Blood Orange Muffins

These delicious blood orange muffins with a hint of spice are moist and fluffy, perfect to enjoy for breakfast or as a healthy snack on the go.

Blood oranges are in season and today I am posting a super easy recipe for making blood orange muffins.  These fruity muffins are moist but also light and fluffy thanks to the combination of wheat flour and ground almonds, which always yields fantastic results.

Blood oranges have a beautiful red colour and a distinctive flavour, including citrus and raspberry notes.  They are delicious as a snack but also make a very interesting ingredient to include in your bakes.  Blood oranges have a pleasant bitter-sweet flavour, a bit like grapefruit only sweeter and without the acidity of the grapefruit.

While I might be tempted to sprinkle a little sugar on my grapefruit (a temptation I find hard to resist and, as a result, generally avoid eating grapefruit on its own) I thoroughly enjoy blood oranges as a snack (without any added sugar).

How to prepare the blood oranges

Blood oranges tend to have more tender membranes than ordinary oranges, which makes the segments very easy to cut without having to remove the membranes. So they are quick and easy to prepare.

To peel the blood oranges start by cutting off both ends and placing the orange on top of a cutting board on one end.  Then cut the skin off downwards all the way around removing also the white thin bitter skin under the peel.

Chop the oranges into small pieces removing the white middle bit and make the muffins (see Instructions below).

Orange muffins ingredients

In addition to fresh fruit this blood orange muffin recipe also uses orange zest for a more intense orange flavour. The spices include cinnamon and ginger and I also used vanilla and light brown sugar for more flavour.  

The remaining wet ingredients are oil, milk and eggs. 

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1.Preheat the oven to 400 F/200 C/gas mark 6. In a bowl combine the flours, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and a pinch of salt. Stir well using a whisk. Set aside.

2. In another bowl whisk together the milk, oil, egg, orange zest and vanilla extract.

3. Add the chopped blood oranges and stir to combine.

4. Combine both mixtures and stir only until the dry ingredients are no longer visible. Do not overmix.

5. Spoon the batter into the muffin cases.

6. Bake in the centre of the oven for 26 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes then transfer onto a cooling rack.

Substitutions

• If you prefer to use ordinary oranges try to remove the tough membranes before chopping the orange segments.
• Use white whole wheat or ordinary whole wheat flour instead of plain/all-purpose if preferred.
• This recipe will also work with either almond or oat milk.

Top tips

• Blood oranges: Weigh the oranges after you've peeled and chopped them.
• Stir both the dry as well as wet ingredients using a whisk.
• The batter: Do not overstir the batter. Stop stirring once the dry ingredients are no longer visible.
• Storing: Once completely cooled these orange muffins can be stored in a container for up to 2 days. If possible pop in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.
• Freezing: Freeze in a plastic container/freezer bag for up to 3 months. Defrost in the microwave.

You might also like

• Gluten Free Apple Muffins with Almonds
• Easy Banana Buttermilk Muffins
• Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins (Low Sugar)
• Simple Quinoa Blueberry Muffins
• Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins with Maple Syrup

Check out also this collection of 18 healthy, easy vegetable breakfast recipes.

Keep in touch!

If you make this orange muffins recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)

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Blood Orange Muffins

These delicious blood orange muffins with a hint of spice are moist and fluffy, perfect to enjoy for breakfast or as a healthy snack on-the-go.

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Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine: International, vegetarian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 26 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 12 muffins

Calories: 204kcal

Author: Monika Dabrowski

Equipment

• ▢
  12-hole muffin pan

Ingredients

• ▢ 300 g blood oranges peeled, chopped into small pieces (see Instructions)
• ▢ zest of 2 blood oranges
• ▢ 160 g flour
• ▢ 140 g almond flour/ground almonds
• ▢ 2⅓ tsp baking powder
• ▢ 100 g light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp ground ginger
• ▢ 1 tsp cinnamon
• ▢ pinch of fine sea salt
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 70 ml vegetable oil
• ▢ 240 ml milk
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C/ gas mark 6. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper muffin cases.
• In a bowl combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and a pinch of salt. Stir thoroughly using a whisk and set aside.
• In another bowl whisk together the egg, milk, oil, orange zest and vanilla extract.
• To peel the oranges cut both ends and place the orange on one end on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife shave the peel off downwards all the way around, making sure to also remove the thin white skin around the orange.  Chop the orange into small pieces. Weigh the chopped orange.
• Add the chopped blood orange into the wet mixture and stir. Add the flour mixture and stir just to combine. Do not overmix.
• Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake in the centre of the oven for 26 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes then transfer the muffins onto a cooling rack.

Notes

• Blood oranges: Weigh the blood oranges after you've peeled and chopped them. Remember to zest the oranges before peeling them.
• Stir both the dry as well as wet ingredients using a whisk.
• The batter: Do not overstir the batter. Stop stirring once the dry ingredients are no longer visible.
• Storing: Once completely cooled the muffins can be stored in a container for up to 2 days. If possible pop in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.
• Freezing: Freeze in a plastic container/freezer bag for up to 3 months. Defrost in the microwave.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 127IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 1mg

*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.

**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.

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