Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins are bursting with fresh cranberries, sweet orange and dark chocolate. They’re hearty, wholesome, and dairy-free, and make the perfect addition to your holiday brunch or breakfast!
This recipe was originally published in November 2017 and has been updated with new text and photos. The recipe remains the same.
Have you been able to get your hands on any fresh cranberries yet? They usually start popping up in grocery stores around here in late September, but become more plentiful as the holiday season gets closer.
I have a slight obsession with fresh cranberries and usually freeze a few large bags during the fall so I have enough for baking and cooking throughout the year. That’s the thing about cranberries. They’re just as great frozen as they are fresh.
Here are a few of my go-to cranberry recipes:
Details on a few ingredients to make these cranberry orange muffins
- Fresh cranberries: A full cup adds a pop of colour and tart flavour. If you don’t have fresh cranberries, you can use frozen or dried cranberries.
- Steel-cut oats: For muffins with a nutty texture, you’ll want to go with steel-cut oats. They need to soak for a few hours (or even overnight), so if you’re short on time, just use rolled oats and soak them for 30-60 minutes.
- Nut milk: If you don’t have unsweetened almond or cashew milk, feel free to use cow’s milk. (Just note that the recipe will no longer be dairy-free).
- Orange (juice and zest): For maximum flavour, go for freshly squeezed orange juice. To get 3 tablespoons of juice and 1 tablespoon of zest for this recipe, you’ll need about half a large orange.
- Whole wheat flour: These muffins are made with whole wheat flour to keep them on the healthier side. If you prefer all-purpose white flour, you can make a 1:1 substitution.
- Dark chocolate: I usually go for dairy-free dark chocolate chunks or chips, but you can use whatever chocolate chips you like if you don’t need this recipe to be dairy-free.
How to make cranberry muffins from scratch
- Soak the oats and milk overnight, or for at least 5-6 hours.
- Whisk together the egg and oil. Add in the orange juice and zest, along with the oat mixture. Stir until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until combined. Fold in the cranberries and chocolate chunks.
- Divide the muffin batter into a greased muffin pan and bake on 425F for 15-17 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make these cranberry muffins with frozen cranberries? Yes, you can add frozen cranberries right to the muffin batter. No need to defrost them or adjust the bake time.
Can you make cranberry muffins with dried cranberries? Absolutely. Just keep in mind that the muffins will be a little sweeter and less tart. Dried cranberries are usually sweetened, but their flavour and chewy texture really work with the orange and dark chocolate in these muffins.
How do you store these muffins? They should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
How long will they last? If stored properly, they will stay fresh for 2-3 days.
Can you freeze cranberry muffins? Yes. Just arrange the muffins in a single layer in an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before eating.
Additional tips and recipe substitutions
- To zest your orange, just use a zester or the small holes on a box grater. Also, refrigerate your orange before zesting. The cold will keep the peel firm and it will be easier to zest.
- If you don’t have oranges, try using fresh lemon as a substitute.
- I find darker coloured bakeware tends to brown baked goods more quickly than lighter coloured. I normally use a dark muffin pan, so if you’re using a lighter coloured pan, you may need to increase the bake time by a few minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick.
Other oatmeal muffin recipes you might enjoy
- Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Blackberry Lemon Oatmeal Muffins
- Healthy Banana Nut Muffins
- Banana Blackberry Oatmeal Muffins
If you make these cranberry oatmeal muffins, I would love to hear what you think in the comments below!
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Follow Crumb Top Baking on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook!
Print
Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins are bursting with fresh cranberries, sweet orange and dark chocolate. They’re hearty, wholesome and dairy-free, and make the perfect addition to your holiday brunch or breakfast!
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel-cut oats
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks (dairy-free)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the oats and milk. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 5-6 hours.
- Once the oats are soaked, preheat the oven to 425F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and oil. Add in the orange juice and zest, along with the oat mixture, and stir until combined.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in the cranberries and chocolate chunks.
- Using a cookie scoop, divide the muffin batter into the prepared muffin pan. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 2-3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- The total recipe time includes time for the oats to soak.
- Steel-cut oats need to soak overnight, or for at least 5-6 hours. If you’re short on time, you can use rolled oats and soak them for 30-60 minutes.
- If you don’t have unsweetened almond or cashew milk, you can use cow’s milk. (Just note that the recipe will no longer be dairy-free).
- To get 3 tablespoons of orange juice and 1 tablespoon of zest, you’ll need about half a large orange.
- If you don’t have fresh cranberries, you can use frozen or dried cranberries.
- Be sure to check out the detailed sections above the recipe card for additional advice and suggestions for making this recipe.
LOVE cranberries! These muffins would be perfect for Christmas morning 🙂 Look forward to trying them over the holiday season!
Thanks Jessica! I usually bake up a batch on Christmas Eve (and eat the leftovers on Christmas morning!)
I can’t help but comment again. I love the new video, and these muffins were a hit with my family!!
Thanks so much Katherine! I remember you making them last year. So glad you and your family enjoyed them!
Great flavors! Especially for this time of year.
Thanks Jeff! I totally agree!
While I’m certainly familiar with overnight oats, I’d never have thought of this trick with muffins. This makes sense indeed as the muffins must be so moist and soft. And this combination of cranberries and chocolate? Yes, please!
Thanks Ben! The overnight oats definitely keep the muffins moist. It’s my favourite way to make any kind of oatmeal muffin!
I will definitely be adding these to my meal prep line up Leanne! Love the flavours and the new the video is addition is so helpful!
Thanks Tanya! Hope you like them! And glad you find the video helpful!
These sound fabulous! Cranberries, orange and chocolate sound heavenly and those muffins look to die for!
Thanks Kim! They are my favourite muffin to make for the holidays!
Great video Leanne! And these look just delicious. I love the added chocolate chunks! Can’t wait to check out all the recipes!
Thanks Mary Ann! I just stocked up on more fresh cranberries so more recipes are in store!
I saw the recipe video on Insta and was instantly sold! Amazing flavors and they look so hearty! Take care.
Thanks so much Stacey! Hope all is well!
Move over overnight oats! These are my new favorite breakfast. I loooove the cranberry orange combo! I just need a couple of them with my tea right now and I’ll be very happy 🙂
Thanks Kelsie! I’m all over the orange cranberry combo too lately!
My coffee’s ready, now all I need is one of these gorgeous muffins!! Or two! 😉 YUM!
Thanks Annie! That’s my kind of breakfast or mid-morning snack!
Perfect flavors for the season. Great use of all those fresh bags of cranberries taking over the stores.
Thanks Patrick! And I’m still stocking up on those cranberries while I can!
I used dried cranberries, dairy milk and while sugar. 12 small muffins. Nice.
Thanks Karla! So happy you liked them. And it’s great to know they worked out with those substitutions!
I can’t wait to try these! Love the flavor combination of chocolate, orange and cranberry. Perfect for the holidays.
Thanks Madison! I hope you like them! I made them a lot last year around the holidays!
This is a perfect and healthy treat, especially for people with a sweet tooth, like me! 🙂 Is it possible to use frozen cranberries instead of fresh ones, Leanne?
Thanks Agness! These muffins definitely strike a nice balance between being healthy and a treat! I haven’t tried making these with frozen cranberries, but I use this muffin base all the time, and have used frozen blueberries and mangoes, which worked out well. I just defrosted the fruit before adding it to the muffin mixture. With that said, I can’t see why frozen cranberries wouldn’t work well too!
Ha! Same here. Canadian Thanksgiving was so long ago, I need another go! Found you via Instagram, and came over because I NEED THIS RECIPE!
Cranberry and orange is my favourite combo! There is a cranberry orange muffin that I always get at McDonalds with my coffee just because the combo is bomb. LOVE your addition of the chocolate chunks. What kind do you use?
Hi Cathleen! Thanks for coming over from Instagram for a visit! Cranberry and orange is also one of my favourite combos, especially this time of year. And these muffins would be perfect with a morning coffee! Hope you like them! The dark chocolate chunks are a most, and truth be told, I add them to a lot of my baking. I use Hershey’s Chipits Inspirations 70% Cacao. If you make these muffins, let me know what you think. Take care!
What a beautiful treat this makes for breakfast Leanne. My son has oats with cranberries almost every morning…I cannot wait to surprise him with this delicious variation for his breakfast…he is going to absolutely love it. I am going to have to sneak in a few for the rest of us first though or we might not get any. 😉
Thank you for the great recipe 🙂
Thank you Ashika! That’s such a nice comment! These muffins are definitely a new favourite of mine. I hope your son likes them too! Let me know what he thinks ;). Take care.
Leanne! I have all of the ingredients for this recipe and I am 100% making them!! I LOVE fresh cranberries too, and am trying very hard not to just go all in on the cranberries on the blog 😉 I’m with you on celebrating the American Thanksgiving in our own way too – it’s hard not to when we’re surrounded by it all! Cheers to one delicious looking breakfast muffin!!
Thanks Katherine! I’m so happy to hear that! I hope you like them! As for the cranberries, I can totally relate. I have another cranberry recipe ready to post on the blog tomorrow. But they are just so perfect to cook and bake with, especially this time of year! Enjoy celebrating the US Thanksgiving!
High five for cranberries!! Love the colour of them and, you’re right, so festive! Weekend shopping trips away are so fun and it’s neat how you guys have that tradition of celebration two Thanksgivings. Any excuse to have a nice meal, right? No complaints here for the addition of dark chocolate – totally chocked full of antioxidants 😉 Wish I had one of these yummy muffins right now for my breakfast!
Thanks Dawn! Yup, we’re all about the excuses to cook and eat around here ;)! Now, if I could just get my husband to eat cranberries!