If you love your muffins to be fruity and crumbly, you'll adore these perfectly soft vegan cranberry orange muffins which are topped with a simple streusel which makes such a big difference to the taste and texture.
These warm weather treats take less than 30 minutes to make and once you try them, you're going to want more and more. Comforting is the word comes to mind. They're a real 'feel good' dessert.
Cranberry and orange is an all-time classic combination. That alongside the soft, juicy and homely texture of the muffins makes these a great snack choice, whether that's for sharing with friends and family or for enjoying them alone.
Love orange-flavoured sweet treats? Be sure to also see my vegan 4-ingredient chocolate orange macadamia nut clusters, eggless orange blueberry cake loaf and vegan orange poppy seed cake.
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Why You Will Love These Muffins
- Amazing Texture - When you can taste the crumbly streusel and the light and airy muffin texture at the same time, it really is heavenly. Similarly to my vegan raspberry muffins recipe, those are the two main components of this recipe and without each of them complimenting each other, the muffins wouldn't be quite the same.
- Summery Flavors - Cranberry and orange are two of the most refreshing flavors when it comes to fruity treats. I used this delicious combination for my vegan cranberry orange cake too and that is equally as tasty.
- Great For Snacking - These muffins aren't too heavy so they make a wonderful midday snack. The issue is that they're so moreish and they often end up being a lot more than just a 'snack'!
- Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This vegan cranberry orange muffins recipe is wholly vegan and dairy free.
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan butter - Make sure that this is softened at room temperature or else you won't be able to use it for the crumble mixture. You can use either a dairy-free margarine or a dairy-free butter block for it. It just needs to be soft so it can be incorporated into the other streusel ingredients with ease.
- Ripe banana - A single banana acts as the egg replacer for this recipe. I also used ripe bananas in my vegan banana chocolate chip muffins, vegan peanut butter chocolate chip muffins and vegan cinnamon sugar banana muffins recipes to achieve the same texture. A ripe banana is one that is quite brown and spotty. These will give to a great muffin consistency and more flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar - This, just like the banana really helps create a delicious muffin. The vinegar reacts with other ingredients inside the batter to create a light and fluffy texture.
- Freshly squeezed orange juice - I add quite a lot of fresh orange juice to the muffins as it gives them a really juicy and natural taste.
- Zest of a medium orange - In comparison to the orange juice, the orange zest in this recipes intensifies the orange flavors even more! Both of them work so well together to create these exotic-tasting treats.
- Fresh or frozen cranberries - I used fresh ones for my muffins but ultimately it doesn't matter which ones you choose. They both work brilliantly.
See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not everybody likes cranberries. You can substitute them for a different fruit such as, raspberries or even cherries. Blueberries are also a classic that many people automatically think of when it comes to muffins. If you're one of those people, you may like my vegan pistachio and blueberry muffins or my vegan lemon blueberry muffins. Choose a fruit that you love!
- The only ingredient in this recipe which isn't gluten free is the all-purpose flour so you can easily make these muffins gluten free if you wish to do so. Simply swap it out for a 1:1 gluten free baking all-purpose flour blend and see how they turn out. I haven't tested it but I think they are most likely to turn out to be a little denser.
How To Make Cranberry Orange Muffins
For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1: Grease twelve cupcake liners tins with oil.
2: Make the cinnamon streusel. Set aside.
3: Combine the wet muffin batter ingredients inside a large bowl.
4: Fold in the dry ingredients.
5: Add the cranberries and fold one more time.
6: Pour the orange muffin batter into the cupcake liners.
7: Top with streusel and bake.
8: Let the muffins cool and serve.
Expert Tips
Don't over-mix the batter - Over-mixing the muffin batter will cause the muffins to be dense and to bake unevenly. Fold the batter gently until all the dry ingredients have been combined.
Check the doneness - You can see whether the muffins are ready by poking a toothpick or skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, they're ready.
Cool on a wire rack - Letting the muffins cool on a wire rack will prevent condensation from building up inside the muffin tin. This will make the muffins soggy and we don't want that.
Recipe FAQs
No. This will make your muffins soggy. Add the cranberries to the muffin batter whole and let them burst naturally in the oven.
Substituting in dried cranberries isn't a good idea. They aren't juicy like the fresh and frozen varieties and they will taste quite strange inside muffins due to their texture. They are best used in things such as, salads.
Store the cranberry orange muffins for up to 3-4 days inside an airtight container at room temperature.
More Vegan Muffin Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel
Ingredients
For the streusel topping:
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 25 g brown sugar
- 1.5 Tablespoons vegan butter softened
For the muffin batter:
- 1 large ripe banana (mashed)
- 180 g granulated sugar
- 240 ml soy milk
- 2.5 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 75 ml vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 medium orange
- 50 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
- 275 g all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 120 g fresh or frozen cranberries
Instructions
Preparation:
- Preheat your oven to 200 Celsius (392F).
- Line a 12-hole or two 6-hole muffin trays with cupcake liners and grease each of them with oil. Set aside.
Make the streusel:
- In a small bowl, combine the flour and sugar.
- Use your hands to press the vegan butter into the flour and sugar until a crumbly streusel forms. Set aside in the fridge while you make the muffin batter.
Make the muffin batter:
- To a large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, sugar, soy milk, apple cider vinegar, oil, vanilla, orange zest and orange juice.
- Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt. Don’t over-mix. When most of the flour has been mixed in, fold in the cranberries.
- Pour the muffin batter equally into the cupcake liners, then top each with some of the streusel.
Bake the muffins:
- Bake the cranberry orange muffins in the center of your oven for 25 minutes. They should be golden brown, and a skewer should come out clean.
- Let them cool in the trays for 10 minutes, then on a cooling rack until they're fully cooled down.
Video
Notes
- Over-mixing the muffin batter will cause the muffins to be dense and to bake unevenly. Fold the batter gently until all the dry ingredients have been combined.
- You can see whether the muffins are ready by poking a toothpick or skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, they're ready.
- Letting the muffins cool on a wire rack will prevent condensation from building up inside the muffin tin. This will make the muffins soggy and we don't want that.
Dried Fruit says
These cranberry muffins look absolutely delicious! If you're wondering how to store them for later enjoyment, check out our website at https://dryfruitshop.co.uk/ for tips and explore our range of premium dried fruits. They make a perfect addition to your muffins or any other culinary creations. Happy baking and snacking!
DJ says
Thank you!
Sue says
Love muffins with streusel
Anonymous says
Looks great 👍