Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins that are gluten-free, oil-free and made with whole grain oat flour and potato starch for the most delicious breakfast muffins. Topped with a delicious sweet and citrus orange glaze to complete them. A dark chocolate version is amazing as well!
VEGAN CRANBERRY ORANGE MUFFINS
Who here loves citrus?? Well, then you are going to love these Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins infused with lots of freshly squeezed orange juice. I love, love orange in vegan baked goods because it adds sweetness but not sourness, like lemon does, for example. If you are an orange fan, too, be sure to also try these Vegan Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies!
I wanted these to be as allergy-free as possible, so they are both low-fat and nut-free. Additionally, I wanted them really soft. I decided to go back to what I originally refer to as my “magic flour” combo that I used in my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes, which is a combo of oat flour and potato starch. It yields a soft, yet hearty and fluffy texture. I traded the nut butter for applesauce and orange juice and they are just amazing.
I also wanted them healthier than say, my Double Chocolate Muffins. So, not only are these super low-fat and oil-free, but they have so much natural fruit flavor.
VEGAN BREAKFAST MUFFINS
The freshly squeezed orange juice and applesauce keeps them wonderfully soft and moist, not to mention, so full of fruity flavor. The oats are always a great choice for breakfast as well. So, these are basically breakfast in muffin form.
WHY I PREFER CHOCOLATE CHUNKS OVER CRANBERRIES
Now, I will be totally honest, my first batch of these Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins, I made them totally plain, no cranberries. I MUCH preferred the texture and flavor. I am not a fan of juicy muffins, lol, but since this was a reader request, I added them. But just so you know, I think they were just perfect on their own with just the citrus orange flavor. I think dried cranberries or blueberries would be better too, for me personally. But do what you like.
Of course, I had to test a chocolate chunk version…OMG. Chocolate and orange are such an amazing combo. So, basically these became Vegan Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN ORANGE MUFFINS
You will only need 8 easy ingredients:
- Oat flour (use certified gluten-free if necessary): Oat flour helps to keep these vegan muffins gluten-free. It is a healthy flour I love to use for its nutritional benefits and fiber.
- Potato starch: This is crucial to the fluffy texture of these muffins. Another starch will not work the same! Cornstarch or tapioca will make them dense and gooey, so please do not try and sub!
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Freshly squeezed orange juice + zest
- Unsweetened applesauce: Instead of oil, we are using applesauce to keep these oil-free and wonderfully, moist.
- Light brown sugar: Brown sugar has a bit of molasses in it, which helps additionally to keep these muffins moist since they are oil-free.
- Fresh cranberries or dairy-free chocolate chunks or chips
I hope you really love these Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins!
MORE VEGAN MUFFIN RECIPES
- Whole Wheat Chocolate Muffins
- Gluten-free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Bakery-Style Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Gluten-free Cinnamon Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Best Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins
- Sweet Potato Cinnamon Muffins
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If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins (Oil-free)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (170g) superfine oat flour
- 2 tablespoons (20g) potato starch (See NOTES)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup (180g) freshly squeezed orange juice + 1 tsp zest (do not use bottled, it will not give the same great flavor)
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup (78g) light brown sugar lightly packed or my homemade coconut brown sugar, the natural molasses in the sugar gives moisture, so don't sub with plain coconut sugar)
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries (see NOTE at bottom!)
ORANGE GLAZE
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 6 tablespoons (72g) light brown sugar or my homemade coconut brown sugar
- pinch of salt
NOTE
- Always use a scale for accuracy when baking, following MY gram weights listed. You never need cups, just the scale and bowl.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a muffin pan with 10 parchment paper muffin liners or Reynolds Staybrite foil liners (they never stick).
- Add the oat flour, potato starch, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to a large bowl and whisk really well. Add the orange juice, orange zest, applesauce and brown sugar to a separate bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour over the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth and no lumps remain. Stir in the cranberries. If you are using frozen cranberries, it is important to not remove the cranberries (if using) from the freezer until right before you need them, otherwise they will thaw and become watery and affect your results. Like I said above, I preferred these completely plain (no fruit).
- Pour into 10 liners for beautiful tall muffins or 12 liners for smaller muffins. Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are golden on top, risen well and lightly spring back when touched and a toothpick is clean. If making them plain, they are closer to 15 mins, if using wet fruit, they took 20 minutes to cook through. Make sure the toothpick is clean with no wet batter before removing. Let cool for about 15 minutes to finish cooking and firm up.
- While the muffins are baking, make the glaze (if using). Add the juice and sugar to a small pot, whisk and bring over medium-low heat. Once it starts fully bubbling, let it cook for about 3 minutes untouched. Let it completely cool. It will thicken up like a syrup after it cools completely. If you want it thicker, cook it a tad longer. The longer you cook it, the more intense the flavor and thicker/stickier it will become. Drizzle on muffins before eating.
- Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container to keep them moist. These are still wonderful and moist the next day!
Notes
- Full disclosure. I'm not a big fan of the fresh cranberries in these muffins. I MUCH preferred these plain the most. They were delicious and I loved the texture of them plain more. The cranberries made them a little more wet/juicy than I prefer. so if you like juicy muffins, then go for it. Otherwise, I'd suggest adding another fruit you like or I think dried cranberries would be better. Of course, I LOVED the chocolate chunk version too, since chocolate compliments orange well!
- Potato starch is crucial to these muffins for the fluffy, light texture. I've tested both cornstarch and tapioca and they were gummy and dense, so do not sub! Potato starch performs very differently in baking. You can find it at most grocery stores or online on Amazon.
Gawd!!! These look stunning. I love the idea of the orange flavor in there. And these are right up my ally with being fat free. I think I will try them with either dried cranberries or with the cherries. Or maybe I will try them plain. I am sure they will be fabulous either way. Beautiful pics as always. I am glad to hear they still are moist the next day because these would be great to bring into work for coworkers.
Aww thank you so much Christina for the compliment on my pics, you are so sweet! Yes, these are so moist and so delicious even the next day, which isn’t always the case with baked goods, especially near fat-free ones! These are barely a gram of fat per muffin! I think they are best plain, and then the chocolate chunk version (not fat-free obviously, lol) are damn good too!
Citrusy baked goods may be my favorite <3 The perfect zing and sweetness…it's breakfast or brunch perfection!
Thank you so much lady! Definitely breakfast-worthy!!
You combined my favorite flavors here, Brandi! Cranberries and Oranges, yes! This is totally perfect for my spring vibes. These look so amazing, inviting, moist and juicy, yum! Beautiful pictures, I’m hungry just looking at these. The first picture and the last closeup, just gorgeous with all this orange glaze on top.
Thank you so much Florian, you are way too kind!
Brandi, the minute I saw these muffins, I knew I had to make them! They are absolutely delicious and amazing in every way! I love their citrus aroma and how fluffy and soft they are. Thank you so much. Special thanks for the awesome glaze, it is to die for! Appreciate all your hard work! Thank YOU!
You are the best Lana! Thank you for making them so fast!! Your pic of them on Facebook is just stunning, I need to get one of those silicone molds like you have. I’m just thrilled you loved them so much, thank you!
Gorgeous! You could use dried cranberries if it makes it too soggy, I might have to try that!
Thank you Aimee! Yes, I added that note in the printout because I’m like really, really picky about muffins. Some people like really juicy ones, but I don’t, lol! But the dried cranberries would work much better next time for me, but they were still yummy, don’t get me wrong!
All the fruit! That drippy glaze! The juicy inside! YOU’RE KILING ME HERE!!!! I recently rediscovered how much I love a little bit of orange juice in baking, it’s just a subtle fruitiness that you almost don’t notice but simultaneously love! And I’m not the biggest cranberry in muffin fan either, so I totally imagine these would be delicious plain or with blueberries or strawberries stirred in! I’m kind of amazed by this glaze, just juice and sugar? No thickening agent? That is amazing! I’m just really excited here lol! If you open a bakery I will have to move to Texas and be your official muffin taste tester, okay? 😉
Aww Natalie you are just the sweetest! Thank you so much!! Yeah, in my first trial I did them plain (with no fruit) and was SO in love with the orange citrus flavor and soft muffin texture, it was just perfect. Yep, no thickening agent, just boil down that sugar and juice and it gets SUPER thick, in fact, the longer you cook it, it will eventually turn into super sticky caramel or a taffy basically, lol! Yum yum! Deal, girl!
Love the cranberry sauce, what a cool idea!
Thank you so much Danielle! It’s an orange sauce, not cranberry, but it definitely took the muffins up a notch! Although, they are delicious on their own too 🙂
I love cranberries in muffins. Love the tart juicy burst when you take a bite. Plus the orange and cinnamon…yum!
I wish I liked them more, but I’m a texture freak and prefer dried more than the fresh! They are just so big and I think I prefer small blueberries more in muffins 🙂
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! These muffins are phenomenal! I made the plain version and added 1 dried cranberry per muffin after I poured the batter into the liners. (Wanted to compromise so that I could try both versions. :)) That glaze really sets it off, though, and definitely wakes up the orange flavor. YUMMY. Can’t believe these muffins are THIS delicious. I’m sure I’ll have to make 10 more within 24 hours. 🙂 Thanks for another killer recipe, Brandi!
Yay Courtney!! Thank you so much for making them so quickly and your amazing feedback, it made me smile! SO thrilled you loved them so much! I agree, the orange glaze just really further enhances the orange citrus in the muffins which is why I thought a glaze would be a wonderful addition. Thank you again!
Omg!! I made these into waffles!!! Definitely was super moist delicious and soft with a touch of sweetness! I will make these again post Ultimate Reset three weeks from today! Brandi you Rock!
I’m so happy you loved these and waffles is a great idea, thank you so much Tiffany for making them and the feedback!
I can not stop eating these cranberry orange oat muffins that I made this morning and it sure will be gone by this evening .. Lol… They’re so delicious and I’m so glad that there’s finally real vegan muffins that are full of nutrition so thank you so much! You’re are the best Brandi! I love you and appropriate all your efforts.
Yay! Thank you so much Mimi! I’m so happy to hear you loved these so much!
Oh, I am totally with you…I’m not a fan of a juicy muffin and will actually pick them apart to eat the “dry” bits, does that make sense? Haha! BUT I would totally dive into that chocolate chunk one! I love that you’re having fun in the kitchen, you’re clearly good at what you do, too! I love how healthy these are, but I’m sure they don’t taste it. Beautiful photos, Brandi!!! Love the little stacks of oranges and that drippy glaze…yum!!!
Juicy muffins are nasty! I like soft, light and fluffy but some people like them! I totally get you lady! Aww thanks so much friend!! You are so sweet!
Oh my gosh, Brandi, they look delicious. And the pictures are gorgeous!
Aww thanks so much Becky, you are so sweet!
Oh, my god. That melty chocolate in those muffins looks amazing! I can only imagine the restraint it took to take pictures instead of gobbling them all down.
Those looks so warm and perfect – I can’t believe how precisely they pulled away from the papers, too.
Thank you so much Alisa! I only use the Reynolds foil liners for that very reason, they work better than ANY liners!
Ok, confession. I am not much of an orange fan unless it’s straight up fruit or juice. I know, so weird right? But your muffin texture looks amazing. I think if I did these, I’d definitely go plain like you said. I’ve never had an orange flavored muffin, bread once though but it was super goopy gross. These look exactly the opposite of that! And now that I’m thinking about it, I’m curious how they would be plain with a bit more cinnamon. I bet I’d like that actually!
Well, you know I’m not a fruit fan in general, but orange in a baked good is AMAZING, trust me! And when adorned with chocolate well, lol! Not more to say! Thanks lady, the texture is the part I love so much…my favorite flour combo! I agree too that the plain is my favorite because you can really taste the orange without the chocolate overshadowing, but that one is good too! Cinnamon would be good too, I just wanted the orange to be the star here and not cinnamon and cinnamon is so strong, but it would certainly be yummy with a stronger cinnamon flavor too.
I love the combination of orange and cranberries as well but that chocolate/orange,,,,,yum!
Cranberry orange are always winners in my mind. I love that sauce dripping down the sides. This is a recipe that I must try!
Thank you Linda!
You can’t beat the cranberry orange combo. They just pair so well together. Your muffins look great and that drippy glaze….yum!
Thank you, that glaze really sets it off!
These look so good, Brandi! I love baking with oats and all those flavors going on here. Yummy! 🙂
Thank you, Brandi, for the great recipe! Made these for the mother-in-law’s birthday and they were a hit. Specially bought the cupcake baking sheet and silicone cups (for less waste) as this was the first time I made cupcakes ever. I’m happy they came out so well. Even my husband requested them for his own birthday. Will definitely make them again 🙂
Oh I’m so sorry I’m just seeing this comment! I’m so happy they were such a hit, thank you so much for the feedback!!
Hello Brandi. I made this recipe few weeks ago (I posted on my IG @apanhan) and I really liked. I added to my recipe book : -)
Thanks
Wonderful Aline, so happy to hear that, thank you!
I’ve made a few of your recipes and they have all been a hit with the entire family, including the little people. I made these muffins today and they are so delicious. I’m not a fan of cranberry in muffins, so I used chocolate chips instead. As usual, the pictures are beautiful and makes me salivate just looking at them.
Thank you so much Desy! I’m so glad to hear you loved these, thank you for the feedback! I agree, these are better without the cranberries, haha!
Brandi
Love your recipes!
Please let me know what I can sub for potato starch?
Thanks
Hi Shobha, thank you so much! Since it’s just a small amount, you can try cornstarch using the same gram weight amount (which would be equivalent to 3 tablespoons). I don’t know if it will yield the exact same results, but hopefully it won’t change it too much. Please let me know after you make them!
These were absolutely amazing! I had been looking for some springy vegan muffins and stumbled on these muffins from heaven. I did half a batch with blueberry and half a bath with dark chocolate. The dark chocolate with the orange was simply divine!
That is so wonderful to hear Laura! Thank you so very much for the amazing feedback!
These were amazing, although I made a fat free chocolate icing instead. Do you think this could be made as a bundt cake or a regular cake?
Hi Anna! Yay, so glad to hear you loved these! Hmmm, I’m not too sure of the structure. These are rather delicate muffins and I am not so sure they would hold up very well in a cake form, it might crumble too much. You could try but that is my thought.
I don’t like orange flavor. Can lemons be used instead? Or something else?
Hi Nicola, I wouldn’t sub lemon for orange juice here, the two are not interchangeable, as orange is very sweet and lemon is extremely tart/sour and it just won’t work out in this recipe. I would find a recipe already written with lemon juice as the flavor and not orange for better success! You could try apple juice perhaps instead of the orange??
hello Brandi. thank you so much for your most fabulous receipes and photos, my head is spinning trying to choose what to try next and everything I have cooked so far is 100% fantastic. Question: what is baking soda? I have access to baking powder and bicarbonate of soda….do I make a mix of the 2?
Hi Christine! So wonderful to hear that! Bicarbonate of soda is the same thing as baking soda, so use that where recipes call for baking soda.