Now that Thanksgiving is over, it’s officially time for all the Christmas things!!! Chances are that you’ve got some extra cranberries laying from turkey day, so I’m kicking things off with these Dairy-Free Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins. I love the brightness of the oranges and the tartness of the cranberries – but I kept things balanced with a bit of maple syrup.
I don’t know about you guys but I seriously need to do some getting back on track this week, so I (of course) used these as part of my breakfast meal prep. You know I love a good oatmeal muffin 🙂
What are Oatmeal Muffins?
They’re my favorite easy, healthy breakfast to meal prep! That’s why I have so many different recipes for them and they show up all the time in my meal plans. I love to eat them with a spoon in a bowl of almond milk, but I’ll also eat them on the go like a regular muffin.
Oatmeal muffins ARE NOT airy, bakery style muffins. You generally won’t find flour or butter in these recipes. Oatmeal muffins ARE:
- Basically just amped up oatmeal baked into the shape of a muffin and held together with just a bit of egg and minimal amounts of sugar and fat.
- Heavier and more dense than regular muffins.
- A wholesome, fiber and protein-filled breakfast option that’s super easy to make ahead for the week!
If you want a breakfast prep option that’s a little more decadent, try my baked oatmeal recipes (hi, butter!) or one of my oat muffin recipes (hi, flour AND butter!) like this or this. Otherwise, bust out your silicone or parchment baking cups and hop on the oatmeal muffin bandwagon!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make these Dairy Free Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins:
- Rolled oats – I love to see the whole oats in my oatmeal muffins, but don’t worry – they’re baked to perfect tenderness! Other types of oats like quick oats or steel cut oats will behave differently, so I don’t recommend swapping this ingredient.
- Milk – Use whatever neutral tasting milk you prefer – dairy or non-dairy! I used almond milk, which doesn’t have a strong flavor. Some non-dairy milks have a really strong flavor or are overly sweet – I’d stay away from those in this recipe.
- Applesauce – Adds volume, sweetness, and moisture without watering the muffin batter down. Runny muffin batter will lead to totally flat muffins, which no one wants.
- Eggs – These are the glue that bring the dough together and add a bit of protein too. I used whole eggs to bring a little bit of fat to keep these muffins more tender and prevent sticking.
- Coconut oil – Normally I use nut butter to bring a little fat to my oatmeal muffins, but I didn’t want to introduce that flavor with this recipe. If you don’t mind using a little bit of dairy, butter would work here too.
- Protein powder – I used a plant based protein powder for this recipe, but you could also use a whey/casein blend if dairy doesn’t bother you.
- Baking powder – This gives the muffins a good rise as they cook, plus helps add air in the final muffins, meaning they’re less dense.
- Baking soda – This helps the muffins rise much like the baking powder, but it also helps them get that beautiful golden brown color.
- Cranberries – Fresh works best here, but you could use frozen instead if needed.
- Maple syrup – For a touch of sweetness and added liquid.
- Orange juice and zest – Here’s where the orange flavor comes in! If you don’t want to zest an orange, a generous 1/4 tsp of orange extract would work instead.
- Vanilla extract – Like salt in a savory dish, vanilla tends to enhance the flavors of a sweet recipe.
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If you don’t have silicone muffins cups, I recommend using these jumbo sized parchment paper baking cups to avoid sticking. You can use them with these jumbo sized muffin tins.
Dairy-Free Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups rolled oats, (225 grams)
- 2 scoops PEScience Select Vegan Vanilla Indulgence Protein Powder, (60 grams)
- 1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped, (100 grams)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, (246 grams)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, (2.66 fl oz)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup, (2 fl oz)
- 1 orange, zested
- 2 tbsp orange juice, (1 fl oz)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Arrange 7 jumbo silicone baking cups on a baking sheet and set aside.
- Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, including the chopped cranberries, then set aside. In another bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients until combined. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until no dry spots remain. Divide batter evenly into 7 jumbo baking cups.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until tops begin to turn golden brown.
Tips & Tricks
- Storage: After cooling completely, store these muffins in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Nutrition: Scan the barcode below or search for “Peanut Butter and Fitness Dairy Free Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins 2025” to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
More Oatmeal Muffin Recipes
Here are some throwbacks of the original recipe photos from 2018!
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