Orange Muffins
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These fresh orange muffins taste like ray of sunshine! Light and airy, these tall bakery-style confections boast delicate crisp crowns and tender fluffy middles. Drizzle them with a fruity orange muffin glaze, or give the tops a light sprinkle of sparkling sugar or powdered sugar.
BEST ORANGE MUFFIN RECIPE
This orange muffin recipe was first published in 2017.
In 2022, after being wowed by fresh orange muffins from a high-end bakery, I was inspired to rework my original recipe to elevate the taste and texture. [Note: The original “orange muffin glaze” recipe remains unchanged.]
During recipe development, I collaborated with a professional baker who was willing to share industry secrets and expert tips. It’s how I was able to achieve the BEST orange muffin recipe to share with you here.
Now, in your very own kitchen, you can whip up a batch of glorious orange muffins that taste just like those from a high-end bakery. You’ll be delighted by their high domes, crispy tops and moist interiors. Slice them in two, and spread fluffy whipped butter over each of the halves.
Additional updates to this post include fresh photography, expert tips, and a helpful user-friendly format.
Drizzle the domed tops with orange muffin glaze or a sprinkling of powdered sugar. To further enhance the citrus flavor, and for bright tantalizing color, sprinkle the muffins with orange zest. Just like you’d sprinkle confetti.
Fresh orange muffins are perfect for breakfast, mid-day snacking, Sunday brunch, Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s day. When presented in a simple bakery box, they make a thoughtful hostess gift. As an extra touch, include a recipe card with the ingredients and directions.
🛒 INGREDIENTS
Orange Muffins
- Granulated Sugar: Aerates the batter for light tender crumbs, while providing the orange muffins with the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Salted Butter: Adds delicious richness, and savory flavor, to the recipe.
- Vegetable Oil: Adds moisture to the batter. It also slows down gluten formation, which helps keep the muffins tender and moist with a fluffy texture.
- Large Eggs: Bind the ingredients together.
- Whole Milk: Adds moisture while giving the muffin batter a creamy texture. If desired, you can use 2% milk instead. (Unsweetened almond milk and soy milk are good substitutes as well.)
- Freshly-squeezed Orange Juice: Add fresh orange flavor and moisture to the muffins.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor and sweetness of the recipe. My preference is Mexican vanilla extract because of its luxurious taste and sweet buttery aroma.
- All-purpose Flour: Is an essential ingredient for this recipe. It builds structure. Be sure to measure your flour carefully, as excess flour can make the muffins dry and dense.
- Baking Powder: Is a rising agent. During baking it forms gas bubbles that get trapped in the muffin batter. These bubbles are the air spaces that make muffins light and fluffy.
- Sea Salt: Balances the sweetness in the batter while enhancing the flavor of the other ingredients. If using kosher salt, use 1 teaspoon salt.
- Orange Zest: Enhances the orange flavor.
ORANGE MUFFIN GLAZE
- Powdered Sugar: These fine sugar crystals dissolve quickly without being heated, so the icing is smooth and creamy.
- Cream Cheese: Adds creaminess, richness and tang to the orange muffin glaze. It makes the frosting irresistible.
- Orange Juice: Adds a bright citrus flavor to the icing while balancing out the sweetness of the powdered sugar.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Fine Salt: Just a pinch is needed to tamp down sweetness.
- Orange Zest: Adds additional orange flavor.
📖 RECIPE STEPS
ORANGE MUFFINS
RECIPE PREP: Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 425°F. Pull out 2 muffin pans. Spray down a total of 14 wells, plus the top flat surface of the pans with non-stick baking spray.
- STEP 1: In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, melted butter and oil.
- STEP 2: Add eggs, milk, orange juice, and vanilla extract to the bowl. Whisk to combine.
- STEP 3: In a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking powder, sea salt, and orange zest.
- STEP 4: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Fold them together until just combined. The batter will be thick, and there may be some lumps, but that’s okay. Do not over-mix the batter!
- STEP 5: With a metal scoop, divide the batter between 14 wells of the prepared pans. Each well will be filled almost all the way to the top! We want tall bakery-style muffins with sky-high domes. If you won’t be glazing the muffins after baking, sprinkle the tops with white (sparkling sugar. Or after baking, sprinkle them with powdered sugar.
- STEP 6: Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of 2 muffins comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Do not over-bake or the muffins will be dry. Let them cool in the pans 5 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
🍊ORANGE MUFFIN GLAZE
- STEP 1: Add all ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a medium bowl and an electric mixer): powdered sugar, cream cheese, orange juice, vanilla extract, pinch of salt. Beat until smooth.
- STEP 2: Drizzle orange muffin glaze over the top of the muffins. If serving immediately, garnish with a sprinkling of fresh orange zest. If serving the muffins later, skip the zest as it dries out quickly.
👩🏻🍳 RECIPE FAQ
These are the most commonly-asked questions when making orange muffins, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.
Use both butter and oil. Butter adds rich savory flavor, while oil adds moistness for tender muffins. Use room temperature eggs for a smooth batter that can better rise and expand in the oven for light fluffy muffins. And don’t over-mix the batter. Fold wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Small lumps in the batter are okay. Bake muffins for 20 minutes max.
Lightly spray the flat surface of the muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Then spray down the wells of the pan OR line the wells with parchment paper liners. This will help with muffin removal from the pan so they’ll slide straight out without tearing.
Use a mini muffin tin. Bake the batter for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of 2 muffins comes out clean.
The taste of orange goes well with fresh blueberries, cranberries (fresh or dried), shredded coconut, macadamia nuts, and dark chocolate. Or try adding lime zest to the batter (along with the orange zest), and sprinkle it on top of the baked muffins too.
🧑🏼🍳 MORE MUFFIN RECIPES
If you enjoyed this fresh orange muffin recipe, you’ll also want to make these other tasty muffins. Print them out or pin them to Pinterest.
- Bran Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Sweet Buttery Cornbread
- Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
RATE THIS RECIPE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recipe tasters said these are the BEST orange muffins. They loved the tender, fluffy texture, and the delicious orange flavor. They appreciated the choice of glazed orange muffins or topping them with powdered sugar.
If you agree this recipe’s a keeper, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with friends. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.
Orange Muffins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 14 Muffins 1x
Description
These fresh orange muffins boast a delightful citrus flavor. They’re fluffy and tender with sky-high domes. Ice them with orange muffin glaze, or sprinkle the tops with sparkling sugar or powdered sugar.
Ingredients
ORANGE MUFFINS
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt (or 1 teaspoon kosher salt)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- OPTIONAL: White (coarse) sparkling sugar or powdered sugar
ORANGE MUFFIN GLAZE – OPTIONAL
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
Instructions
ORANGE MUFFINS
RECIPE PREP: Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Preheat oven to 425°F. Pull out 2 muffin pans. Spray down a total of 14 wells AND the top flat surface of the pans with non-stick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, melted butter and oil. Add eggs, milk, orange juice, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, sea salt, and orange zest.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. With a spatula or wooden spoon, fold them together until just combined. The batter will be thick, and there may be some lumps, but that’s okay. Do not over-mix the batter!
- With a metal scoop, divide batter between 14 wells of the prepared pans. Fill each well almost all the way to the top! We want tall bakery-style muffins with sky-high domes. If you won’t be glazing them after baking, sprinkle the tops with white sparkling sugar. (Or after baking, sprinkle with powdered sugar.)
- Bake 5 minutes at 425°F, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of 2 muffins comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Do not over-bake or the muffins will be dry. Let them cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Then remove and transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely.
ORANGE MUFFIN GLAZE – OPTIONAL
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a medium bowl with an electric mixer): powdered sugar, cream cheese, orange juice, vanilla extract, pinch of salt. Beat until smooth.
- Drizzle orange muffin glaze over the top of the muffins. If serving immediately, garnish with a sprinkling of fresh orange zest. If serving the muffins later, skip the zest as it dries out quickly.
Notes
For an extra burst of bright orange flavor: Add 1/4 teaspoon orange extract to the batter.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
ORANGE MUFFINS RECIPE 👉🏻 JOIN THE CONVO
What do you think about these fresh orange muffins with glaze? Will you serve them for breakfast or enjoy them as a mid-day snack? Share your thoughts on this bakery-style recipe in the comments below.
Very moist and delicious. Added zest of one orange to the batter. Will make these again!
I had oranges to use up… The muffins have a nice flavour but unfortunately they turned out very dense. I know this can happen from over mixing but I barely mixed them.
Made the orange muffins and shared with friends… they were delicious and a hit!!!!
Thanks sooo much cousin💕💕
Sherry, you are so welcome. I’m beyond happy to know that you and your friends enjoyed these muffins. ♥️ Many wonderful wishes for a great week!
Sweet cousin Denay
I woke at 4: AM to make these delicious orange muffins for the ladies at my quilting group! The smell is delicious and I can’t wait to share them..
Thank you for the recipe and the pictures… hugs,
Your cousin Sherry Madrigal
My 18 month old (and my husband) love EVERYTHING citrus. I will totally be trying these! I’m sure they will be a hit in my family!
What a delicious orange muffins! Where is my brewed coffee? These muffins are perfect match.
This recipe looks so good! Orange flavored anything tastes great!
I am totally drooling for these muffins right now! Looks amazing!
These look and sound delicious! I’ll definitely try them out sometime!
This orange muffins looks really awesome just bookmarked this to try it myself later. Thanks for sharing.
I just love orange muffins, especially those that incorporate orange zest. Not only is the recipe amazing, so are your pictures. Such a beautiful presentation. Cheers!!
I’m a lover of sunshine ☀ too and your right these orange muffins really do look like sunshine in food form. It looks absolutely heavenly hun x
Such a great recipe. The muffins look yummy. Will try it for sure. Thank you for sharing :)
I love it. I want to eat it now. Thanks for sharing!
These orange muffins look and sound so delicious. I hope I can make it asap. Thanks for sharing.
This will be my next dessert!
Your photography is incredible which makes these orange muffins all the more desirable.
I am baking too. I’d love to try this too so I will save and reserve this for my next baking session. Yay! Excited to finally make my own version of this. Hopefully I can successfully do this.
My hubby likes citrusy flavored dessert. This looks so yummy and easy to make. I appreciate easy recipes to follow and this one is right up my alley. I’m going to try making this.
Mhmm sounds so delicious! Pinning this for later :) Love your photography!
I have not ever had orange muffins but after looking at these pictures I definitely want to try.
❥ tanvii.com
My youngest son loves orange flavored anything. I am going to have to make these for him!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! We love muffins at our house and as Labor Day is here, we don’t want to say good bye to summer either!
These are so bright and fantastic to look at. I’d scarf one down, that’s for sure. I love the scent of orange, and the taste, naturally.
These orange muffins are my new favourtie things! It must be really fun to make them from scratch! :)
Okay, wow! These look amazing! I already have a sweet tooth that I’m trying to tame. I’ll probably be giving these a try though .Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Ariana, you’re very welcome! I love sharing scrumptious recipes here on the blog. Many good wishes for a lovely week. :-)
Oh, yum! These look great. And they would be fun for a Halloween party.
What a fantastic idea! These colorful orange muffins would be a great treat to serve at a Halloween party. :-)
Love it!! It looks so yummy and likes to smell here… Make me hungry… Great photos
Nefeli, I’m so happy you discovered this delicious recipe for Orange Muffins here on my blog. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. :-)
Oh my goodness yes please, how absolutely delicious do they look! I don’t think I’ve tried orange in a muffin before but I shall be giving it a try.
Thank you Sarah! Once you’ve taken a bite of one of these beauties you’ll want to make a second and third batch. :-)
My husband LOVES citrus and always brings home flats once it gets to citrus season. I enjoy them but my teeth don’t like plain citrus; I’ll definitely have to test this recipe!
Woo-hoo! Jen, I’m so happy that soon your husband will be enjoying these yummy fresh Orange Muffins. Thanks so much for stopping by for this recipe. :-)