On plenty of weekends throughout my childhood, my family drove to a neighboring city to eat at one of our favorite local brunch restaurants. Sometimes, we even went two days in a row if my Arizona grandparents were visiting… They loved the food as much as we did, and they always bought a 5-pound bag (or two!) of the restaurant’s famous tea to pack in their suitcases and take home!
During our early years, my brother and I only ordered off of the kids’ menu. We picked the same dish every time: the Mickey Mouse pancakes! It was one humongous pancake, as large as a dinner plate, in the shape of a mouse’s head silhouette with whipped cream and blueberries for eyes, along with a big honeydew smile.
Once I turned twelve and graduated to the “adult” menu, I opted for scrambled eggs with cheese or a ham and cheddar omelette. Each of those came with a side of toast or coffee cake, and for a few visits, I selected the toast… Because I thought the coffee cake actually contained coffee!
Finally, my parents convinced me that the cake only earned its name because it was typically served alongside coffee, so I bravely decided to order a slice during one of our Christmastime visits. But unlike the rest of my family who swore by the blueberry coffee cake and never ordered anything else, I chose the seasonal cranberry—and they nearly ostracized me from the table!
Don’t worry… I learned my lesson and ordered blueberry coffee cake the following day. 😉
But I’ve always had a soft spot for that bright red tangy berry, and every year when the weather turns cooler, I want to create recipes with it almost as much as with pumpkin and chocolate. (And since I published a chocolate cookbook, that’s definitely saying something!)
So on our first true chilly fall day this year, I whipped up a batch of these Ultimate Healthy Cranberry Orange Muffins! They’re as tender as cupcakes and full of sweet citrus flavor, which perfectly complements the zing of the fresh cranberries. They’re one of my favorite autumn and winter breakfasts—and they’re just 96 calories!
Which means I never feel guilty enjoying another as a mid-morning snack! 😉
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY CRANBERRY ORANGE MUFFINS
To make these wholesome muffins, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. Yes, such a thing actually exists—and it’s not a combination of white flour and whole wheat flour! It comes from a special type of white wheat, and that has a lighter taste and texture compared to traditional red wheat, which is what regular whole wheat flour is made from. However! White whole wheat flour still has all of the same health benefits (think extra fiber!) as regular whole wheat flour. It’s a main staple in my pantry!
With just 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil (yes, that’s it!), the rest of these muffins’ tender texture comes from… You guessed it: Greek yogurt! You know how much I ♡ Greek yogurt! It adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil to your muffin batter, and it gives these baked goodies a big protein boost, too.
To sweeten your muffins, you’ll use another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing artificial or overly refined (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). A little goes a long way… You just need 1 ½ teaspoons for all 12 muffins! This is the kind I use because I love its sweet flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Now with those ingredients taken care of, let’s focus on the stars of the show! First up, the oranges! You’ll need both freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest for these muffins. The latter actually provides the majority of that bright sunshiny taste, so be sure to use the full amount!
And I saved the best for last… The cranberries! Both fresh or frozen and thawed will work in these muffins. My grocery store actually carries frozen cranberries all year round, which means I can get my cranberry orange muffin fix any time of the year—not just in the winter. Hooray!
Tip: Instead of spending the time to dice them with a knife and cutting board, I just pop them in my food processor and pulse until they’re about ¼ to ⅛ of their original size. It just takes a few seconds! Easy peasy!
Sweet, cozy, tender muffin bliss! ♡ And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy cranberry orange muffins!
The Ultimate Healthy Cranberry Orange Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (14g) orange zest (about 2 large)
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites (room temperature)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp liquid stevia
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 large)
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ½ cups (165g) fresh whole cranberries, finely diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in the orange juice. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the cranberries.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 19-22 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Cranberry Orange Scones
♡ Healthy Greek Yogurt Cranberry Orange Pound Cake
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Blueberry Muffins
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Mini Muffins
Hi! Is there a way to substitute the egg whites?
Yes! My brother is actually allergic to eggs, and Ener-G is my favorite substitute. Ener-G is a flavorless shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of my recipes, including this one! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white (and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil {or Earth Balance, if you’re vegan!} for each egg yolk, although that doesn’t apply to this particular recipe!).
I’d love to hear what you think of these muffins if you end up making them, Morgan! 🙂
Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Morgan! I’m happy to help. 🙂
I don’t understand why you use only egg whites in your recipes? whole eggs are so nutritious.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Wanda! Some of my family members are trying to stick to lower cholesterol diets, so by omitting the egg yolks, they’re able to enjoy more of my baking recipes. If you’d prefer to use whole eggs to make these muffins, that’s fine! Just use 2 large eggs, and decrease the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added liquid volume from the yolks. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these muffins if you try making them!
Egg yolks do not cause high cholesterol it’s old research. Trans fats in junk food raise bad cholesterol.
Look up Dr. David Perlmutter findings on how important the friendly cholesterol is to our health, and our brain. He’s book GRAIN BRAIN will explain everything.
Your recipes are great…I use gluten free flour and natural sweeteners like Stevia, Lakanto sweeteners etc. etc.
So glad you’re enjoying my recipes, Wanda! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
You’re welcome….Have a great day (or evening) I’m in Western Australia so it’s morning here
Regards
Wanda
I just made this recipe. Although it is good, I’m disappointed with how ‘unsweet’ it tastes. The orange zest and sour cranberries somewhat overpower the taste. It seems the cranberries should marinate in some kind of sweetener so they aren’t so sour, andthe bread doesn’t have enough sweetness to be considered a muffin like I am accustomed to. I will definitely experiment with this recipe to find the right amount of sweet though, thank you.
It means a lot that you tried making my recipe, Annie! That sounds disappointing and not like how these muffins are supposed to turn out, so I’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. In order to do so, I have some questions for you!
How was the texture? Was that off as well, or was it just the flavor?
Did you make any substitutions or modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
Did you use the exact same liquid stevia that I did? If not, what did you use instead? (It’d be really helpful to know both the brand and product’s name!)
Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups/spoons to measure all of the ingredients — especially the flour, orange zest, orange juice, and cranberries?
Did you use fresh or frozen cranberries?
Were your oranges bright orange in color, with no green spots?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but I’ll have a much better idea of the culprit once I know your answers to all of them! 🙂
HI. This recipe is so much more healthy than others that are sugar laden!
Is subbing vegan yogurt for the Greek yogurt 1:1? Also, can I sub 1/2 cup of soy protein powder for 1/2 cup of the flour? I bought too many packs cranberries over the holidays and gotta get rid of them!
Thank you.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Lisa! Yes, you can substitute vegan yogurt for the Greek yogurt. However, I can’t vouch for the results of substituting protein powder for flour. This is because just about all protein powders behave differently in baking recipes. I have a Protein Powder FAQ Page that covers this in more detail, if you’re interested in learning more! 🙂
I’d love to hear what you think of these muffins if you end up making them! (And if it’s any help, you can find the rest of my recipes that call for cranberries here!)
Thank you so much. I’ll be sure to let you know!
My pleasure, Lisa! I’m really looking forward to it! 🙂
Can I use orange extract instead of the zest because I don’t like it.
So I made your recipe!
I subbed in
riviera vanilla vegan coconut yogurt for the Greek yogurt
Flax egg for the egg whites
Unsweetened almond milk for the cow milk
And the texture was wonderful!
I took out the salt as I made them for my grandma with heart failure on a low sodium diet so when I make them again with salt I know the texture will still be great 😊