Quinoa Cranberry Orange Muffins

Quinoa in muffins? OH YES! Quinoa adds not just nutrition, but bulk, texture, and moisture to baked goods! These hearty quinoa muffins are bursting with juicy cranberries and refreshing citrus flavor. Perfect for breakfast or snack!

I'm a big fan of adding quinoa to baked goods. Especially muffins! Quinoa muffins are really, really good. Like as in, better than their non-quinoa counterparts. As in, I'd make my muffins this way even if the addition of quinoa didn't make them healthier.

Yes, they're that good. If you haven't tried some quinoa baking yet, it's time to get to it

For this batch of quinoa muffins, I wanted to go seasonal. I made my quinoa muffins with cranberries.

You know how when you go out and do your Thanksgiving shopping, you always see that two-for-one special on fresh cranberries, with that sign that says to freeze the second bag? I always fall for that, and usually the second bag gets forgotten in the abyss of my freezer until the following August, at which point the berries are severely frostbitten because I didn't wrap them up properly, thinking I'd use them so quickly that the act of even freezing them would seem silly.

Well not this year. (Take that, Ocean Spray and your twofer deal!)

This year, I got on those berries right away. In fact, I didn't even freeze them. I have, at least partially, quinoa to thank for that, because where there's quinoa, and where there's any suitable muffin mixer, there's an excuse to make some quinoa muffins, which always get eaten.

My husband takes them to work and gobbles them up as an afternoon snack. I nibble on them over tea at bedtime. Healthy baked goods are the bomb.

So, how does one get quinoa into a batch of muffins, you're wondering? You can actually replace about half the flour in most muffin recipes with cooked quinoa. That's just what I did here.

Remember: start with cooked quinoa. This is important! I've heard from people who made the mistake of putting raw quinoa into baked goods and coming close to breaking their teeth. I've included the quinoa cooking step in this recipe so nobody makes that mistake, but if you decide to try a less specific recipe or quinoa-ify grandma's old banana muffin recipe, make sure to cook the quinoa first.

Toss your cranberries with a bit of sugar. I like to do this because cranberries are super tart. If you're opposed, feel free to skip this step.

Mix your cooked quinoa in with your dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients. Stir everything just until blended, then fold in the berries.

Top with pecan halves, if you like, and bake until fluffy and oozing with burst cranberries.

Enjoy with a cup of tea. Or over holiday brunch. These are great for brunch!

FAQ & Tips for Making Perfect Cranberry Orange Quinoa Muffins

• If you have some leftover quinoa on hand, feel free to use that instead of cooking up a fresh batch of quinoa for these muffins.
• In any event, make sure the quinoa is cooked before adding it to the muffins. Keep your teeth!
• These would be equally awesome with blueberries instead of cranberries.
• Don't overmix the batter. Always with muffins and quick breads, stir just until blended.
• These muffins are very freezer-friendly. Seal them up in a freezer bag and they should be good for at least 3 months.
• Can these be made gluten-free? I'm not sure! But I think oat flour or an all-purpose gluten-free blend in place of wheat flour would be your best bet if you want to give it a try.

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5 from 4 votes

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Quinoa Cranberry Orange Muffins

Quinoa in muffins? OH YES! Quinoa adds not just nutrition, but bulk, texture, and moisture to baked goods! These hearty quinoa muffins are bursting with juicy cranberries and refreshing citrus flavor. Perfect for breakfast or snack!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 16

Calories 315 kcal

Author Alissa

Ingredients

• ½ cup quinoa
• ¾ cup water
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 2 tablespoons organic granulated sugar
• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour (all-purpose or spelt flour works too)
• ¾ cup organic brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 ½ cups orange juice
• ⅓ cup coconut oil (or your favorite baking oil)
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 16-32 pecan halves (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Stir the quinoa and water together in a small saucepan and place it over high heat.

2. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. 

3. Allow the pot to sit, covered, for five minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the quinoa with a fork, and allow it to cool a bit.
   

4. Preheat oven to 350° and line a 16 cup muffin tin with papers.

5. Stir the cranberries and sugar together in a small bowl.

6. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 cup of your cooked quinoa (you'll probably have a bit leftover), with the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cloves.

7. In a separate bowl, stir together the orange juice, oil, vanilla and orange zest. Mix until just blended.

8. Fold in the cranberries

9. Distribute the batter among the prepared muffin tins and top each muffin with 1-2 pecan halves, if using.

10. Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned and springy to touch.

11. Remove the muffin tin(s) from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Quinoa Cranberry Orange Muffins

Amount Per Serving (1 muffin)

Calories 315 Calories from Fat 182

% Daily Value*

Fat 20.2g31%

Saturated Fat 5.5g28%

Sodium 112mg5%

Potassium 261mg7%

Carbohydrates 30.4g10%

Fiber 4.8g19%

Sugar 11.3g13%

Protein 4.8g10%

Calcium 40mg4%

Iron 1.6mg9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.