Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins

This post is sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company and I have been compensated for it. As always, all opinions are my own. #ad #IHeartQuakerOats
Looking for a healthy low sugar breakfast? An on the go one that the kids won’t complain about? One that tastes good? These Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins fit the bill. This orange muffin recipe is chock full of fiber, thanks to the old-fashioned Quaker Oats® and fresh cranberries put jammy pockets of fruit into these orange cranberry muffins.
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The Ultimate Low Sugar Breakfast
My family has had a long history with Quaker Oats®. My grandmother, we call her Myne, has a bowl every morning for breakfast, as she’s done for most of her 90+ years. She calls it “porridge” – and it was a common breakfast in Scotland, where her family heralds from. Instead of piling it with sugar, spices and dried fruit, they “seasoned” it liberally with SALT. You heard me right. NO SUGAR. Salt. Personally, it’s too much for my tastebuds, but these oatmeal muffins are a different story.
Now, this isn’t a sugar-free recipe, because there is 1/2 cup of brown sugar in the mix, but divided among 12 cranberry muffins, that roughly equals 1.3 tablespoons of sugar per. So, a fairly low sugar breakfast, right?
Ingredients For Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins
- Old Fashioned Quaker Oats®
- Buttermilk
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Brown Sugar (just a little)
- Butter
- Egg
- Pecans
- Cranberries
- Orange Zest
This recipe is really easy, but it does take a little planning because the oatmeal needs to sit to absorb the buttermilk and because we’re using Old Fashioned Oats instead of the instant variety, an overnight rest is what it takes…. or soak them in the morning and make the cranberry orange muffin recipe in the evening.
How To Make Oatmeal Muffins
- Combine the oatmeal and buttermilk in a bowl or glass measuring cup and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, combine the dry and ingredients for the orange muffin recipe and whisk to combine.
- Add the oatmeal mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Stir in the pecans, cranberries and orange zest.
- Transfer the orange cranberry muffin batter to prepared muffin cups and bake until golden brown.
Oatmeal Muffins Fuel The Day
Because oats are 100% whole grain, they digest slowly, giving you the energy you need throughout the morning without weighing you down.
Can You Freeze Muffins?
Yes. Absolutely. In fact this is a great way to always have an easy low sugar breakfast ready for yourself and the kids. If you’re putting them in a lunchbox, cranberry muffins will thaw nicely by lunchtime. For quicker readiness, they can also be microwaved at 50% power in bursts of 20 seconds until they’re thawed and warmed.
How To Freeze Muffins:
Place the muffins on a sheet pan (that will fit in your freezer) and freeze until the muffins are solid. When the oatmeal muffins are frozen, transfer to a zip top storage bag and return to the freezer. This will ensure that they don’t stick together and you can easily remove them from the bag whenever you’re in the mood.
More Muffin Recipes:
- Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Light and Fluffy Gluten Free Strawberry Muffins
- Fruit and Nut Bran Muffins
- Jiffy Lemon Blueberry Corn Muffins
- Crunchy Banana Chip Mini Muffins
More Low Sugar Breakfasts:
Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 cups buttermilk well shaken
- 1 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup pecans toasted and chopped
- 1 cup cranberries
- 1 ½ teaspoons orange zest
DIRECTIONS:
- In a small bowl, combine the oats and buttermilk and stir. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425°. Prepare a muffin pan by lining with paper muffin liners and spraying each with vegetable spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar and stir together. Add the oatmeal mixture, melted butter and egg, stirring until well combined. Mix in the pecans, cranberries and orange zest.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean and the muffins are golden brown. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.
RECIPE VIDEO:

NUTRITION:
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These muffins look fab…but must bake vegan. Already know how to do an egg substitute but could I sub coconut milk for buttermilk? If yes, then I’ll count the days until the first fresh cranberries!!
I found this link on making vegan buttermilk using coconut milk. It might work. Please let me know if it does
Would frozen cranberries work for this recipe?
Yes. Stir frozen cranberries into the batter and bake.
Can I use another milk? Almond?
Yes, that will work.
Love the oatmeal in these!!! I am always looking for healthy muffins!
In the winter we kids knew that Oatmeal would be our breakfast. Keeps you warm and going. Loved These muffins,.
These look yummy!
I eat PB oatmeal every morning!
We love Quaker Oats! We also love cooking with them and add them to our meals such as meatloaf and muffins!
my favorite way to eat Quaker Oats, is oatmeal dark choc chip cookies, or homemade peaches n cream hot cereal
These muffins look so yummy!