These easy cranberry muffins are an updated version of the classic recipe from Mrs. Wilkes’ Boarding House in historic Savannah, Georgia. They’re a great make-ahead breakfast or a festive side dish on Thanksgiving and Christmas!
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If you have an abundance of fresh cranberries this season, I hope you’ll use them to make my grandmother’s cranberry pie, these oatmeal cranberry cookies, this one-bowl pumpkin cranberry bread, and a pan of apple cranberry crisp, too!
I needed a quick and easy muffin to add to my last Christmas basket and this was the recipe I chose. So glad I did, too! What great muffins they were. Light and fluffy, and oh so, very delicious! No, the recipient could not eat just one!
– Donna
How to Make Cranberry Muffins | 1-Minute Video
I first came across this easy cranberry muffin recipe in a vintage cookbook from Mrs. Wilkes’ Boarding House (now called Mrs. Wilkes’ Dining Room) in Savannah — a cozy little Southern diner that serves comfort food lunches at communal tables.
The wildly popular spot may be best known for its fried chicken, cornbread dressing, biscuits, and corn muffins, but these homemade cranberry muffins are hidden gems that deserve some love, too! After making them many times, I’ve tweaked and updated the recipe to make these muffins the absolute best.
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries in this recipe. If you’re starting with frozen cranberries, do not thaw them. Halve or coarsely chop the larger berries (small cranberries that are about the size of blueberries can be left whole), then toss them with sugar. That’s it — the cranberries are ready to stir into the muffins! You do not need to cook the cranberries before adding them to the batter.
- Use full-fat sour cream. The acid in the thick, rich, sour cream yields a muffin with a moist, tender crumb. The fat in the sour cream also contributes moisture to the batter, yielding a muffin with the best texture.
- For a crisp sugary muffin top that you’d find on a bakery-style muffin, sprinkle coarse sugar on top before baking.
- There are so many ways to adapt this versatile recipe! From adding orange zest or nuts to chocolate chips and blueberries, you’ll find all of my suggestions in the “Recipe Variations” section below.
How to Make this Cranberry Muffin Recipe
This cranberry muffin recipe is a great option for prep-ahead breakfasts, a festive holiday side dish, or a quick afternoon snack. Best of all, you can mix together the batter with about 10 minutes of prep time! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. Properly measure the flour. Always spoon and level the flour or weigh it on a kitchen scale — do not scoop it out of the package. Incorrectly measuring the flour packs it too tightly into the measuring cup and results in dense, dry muffins.
- Cream together the wet ingredients with a handheld electric mixer or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer.
- Add the flour mixture to the liquid ingredients. Do not over-mix the batter. You want it to come together so that everything is combined, but then stop stirring. Mixing too much activates the gluten in the flour and results in dry, dense muffins.
- Toss together the cranberries and sugar.
- Fold the cranberries into the batter.
- Divide the batter in a muffin pan that’s lined with paper and spritzed with cooking spray. Fill the muffin cups nice and full. I like to use an ice cream scoop to make sure that each cup has an equal amount of batter, ensuring that the muffins bake evenly in the oven.
- Sprinkle coarse sparkling sugar over top, if desired.
- Bake the muffins in a 375°F oven for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Serve! The fresh cranberry muffins are tasty on their own, but they’re also delicious when served warm and spread with butter, honey, or a dollop of orange marmalade or Christmas jam.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: Allow the muffins to cool completely. Store in a large Ziploc freezer bag or other airtight container. The muffins will last for 2-3 days at room temperature. You do not need to refrigerate them.
- How to Freeze: To extend the life of your muffins, store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: If the muffins are frozen, allow them to sit on the counter for a few minutes while you preheat the oven to 350°F. Frozen muffins will require about 10-12 minutes in the oven; room temperature muffins will only need about 5 minutes to warm through. Alternatively, you can microwave one or two muffins at a time for 15-30 seconds, or just until warm.
My kids and I tried this recipe with frozen Alaskan cranberries, orange zest and chopped pistachios. Loved making a double batch, enough for regular AND mini muffins. The sour cream and sugar topping were great touches. Thank You!
– Jackie
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Cranberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (269 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, plus additional 2 tablespoons for cranberries
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons loosely packed orange zest (optional, if you want to prepare cranberry orange muffins)
- ½ cup (113 g) full-fat sour cream
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, cut larger cranberries in half
- Optional topping: coarse sparkling sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Spritz the liners with nonstick spray; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on low speed to combine the oil and ¾ cup of sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue mixing for 2 more minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing to combine after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract, the optional orange zest (if using), and the sour cream until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients. Mix just until the batter is thick and smooth; do not over-mix.
- In a small bowl, toss together the cranberries and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar so that all of the cranberries are coated. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold the cranberries into the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle tops with optional coarse sugar, if desired.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Cranberry Muffin Recipe Variations
- Cranberry Orange Muffins: Add 2 teaspoons of loosely-packed orange zest to the basic muffin batter.
- Cranberry Walnut Muffins: Fold 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts into the basic muffin batter. Other nice options include pistachios, pecans, and almonds.
- Blueberry Cranberry Muffins: Use ½ cup of fresh or frozen blueberries and ½ cup of fresh or frozen cranberries for a nice combination of sweet-and-tart ingredients. You do not need to thaw frozen blueberries and you do not need to halve or chop the blueberries before adding them to the batter.
- Cranberry Muffins with Streusel Topping: Prepare this streusel topping. Sprinkle on top of the muffin batter, pressing down gently. Bake according to recipe instructions.
- Drizzle the tops of the cool muffins with orange glaze made from confectioners’ sugar and orange juice.
- Add chocolate chips to the batter for a decadent twist.
- Cranberry Muffins with Dried Cranberries: While I prefer the tart burst of flavor from fresh or frozen cranberries, dried cranberries (such as Craisins) will also work in this recipe. If you want the dried cranberries softer in your muffins, you can soak them in a little bit of orange juice until soft, drain off the juice, and then stir the cranberries into the batter.
- Swap out the sour cream and use plain Greek yogurt. You can also replace the oil with melted unsalted butter if you prefer.
More of Our Favorite Muffin Recipes
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This recipe was originally published in September, 2021. It was updated in November, 2024.
Hi Blair, I am planning to bake these cranberry muffins today. The recipe sounds so intriguing. Ii do have a question. Am I mistaken, confused or just simply crazy? Did you post a different cranberry muffin recipe a couple years or so ago. I have a different one in my file marked as yours. Anyway, going to try this one today. Thanks.
Hi, Heidi! You’re not going crazy! I tweaked the old recipe to make it even better this year. 🙂
Can these be made into jumbo muffins?
Hi, Melissa! Absolutely! You’d just need to bake them for longer. I’d try baking them at 350 degrees (so that they don’t get too dark) for 28-32 minutes. I haven’t tested this, though, so it’s just an estimate. Keep an eye on them — they might need less time, or they might need more!
Can these be made as mini muffins? If so, how long should they bake?
Yes, that should work fine! I generally suggest baking mini muffins at 350 degrees F for 14-16 minutes, but keep an eye on them. They may be done in less time, or they might need a little bit more.
My kids and I tried this recipe with frozen Alaskan cranberries, orange zest and chopped pistachios. Loved making a double batch, enough for regular AND mini muffins. The sour cream and sugar topping were great touches. Thank You!
Thank you so much, Jackie! Mini muffins are such a good idea. We’re glad you enjoyed it!
I tried these muffins but the batter was very very thick and dry. I followed all instructions. They’re in the oven now, I hope they turn out. Usually my muffin batters are more liquidy/runny. Not sure what i did wrong
Hi, Melissa! The batter should be thick — that helps the muffins rise high. If all of the ingredients are properly measured, the muffins should be moist and tender when baked. It’s hard to know what may have gone wrong in your kitchen, but hopefully they turned out well!
Love this easy recipe…it can be versatile depending on what you add. I love pecans and they go well with cranberries.
Thank you, Dee!
I didn’t have any sour cream but I did have yogurt in my fridge and it came out so good. Thanks for the recipe.
We’re so glad it turned out well for you, Vanessa!
I made these muffins and I believe there is an ingredient missing or possibly a misprint of the recipe. I followed the recipe exactly as written, however, there was either too much flour or not enough oil or sour cream or possibly a missing liquid ingredient. The batter was very floury and not at all as pictured. I ended up adding a few tablespoons of half and half.
Hi! We will double check the recipe. The batter should be thick — that helps the muffins rise high. If all of the ingredients are properly measured, the muffins should be moist and tender when baked. Thank you for your feedback. We hope you still enjoyed the recipe!
I needed a quick and easy muffin to add to my last Christmas basket and this was the recipe I chose. So glad I did, too! What great muffins they were. Light and fluffy, and oh so, very delicious! No, the recipient could not eat just one!
Thank you, Donna! I’m so happy to hear that!
Just had a muffin right out of the over, with butter OMG! Delicious!
I reduced the granulated sugar to 1/2 cup & added 1/4 cup of brown sugar.
Thanks, Marguerite! I’m so glad that you loved them!
The batter was too thick and didn’t turn out well.
Hi, Lu! I’m sorry that you didn’t enjoy them! The thick, rich batter should create nice rounded domes on your muffin tops and provide a moist, tender inside.
Can i substitute white whole wheat flour for all purpose flour?
Or at least half?
Hi Shirley! We haven’t tested this recipe with whole wheat flour and can’t say for sure. We would probably start with half to prevent the muffins from being too dense. We’d love to know how it goes if you try it out!
Never one to follow instructions to the tee so of coarse I had to add extra items. I used 3 eggs instead of two and walnuts plus extra sugar, flour, baking powder and used a leftover cranberry salad from Kroger’s that had lots of juice. Juice was thick like gelatin and very tart so that’s why the extra sugar. Baked for 24 minutes and made 18 muffins. Wonderful recipe thank you so much! You have enriched our life yum yum.
Your version sounds delicious, Peter. Thank you for the kind note!