These delicious and healthy vegan muffins or mini-loaves prove that pairing orange and cranberry makes for a lively flavor combination in baked goods. If I’m in the mood to make muffins for a weekend brunch, this is one of my top choices! And for winter holiday baking or giving, this batter is nice made into mini-loaves.This makes 1 dozen muffins, or 3 to 4 mini-loaves. Photos by Evan Atlas. Adapted from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook.
Orange-Cranberry Muffins or Mini-Loaves
Author: Nava
Recipe type: Vegan baked goods
Cuisine: Vegan / healthy
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
The pairing of orange and cranberry makes for a lively flavor combination in vegan muffins. And for winter holiday baking or giving, this batter is nice made into mini-loaves.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅓ cup natural granulated sugar
- ½ cup lemon or vanilla nondairy yogurt, or applesauce
- ½ cup fresh orange juice, or as needed
- 2 teaspoons grated zest (orange peel — if orange is organic; see note)
- 2 tablespoon safflower oil
- 8 ounces fresh cranberries (see note below recipe box)
- 2 tablespoons natural granulated sugar
- ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts, or sliced almonds, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine the first 5 (dry) ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir together. Make a well in the center and pour in the yogurt or applesauce, orange juice, optional zest, and oil. Add a small amount of orange juice if need be to loosen the batter a bit, but let it remain stiff. Stir just until well combined.
- Place the cranberries in a food processor and pulse on and off until coarsely chopped. Stir in the sugar and let the mixture stand for a couple of minutes.
- Stir the cranberries into the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly among 12 foil paper-lined muffin tins or 3 to 4 mini loaf pans (depending on their size). If using nuts, scatter over the tops of the muffins evenly.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the center of one tests clean. When the muffins are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a plate or rack to cool.
Notes:
- When fresh cranberries are out of season, use about 1 cup dried cranberries and eliminate the extra sugar.
- Finely grated orange peel (zest) really heightens the orange flavor of these muffins.
- Find lots more muffin recipes in Muffin Mania.
- Explore more of VegKitchen’s easy, festive vegan brunch recipes and menus.
- A Colorful Vegan Christmas (Vegetarians Welcome!) has a complete listing of holiday dinner recipes, menus, and desserts.
- Sweet tooth still craving? Here are more Vegan Baking and Sweets.
- Here are more Fruity Baked Goods.
7 Comments
Jenniffer
October 28, 2013 at 9:18 amThis recipe looks lovely, and I would live to use my fresh organic cranberries! Do you think that it would be possible to use maple syrup or honey ilo the granulated sugar? Thank you:)
Nava
October 31, 2013 at 3:15 pmJennifer, sorry for the delayed response — this went under my radar. If you use a liquid sweetener, you’d have to reduce one of the other wet ingredients by that amount. I can’t guarantee how it would work, but it’s worth trying!
Jenni
January 4, 2014 at 4:31 pmNava, can I substitute gluten free flour? Am gluten intolerant….
Thanks
Nava
January 4, 2014 at 5:02 pmJenni, absolutely. Just add an equivalent of a gluten-free flour mix like Bob’s Red Mill. They recommend adding a bit of anthem gum in addition, and the amount is listed on the bag, depending on what you’re making.
Debbie
January 6, 2014 at 9:40 pmThese were very good!
rita
December 2, 2016 at 5:49 pmHi is the applesauce or yogurt a substitute for eggs?
Nava
December 3, 2016 at 8:46 amRita — yes, the applesauce or yogurt take the place of eggs. They make the crumb nice and moist, too.