These gluten free Cranberry Orange Muffins are special enough for a brunch buffet. Cranberry and orange is a magic combination you see from October when cranberries come out right through the winter season when citrus fruit is at its' peak.

Cranberry Orange Muffins with streusel topping surrounded by orange wedges and whole cranberries.

If you're new to gluten free, muffins are the easiest recipe to master so give these a try. Once you know a little bit about the properties of gluten free flour, you can make all the sweet and savoury muffins you want. In this Recipe Roundup of Gluten Free Muffins I share how I vary all my favourites.

Jump to:

Ingredients
Understanding Gluten Free Flour
Gluten Free Cooking Classes
Substitutions
Equipment
Storage
Top Tip for Less Sweetness
Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Muffins

Ingredients

Do you love a good streusel topping? I sure do and I learned I have several different recipes, some don't even use flour. You can compare this streusel topping with the one on my Rhubarb Streusel Muffins or the stuffing in my Baked Apples. I don't have a favourite, I just love them all!

EGFG gluten free flour blend (sweet rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour and millet flour)
sugar
baking powder and baking soda - often used together to lighten up gluten free baked goods
xanthan gum - necessary for the structure of the muffins
cinnamon - my streusel always has cinnamon
butter
orange juice and zest - the key to the best citrus flavour
egg
fresh or frozen cranberries
brown sugar
walnuts

See recipe card for exact amounts.

Understanding Gluten Free Flour

I finally found success remaking my gluten-filled muffin recipes when I started using what I now call my EGFG flour blend. You can find a blend that works for most of your everyday baking too. It won't work in every recipe, especially yeast breads, but it's a game changer.

Gluten Free Cooking Classes

If you're ready to take a deep dive into flour join me for my virtual cooking class Understanding How To Use Gluten Free Flour. If you subscribe to my email list and tell me you heard about it here, you can attend for free.

Substitutions

Dairy Free - Substitute the butter with oil or any dairy free butter.

Substituting with other sweeteners does affect each recipe so make small changes and pay attention to the results. When I'm making muffins for myself I often decrease the sugar in many recipes by 2 tablespoons to start. I haven't tried many alternatives but the beauty of making the same recipes over and over is that you can experiment and learn when you know what they should look and taste like.

Equipment

My advice is always to buy quality bakeware since it will likely last you for more years than you can imagine. Then it's up to you to make notes about how long a particular recipe takes to bake in your pans and your oven.

Here are some options if you're shopping:

Regular size muffin pan in 6 or 12 cups, my choice for everyday snacks
Mini size muffin tin for a change from the ordinary
Silicone muffin baking pan, 6 or 12 (prefect for Brazilian Cheese Buns)
ceramic coated muffin tin
A regular 10-inch Bundt pan if you're going to make it as a whole cake or the mini Bundtlette pans because they are so darn cute!
Regular round silicone muffin liners or a set of different shaped muffin liners because some of us like to think outside the circle.

Storage

Gluten free baking doesn't stay fresh as long as wheat flour baking. Learn to store baking in airtight containers as soon as it has completely cooled. If you still find your baking going stale fast try double wrapping.

Top Tip for Less Sweetness

Skip the streusel. When I make muffins to share with friends I want all the sugar and a little pizzazz. For an everyday version, when I don't have streusel in the freezer and I don't want to make it, I throw a handful of chopped nuts in the batter and call it done.