Fluffy Vegan Orange Muffins (Without Cranberries)
Easy vegan orange muffins that are soft, fluffy, full of fresh citrus flavour, and made without cranberries. They’re moist and light, and you only need a handful of simple ingredients to make them. They’re also dairy-free, egg-free, and can be made gluten-free if needed. Perfect with breakfast, at snack time, or tea and coffee time!
Servings: 12
Ingredients
For Vegan Buttermilk:
- 1 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk (unflavoured, room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For Muffin Batter:
- 2 ¼ cups (281g) all-purpose flour **please see important notes about the gluten-free option below**
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup (133g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (12g) orange zest
- ½ cup (125ml) oil (plus extra for greasing muffin pan, if liners are not being used)
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- ½ teaspoon orange extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- coarse sugar (optional, for sprinkling on top of the unbaked muffins)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C).
- Line a muffin pan with liners or generously grease the inside of each cup with oil.
Make Vegan Buttermilk:
- Pour the dairy-free milk into a measuring cup or bowl.
- Add the lemon juice to the milk and stir. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Make Muffin Batter:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the sugar and orange zest. Mix them, occasionally pressing the back of the spoon against the mixture to help release the oil from the zest. Mix until both ingredients are well combined and look like wet sand.
- Add the vegan buttermilk, oil, orange juice, orange extract, and vanilla extract to the sugar mixture and mix together until blended.
- Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until combined, don't overmix.
- Using a spoon or a large scoop, divide batter evenly into the 12 muffin cups.
- OPTIONAL: Sprinkle coarse sugar on top of each muffin.
Bake & Cool:
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the largest muffin comes out clean.
- Remove the muffin pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them and place them on a cooling rack.
Notes
- Please read all of the info above and below before making this recipe.
- If you're making the vegan gluten-free version, use 2 ¼ cups (333g) of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour (Amazon link) in the blue bag, NOT the red bag. Gluten-free flour blends vary by brand, so if a different one is used, your results may differ. This recipe won’t work with coconut flour or any other single gluten-free flour.
- Storing: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
- Freezing: Once they've cooled completely, tightly wrap them individually, store them in a container or freezer bag, and freeze for up to two months. Thaw them at room temperature.
- The nutrition info listed below is based on one of 12 muffins made as written, with no coarse sugar sprinkled on top. The muffins made with the gluten-free flour blend have a rough calorie count of 230 per muffin. Info is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg
