Whole grain cranberry orange crumb muffins with pecans and a buttery streusel topping are moist, flavorful, and secretly healthy. They make a great holiday breakfast and are perfect for using up leftover cranberry sauce!

three cranberry orange crumb muffins stacked on top of each other.

This time of year, I love all things cranberry. And with many Thanksgiving celebrations being a bit smaller this year, I'm betting you may have some leftover cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving dinner. So to use it up, I made you these cranberry orange crumb muffins!

Why You'll Love These Cranberry Orange Muffins

Y'all, these muffins are so. good. I mean, my other muffin recipes are good, but these muffins? These muffins are really good. Mr. Table told me they are the best muffins I've ever made. We even finished the whole batch - which is rare in our house!

These cranberry orange streusel muffins with pecans are a great use for leftover cranberry sauce you may have floating around after Thanksgiving (or they're a great excuse to make more cranberry sauce). They're tender and moist, and loaded with fresh cranberries, and plenty of orange zest for a just right combination of sweet and tart. Topped with a buttery brown sugar crumb topping and pecans, they're perfect to add to your Christmas brunch, or just to have around for snacking in between meals while you're hanging out with family and friends.

What Makes These Muffins Healthier?

These cranberry orange muffins are made with whole wheat flour (buy white whole wheat for the best results) for more fiber, Greek yogurt for moisture without too much oil and for a touch of protein, and tons of cranberry goodness! Sure, they've got a bit of sugar and a touch of butter for that glorious crumb topping, but that's what makes them taste so yummy instead of like cardboard.

closeup of baked cranberry orange crumb muffins in a muffin tin.

A Note On Added Sugar

Let's address the added sugar thing. My philosophy is this: you've got to pick your battles. I eat generally healthy most of the time and don't consume a lot of added sugars. But if I want a treat, I want something made with real sugar and not some overly healthy substitute or artificial sweetener. Honestly, it doesn't matter whether it's honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar or cane sugar. Sugar is sugar. And used conservatively in otherwise nutritious (or even not-so-nutritious) foods every once in a while, sugar is fine. It's not going to kill you. It's your overall dietary pattern that matters in the long run. So if you're getting plenty of fruits and veggies, fiber, healthy fats, and lean protein in your diet regularly, a little sugar in moderation is not going to hurt you.

That being said, I like to make sure when I am eating added sugar, it's mostly in homemade things, and that it's worth it! And in these muffins, the sugar is totally worth it!

How To Make Cranberry Orange Crumb Muffins

four image collage showing steps for making cranberry orange muffin batter.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir in the cranberries, orange zest, and pecans.
Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl and add to the dry ingredients, stirring gently until just combined.
Scoop the batter into a lined or greased standard muffin tin.
Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cranberry sauce on top of each muffin and use a toothpick or knife to gently swirl.
Make the streusel. In a small bowl, mix the sugar, flour and pecans. Add the melted butter and stir until you get a wet sand-like consistency.
Sprinkle the crumb topping over each muffin.
Bake at 425°F for 14-18 minutes, cool, and enjoy!

Tips for Making The Best Muffins

I like to use muffin liners and spray them with oil to ensure the muffins don't stick, since they don't have a ton of oil in them.
Don't over-mix after adding the wet ingredients. You want to only stir until the flour disappears for a more light and tender muffin.
You can use walnuts instead of pecans, or leave out the nuts completely if you'd like.
If you don't have fresh cranberries, you can use frozen or dried. For dried, reduce the amount to ⅔ cup.

overhead view of cranberry orange crumb muffins on a white background with orange slices, cranberries and pecans.

More Healthyish Muffin Recipes You'll Love

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

Whole Grain Cranberry Orange Crumb Muffins

3 cranberry orange streusel muffins stacked on top of each other.

Print Recipe

Cranberry orange crumb muffins with pecans and a buttery streusel topping made with whole wheat flour are moist, flavorful, and secretly healthy. They make a great holiday breakfast and are perfect for using up leftover cranberry sauce!

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: about 18 muffins 1x
Category: breakfast
Method: baked
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

2 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup fresh cranberries
½ cup chopped pecans
1 tbsp orange zest (from 1 orange)
2 large eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
1 cup plain greek yogurt
¼ cup avocado oil or other neutral flavored oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup cranberry sauce

For streusel topping:

3 tbsp granulated sugar
3 tbsp turbinado sugar or brown sugar
⅓ cup white whole wheat flour
¼ cup chopped pecans
3 tbsp butter, melted

Instructions

Heat oven to 425°F. Line muffin tins with paper muffin liners or spray with oil.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Stir in cranberries, pecans, and orange zest.
In another bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, yogurt, oil, and vanilla. Gently stir into dry ingredients until just combined, careful not to overmix.
Scoop batter into muffin tins, filling ⅔ full. Scoop about 1 tablespoon cranberry sauce over each cup of batter and use a knife or toothpick to gently swirl.
To make streusel, combine sugars, flour and pecans. Pour melted butter over mixture and stir until you get a consistency similar to wet sand. Sprinkle over the tops of muffins.
Bake 14-18 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out with no batter on it. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Notes

Store muffins in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days or the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Muffins can also be frozen.
I like to use muffin liners and spray them with oil to ensure the muffins don't stick, since they don't have a ton of oil in them.
Don't over-mix after adding the wet ingredients. You want to only stir until the flour disappears for a more light and tender muffin.
You can use walnuts instead of pecans, or leave out the nuts completely if you'd like.
If you don't have fresh cranberries, you can use frozen or dried. For dried, reduce the amount to ⅔ cup.

Keywords: cranberry orange muffins, whole grain cranberry orange muffins, cranberry orange streusel muffins