These festive Gluten-Free Cranberry Muffins are oh so soft and fluffy. Perfectly sweet and tart, they are so easy to make! A delicious breakfast or snack. (Gluten-Free + Dairy Free!)
It’s time to get out your trusted muffin pan (I have two metal pans that are my old favorites and I just love). Muffins are so much fun to make because they are simple to put together, and how great it is that they are portable! You can make these muffins even with frozen cranberries, but I would not suggest using dried cranberries.
Ever since the kids were little, I have always baked something homemade for Sunday breakfast. Usually a simple apple cake (Teresa’s Vegan Apple Cake) or a nice ciambella Romagnola (Italian breakfast cake). All summer long I was baking muffins bursting with blueberries. The evening may end up with a delicious rosemary and caramelized onion focaccia (I still have fresh rosemary in my garden, which is so lovely).
All summer long Sunday breakfast was muffins bursting with juicy blueberries. As soon as we find cranberries at the market, they get added into every thing! So it was time to make our very favorite cranberry muffins. The recipe is the same way I always use and is so easy to put together.
These muffins are just so pretty with the bright cranberry color and the sparkle from the turbinado sugar. They really are the perfect holiday morning breakfast. A really easy Sunday morning baking project to do with the kids.
What’s in gluten-free cranberry muffins:
Here is the list of what you need to make these marvelous muffins:
- gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend
- salt
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- coconut oil
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- vanilla extract, optional
- coconut milk
- turbinado sugar, optional
GLUTEN FREE FLOUR BLEND. These lovely muffins are made with a gluten-free flour blend. I always have a King Arthur’s Flour on hand or even Bob’s Red Mill. Either one works great. I cannot say you could sub almond or even coconut flour. You would have to make adjustments to the recipe. So do not sub in all almond flour or coconut flour, they will flop!
COCONUT OIL + EGGS + VANILLA. The rest of our wet ingredients really play up the orange and cranberry flavors and give these a light, delicious texture that’s SO AMAZING fresh out of the oven!
BAKING POWDER, SALT, CINNAMON. I finish up the dry ingredients with plenty of light, fluffy puffiness and just enough salt and cinnamon to round things out and give these a holiday feel. (Like more cinnamon? Add more!)
MILK. Feel free to use whatever milk you use. Most of my family is dairy free, so I like to use unsweetened almond or coconut milk. If you’re dairy free, you could also use cashew milk, rice milk, or even oat milk (make sure they’re sugar free)
COCONUT OIL + EGGS + VANILLA. The rest of our wet ingredients really play up the orange and cranberry flavors and give these a light, delicious texture that’s SO AMAZING fresh out of the oven!
FRESH CRANBERRIES. It is fresh cranberry time and you probably are seeing them everywhere. Fresh cranberries are best for this recipe, but you could also sub in frozen cranberries. If you live somewhere (hello, Italy!) where it is hard to find cranberries, you could sub in blueberries or even raspberries.
A SPRINKLE OF COARSE SUGAR. I like to sprinkle on a little bit of turbinado sugar on top of the muffins (and a lot of things I bake, like my banana bread). It bakes into these lovely crunchy topping. IF you’re staying as sugar free as possible, skip this part of the recipe.
How do you make gluten-free muffins?
First step is to gather all your ingredients.
The star of these muffins are these gorgeous fresh cranberries.
Next, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, stir together the coconut oil, sugar, eggs, and milk (I used unsweetened coconut milk).
Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well. There may be some small lumps and that is ok, just make sure you stir away the larger lumps of flour mixture.
Gently fold in the cranberries. Reserve a portion for the top of muffins if you want pop of berry color).
Next step is to spoon batter into the muffin cups three-fourths full.
Next step is to sprinkle muffin tops with coarse sugar (turbinado sugar).
Place the pan in the oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 17-20 minutes, or until the muffins are puffed and golden, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm.
Gluten-free Cranberry Muffin baking tips:
Here is all you need to know to make the BEST gluten-free cranberry muffins!
What muffin pan should I use to bake muffins?
Metal muffin pan is what I prefer. Sometimes I line with paper liner. Sometimes I just spray with baking spray and the muffins slide ride out when they’re ready. Silicone muffin pans are also great to use and nonstick.
Can I sub frozen cranberries for fresh cranberries for these muffins?
Yes! Frozen cranberries do work fine in this recipe. There is no need to thaw them out. The dough will be a bit more wet than when using fresh cranberries. IF you cannot find cranberries, feel free to sub in blueberries or raspberries.
Can these muffins be made with all-purpose flour?
Yes! If you’re not cutting gluten out of your diet (for whatever reasons), make them with all-purpose flour. Just sub in the same amount of regular all-purpose flour. I have NOT used almond flour in place of the gluten-free measure-to-measure flour, so cannot say they will turn out with same texture.
How do you store gluten-free cranberry muffins?
These delicious muffins stay fresh in an airtight container or even a zipped lock bag on the counter for one day. Longer than one day, I would store them in the fridge (for up to a few days).
Can I freeze these muffins?
Yes. Once they have cooled down, you could put them in a zipped lock freezer bag or an airtight container. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to a month. They’re really easy to reheat in a toaster oven or oven (or a microwave).
PIN for later!
Some other delicious cranberry recipes
- Leftover Cranberry Sauce Coffee Cake
- Vegan Apple Cranberry Crisp
- Easy Cranberry and Apple Cake
- Cranberry, Almond and Tangerine Relish
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Baking
Gluten-Free Cranberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend*
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup coconut oil*
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1 cup coconut milk* unsweetened
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries*
- 1 Tbsp. coarse Turbinado sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners or grease or spray with nonstick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the coconut oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and coconut milk (I used unsweetened).
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well. There may be some small lumps and that is ok, just make sure you stir away the larger lumps of flour mixture.
- Gently fold in the cranberries. Reserve a portion for the top of muffins if you want a pop of berry color).
- Spoon batter into the muffin cups three-fourths full.
- Sprinkle muffin tops with turbinado sugar.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 17-20 minutes, or until the muffins are puffed and golden, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm.
Notes
* you could sub 4 tablespoons of melted butter or margarine for the coconut oil. *you could also sub whatever mild flavored oil you have on hand for the coconut oil. Or omit the oil and you’ll end up with denser muffins.
*I used unsweetened coconut milk, but unsweetened almond, cashew or oat milk will work. Use a dairy milk if you’re not dairy-free.
*you can substitute frozen cranberries, if needed. Keep them frozen (don’t thaw) when adding to the muffin batter
