Healthy Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins

These Healthy Cranberry Oatmeal Muffins (gluten-free) are bursting with tangy cranberry flavour and pack a nutritional punch! Without any added sugar and filled with fibre-packed fruit and oats, you'll be making these all season long😄

Don't you just love cranberry season?

These cranberry muffins are a perfect way to use up those delicious, tart little fruits.

And really, a gluten-free muffin with any kind of fruit can be a real lifesaver when you first go gluten-free.

Having healthy and gluten-free muffin or bread recipes make it easy to have a breakfast that's a no brainer - or a snack too.

Bookmark these gluten-free muffin and bread recipes for later:

Jump to:

• 📝Ingredients for healthy cranberry muffins
• 🥣Instructions
• 🔄Substitutions
• 💃Variations
• 🍌How to use frozen bananas in muffins
• ✅What makes these a healthy cranberry muffin?
• ⏲️Baking Time Tip
• 🥡Storage and Freezing
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

📝Ingredients for healthy cranberry muffins

• Gluten Free Flour blend (I love Bob's Red Mill version)
• Gluten Free Rolled Oats - my fave: Only Oats Gluten-Free Rolled Oats (not the quick ones for this recipe)
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• A large orange (for the rind)
• 2 small or 1 large very ripe bananas - or the thawed ones from your freezer work well
• Milk - any kind will work - cow's milk or milk alternative like oat or almond
• Olive oil
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Egg
• Cranberries -  fresh or frozen **If you're buying fresh cranberries, why not pick up an extra bag of them and pop them in the freezer?

Full ingredient list below.

And maybe bookmark this recipe for Cranberry and Orange Oatmeal Scones because you'll use the oats and orange and a lot of the other ingredients.

What is it about the cranberry orange flavour combination? It's just so delicious🤤

And then you add the oats for the trifecta of cranberry orange oatmeal muffins?!

🥣Instructions

These cranberry muffins are so easy to make.

Here's how you make them:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line your muffin pan with silicone muffin cups or brush the muffin tins a little oil
• Combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and orange rind in a large bowl
• In a medium bowl, combine mashed bananas, milk, oil, applesauce and egg with a wire whisk

• Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in cranberries
• Divide batter between muffins cups

• Bake for 25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean

🔄Substitutions

• Cranberries - If you don't have fresh and / or frozen cranberries, dried cranberries will work for this recipe just fine.

There's just one downside...

You don't get the exploding-cranberry-in-your-mouth-taste like you do with the fresh/frozen ones.

That's why you don't need to even cut the cranberries in half before throwing them into the muffin batter.

I typically will buy fresh bags of cranberries and just freeze them.

No need to thaw out the cranberries before using them either. Just throw them whole, right into the batter.

Plus this recipe for Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce is another one to check out.

The cranberry sauce is so good, you can spread it on toast (and yes, turkey!🦃)

💃Variations

These cranberry muffins are gluten-free and can easily be made dairy-free too. Just swap out the milk for your milk alternative of choice - oat, almond or even an almond / coconut blend would be totally fine.

🍌How to use frozen bananas in muffins

If you're using up the frozen bananas from deep in your freezer, aim for about ¾ cup of total banana for this recipe.

Much more banana than that and you'll have a very wet muffin that may not cook in the 25 minutes recommended.

To use frozen bananas, either take them out of the freezer the night before you'll be making these muffins or defrost them in the microwave until you can mush them up with a fork.

Drain any excess "banana-y water" before measuring the ¾ cup you'll need.

✅What makes these a healthy cranberry muffin?

There is no sugar in this recipe - white, brown, maple syrup or otherwise.

They DO have a slightly sweet taste from the applesauce and bananas though.

But they are NOT an overly sweet muffin🚫

So if you're used to very sweet baked goods, these healthy cranberry muffins might not be for you.

⏲️Baking Time Tip

With most baked goods, when the ratio of "dry" (flours, oats, baking powder or soda, salt, etc) to "wet" (egg, oil, applesauce, milk, etc) is off, a denser muffin is the result and that needs more time in the oven.

For this recipe, if the bananas you use are large, that can boost the moisture up and increase the baking time needed.

If after 25 minutes, the muffins aren't done, put back for intervals of 3 minutes until done, checking after each 3 minutes.

🥡Storage and Freezing

These cranberry muffins will stay fresh in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.

They freeze well - store in an air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

If you make these muffins, be sure to rate and comment below. I love hearing from you.

*virtual* high five🖐️

~April

If you like the sound of these healthy cranberry muffins, here are some other gluten-free recipes to check out:

• Gluten-Free Breakfast Oat Cookies with Date Sugar
• Healthy Gluten-Free Granola
• Super Moist Pumpkin Bread
• Cranberry and Orange Oatmeal Scones
• Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Energy Bars
• Healthy 3-Ingredient Sweet and Salty Oat Cookies
• Healthy Breakfast Bars You Can Grab and Go

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This recipe was originally posted September 20th, 2020 and was updated on May 28th, 2022 with more details, notes and new photos.

📖 Recipe