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Cranberry Lemon Muffins

These cranberry lemon muffins are easy to make, perfect for breakfast or snacking, and great for sharing! They can be prepped in advance and frozen too!

Making cranberry lemon muffins is a breeze. This recipe is ready in about 30 minutes! That means a sweet treat for breakfast, dessert, or snacking doesn’t mean a huge investment of time and effort.

Homemade muffins are also great to share during the holidays, for parties, or family gatherings, and they make a nice treat to gift!

Pin showing the finished cranberry lemon muffins ready to eat title across the middle.

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The great thing about these muffins and our favorite Homemade Cranberry Bread is that they are made from scratch. You know exactly what ingredients are used, so you can enjoy or gift them with pride.

Controlling the ingredients is especially nice if you have any food allergies or aversions. You can swap out things like the flour for gluten free alternatives, and dairy free swaps if need be.

If you enjoy the taste of lemon desserts, try these Mini Lemon Tartlets. They are the perfect dessert to serve at a celebration or enjoy at home.

Finished cranberry lemon muffins ready to eat

How many servings does this recipe for muffins make?

This recipe will make 12 muffins. You can easily double it or cut it in half to control the number of servings. I like to make a full batch but the recipe is simple enough to cut in half or double if you need more / less to share.

If you make too many and you aren’t sure you will use them in time you can freeze these cranberry lemon muffins in an airtight container until you are ready to use them.

They are easy to pop into the microwave to thaw quickly or you can let them come to room temperature to thaw overnight.

a view of the finished muffins ready to eat or share

Can I make these cranberry muffins gluten free?

You can definitely make these cranberry lemon muffins gluten free. It’s easy to just swap out the flour for a gluten free alternative. You can use a general purpose blend, I would recommend using a mix like this in place of the regular flour. 

The King Arthur gluten free baking flour is great for making all kinds of great baked goods and it replaces regular flour really nicely so you shouldn’t have any problems with texture, baking time, or moisture levels.

There are other gluten free baking blends out there that work really well too. I’ve used the Pillsbury one, as well as the Bob’s Red Mill one and they are all really nice to cook and bake with so don’t get too hung up on which one you grab.

All of the other ingredients should be naturally gluten free!

one of the finished cranberry lemon muffins split in half to show insides

Do I need to use muffin or cupcake liners for this recipe?

You don’t have to use muffin liners or this recipe. You can just spray the pan with nonstick spray first. It’s up to you and your preferences really.

If you have them on hand and like the finished look of them feel free to line your cupcake pan but know that the recipe will turn out just fine without them too!

ingredients needed to make the cranberry muffins ready to start baking.

Does this recipe use fresh cranberries?

This recipe uses fresh cranberries which is why we make them during the holidays a lot! They’re easy to find in stores especially during the holiday season.

You could use dried cranberries but the fresh ones work a little better in my experience so as written, the recipe uses fresh cranberries! It’s a great recipe to use up any leftover ones that you might have hanging around after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner!

close up view of the finished cranberry lemon muffins ready to eat

What do I need to make this easy muffin recipe from scratch?

This recipe calls for fresh cranberries, lemon zest, granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, eggs, lemon juice, unsalted butter, canola oil, milk, and vanilla.

My cranberry lemon muffins are made from scratch so we’re creating this batter from start to finish and you’ll be surprised by how easy it is, I promise!

To find the full amounts, estimated nutritional info, step by step instructions, and helpful shopping links you can check out the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post!

a stack of the finished muffins

Kitchen essentials for tasty desserts:

When you head into the kitchen to make some of these great recipes you’ll want to have the best tools on hand.

I like half sheet baking pans that are quality (hello no noisy pops or sloshed cookie dough from twisting), I line my cookie sheets with silicone baking mats. These are great for all kinds of baking and not just cookies! My husband loves them for making biscuits, pizzas, and more!

Of course mixing bowls, a mixerspatula, and some whisks should be on your list if you don’t have ones that you love. I also like to have a set of cooling racks so that my recipes can properly cool before they’re scarfed down by my family!

For this recipe you’ll need a cupcake pan or you can make bigger muffins with a traditional muffin pan (reduces the number of servings and changes nutritional info).

Featured image showing the finished cranberry lemon muffins ready to serve.

How to make these simple breakfast muffins:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray, or line with cupcake liners, and set aside.

berries with lemon zest

In a small bowl, toss cranberries, lemon zest, and 1 tbsp sugar, set aside.

dry ingredients in a bowl

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

wet ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together ½ cup sugar, eggs, melted butter, and oil, until combined.

combining the wet and dry ingredients

Add dry ingredients to the wet including milk, vanilla, and lemon juice, stirring until just combined.

dry ingredients combined with the wet

Fold in cranberry mixture.

cranberry mixture folded into the batter

Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups.

batter in the muffin cups ready to bake

Bake for 22-25 minutes, until muffins are golden brown on the edges.

Finished muffins ready to eat

Cool and enjoy!

Looking for other easy muffin recipes to try?

If you like making muffins you won’t want to miss out on some of these other delicious treats. Try out all of these other recipes for tasty muffins after you make a batch of these cranberry lemon muffins.

All of these delicious recipes are sure to delight kids and adults alike! Perfect for anytime you need a sweet treat, easy breakfast, or snack option.

close up view of the finished cranberry lemon muffins ready to eat

Printable Cranberry Lemon Muffins Recipe:

Yield: 12 Muffins

Cranberry Lemon Muffins

Featured image showing the finished cranberry lemon muffins ready to serve.

These cranberry lemon muffins are easy to make, perfect for breakfast or snacking, and great for sharing! Easy to prep and freeze too!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh cranberries, quartered and halved
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • ½ cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tbsp
  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray, or line with cupcake liners, and set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, toss cranberries, lemon zest, and 1 tbsp sugar, set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together ½ cup sugar, eggs, melted butter, and oil, until combined.
  6. Add dry ingredients to the wet including milk, vanilla, and lemon juice, stirring until just combined.
  7. Fold in cranberry mixture.
  8. Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups.
  9. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until muffins are golden brown on the edges.
  10. Cool and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 202Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 318mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 5g

I am not a medical expert. These calculations are provided as a courtesy.

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4 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for sharing with us at the TFT party last week. Your recipe sounds delicious! I’m featuring you this week. Congrats!
    Theresa @ Shoestring Elegance

  2. I just made the Cranberry Lemon Muffins. You should proofread the directions. There is no mention of adding milk, lemon juice or vanilla. Does the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar go on top?

    1. I’ve updated step number 6 to make it more clear that you should include those wet ingredients where it says to add the wet ingredients. The 1/2 cup of sugar should go in during step 5 where it is listed to be included.

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