Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins (Oil-free)

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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Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins (Oil-free)

Brandi Doming

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!

5 from 10 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Vegan

Yields 10 muffins

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffinCalories: 151.9kcalCarbohydrates: 32.9gProtein: 3.1gFat: 1.3gSodium: 214.5mgFiber: 2.1gSugar: 18.7g

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