Bright, citrusy, and so moist, these orange muffins are full of fresh orange zest, orange juice, candied oranges, and delicious dark chocolate! Perfect with morning coffee or as an afternoon pick-me-up, the eggless muffins come together in about 30 minutes with simple ingredients.
Made with wholewheat flour, these easy orange muffins are soft, fluffy, and so wholesome. And the combination of orange and chocolate? Chef's kiss. The slight bitterness against the bright citrus is so addictive!
If you love baking with oranges as much as I do, you’ll also enjoy my orange upside-down cake, orange Basque cheesecake, and orange brioche rolls.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✨ Simple to make, the recipe is eggless, and the muffins turn out soft and moist. Thanks to the combination of orange juice and oil, these vegan muffins remain tender for days.
✨ You’ll also love how adaptable these orange and dark chocolate muffins are. I’ve made them with a mix of whole-wheat and quinoa flours, with all-purpose flour… all variations are just delightful!
✨ This orange muffin recipe also hits the balance of wholesome and “definitely a treat." The mix of zest, juice, and chewy bits of candied orange gives it maximum flavor.
Orange Chocolate Muffins Ingredients
Flour: I use whole wheat flour. It gives the muffins structure and a slightly nutty flavor. You can swap with all-purpose flour. To make gluten-free orange muffins, use your preferred gluten-free flour.
Fresh Oranges: You’ll need the zest and the juice for that lovely citrusy flavor!
Sugar: Regular granulated sugar works well. But feel free to swap with raw sugar or cane sugar.
Coconut oil: I prefer oil over melted butter here because it keeps the muffins moist and soft.
Flax egg: Mix 1 tablespoon flaxseed powder with 3 tablespoons water. Let it sit for 5 minutes until gelatinous.
Milk: You can use any milk (dairy, oat milk, or cashew milk). I used homemade almond milk for this recipe.
Chocolate: I prefer dark chocolate chips - 55% or 70%. These are what make orange chocolate chip muffins completely irresistible!
Candied oranges are totally optional but highly recommended. I love using my homemade candied orange slices chopped into small bits. They add a chewy texture and so much flavor. You can, of course, just buy them off the shelf.
Walnuts: Chopped small for a little nutty crunch. This is also optional, but I love the texture it adds. You can add cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, or even pecans.
Please see the recipe card below for full information about the ingredients and quantities.
Variations
These orange and chocolate chip muffins are endlessly customizable.
- A combination that everyone loves is orange and cranberries. It’s a match made in heaven, just like in my orange cranberry bread. Use fresh or dried cranberries.
- Fresh blueberries are another fantastic option.
- Add vanilla extract for an extra layer of warm, cozy flavor.
- Boost the orange flavor by adding a few drops of orange extract, especially if you don’t have enough fresh juice or just want a more intense citrus punch.
- Poppy seeds are a classic with citrus baked goods. You can take inspiration from my lemon poppy seed bread and add a tablespoon of poppy seeds to the batter.
- Make chocolate and orange muffins by adding cocoa powder, as I did with my chocolate pumpkin swirl muffins.
How To Make Orange Muffins
Recipe Video
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Combine flaxseed powder and water in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes until thick and gelatinous.
Step 2: Mix the sugar and orange zest in a bowl with your fingertips.
Step 3: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk in the orange-sugar.
Step 4: In another bowl, mix the flax egg, milk, oil, and orange juice.
Step 5: Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones and mix just until moistened.
Step 6: Toss the chocolate chips, walnuts, and candied oranges in 1 teaspoon of flour and fold into the muffin batter.
Step 7: Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about ¾ full.
Step 8: Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 220 °C/425°F. Then turn the temperature down to 180 °C/ 350°F and bake for about 15-18 minutes.
Step 9: Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning them out on a cooling rack. Enjoy warm!
Pro Tips
- Toss the chocolate chips, walnuts, and candied oranges in flour. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. It’s the secret to soft, moist muffins. When you combine wet and dry ingredients, stir just enough to bring everything together.
- Bake the muffins at a high temperature for a few minutes initially. This creates air bubbles that expand the batter, helping to get tall bakery-style muffins!
- Don't overbake the orange muffins. If a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached, the muffins are done!
- Please use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. This ensures better and more consistent results every time.
How To Serve
These easy orange muffins are great on their own, but if you love to go the extra mile, I’d recommend sprinkling them with coarse sugar right before you put them to bake. The top becomes sweet and crunchy. A drizzle of orange glaze, similar to my cranberry pound cake, makes them really pretty.
- Serve them for breakfast or brunch with a veggie breakfast casserole. For a lighter fare, serve it alongside my granola breakfast tarts.
- Enjoy one (or two, no judgment here) with a cup of Vietnamese iced coffee, a cold blueberry matcha latte, or a warming vegan oatmeal latte.
- The muffins are so good with a glass of pineapple strawberry smoothie or easy Korean strawberry milk.
Recipe FAQs
You can, but I do highly recommend them! The candied oranges add a concentrated orange flavor and a chewy texture that really makes them addictive.
Since this is an eggless orange muffin recipe, the flax egg is the binder. You can use chia seeds, psyllium husk, or one egg instead.
You can! For best results, use 100% juice without any preservatives.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2- 3 days. For longer storage, refrigerate for 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave for a few seconds.
📖 Recipe
Orange Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Flaxseed powder
- 3 tbsp Water
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- Zest of 1 orange
- 2 cups Wholewheat flour
- 1.5 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/3 cup Coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup Orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 3/4 cup Almond milk
- 1/3 cup Dark chocolate chips
- 3 tbsp Candied oranges, chopped into small bits
- 1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped into small bits
- 2 tsp All-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220 C/ 425 F. Line your muffin tray cavities with paper liners.
- In a small bowl, mix the flaxseed powder and water. Keep aside for 5 minutes, until thick and gelatinous. This is your flax egg.1 tbsp Flaxseed powder, 3 tbsp Water
- Using your fingertips, mix the sugar and orange zest in a small bowl. This is your orange sugar.1/2 cup Sugar, Zest of 1 orange
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.2 cups Wholewheat flour, 1.5 tsp Baking powder, 1 tsp Baking soda, 1/4 tsp Salt
- Whisk in the orange sugar.
- In another bowl, mix the melted coconut oil, flax egg, orange juice, and almond milk.1/3 cup Coconut oil, melted, 1/3 cup Orange juice, freshly squeezed, 3/4 cup Almond milk
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones and mix just until moistened.
- Toss all the candied oranges, chocolate chips, and walnuts in 1 teaspoon of flour. Fold into the muffin batter. Please don't overmix.1/3 cup Dark chocolate chips, 3 tbsp Candied oranges, chopped into small bits, 1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped into small bits, 2 tsp All-purpose flour
- Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cavities and bake at 220 C / 425 F for 5 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 190 C / 375 F for 12-15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning them out on a cooling rack. Enjoy warm and fresh!
Video
Notes
- Toss the chocolate chips, walnuts, and candied oranges in flour. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
- Don’t over-mix the batter. It’s the secret to soft, moist muffins. When you combine wet and dry ingredients, stir just enough to bring everything together.
- Bake the muffins at a high temperature initially for a few minutes. This creates air bubbles that expand the batter to help get tall bakery-style muffins!
- Don't overbake the orange muffins. If a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached, the muffins are done!
- Please use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. This ensures better and consistent results every time.
Vinutha Rao says
The muffins looks so tempting. Would like to try. Can we replace quinoa flour with wheat flour and almond milk with regular milk?
Natasha Minocha says
Thank you so much, Vinutha! Yes, you can certainly substitute quinoa with wholewheat and almond milk with regular milk. 🙂
Vinutha Rao says
Thank you so much????
Natasha Minocha says
You are most welcome! 🙂