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.

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

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.

blending oatmeal and buttermilk for oatmeal muffins.

Now, this isn’t a sugar-free recipe, because there is ½ 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

mixing the batter for orange muffin recipe.

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:

orange muffin recipe with fresh cranberries on a board.

More Low Sugar Breakfasts:

Low sugar breakfast muffins stacked on one another.

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4.46 from 55 votes

Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Muffins

A healthy breakfast or on-the-go snack, these tasty muffins aren’t overly sweet, with tangy pops of cranberries and crunchy pecans. Start the day before so the oatmeal can absorb the buttermilk.

Author: Lisa Lotts

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword breakfast, brunch, cranberry, muffins, navel orange, oatmeal, snack

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings

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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91 Comments

These muffins look absolutely fantastic! My favorite way to eat Quaker Oats is baked as a topping on an apple or berry crisp!

I love the combo of cranberry and orange. What a terrific muffin recipe. This is going to be great for our Valentine’s Day brunch!

Lisa says:

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Let me know how you like them!

Reply

Orange and Cranberry go so good together. I make cookies with this combination but I bet these muffins are fantastic!

I can actually taste the citrus just looking at your pictures, gorgeous!

Truthfully? Baked into cookies.

I love using oats for Apple Crisp crumble!

These cranberry orange oatmeal muffins are perfect for busy mornings when you need a healthy breakfast on the run! Love the flavors of cranberry and orange together!

You can’t go wrong with cranberries and oranges. These look wonderful! I must say I love the wooden background too. What a backdrop!!

Lisa says:

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that’s a cutting board that I found in a salvage yard.

Reply

I love making overnight oats with coconut chips and almond milk….ready for me every morning.

Love, love Quaker oats! It is a staple at our house and I use in cereal, breads, muffins, toppings for crisps, cookies and more cookies!

Hot with brown sugar and milk; oatmeal cookies: crisp or chewy; granola! Yes, my husband ears his porridge every day —with salt and milk. It’s a staple at our house!

Lisa says:

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Oh my God – that’s the way that my Dad eats his — salt and milk….

Reply

I love to use Quaker oats for my oatmeal raisin cookies and my dog Sadie’s no cook peanut butter balls!

I always have a HUGE bag of oatmeal on hand. I am Ukrainian (Canadian) and we call it porridge too. Hubby’s grandparents are from England…and that is term they use too. These muffins look delicious, and I would eat them for breakfast, brunch or snack with my afternoon coffee or tea. I entered the contest…and I also LOVE KitchenAid products.

I love Quaker Oats, it’s the only brand that we actually buy. These muffins look and sound sooo delicious. I wonder if i can use just milk instead of buttermilk?

Lisa says:

at

Hmmm… Never tried it with plain milk. If you do, let me know!

Reply

Oats are a staple in our house and what a great way to use them. Such a lovely flavour combo b

I’ve grown up with Quaker Oats too! I use their old fashioned oats to make my own homemade granola, that we eat every day! In the winter I use them for oatmeal! I love these muffins and will definitely be making them!

One of the best ways to make muffins I’ve seen lately. And one of the best muffin recipes, too. Never tried the Quaker Oats before but thanks to your amazing recipe I see that I definitely should.

I always have Quaker Oats in my pantry. Besides eating them for breakfast, I love making muffins with them too! My kids always ask for them because they are so delicious. Your cranberry and orange combo looks so tasty. I need to make a batch soon!