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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Recipes

    Vegan Cranberry Muffins

    Published: Nov 3, 2019 · Modified: Apr 24, 2023 by Dianne · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Vegan Cranberry Muffins are they’re loaded with fresh cranberries, nuts, and a hint of orange flavor. This easy recipe come together quickly – no mix necessary! They’re perfect for Thanksgiving breakfast, Christmas brunch, or snack time on any day in between! This recipe is vegan with a gluten-free option.

    vegan cranberry muffins with text overlay

    Vegan Cranberry Muffins

    Sometime during my Christmas break last year, I had a hankering for cranberry muffins. I had some cranberries in the freezer, along with the usual muffin ingredients, so I baked up a quick batch using some of my other muffin recipes as inspiration. They baked up nicely, and I wanted to share the recipe, but a blog post about cranberry muffins shortly after Christmas just didn’t seem very timely. With Thanksgiving on the horizon, and Christmas coming fast on its heels, the time has come to finally share it with you!

    flour, cranberries, oranges, nuts,

    How to Make Vegan Cranberry Muffins

    Making muffins is so simple that’s almost silly notto bake up a batch! It only takes a few minutes to throw all of the ingredients together.

    Scooping muffin batter
    • First, you mix together the dry ingredients.
    • Then, you mix together the wet ingredients and pour them into the dry ingredients.
    • Next, you fold in the cranberries and nuts.
    • Finally, you scoop the batter into a muffin tin and bake!
    baked muffins in baking tin

    Recipe Notes

    When mixing batter, mix the wet and dry ingredients together until they’re just incorporated. Overmixing can cause the muffins to turn out gummy.

    Placing the rack in the upper third of the oven is a trick I learned from Fran Costigan in her Rouxbe Essential Vegan Desserts course. It’s the key to getting a nice domed top on the muffins.

    close up of muffins on plate

    Cranberry and orange pair really well together, so I used orange juice in this recipe, rather than clabbered almond milk, which is usually my go-to when making muffins. If you’re feeling fancy, you can add a little orange zest to the wet ingredients when making the batter. (I get lazy, and I pretty much never zest my citrus fruits when I see recipes calling for it!)

    close up of muffin with cranberries

    I usually bake muffins like these with whole wheat or spelt flour. If you follow a gluten-free diet, try an all-purpose gluten-free baking mix like Bob’s Red Mill’s 1 to 1 Baking Flour.

    I like to use walnuts or pecans in my cranberry muffins for a little crunch. You can use any type of nut or seed that you like. If you’re allergic to nuts, you can omit them all together.

    muffin in my hand

    Vegan Cranberry Muffins are a great treat for breakfast or brunch on Thanksgiving or Christmas. I also love just having them as a snack with a cup of apple cider tea during the autumn months!

    muffins with cranberries scattered
    muffins on platter overhead square

    Vegan Cranberry Muffins

    Dianne
    Vegan Cranberry Muffins are they’re loaded with fresh cranberries, nuts, and a hint of orange flavor. This easy recipe come together quickly – no mix necessary! They’re perfect for Thanksgiving morning, Christmas, or any day in between! This recipe is vegan with a gluten-free option.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 muffins
    Calories 141 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour mix
    • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 cup orange juice
    • ½ cup maple syrup
    • ½ cup apple sauce
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups cranberries either fresh or thawed frozen
    • 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

    Instructions
     

    • Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil the cups of a muffin pan or line it with paper liners.
    • In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
    • In a medium bowl, mix together the orange juice, maple syrup, apple sauce, and vanilla.
    • Pour the wet mixture into dry mixture and mix until there are no visible lumps of flour. Do not overmix.
    • Carefully fold in the cranberries and walnuts.
    • Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them ¾ of the way full.
    • Bake until the muffins are golden brown around the edges and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 to 20 minutes.
    Calories: 141kcal
    Tried this recipe?Tag @diannewenz on Instagram!
    vegan cranberry muffins

    Other muffin recipes you might enjoy include:

    • Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
    • Carrot Cake Muffins
    • Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
    • Lemon Poppy Zucchini
    stack of muffins with lemons and zucchini
    « Vegan Cinnamon-Oatmeal Baked Apples
    Apple Pie Oatmeal »

    About Dianne

    Dianne Wenz is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, Vegan Lifestyle Coach, Plant-Based Diet Nutrition Specialist, and Plant-Based Chef, as well as the author of Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Joshua Howard

      November 13, 2019 at 6:37 am

      5 stars
      These muffins look perfect! Is it possible to make them with apple juice?

    2. Dianne

      November 13, 2019 at 9:29 am

      Thank you, Joshua! I haven't tried them with apple juice, but I'm sure it would work.

    3. AJ

      December 02, 2020 at 8:29 pm

      Can we use dried cranberries?

    4. Dianne

      December 03, 2020 at 9:33 am

      I don't know. I've never made them with dried cranberries.

    5. Leslie Caza

      December 07, 2020 at 12:14 pm

      5 stars
      Yum Yum! I made just a few small changes. I replaced the baking powder and baking soda with a heaping tablespoon of Ener-G baking powder. I also quickly pulsed the walnuts and cranberries in my food processor and added them in with the dry ingredients. Ener-g has only 1 rise so you have to work quickly to get it in a hot oven, so I put the batter in a 8"x11" pan to bake for 30 minutes instead of taking the time to do the muffins. It was perfect and yummy. Not too sweet.

    6. Dianne

      December 09, 2020 at 9:55 am

      I'm so glad you liked it, Leslie!

    7. Shellie

      November 24, 2021 at 6:25 pm

      5 stars
      These are great! The only change I made was substituting coconut nectar for the maple syrup. Thanks, Dianne. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

    8. Dianne

      November 24, 2021 at 8:41 pm

      I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Shellie! Happy Thanksgiving!

    9. Danielle

      November 13, 2022 at 9:10 pm

      I have made these for my toddler multiple times and she loves them! She is allergic to eggs so always looking for vegan recipes to try. This one is perfect

    10. Dianne

      November 14, 2022 at 2:07 pm

      I"m so happy to hear that!

    11. Gail

      November 16, 2022 at 2:54 pm

      These look wonderful and I am extra excited because they are oil-free. Do they come out of the pans easily, or do you need to use silicone bakeware? I'm looking forward to giving them a try!

    12. Dianne

      November 16, 2022 at 4:49 pm

      Thank you, Gail! I've never had problems getting them out of the muffin pan.

    13. Suee33

      November 25, 2022 at 2:24 pm

      5 stars
      Very good and made them with shelled salted and roasted Pistachio nuts yummy!! Thank you for the recipe.

    14. Dianne

      November 26, 2022 at 10:25 am

      I'm so glad you liked them!

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    Hi! I'm Dianne Wenz, a Board-Certified Health Vegan Health and Lifestyle Coach. I empower my clients to build new habits so they can reach their healthy living goals. I love to show others how easy it is to live a vegan lifestyle as well as how to cook deliciously easy plant-based meals. Contact me today to learn more and to schedule a complimentary breakthrough session!

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