Fluffy Orange Muffins bursting with citrus flavor from fresh orange juice and zest. Made with whole grain flour and yogurt for a healthier spin.
Allow me to elaborate on exactly how these muffin babes were conceived.
I just can’t get enough of my Lemon Blueberry Muffins lately. But when I got a boatload of oranges in my CSA box a couple weeks ago, I knew there was a new challenge I couldn’t turn down. The fluffiest orange muffins in all the land scented with vanilla and packed with all the fresh citrus goodness were born!
These are the kind of muffins you want to nosh on while you sip your morning coffee, perhaps while taking a leisurely stroll outside in the early sunshine with someone you love. Ahhh…does that not sound like THE most stupendous situation right now?
Let’s make it happen!
How to Bake Tall Muffins
I learned from Sally the baking pro that giving these muffins an initial blast of high heat and then reducing the temperature helps create those beautifully domed, epically tall muffins.
Simply bake the muffins for 8 minutes at 425°F and then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the heat to 350°F for the remainder of the baking time. No flat muffins allowed!
How to Make Healthy Orange Muffins
Let’s chat about the ingredients in these wondrous muffs.
Whole wheat pastry flour: because it’s so fluffy! You could also use all purpose flour or a 1:1 gluten-free all purpose flour, if you fancy.
Organic cane sugar: I used 2/3 for classic muffin goodness, and I think they have the perfect sweetness level.
Baking powder: a full tablespoon for plenty of rise.
Fine sea salt: to round out and balance the flavor. I like sea salt better than iodized table salt for improved flavor, but regular salt will work, too.
Yogurt: instead of sour cream for moisture and tang to complement the orange. I used Silk soy non-dairy yogurt, but any plain or vanilla yogurt will work great. I recommend 2% fat or whole milk yogurt for a richer muff.
Orange juice and zest: orange flavor coming in strong! I used the zest of two whole oranges to really amp up the flavor.
Non-dairy milk: I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but any milk (cow’s, soy, etc) will do to help loosen up the batter a bit.
Oil: I used avocado oil for neutral flavor, but melted coconut will work as well. Olive oil could even be nice here to complement the citrus flavor!
Eggs: important for leavening and additional flavor.
Vanilla extract: because what’s a muffin without vanilla?!
Can I substitute another flour?
The question of the century! Whole wheat pastry flour is my go-to for light and fluffy baked goods that still pack that fiber and antioxidant punch from whole grains. You could certainly use all purpose flour here and they would be just as good.
I haven’t tried this muffin recipe with gluten-free flour, but I’d suggest an all purpose gluten free baking flour that has built in leavening agents and xanthan gum to combat the denseness.
Do NOT sub coconut, oat or almond flour here! They are not 1 to 1 subs and the recipe won’t turn out. I know from experience!
Orange Muffin Add Ins
There are plenty of scrumptious odds and ends you could add to these to make them even more fun.
- Fresh cranberries. I’d suggest blitzing them in the food processor for a few seconds first so they’re chopped. The muffins will be much more tart!
- Poppy seeds or chopped toasted walnuts/pecans.
- Semi sweet chocolate chips. Who doesn’t love orange and chocolate?
- Diced pineapple + coconut. Morning glory muffins, anyone?
Tools to Make Healthy Orange Muffins
Below are some more of my go-to supplies for magnificent muffery. No mixer required!
- This sturdy USA made muffin tin is my favorite. There won’t be a crumb left behind! This one is fab if you want a lid for transporting.
- These silicone baking cups are a LIFE SAVOR. They make clean up a breeze. No more scrubbing the muffin tin!
- A microplane zester to get all that fabulous orange zest.
- These cooling racks are a must!
- Muffin scoop! For perfect portioning, every time.
- Genius two-sided measuring spoons that stay together in the drawer and take up less space.
How to Store and Freeze Muffins
Store muffins in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to two days, or in the refrigerator for up to five days. Freeze muffins for up to 3 months.
I recommend freezing them on a lined baking sheet or plate and then once frozen, pop them into a freezer baggie. To reheat, microwave straight from the freezer until warm and enjoy!
Craving more muffin mania? I got you! Try my other foolproof fluffy muffin recipes.
- Vegan Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Vegan Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Fluffy Pumpkin Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Fluffy Orange Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 10 muffins 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Tall and fluffy Orange Muffins bursting with citrus flavor from fresh orange juice and zest. Made with whole grain flour and yogurt for super delicious and healthier spin on morning muffins! Recipe yields 10 muffins.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (can sub all-purpose)
- 2/3 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- zest of 2 medium oranges (1 tbsp or more)
- heaping 1/2 cup plain yogurt*
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup avocado oil, melted coconut oil, or olive oil
- 2 large eggs, ideally at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and grease a muffin tin.
- Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together yogurt, oil, orange juice, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in zest.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon just until combined. Lumps are ok!
- Spoon batter evenly into 10 muffin cups. Sprinkle each muffin with 1/4 tsp of sugar for a crunchy exterior, if desired. Bake for 8 minutes at 425°F and then reduce the heat to 350°F (keeping muffins in oven) and bake for another 10 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean. Cool muffins in tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. You may need to run a knife along the edge of the muffin tin to help loosen them out. These are fab topped with my Cream Cheese Frosting!
Notes
STORAGE: Store muffins in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze muffins for up to 3 months.
*YOGURT: I recommend 2% or whole yogurt for a richer, more moist muffin. Regular, Greek, and non-dairy all work.
VEGAN OPTION: You can replace the eggs with flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp warm water mixed together in a small bowl) but I would recommend increasing the oil to 1/2 cup to make up for the fat lost.
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: You can sub an all purpose gluten free flour.
Keywords: orange muffins, healthy orange muffins
Really good. I added dried cranberries and chopped walnuts. Would be good with almond slivers too. Oh and I used white whole wheat flour because I didn’t have whole wheat pastry flour. Still turned out great! I might try replacing the vanilla extract with almond extract next time??
★★★★★
Oh yes, I’m always a fan of almond extract! Thanks for the review, Lenora!
Hi Alexis , Thank you sharing your delicious recipes. My family loves your fluffy orange muffins . I added 1/4 cup of finely chopped cranberries. Yum ! and anything with oranges is a real hit.
Love your fluffy orange pancakes too!
So moist and delicious and by the way I used ww pastry flour . It really made a difference !
Yay! I love the cranberry addition. Thanks, Mena! If you’d be up for leaving a star rating with your review next time, that would be fantastic! Thanks again.
I tried this recipe…muffins turned out very well. Tqvm for sharing. look like this https://marmeladlimetbex.blogspot.com/2016/11/orange-muffin-recipe.html
★★★★★
I couldn’t get this recipe out of my head when I saw it over the weekend and the first chance I got I headed to the store to pick up some oranges!! 😂😂
This recipe was everything I expected and more! So simple, not overly sweet and perfect have to have coffee in the morning. Delicious!
★★★★★
Ahhh you made my day, Michaela! Thank you tons 🙂 So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi! What can I use instead of cane sugar?!
Hi! I’ve only tested this recipe with dry granulated sweetener, sorry! Coconut sugar may work if that’s what you mean?
These muffins are so delicious, moist and a good snack for work. Love the orange zest. Will be making another batch soon. Thanks for this awesome recipe!
★★★★★
Wonderful! I’m thrilled you loved them, Martha!
These are absolutely amazing! I baked them after work today, & they smelled divine. I topped mine this evening with your healthy cream cheese frosting, & it tasted like a wedding cake to me. Delicate, bright, & flavorful. I made them with Bob’s Red Mill 1-for-1 GF flour, & they turned out perfectly.
★★★★★
I’m so glad that the Bobs 1-1 worked! And I agree, they totally taste like cake 🙂 Thanks so much for letting me know, Kori!
I just so happened to have all the ingredients in the house and they turned out wonderfully!
They are INCREDIBLY fluffy and I like that they are not too sweet, adding the sugar on top before baking was a lovely touch.
An added bonus was they made the house smell AMAZING.
I was able to fill 12 muffin cups – the more the merrier!
Thank you so much for another awesome recipe!
★★★★★
Heck yes!! I can smell like just from reading your review 🙂 I’m so glad you loved them and thank you tons for the wonderful words!
I cannot wait to make these!
Yummy!!!! I made a vegan version using JustEgg instead of the egg (but tofu or flax egg would easily work, too!) and happen to have vegan sour cream in place of the yogurt but any vegan yogurt would likely do as well. while I had the orange juice I did not have any oranges so I substituted six drops of doTERRA wild orange essential oil for the zest. I made it into a loaf baking it at 400°F for 50minutes. It smells and tastes divine (and my non-vegan hubby agrees!)
★★★★★
Your additions sound so fab!! And how awesome that it worked as a loaf. Trying that next for sure! Thanks for the thoughtful review, Erin.
These are delicious! New fav muffin recipe. I love citrusy baked goods.
★★★★★
Me too! So glad you loved these 🙂 Enjoy!
Wow!!! These may actually be the best muffins I’ve ever had. They are guilt free and so easy to make. They are the perfect midday snack!!
★★★★★
Awww thank you!!
So good! I used plain Siggi’s yogurt and they turned out fab 🙂
★★★★★
Love it!!!