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This Cranberry Lemon Muffins recipe is easy-to-follow, healthy, and wholesome. So why not give it a try? You can make it using fresh or frozen cranberries from Thanksgiving or Christmas.
It’s so quick to make in case you have last minute guests during the holiday season or want to make a homemade special treat for breakfast while the kids are out of school. You can make it especially quick if you use frozen cranberries.
ingredients & substitutions
- Flour: We use an all purpose flour to make these muffins. We haven’t tried it, but they should turn out just fine using a 1:1 gluten-free flour if you have an intolerance.
- Baking powder and baking soda: So that the muffins rise when they are baked and get light and fluffy.
- Salt: A little salt really helps to enhance the sweetness of these cranberry muffins.
- Maple syrup: We like to use maple syrup to naturally sweeten the muffins. Honey would work too.
- Coconut oil: Melted coconut oil adds moistness to the muffins. You can substitute it with vegetable oil or melted butter if you don’t have it to hand.
- Eggs: To bind the dry ingredients together.
- Yogurt: Greek yogurt adds some additional moisture, as well as a rich creamy taste. Plain yogurt can be used, but you get an extra boost of protein with Greek.
- Lemon: Use lemon juice and zest for a tangy and fresh flavor.
- Cranberries: Make these muffins with fresh or frozen cranberries.
- Almonds: Toasted sliced almonds add a great nutty taste and texture to these muffins. You could use other nuts like walnuts or pecans if you prefer.
how to make cranberry lemon muffins
- Whisk together the maple syrup and melted coconut oil.
- Add the eggs, greek yogurt, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Mix well to combine.
- Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the cranberries and almonds.
- Place the batter into a muffin tin.
- Bake util set and lightly browned.
Tips for making cranberry muffins
- If using frozen cranberries, do not thaw them. Use them right from the freezer and fold them quickly into the batter before baking. If they start to thaw the color will leak and you’ll have pink muffins.
- Be careful not to over mix the batter. The wet ingredients should be well and evenly combined, but when you add the flour don’t over mix. Stop mixing once there is no dry flour left. If you overwork the mixture, the gluten over develops and your muffins can turn out to be quite dense.
- Let the muffins cool completely on a wire rack. The wire rack allows cool air to circulate all round so you don’t get soggy bottoms.
- Make it your own! This is a great basic muffin recipe that you can easily adapt to suit your own tastes. Swap the lemon juice for orange juice, or swap the cranberries with blueberries. Try adding a little ground cinnamon or ginger for a different flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
We prefer to use frozen or fresh cranberries for a bright color and jammy fruit bits, but you can make these with dried if that’s what you have to hand.
You can easily adapt this recipe to make these cranberry lemon muffins dairy-free and vegan. Use a flax egg to replace the eggs and your favorite plant-based yogurt.
Once your muffins have fully cooled, place them into an airtight container. They will keep well at room temperature for 2 to 3 days and in the fridge for up to 5.
They will keep well frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze them solid on a baking sheet before transferring to a freezer bag or container. Thaw them at room temperature to enjoy.
The mixture of the lemon with the milk gives it a zesty flavor that compliments the taste of the cranberries and the sweet cane sugar. Get ready for your house to smell heavenly and yummy!
More muffins recipes:
- Sweet Potato Muffins
- Chai Spiced Vegan Muffins
- Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
- Kid Friendly Muffins
- Banana Nut Muffins
More cranberry recipes:
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This Cranberry Lemon Muffins recipe was originally published on December 30, 2016. The recipe has been slightly modified to make it easier and the post now includes updated step-by-step photos.
Cranberry Lemon Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut oil melted
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 cup cranberries halved
- ½ cup toasted sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a muffin tin or line with muffin cups.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In another large bowl using a handheld mixer, whisk together the maple syrup and coconut oil until combined. Add the eggs, greek yogurt, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Add the flour mixture and stir just until combined, then fold in the cranberries and sliced almonds.
- Scoop batter into paper liners or muffin tin, filling each all the way to the top. Bake for 23-27 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean and the muffins are lightly browned on the edges. Cool in muffin pan for 10 minutes; then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Substitute the egg for a flax egg and use a plant-based yogurt to make it vegan.
- To make this gluten-free, use an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix. Do not substitute only almond flour or only coconut flour.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
I made these muffins with gluten free flour and used olive oil because I didn’t have coconut oil. They were awesome. I froze them and then had them thawed a week later, over the course of a 4 day road trip and they held up so well.
Thanks for sharing!!
These were really good, however, as soon as I added the yogurt to the maple syrup and coconut oil, the oil hardened 🙁 I had already added the eggs so couldn’t microwave or heat it. Next time I’ll know.
Oo that’s a great point! The cold Greek yogurt could cause the coconut oil to seize.
Can you use Almond Flour instead?
Yes, you can, but I have not tested this recipe with Almond flour so I am not sure what the exact ratios would be.
Hi, can I use oat flour or Whole White flour in place of all-purpose?
Hi Bonnie! I’ve never made this recipe with either, so I am not really sure how it would turn out. That being said I don’t see why you couldn’t, you may need to adjust the ratios a little though.
This afternoon I made these muffins (6 jumbo)….so darn delicious! I made them vegan with two flax eggs and coconut yogourt. Since I had a handful of blueberries left, I threw them in. The hint of maple coming through is just lovely. Thank you! Definitely a keeper 🙂
You’re so welcome! I bet the pop of blueberry was just perfect too! Thank you for sharing.
Is it possible to substitute the maple syrup for golden syrup? It’s a bit difficult to get hold of maple syrup here in the UK and I’m keen to try out this recipe!
I haven’t made this with golden syrup yet, but I think it should work!
I made these today without the yogurt since I had none at home. Even without the yogurt, these are sooo delicious
That’s perfect! Good to know it works without the yogurt too.
I made mini -muffins, which I guess is what recipe is for, considering I got 13 of them out of the batch lol. I made the mistake of using muffin liners, instead of a greased pan, and they came out completely stuck to the liner 🙁 they still taste pretty good, just look sad. I would recommend either using a greased pan, or maybe even spray oil on the liners.
I’m glad you enjoyed the taste of these muffins! I would try the greased pan next time because the success of the muffin liners can highly depend on the kind you use.
These muffins turned out amazing! The only issue was the coconut oil hardening because my maple syrup was too cold. I also used 1 cup of whole wheat flour and the rest all purpose flour. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much! I am happy to hear it worked out with those substitutions. You’re welcome!!
Very good, BUT 20 mins is the time I would set. At 23 mins, mine were too dark
Thank you! That’s great to note.
Hi!
Can this cranberry lemon muffins be made a loaf instead of muffins? If so what would be the bake time?
Made these muffins last week and we loved them.
Thanks !
I have yet to try that, but I think it could work!
Tip; If you cut cranberries that thawed by mistake, put them on a paper towel. Left on counter to dry overnight and were perfect…
Great tip! Thanks for sharing.
Very good…wanted to make these for grandkids who come for breakfast…Used coconut oil w butter flavor, coconut yogurt, walnuts, and used orange for juice and zest. Muffins disappeared and some went home for later…Success !!
Thank you! Sounds perfect. Glad you all enjoyed!
Yummy muffins. Only thing I substitute was the coconut oil. I use vegetable oil.. will make again.
Thank you! Let me know how that goes too!
Great recipe!! slightly altered the recipe, made with 1:2 almond flour, turned out perfectly!
Thank you! I love that it still turned out that way.
Hi Yumna wow easy and mouth watering recipe but only if you could add measurements of all the ingredients would be great .
Thank you
Thank you! All of the ingredients and the quantities can be found on the recipe card.
Thanks for the recipe. Easy to follow and very quick done. Great for the kids this afternoon.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
They look so good! I can’t wait to try it! Just want to know if I can use frozen cranberries.
Love all your recipes. Regards from Spain 🙂
Yes you can use frozen cranberries! Hope you like it!
I love this recipe – I substituted dried cherries for cranberries (I was snowed in!) and added lemon zest to the top with the almonds – yummy!
Hi Rebecca – So glad you tried this recipe and loved it! Yay! Thank you! 🙂