These sweet, moist orange muffins are filled with bright citrus zest and tangy fresh cranberries. They’re easy to make with real orange juice in the muffins and orange glaze!

If you love the zesty citrus and cranberry combination in these muffins, you might also like my cranberry orange shortbread cookies. Then, try my almond raspberry muffins and coffee cake muffins next.

A cranberry orange muffin with a bite missing, showing the fresh cranberries inside, stacked on top of a second muffin.

Like my orange cranberry bread and orange rolls, these festive cranberry orange muffins are one of my favorite treats to bake for holiday brunches. They’re tender orange muffins studded with tart, fresh cranberries that burst in your mouth with every bite. I topped each muffin with a creamy glaze made from real orange juice, which really adds to the flavor.

All About This Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe

Bakery-style muffins. My orange cranberry muffins have a fine crumb, big domes, and they’re loaded with flavor thanks to buttermilk, sour cream, and melted butter in the batter.
Fresh or frozen cranberries. Make these orange muffins with fresh cranberries when they’re in season, or make them year-round with frozen cranberries.
Sweet citrus flavors. I love the tanginess of the cranberries combined with the fresh orange flavor and sweet, citrusy glaze.

Overhead view of cranberry orange muffins topped with orange glaze, surrounded by orange slices, twisted orange rinds, and scattered fresh cranberries.

Ingredient Notes

Here are notes on the important ingredients in this easy cranberry orange muffins recipe. For the full, printable recipe details, scroll down to the recipe card after the post.

Orange Zest and Juice – Zest the orange before you juice it (see below). Fresh orange zest makes all the difference in these muffins.
Sour Cream – Makes the muffins extra moist and flavorful. Bring the sour cream to room temperature.
Buttermilk – Like the sour cream, this should also be at room temperature. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use a homemade buttermilk substitute. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar (or lemon juice) to a measuring cup, and fill the rest up with regular milk. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes, then stir.
Cranberries – These can be fresh or frozen (see below more details).
Glaze – To make the orange glaze, you’ll need powdered sugar, additional fresh orange juice, and a pinch of salt. Sift the powdered sugar to remove any lumps.

Fresh vs. Frozen Cranberries

Frozen: Remove the frozen cranberries from the freezer and let them thaw for 30 minutes before mixing them into the batter. Let the batter rest afterward. Some frozen cranberries can get mushy when thawed. It’s best to use cranberries that were frozen when fresh. Brands like Nature Ripe are perfect for this.
Fresh: Allow the cranberries to come to room temperature before you add them to the batter. Fresh cranberries will produce a more even bake and a brighter color. I tested this recipe with Oceanspray Fresh Cranberries.

Cranberry orange muffins ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

How to Zest an Orange

I zested three medium navel oranges (see photos for size) to get 1 ½ tablespoons of zest for the muffin batter. For a stronger flavor, you can add more zest.
The easiest way to zest citrus is to use a microplane. The small holes on a box grater will also work. Refer to my post on how to zest a lemon for tips. That tutorial applies to oranges and other citrus fruits, too!
Zest the oranges first, then squeeze them for the juice. Two oranges yielded about 6-7 tablespoons of juice in this case.

Overhead view of a microplane with orange zest nest to a freshly zested orange half.

How to Make Orange Cranberry Muffins

Here’s how to make delicious cranberry orange muffins from scratch!

Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Combine the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the orange zest and sugar. Use your hands to rub them together, releasing the oils in the zest. Next, mix in the oil and butter, followed by the eggs, one at a time. Lastly, fold in the sour cream and orange juice.
Add the dry ingredients. Now, gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk to make a thick batter. Do your best not to overmix.
Stir in the cranberries and rest. Gently fold the cranberries into the batter. Afterward, lightly cover the bowl and leave it to rest on the counter for 45 minutes.

Orange zest combined with sugar, oil, and butter in a mixing bowl. — Blend the sugar with the orange zest.

Fresh cranberries folded into orange muffin batter in a glass mixing bowl. — Blend the sugar with the orange zest.

Bake the Muffins

While the batter rests, preheat the oven and prepare your muffin pans for baking. Baking high, then low, is the secret to perfect muffins with big, puffed tops.

Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. You’ll start the muffins at a high temperature, and then lower the oven temperature while they finish baking. This allows the muffins to rise quickly in the high heat, creating those tall, bakery-style domes.
Fill the pan. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with six liners each, leaving an open well in between each muffin so there’s space for spreading. Then, fill the liners to the top with batter, about 4 ½ tablespoons each. A cookie scoop is a handy tool for even portioning.
Bake. Last but not least, place the muffins in the 425ºF oven. Bake for 5-6 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350ºF. Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of a muffin clean.
Cool. Rest the cranberry orange muffins in the pan for 10-15 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. They’ll need to fully cool before you can glaze them.

Add the Orange Glaze

Whisk together powdered sugar, orange juice, and salt until smooth. Then, drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins. The glaze will harden the longer it rests, so let it set, then serve.

Close up of baked orange cranberry muffins in a muffin tin, with an empty well between each muffin to allow for spreading. — Bake the muffins, then cool.

A whisk drizzling orange glaze into a clear glass bowl. — Bake the muffins, then cool.

Tips for Bakery-Worthy Muffins

Fill to the top. For larger than normal muffins (we call these bakery-style), you’ll fill the muffin liners up to the very top).
High heat first. These are first baked at a high heat to an an instant rise to form a nice and tall dome.
Don’t open the oven door while the muffins are baking. Sudden temperature changes can cause the muffins to deflate. Keep the oven door closed, even when lowering the temperature after the first 5-6 minutes. Leave it closed until it’s time to test the muffins for doneness.

Close up of baked cranberry orange muffins in a muffin tin, topped with glaze and decorated with fresh cranberries and orange rinds.

How to Store

At room temperature. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
Refrigerate. I recommend refrigerating if you’ve used any milk in the glaze. Store the muffins airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days. The tops tend to soften after a day or two. Left uncovered, the muffins will dry out in 24 hours.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

All About This Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe