Vegan Orange Cranberry Muffins
‘Tis the season for holiday breakfasts and brunch! Vegan Orange Cranberry Muffins are the perfect baked good to serve for both vegans and non-vegans alike! Fresh cranberries and orange zest work together to create scrumptious muffins. Whether you’re hosting an at-home brunch, a play group or making a holiday breakfast for your family (or yourself), these fluffy vegan cranberry muffins are the perfect winter breakfast to bake and serve!
I’m a sucker for all things calling for fresh cranberries during the winter months. (Orange Cranberry Cream Cheese Thumbprint Cookies? Check. Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls? Check. Cranberry Orange Ginger Biscotti? Check.)
Why should it be a surprise that I’d come at y’all with a Vegan Orange Cranberry Muffin recipe before the end of the season?
(Also, shout out to my Instagram followers, who chose this recipe to go live today!)
Why I love this recipe:
I’m not a vegan. No one in my family eats a vegan diet. But I have vegan friends, and I love having a solid recipe in my back pocket that I can feed them when they come to visit.
It also makes me happy to have a versatile recipe that feeds both vegans and non-vegans alike. (Bonus points if it doesn’t call for hard-to-get ingredients because I don’t have my act together enough.)
If you like the cranberry and orange combination, this recipe is going to knock your socks off.
The muffins are fluffy and tender. The cranberries are super tart. That orange zest adds zip and some much-needed acidity to balance out that tartness. And the vanilla bean paste just adds a little something extra!
In other words: You should make these muffins, whether you’re feeding your family or friends, serving yourself or prepping for a holiday breakfast. They also work for a little snack to share with kids at a playdate, etc.
Just sayin’.
More vegan breakfast recipes to try: Vegan Pumpkin Muffins | Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits with Maple Butter | Vegan Banana Muffins | Coconut Oil Vegan Biscuits | Vegan Blueberry Muffins | Vegan Apple Crisp
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Glass bowls
- Liquid measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Zester
- Hand mixer or whisk
- Muffin/Cupcake tin
- Parchment paper cupcake liners
- Cookie scoop
- Wire cooling rack
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here are the simple ingredients that you need to grab at the grocery store:
- All-purpose flour — we keep unbleached AP flour in our house, but the regular kind works here, too. I have not tried to make this recipe with a gluten-free flour blend and do not recommend it.
- Ground ginger — this adds some ginger punch to the muffin batter without being overwhelming. Be sure yours is fresh, as ground spices lose their potency the longer they sit.
- Leaveners — we use a combination of baking soda and baking powder to make these muffins rise. Be sure yours are fresh.
- Kosher salt — I like to use a medium grain kosher salt for baked goods. A fine grain sea salt would also work here.
- Granulated sugar — also known as white sugar, this is the sweetener for our vegan muffin recipe. There is no substitute.
- Unsweetened non-dairy milk — use your favorite brand and kind here! I do not suggest using a coconut cream, but any other type of dairy-free milk (like almond, cashew, soy milk, etc.) should work.
- Orange zest — this gives us that lovely burst of orange flavor without needing to add orange juice to the batter.
- Vegetable oil — or another unflavored oil. We’ve been baking these with avocado oil recently.
- White vinegar — this is going to cause a chemical reaction in the muffin batter to help it rise! You may use apple cider vinegar in a pinch. Please do not worry that your muffins will taste like vinegar.
- Vanilla bean paste — this paste is absolutely decadent and adds beautiful vanilla undertones to our muffin batter. You can replace it with a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract if you don’t have it on hand.
- Cranberries — fresh or frozen cranberries are what you need for this recipe. You cannot use dried cranberries because those are a different texture and flavor.
Variations on this recipe:
I do not recommend making a lot of changes to this recipe or your muffins could deflate.
That said, you could throw in about a half cup of nuts (walnuts or pecans would be fablous) or your favorite vegan chocolate chips for some different textures, if desired.
Swap orange with lemon or lime, if that sounds better to you! All you need is the same amount of zest from whichever citrus is your favorite.
How to make Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line a muffin tin with baking cups. (I really love parchment paper baking cups* {affiliate link} because they are truly nonstick.) Set aside.
Whisk the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. These are the dry ingredients. Set aside.
Combine the sugar, non-dairy milk, orange zest, oil, vinegar and vanilla bean paste in another bowl. These are the wet ingredients.
Use a hand mixer or a whisk to beat these ingredients together until light and fluffy.
Sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Stir until just combined.
Fold the cranberries into the batter with a rubber spatula.
Immediately scoop the batter mixture into the prepared baking cups using a tablespoon measure or a cookie scoop.
It is imperative to work quickly, or your muffins might not rise to their fullest extent!
Bake for 20-23 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Be sure to do the toothpick test where you insert it into the center of the muffin. If it comes out clean, you’re good to go!
Enjoy warm or slightly cooled!
How to store and freeze:
Leftover muffins make for a great future breakfast.
Let the muffins cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Store at room temperature for 3-4 days.
You can freeze extra muffins. Place the muffins on a wax paper-lined sheet pan, and transfer to the freezer. Freeze until solid, then transfer to an airtight ziptop freezer back. Defrost in the fridge before enjoying!
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re not vegan, either. Several years ago, I created my Vegan Blueberry Muffin recipe when we were planning to host vegan friends for brunch. That recipe has been well-loved ever since by vegans and non-vegans alike.
These muffins are similar in the sense that if you don’t know they’re vegan, chances are you won’t think they are. They’re light and fluffy, but they don’t need any animal products to make them utterly scrumptious.
These muffins lasted less than 24 hours in my household. I bet they’ll last the same amount of time in yours, whether or not you follow a vegan diet.
I’ve tested these Orange Cranberry Muffins multiple times to ensure they’re 1. edible, 2. delicious and 3. good for everyone to enjoy, no matter their dietary preferences.
I love to entertain, and part of entertaining is ensuring I have food to serve to guests whose diets aren’t the same as mine. Since brunch is one of my favorite meals to host, vegan muffins have become a go-to in my house.
The added bonus is I don’t have to make other muffins for non-vegans, and my vegan friends know they will get a solid muffin when they come for brunch!
I use a combination of baking soda and vinegar to make my vegan muffins fluffy. Why? When the two get together, they fizz and create a gorgeous rise in the muffins.
As an added bonus, they’re ingredients most of us have lying around, assuming we cook on a semi-regular basis, and they make for a beautiful muffin.
There are several different factors that might go into this.
Here are a few questions to answer:Is your baking soda old? Is your baking powder old? Does your oven run at the correct temperature? (Vegan muffins struggled to rise in my 1960’s oven because the oven never ran at a consistent temperature.)
The thing I love about these muffins is that the cranberries are fresh and tart. If you want to make this recipe and fresh cranberries aren’t available, I advise purchasing unsweetened frozen ones and letting those thaw a little before throwing them in the batter.
I do not recommend adding dried cranberries to this recipe because they will make the muffins super sweet. Also, the berries won’t burst in your mouth when you bite into them.
Quick tips and tricks to the best vegan muffins
- Make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh. Without them, your muffins won’t rise.
- Similarly, get your muffins into the muffin pan quickly and into the oven. Since we use a combination of baking soda and vinegar to create fizz, it is imperative to work quickly so that the rise can happen.
- Make a double or triple batch to share with the people you love if you’re hosting a crowd.
What are some other vegan breakfast dishes I could serve at brunch?
Now who’s ready to bake up some muffins?
Scroll on down to learn how to make ‘em…
Vegan Orange Cranberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 120g
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150g
- ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup cranberries fresh
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with baking cups. (I really love these parchment paper baking cups.) Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large glass mixing bowl, w. Set aside.
- Combine the sugar, non-dairy milk, orange zest, oil, vinegar and vanilla bean paste in another large bowl. Using a hand mixer or a whisk to beat until the ingredients light and fluffy.
- Sprinkle the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
- Fold the cranberries into the batter with a rubber spatula.
- Immediately dollop the batter into the prepared baking cups using a tablespoon measure or a cookie scoop.
- Bake for 20-23 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through, then enjoy warm!
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
Sorry, but I bake often and these didn’t work at all. They didn’t rise and taste like pure sugar. Maybe there’s supposed to be more flour involved? I don’t know.