Healthy Cranberry Muffins
Perfectly tender, bursting fresh cranberries, and easy to make, these Healthy Cranberry Muffins make the perfect side, snack or quick breakfast!

about this healthy cranberry muffins recipe
Baking is one of my favorite ways to spend time with Elle in the kitchen and these healthy one-bowl muffins are our favorites lately!
The cranberries lend just the right amount of tartness, and the orange juice and apple sauce give them a sweet depth that we love.
Plus they’re naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free so everyone can enjoy them.
Since they come together in just one bowl they’re just the thing to make when you’re craving something sweet, without the fuss.
Meal prep tip: I usually make a double batch so we have a dozen in the freezer for lunches, snacks, and breakfasts on the go!

process & tips
The best part about this recipe is that all the ingredients can be mixed together in one bowl, so clean up is very minimal!
In addition to the cornmeal, these muffins use oat flour, which can easily be made at home by grinding whole oats in the blender.
No need for a fancy high-speed blender, either, any regular blender will work.
If you’d rather skip this step, you can purchase pre-made oat flour at well-stocked grocery stores and online (either regular or gluten-free).
I recommend using silicone liners for this recipe, as they allow the muffins to pop right out of the pan with no sticking.
If you don’t have them, be sure to grease the pan really well before adding the batter.

ingredients & modifications
Coconut oil: I used melted coconut oil in this recipe. You can substitute any neutral flavored oil in its place, such as avocado or canola.
Oat flour: I often use oat flour as a gluten-free option. Whole wheat flour or almond flour may be used in place of oat flour.
Apple sauce: The apple sauce adds subtle sweetness and helps keep these muffins tender and moist.
Eggs: I haven’t tested this recipe with flax eggs or vegan egg replacer. If you try it, be sure to let us know how it turns out!
Orange juice: The orange juice adds a refreshing, bright and sweet flavor to these muffins.
Maple syrup: You can use honey in place of maple syrup.
Finely ground cornmeal: Cornmeal comes in a variety of options ranging from fine to medium to coarse ground cornmeal. For this recipe, finely ground cornmeal works best.
Fresh cranberries: I used fresh cranberries in this recipe. If you want to use frozen be sure to thaw them first before using.

how to store & freeze leftovers
Serve warm, or store in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.
Alternatively, freeze the cooled muffins in a store in a sealed ziptop bag or freezer friendly container for up to 1 month.
more healthy muffin recipes
Triple Apple Cider Spiced Muffins
Flourless Sweet Potato Pie Muffins
Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Golden Glow Turmeric Flourless Muffins
Double Chocolate Banana Breakfast Muffins
this recipe is…
Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreeVegetarian
I hope you’ll make this Healthy Cranberry Muffins recipe soon.
If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!

Healthy Cranberry Muffins
Ingredients
- ¼ cup melted refined coconut oil, (or any neutral flavored oil such as avocado or canola)
- ¾ cup apple sauce
- ½ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups oat flour
- ½ cup finely ground cornmeal
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ cup fresh cranberries
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Combine the oil, applesauce, orange juice, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl, whisking to combine.
- To the same bowl, add the oat flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda, stirring until well combined. Add 1 cup cranberries and stir again until well incorporated.
- Grease or line a 12-cup muffin pan with silicone liners. Spoon 3-4 heaping tablespoons of batter into each cup. Sprinkle each with the remaining 1/4 cup cranberries (a few on top of each muffin).
- Bake the muffins for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a muffin.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
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Made these this morning…SO good! And, thanks to your encouragement, I focused on eating breakfast this week and I’m 4/4 since I really started making an effort and succeeded!
Eryn, I’m so happy you enjoyed the muffins and congratulations on your breakfast success! Sometimes I think focusing on small ways to take better care of ourselves are the best way to start building momentum. Keep up the good work!
These are delicious! Since I had all the ingredients I made a second batch and added:
1/2 tsp gram masala
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Grated mandarin orange peel
They taste great… Thank you for this healthy recipe!
Wow, Morning Star, love those additions! I’ll have to give your version a try next time I make these. 🙂
Made muffins tonight. Had enough batter to make 6 mini muffins along with the dozen. Wonderful flavor and loved the texture. Ground my oats as suggested for the oat flour. So easy and happy to find a recipe without white sugar or flour.
Ann, I love the mini-muffin idea! I’ll have to try that next time I make these. So happy you enjoyed these!
These are delicious! I didn’t have unsweetened applesauce so I used very ripe bananas instead and they came out wonderfully! I popped some in the freezer for later, but I don’t think they’ll stay in there for very long…
Sarah, what a great substitution. I’ll need to try your version soon. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
What are the nutrition facts?
Yinka, sorry, I don’t have the capacity to provide nutrition facts.
I’ve been making these for breakfast and they are super delicious I’m happy I was able to find this recipe. Do you happen to know what the Calorie count would be?
I’m so glad you’re enjoying this one! I don’t have calorie info, but some readers find it useful to enter ingredients and serving size into an online calculator. 🙂
I’m back to reprint this recipe again… I made them at Thanksgiving and my family LOVED them!!
Thanks so much 🙂
Yay, so glad to hear you and your crew are enjoying this one Judi!
Have you ever added protein powder or collagen peptides?
Gina, I haven’t! Let us know how they turn out if you try. 🙂
Delicious! Excellent use of leftover cranberries. I had to make a few substitutions but they seemed to work fine. I was out of applesauce but I used canned pears, drained and blended with the wet ingredients (I used a blender instead of a bowl to mix). My cornmeal was too old so I used ground flax instead.
Robyn, great to know these substitutions works. Pears as an alternative sounds lovely! thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!