Fresh Cranberry Orange Muffins (Gluten-Free)

These healthy cranberry orange muffins are made with fresh cranberries, oat flour (making them gluten-free), and I add hemp hearts too. With 7 grams of protein each, these muffins make a super nutrient-dense snack, yet so delicious!

When I was little, my mom would sprinkle hemp hearts on our salads and cereal, but these days I use them in so many more ways every day! Try my other favorite hemp hearts recipes: including homemade RX bars, almond butter protein bars, and high-protein hummus.

Inspiration for this recipe

I polled my community on Instagram, and it was clear that a high-protein muffin was what everyone wanted! When I asked if I should use protein powder, nut butter, or hemp hearts, hemp hearts were highly voted for. Here we go with a delicious hemp orange protein muffin without protein powder. I adapted my blender orange muffins and my oat flour blackberry muffins to create these!

I tested this recipe with ground-up hemp hearts (hemp flour) as well as an increased amount of hemp hearts; however, I found it had a strong hemp flavor. In the end, this recipe is perfectly fruit-flavoured and moist with oat flour, making them a gluten-free cranberry orange muffin!

Ingredients needed

A few things to note about the ingredients:

• Oat flour: To make these muffins gluten-free, I use oat flour. I make my own oat flour by blending rolled oats in the Vitamix or food processor for about 1-2 minutes until it becomes a fine grain. You will also find oat flour in the baking section or the healthy section of the grocery store or online. For another muffin recipe using oat flour, try these healthy blackberry muffins!
• Orange: I prefer not to zest citrus fruit as I didn't grow it, and I'm not sure what was sprayed onto the fruit when it was growing. Therefore, my method is to peel the orange and throw the whole thing into the blender (with the other wet ingredients) to get a fully infused orange flavor.
• Cranberries: I have tested this recipe with fresh whole cranberries and whole frozen cranberries, both work great! If using frozen berries, do not defrost them first. I also tried the recipe with dried cranberries; however, I found a much more subtle flavor and prefer the berries that aren't dehydrated.
• Hemp hearts: Using these tiny white and green seeds in the muffins increases the protein. I buy mine from Organic Matters in bulk. Read more below.

How to make healthy cranberry muffins

Follow along with these step-by-step photos from my kitchen. It's kinda like we are making them together.

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (215C). In the blender container, place the eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, and peeled orange. Blend for about 1 minute on high speed until everything is smooth and liquid.

2. In a mixing bowl, place the oat flour, hemp hearts, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a whisk to mix together well.

3. Add 1 ½ cups of the cranberries and stir them into the oat flour mixture. I have found that when the berries are coated in flour, it helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins when they bake.

4. Pour the orange blender mixture into the mixing bowl of dry ingredients and cranberries. Use a spatula to stir together about 10-12 times, just until combined (there may be a few streaks of flour still, but that's alright, it will mix in as the batter goes into the muffin pan, if not, poke the flour into the liquid).

3. Place muffin liners into a muffin pan (they are a must-use for this recipe for smooth removal). Fill each muffin cup all the way up, about ⅓ cup each. Place the remaining ½ cup of cranberries on top of the hemp muffin batter.

4. Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven (425 degrees Fahrenheit or 215C) to bake for 8 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190C) and bake for another 8-10 minutes, until they are fully baked.

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Hemp heart recipes:

Hemp hearts are one of the ways I eat protein every day. Here are my go-to recipes.

• Hemp Cookies with Chocolate Chips
• Almond Butter Protein Bars
• High Protein Hummus
• RX Banana Protein Bars
• Ginger Protein Balls
• Granola Bars with Dates

Did you make these orange cranberry hemp heart muffins? Would you take 5 seconds to give a star rating and review just below the recipe? That means SOO much to me!! And it helps the growth of the Beside the Mountain blog. (Your email address will not be shown).

Cranberry Orange Muffins Gluten Free

Danika Vanderpyl

Cranberry orange muffins that are gluten-free, as oat flour is the base of these muffins! Use frozen or fresh cranberries to make these. With the addition of hemp hearts, these muffins have 7 grams of protein per muffin.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 16 minutes mins

Total Time 36 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 321 kcal

Equipment

• 1 blender
• 1 12-cup muffin pan
• 12 muffin liners

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x4x

Wet Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup oil (look for a cold-pressed organic oil I use olive oil)
• ¾ cup white or brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large orange peeled (about ¾ cup - 1 cup)

Dry Ingredients

• 2 ⅓ cups (180 grams) oat flour (note below how to make your own)
• ⅓ cup hemp hearts
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups whole cranberries frozen or fresh

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (215C). Place the eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla, and peeled orange into the blender container. Blend until everything is runny and well-combined, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl place the oat flour, hemp hearts, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt and whisk until well mixed. Add 1 ½ cups of the cranberries and stir them into the flour. Pour the orange blender mixture into the mixing bowl. Fold together with a spatula just until mixed, about 10-12 folds.
• Place muffin liners into a muffin pan (don’t skip the liners, as the oat flour will stick to the pan). Fill each muffin cup all the way up. Place the remaining ½ cup of cranberries on the top of the muffins. Bake the muffins in the preheated oven (425 Fahrenheit or 215C) for 8 minutes and then turn the oven down to 375 Fahrenheit (190C) for 8 minutes to finish baking.

Notes

There may be a little batter left over. I usually make mini muffins for my kiddos with that. I bake them at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190C) for 10 minutes.

Silicone or paper muffin liners will both work. 

Make your own oat flour: use rolled oats, quick oats, or steel-cut oats with a high powder blender by placing a couple of cups into a blender or food processor. Blend 2-6 minutes until it becomes a fine powder. Use right away or store in an airtight container in a cool place and use within 2 months, as it will eventually go rancid because the grain is broken down.

Storage: Keep these hemp heart muffins in a container away from direct sunlight at room temperature for up to 3 days, then store them in the fridge and eat within 5 days. They can be frozen, but the oat flour makes them more delicate texture so it's better to freeze these muffins in a container rather than a bag. 

Next try these oat flour blackberry muffins! 

Nutrition

Calories: 321kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 7gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 182mgPotassium: 130mgFiber: 2gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 113IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Cranberries, Oat flour, Orange

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Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N

I create snack recipes with healthy ingredients that are mostly already in your kitchen. I'm certified in Holistic Nutrition and I care about giving my kids real food. Let me share my nutrient-dense easy snacks with you.

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