Orange Muffins

Light and fluffy Orange Muffins are made with freshly squeezed orange juice and a few other simple ingredients. You’ll love the bright and lightly sweet flavor of these. As a bonus, they are incredibly simple to make.

I love muffins so much! They are quick to bake, only dirty one bowl, and they stay fresh for a few days so I can grab one on my way out the door in the morning. Orange muffins freeze well too, so feel free to make a double batch. 

This recipe is inspired by two of my reader-favorite recipes. A light and fluffy muffin is similar to my Lemon Muffins, with the tangy orange flavor found in my Orange Juice Cake. It’s truly the best of both worlds and one of my new favorite snacks.

Love Baking Muffins? Try my recipes for Cranberry Orange Muffins, Morning Glory Muffins, Banana Muffins, Cherry Muffins, and Pumpkin Muffins too. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. These muffins aren’t overly sweet. In fact, they are just sweet enough. The slightly sour flavor of oranges really shines in this recipe without being overpowered by a ton of sugar. If you prefer sweeter muffins, feel free to add additional sugar to the recipe. 
2. Light, fluffy texture. These muffins have a cakelike texture that is made a bit more dense by the addition of yogurt to the batter. It’s perfect. 
3. Simple Orange Glaze. While the muffins aren’t super sweet, the orange glaze is pure sugar bliss! A simple mix of fresh orange juice and powdered sugar creates a lovely topping that enhances the muffins so well. 

Key Ingredients

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• Eggs: Allow the eggs to come to room temperature before you start mixing up this batter. This will help all of the ingredients to incorporate smoothly. 
• Vegetable Oil: I like the texture that oil adds to muffins. You can use melted butter instead if you prefer, or a combination of the two. 
• Plain Yogurt: You can use regular or Greek yogurt. Non-dairy yogurt will also work. Yogurt is key to getting a light texture and adds a bit of tang. 
• Orange Juice and Zest: Freshly squeezed orange juice and the zest from the oranges is key to the bright citrus flavor of these muffins. 
• Orange Extract: This is optional, but it makes these muffins extra orange-y!
• Pure Vanilla Extract: This is the flavor that makes your kitchen smell amazing while muffins are baking. 
• Granulated Sugar: This gives the muffins just the right amount of sweetness, although these muffins aren’t overly sweet. You can add more sugar if you’d like to. 
• Flour, baking powder, and salt: Finish up the recipe with a few common baking dry ingredients. 
• Orange Glaze: A simple glaze is drizzled over these orange muffins and it’s made from just powdered sugar and orange juice.

How to Make Orange Muffins

1. Get Ready: Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, and line a muffin pan with muffin liners. Set aside.
2. Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Then add the oil, yogurt, orange juice and zest, vanilla extract, and orange extract if using. Whisk to combine.
3. Add Dry Ingredients: Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to the orange juice mixture. Whisk until just combined.
4. Bake: Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups. I use a cookie scoop to make them even. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the muffin. Allow to cool completely before glazing.
5. Glaze: Make the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and orange juice. Adjust the consistency to your liking by adding additional orange juice if needed. Drizzle the icing over the cooled muffins, and garnish with more orange zest.

Recipe Success Tips

• Don’t Overmix the Batter – to get light and fluffy muffins, you should resist the urge to stir the batter past the point where the dry ingredients are moistened. Too much mixing will create dense muffins.
• Use Fresh Oranges – If you have access to fresh, juicy oranges, juice them to make this recipe. If you can’t get good oranges, it’s okay to use bottled orange juice too. 
• To Zest the Oranges – The best tool for zesting citrus is a very fine grater, also called a Microplane. This too allows you to remove just the dark orange outer layer of the orange and leaves the bitter white pith behind. It’s easier to zest your oranges before you juice them. 
• Orange Extract is Optional – This orange extract is quite delicious to bake with, and is handy to keep in the kitchen as it can be used as a replacement for the flavor of orange zest. In this recipe, we’re using the zest and the extract to get the best flavor. You can also add more zest to the batter for extra flavor. 
• Pro Tip for Extra Orange Flavor – Infuse the sugar with the orange zest. Instead of just adding the zest into the dough at the end, use your fingers to blend the zest with the granulated sugar first. The orange flavor will be more pronounced this way!
• Make Orange-Cranberry Muffins – Add at least a cup of fresh or frozen and thawed cranberries to the batter for a delicious variation on this orange muffin recipe. If you add cranberries, you’ll end up with a few more muffins too.

What to Serve with Orange Muffins

This is a recipe for slightly sweet, tangy orange muffins that are great for breakfast, but can also be enjoyed as an afternoon snack. 

With Breakfast or Brunch: Make Breakfast Burritos, or go a bit lighter and enjoy an orange muffin with a healthy Berry Breakfast Smoothie. 

As a Snack: Enjoy a break with a muffin and a cup of delicious French Press Coffee or your favorite tea. 

FAQs

Enjoy this delicious orange muffin recipe! My favorite part is the sweet glaze topping. Be sure to pin the recipe to make later if you aren’t already making it now. 

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

4.87 from 22 votes

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Orange Muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Author: Diana

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This easy recipe for Orange Muffins is perfect if you love the bright and tangy flavor of fresh orange juice and zest. It’s also super simple to bake.  

12 muffins

This easy recipe for Orange Muffins is perfect if you love the bright and tangy flavor of fresh orange juice and zest. It’s also super simple to bake.  

Equipment

• 12 muffin pan
• Zester
• Whisk

Ingredients 

1/2x1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 large eggs at room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil you can also use melted butter if you like
• ▢ ½ cup (125 g) plain yogurt natural or greek, can substitute with milk or sour cream instead
• ▢ ¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon orange zest
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon orange extract optional
• ▢ 2 cups + 2 tablespoons (270 g) all purpose flour
• ▢ ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar these are not overly sweet, the glaze is sweet though. If you like sweet muffins, add more
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking power
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt

For the glaze

• ▢ 1 cup (120 ml) powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon (15 ml) orange juice

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C, and line a muffin pan with muffin liners. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk then add the oil, yogurt, orange juice and zest, and vanilla extract (and orange extract if using). Whisk to combine.
• Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. And whisk until just combined.
• Divide the batter between 12 muffins cups, I use a cookie scoop. And bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the muffin. Allow to cool completely.
• To make the glaze, mix the powdered sugar and orange juice. Adjust the consistency to your liking by adding more orange juice. Drizzle over the cooled muffins, and garnish with orange zest.

Notes:

• Don’t Overmix the Batter: to get light and fluffy muffins, you should resist the urge to stir the batter past the point where the dry ingredients are moistened. Too much mixing will create dense muffins.
• Use Fresh Oranges: If you have access to fresh, juicy oranges, juice them to make this recipe. If you can’t get good oranges, it’s okay to use bottled orange juice too. 
• To Zest the Oranges: The best tool for zesting citrus is a very fine grater, also called a Microplane. This too allows you to remove just the dark orange outer layer of the orange and leaves the bitter white pith behind. It’s easier to zest your oranges before you juice them. 
• Orange Extract is Optional: This orange extract is quite delicious to bake with, and is handy to keep in the kitchen as it can be used as a replacement for the flavor of orange zest. In this recipe, we’re using the zest and the extract to get the best flavor. You can also add more zest to the batter for extra flavor. 
• Pro Tip for Extra Orange Flavor: Infuse the sugar with the orange zest. Instead of just adding the zest into the dough at the end, use your fingers to blend the zest with the granulated sugar first. The orange flavor will be more pronounced this way!
• Make Orange-Cranberry Muffins: Add at least a cup of fresh or frozen and thawed cranberries to the batter for a delicious variation on this orange muffin recipe. If you add cranberries, you’ll end up with a few more muffins too.
• Storing: These muffins will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 4 days. Keep them covered tightly. You can also freeze orange muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I suggest wrapping them individually with plastic wrap for best results.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1muffin with glaze, Calories: 178kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 116mg, Potassium: 68mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 72IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 1mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

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