A classic combination, these little lemon cranberry muffins are a great way to use seasonal produce in the colder months. They’re an excellent foil to the dark and dreary weather.
Vegan as is, these muffins are made with a non-dairy yogurt and a bit of olive oil. Double the usual vanilla adds a nice sweet flavour alongside plenty of lemon zest. While I use frozen cranberries as fresh are astronomically expensive in Sweden, either are a good option.
Make these bright, fresh muffins for a bit of cold-weather joy – cranberries don’t need to be relegated only to sauce! (They make a good cranberry tea, too.)
This recipe is adapted from my raspberry yogurt muffins.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
It’s an easy, seasonal recipe that makes good use of late autumn cranberries. Made in one bowl for less cleanup!
- They’re dairy and egg-free: you can use dairy yogurt, of course, but the muffins are vegan as written. The combination of lemon and yogurt makes for a lovely fluffy result.
- Just sweet enough: the tart cranberries really pop here but extra vanilla makes the muffins seem sweeter without being too much.
- Not too big: these are smaller muffins, good for a little snack rather than a full meal. If you want a bigger version, increase the recipe by 1/4 but still use a standard muffin tin.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Spelt flour: as always, plain wheat flour can be substituted. Use either white or whole wheat with no changes to the amounts.
- Cranberries: fresh or frozen, it doesn’t matter. If using frozen make sure not to let them thaw first as they’ll stain the muffins pink throughout.
- Lemons: organic unwaxed lemons if possible, as you’re using the zest here.
- Yogurt: any type of unsweetened, plain yogurt. I usually use coconut or oat yogurt, and a thicker Greek-style works best.
- Coconut sugar: I’m guessing another granulated sugar could be substituted, but I haven’t tested this.
Step by Step
1. Mix wet ingredients: whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice.
2. Add dry ingredients: stir in the dry ingredients, then fold in the cranberries.
3. Spoon into muffin cups: divide the batter equally between the muffin cups.
4. Bake: for about 20 minutes, or until golden. Do a skewer test to be sure.
Recipe Notes
The muffins pictured were made with a mix of light and whole grain spelt flour, but I more often use all whole spelt (I had just run out). For a higher fibre snack, use whole grain.
The lemon zest is mixed in with the wet ingredients because fat acts as a carrier for the flavour. That’s why you’ll usually see zest beaten into a butter and sugar mixture in recipes, for example – don’t trust a recipe that tells you to mix it into the flour, it won’t taste of lemon.
This makes a fairly thick batter and, as mentioned, smaller muffins. They’ll come just to the top of the cups but won’t dome over.
How to Store
Storage: keep cooled muffins in a sealed container at room temperature for a day or two, or refrigerate up to five days.
Freezing: place the muffins in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months.
Expert Tips
- Don’t over mix: spelt flour doesn’t take well to mixing for too long. To avoid tough muffins, stir until just mixed and no longer. A few streaks of flour are fine.
- Stick with gluten: I haven’t tested this recipe to be gluten-free and don’t recommend subbing anything like almond or coconut flour. If you need it to be GF you could try a baking blend, but I can’t guarantee anything.
- Roll the lemons: to get the most juice out of your lemons, roll them around, pressing firmly, on a work surface before juicing.
More Egg-Free Muffin Recipes
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Banana Blueberry Muffins
Chocolate Raspberry Muffins
Chocolate Beet Muffins
If you make these Lemon Cranberry Muffins or any other muffin recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Lemon Cranberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 330 grams nondairy yogurt
- 50 ml olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Zest of 2 lemons
- Juice of 1 lemon ~ 3 tablespoons
- 260 grams spelt flour
- 100 grams coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 150 grams cranberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
- Add the yogurt, olive oil, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a large mixing bowl and whisk well to combine.330 grams nondairy yogurt, 50 ml olive oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, Zest of 2 lemons, Juice of 1 lemon
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Whisk until just combined. Don't over mix – a few streaks of flour are fine.260 grams spelt flour, 100 grams coconut sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Add the cranberries to the batter and gently fold to incorporate.150 grams cranberries
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, dividing equally between the cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden.
- Cool for a few minutes in the tin before removing and cooling fully on a wire rack. The muffins can be stored at room temperature for a day or two or refrigerated up to five days.
Leave a Reply