Sourdough Cranberry Orange Muffins
These sourdough cranberry orange muffins are bursting with bright citrus flavor, juicy pops of cranberries, and sourdough discard. Moist, tender, and ready in just 30 minutes, they’re as quick and easy to make as they are delicious!
Soft, fluffy, and irresistibly moist, this cranberry orange muffin recipe shares the same simple base as our chocolate chip muffins and double chocolate muffins.
These muffins are easy to whip up with a few pantry staples and are perfect as an afternoon snack or even a sweet dessert. They’re perfectly sweet and even better than the ones at the bakery!
Perfect for baking ahead and freezing, they’re a lifesaver on busy mornings when you need something tasty in a hurry.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cranberries: Fresh, frozen, or dried, all work great! If using dried, soak them in hot water first to plump them up. If using frozen, don't thaw them, add them straight to the batter.
- Orange Juice & Zest: Fresh orange juice and orange are added for a bright, citrusy orange flavor that pairs perfectly with the cranberries.
- Oil: We like avocado oil for its mild flavor, but feel free to use melted butter or coconut oil (make sure the coconut oil is fully melted for smooth mixing). Vegetable oil works just as well if that’s what you’ve got.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream is our go-to for a soft, tender crumb, but full-fat plain Greek yogurt makes a great swap.
- Sourdough Starter: This recipe calls for ½ cup of unfed sourdough starter. If yours is active, no problem— make sure to weigh the active with a kitchen scale, and you’ll still need the baking soda and baking powder to help the muffins rise.
- Flour: For a great texture, all-purpose flour is the best choice. Avoid using whole wheat or bread flour here.
- Eggs, Baking Soda, Baking Powder & Salt: Eggs provide structure, while baking soda and baking powder ensure a nice rise—a little salt balances out the flavors.
- Orange Icing: A simple mix of powdered sugar and orange juice to drizzle on top. It's delicious but optional!
- Add-ins: Mix in ½ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts for some tasty crunch!
How to make Cranberry Orange Muffins
Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and place the oven rack in the center position. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
Step 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
We highly recommend measuring the ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale. If you use measuring cups, the taste and texture may differ.
Step 2
In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Use a whisk to combine the avocado oil, granulated sugar, orange juice, orange zest, eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, and sourdough starter discard.
Mix until the ingredients come together and are smooth.
Step 3
Pour the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix the batter until it just comes together. Do not over-mix the batter.
Fold in the cranberries using a spatula until they are evenly distributed in the batter.
Step 4
Fill the liners with an ice cream scooper or spoon. For bigger muffins, the batter should come to the top of the liner.
Step 5
Bake the muffins for the first 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) in the preheated oven.
Lower the oven temperature to 350°F (176°C) and bake the muffins for 15-18 minutes.
Step 6
Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the muffin tin.
Whisk the powdered sugar and orange juice together and drizzle over the cooled muffins.
Carmyn's Tips
Fresh Cranberries: When baked, fresh cranberries yield a juicy, soft texture and tart flavor. We love adding them whole to the batter but feel free to give them a rough chop if you'd like smaller pieces.
Dried Cranberries: Dried cranberries yield a chewier texture and sweeter flavor. For plumper cranberries, soak them in hot water for 15–20 minutes, drain, and pat dry before adding them to the batter. We recommend only using 1 ½ cups of dried cranberries, but you can use more if you prefer.
Frozen Cranberries: Don't thaw them if you decide to use frozen cranberries. Just mix the frozen berries into the batter.
Avoid overmixing: Stir the batter just until the dry ingredients are combined to keep your muffins soft and fluffy. Overmixing can lead to a dense texture.
Fill muffin cups generously: For that classic domed top, fill the muffin cups almost to the top.
Customize: Mix in extras like walnuts or pecans for a nutty crunch.
How to Store
Refrigerate: Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freeze: Wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe container to avoid freezer burn. They will stay fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
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Sourdough Cranberry Orange Muffins
INGREDIENTS
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
- 2 cups dried, fresh, or frozen cranberries (see notes on how to use)
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 g) avocado oil (or any neutral flavored oil, NOT olive oil)
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (125 g) sourdough discard
- ¾ cup (185 g) sour cream
- 1 ½ tablespoons orange zest (from about 2 large oranges)
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 2 eggs
Orange Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preliminary Note: We highly recommend measuring the ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale. Please note that if you use measuring cups, the taste and texture may differ.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and place the oven rack in the center position. Line a muffin tin with paper liners (*see notes).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt. Set the bowl aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Use a whisk to combine the ½ cup (120 g) avocado oil, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1 ½ tablespoons orange zest, 2 eggs, ¾ cup (185 g) sour cream, ¼ cup orange juice, 1 tablespoon (15 g) vanilla extract, and ½ cup (125 g) sourdough starter discard. Mix until the ingredients come together and are smooth.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix the batter until it just comes together. Do not over-mix the batter. Using a spatula, fold in the cranberries until they are evenly distributed in the batter.
- Use an ice cream scooper to fill the liners. The batter should come to the top of the liner for bigger muffins.
- Bake the muffins for the first 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) in the preheated oven. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F (176°C) and bake the muffins for 15-18 minutes. When they are done, a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the muffin tin. Whisk the powdered sugar and orange juice together and drizzle over the cooled muffins.
I cannot wait to make these sourdough discard orange cranberry pecan muffins. The only question that I have is this: do all of the wet ingredients need to be room temperature. Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing your response.
Sally
Hi Sally, room temperature ingredients are generally easier to blend together, but its really not necessary!
These are absolutely delicious. Everyone loved them.
I haven’t tasted it yet but the batter was very runny for a muffin batter. Is it supposed to be? Also, I had no sour cream so I substituted with buttermilk and I combined all my batter into 12 muffins instead of 14. We like larger muffins.
Hi Lisa, the batter turned out runny because buttermilk is much thinner and watery than sour cream. Sour cream is thicker and helps give the muffins their tenderness. When ingredients are substituted, we can’t guarantee the recipe will deliver the same results.
Love this recipe. Can you make the batter at night and refrigerate and bake in the morning?
Yes, you can.
Can I use applesauce rather than oil in this muffin? I don’t like the taste of oil in my baked goods and have found I prefer to substitute sugar-free applesauce. Will this work?
Hi Linda. I think this would work. Please let us know if you give it a try!
Hi! This recipe sounds so delicious! I was wondering if you had a dairy free alternative to the sour cream? If not that's totally fine, just wanted to ask!
Hi Hannah,I think a dairy free/vegan sour cream or yogurt would be fine!
I have made these muffins a few time now and they have always been delicious. Everyone who I give them to says how wonderful they are. I just made them this week and substituted 25% whole grain Spelt flour and think they were even better with a slightly nutty flavor. I did find that I had to bake them a few minutes longer than with 100% all purpose flour.
Can you use active starter instead of discard?
Love the recipes on here!
Hi Jennifer, you can use active starter but you will still need to use baking powder and baking soda to get the quick rise in the oven.
These are a family favorite! Today I made them with raspberries instead of cranberries as they were on sale at the store, but I've made them as the recipe intends multiple times. Delicious always. I come to Little Spoon Farm for any and all recipes. 10/10 all around!
The best muffins! Moist, popping with flavor, and the best part is using sourdough starter sitting in the fridge. I used grams to measure, increased cinnamon to a full teaspoon, and used frozen whole cranberries. However it only took 1 orange for the zest, maybe I zested incorrectly 😉 This recipe produces such a yummy, moist muffins!
Thank you Dana!