan, carefully releasing the edges with a sharp knife if required, and transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before glazing. Or, if you want to skip the glaze, you can enjoy them warm.

9 cranberry orange muffins on a wire cooling rack

Make the Orange Glaze

Once the orange and cranberry muffins are completely cooled, make the glaze by whisking all the glaze ingredients together in a medium bowl.

powdered sugar, orange juice, milk and vanilla in a gray ceramic bowl making orange glaze for orange cranberry muffins

orange glaze for cranberry orange muffins in a gray bowl with a metal whisk

Then, dip the tops of each muffin in the glaze, or drizzle or spread it on. Let the muffins sit at room temperature until the glaze hardens.

a hand holding a cranberry orange muffin that has been dipped in the orange glaze over the bowl of glaze

12 cranberry orange muffins topped with orange glaze on a wire cooling rack

Serve

Once the glaze is set, serve the cranberry orange muffins slightly chilled or at room temperature. We love enjoying these muffins as a dessert, sweet breakfast, or festive snack.

6 cranberry orange muffins with orange glaze on parchment paper surrounded by orange zest and cranberries

Store/Freeze

Store leftover cranberry orange muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw slowly at room temperature or reheat for a few seconds in the microwave.

two halevs of a cranberry orange muffin laying down on a brown muffin liner so the moist texture and cranberries inside are visible, surrounded by another muffin, cranberries and orange slices

Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe FAQS

Can I use frozen cranberries instead?

Yes, frozen cranberries work well in cranberry orange muffins. There’s no need to thaw them first. Fold them into the batter while they’re still frozen. You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time.

Do I need to cook fresh craberries before using them in muffins?

No. Add the raw cranberries directly to the muffin batter. They’ll cook and soften while the muffins bake.

Can I use dried cranberries instead?

You can, but they’re drier than fresh, so you need to soak dried cranberries in warm water or orange juice for 10 minutes to plump them up.

Can I make these muffins ahead of time?

Yes! They store well, and some people in my family think they taste even better the next day!

Can I make these into mini muffins

Yes! You’ll need ot reduce the baking time to about 10–12 minutes and watch them closely so they don’t overbake. You also may want to chop the cranberries so they’re smaller.

Should I chop the cranberries before adding them to the muffins?

You can use fresh cranberries whole or chop them if you prefer smaller pieces throughout the muffins. If your cranberries are especially large, I suggest roughly chopping them.

How do you keep the cranberries from sinking?

This batter should be thick enough to keep the cranberries suspended throughout the muffins. Be sure to measure the flour correctly and gently fold the cranberries into the batter rather than overmixing. Or, you can toss them with flour until coated, and that will help prevent sinking.

If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!