A perfect winter-inspired muffin, these vegan cranberry orange muffins with oats feature fragrant, zesty and sweet citrus paired with tart cranberries and the goodness of rolled oats. These make a nice snack or breakfast muffin and can be served alongside tea or coffee. This recipe is made with whole spelt flour, however, instructions for using whole wheat flour can be found in the recipe card. Makes 10 muffins.
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Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
For the full list of ingredients, please visit the recipe card below. Here is a list of the main ingredients along with any notes and substitutions.
Flax Meal and Water: The mixture of flax meal and water is essentially an egg substitute which helps bind the cake ingredients together. I recommend using flax meal from brown flax seeds rather than golden flax, the latter of which tends not to gel as rapidly.
Whole spelt flour: if you prefer not to use spelt flour, whole wheat flour will work in equal measure.
Rolled oats: these add flavour, texture and make the muffins a little more hearty.
Chia seeds: these add additional texture and binding to the muffins. They do not add any flavour. You can use white or black chia seeds.
Unsweetened almond milk: any unsweetened plant-based milk will for for this recipe; oat, almond, light coconut or soy.
Apple cider vinegar: this help create rise/volume and lightness to the crumb when it reacts with the baking soda. Regular white vinegar in equal measure will also work here if you're in a pinch.
Unsweetened orange juice: this adds orange flavour to the recipe, plus the acidity of the juice reacts with the leavening agent to help create rise.
Extra virgin olive oil: any neutral flavoured vegetable oil will work here—grapeseed oil, vegetable oil, canola oil. This is used as opposed to butter alternative to keep this recipe light and airy.
Orange zest: This adds additional punchy citrus flavour. I chose navel oranges for both the zezt and orange juice; chose those with firm blemish free skin. Make sure to wash and dry the orange peel prior to zesting.
Fresh cranberries: fresh cranberries are very tart, light and colourful. make sure to use the freshest cranberries possible and give them a good wash and dry beforehand. See the recipe FAQs below for notes on using dried and frozen cranberries for this recipe.
Step by Step Overview
This is a brief synopsis of the steps for making my vegan cranberry orange muffins with oats. For the full details, please see the recipe card below.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin and set aside. In a small bowl mix together the flax meal and water then let stand for 5-10 minutes or until thickened.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and chia seeds and make a well in the center.
Step 3: To the flax mixture, add the almond milk, orange juice, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, olive oil and orange zest.
Step 4: Pour in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then mix just until the flour has been combined. Stir in the chopped cranberries just until evenly distributed (don't over mix the batter).
Step 5: Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin about ⅔ full and sprinkle a few rolled oats on each muffin. Bake in the preheated oven and then let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the muffin tin. Place each muffin on a wire rack to cool completely.
Helpful Tips
It's important not to over mix the batter which can prevent the muffins from rising evenly. Over mixed muffin and cake batter will result in uneven baking which can create peaked tops (as opposed to domed ones), or cause tunnels and air pockets to form due to increased gluten formation. Moreover, you'll end up with a dense and less tender crumb.
I recommend using a standard 12 cup muffin tin so you can bake the entire recipe in one batch as opposed to two. I prefer to use this muffin pan from Nordic Ware (not sponsored) which is durable and provides even baking.
Storage
Storage: these vegan cranberry orange muffins with oats should be placed in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing: this recipe can be frozen in an airtight, freezer safe container with a lid for up to 1 month.
For additional information on safe food handling and storage, please visit: the Government of Canada Food Safety website, USDA Food Safety Inspection Agency website or your country's official food safety website.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you only have frozen cranberries, you can certainly use them, however, you will need to extend the baking time by about 5-8 minutes more to account for the additional moisture created in the muffin batter while baking and to ensure they are cooked through.
Dried cranberries lack moisture and as such will adsorb it from the muffin batter—this can result in a dry crumb. As such, I suggest soaking the dried cranberries in hot water for about 5 minutes then draining and patting them dry before adding to the muffin batter.
I prefer to use navel oranges for both the juice and zest, however, feel free to use another form of juicing orange is you prefer. Make sure the orange skin has been washed and dried before using and any seeds are removed from the juice prior to adding it to the batter.
More Muffin Recipes
If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like my vegan jumbo chocolate beet muffins or there are directions to make my vegan double chocolate zucchini cake into muffins. You can also omit the frosting on my triple chocolate sweet potato cupcakes to make them into muffins as well.
If you made my Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins with Oats please leave me a comment below with a star rating; it really helps others who are interested in making the recipe. For more from The Simple Green, follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest. Consider becoming a subscriber to receive emails of new recipes and posts.
Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins with oats
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon flax meal + 2 tablespoon water
- 1 ¼ cup whole spelt flour, or whole wheat flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened orange juice
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated orange zest
- ¾ cup fresh cranberries, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin and set aside. In a small bowl mix together the flax meal and water then let stand for 5-10 minutes or until thickened.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and chia seeds.
- To the flax mixture, add the almond milk, orange juice, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, olive oil and orange zest.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, then pour in the wet ingredients. Mix just until the flour has been combined. Stir in the chopped cranberries just until evenly distributed (don't over mix the batter).
- Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin and sprinkle a few rolled oats on each muffin. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before removing from the muffin tin. Place each muffin on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your preferred calculator.
Disclaimer
all recipes on The Simple Green are developed and tested in a Canadian kitchen, at normal elevation, using electric appliances and ingredients available in Canada. Results may vary.