These gluten-free orange muffins taste like they came straight out of the oven of your favorite bakery. Full of orange flavor, intensified with a sweet orange glaze these moist muffins taste like a burst of morning sunshine.
For more morning muffin goodness be sure to try my gluten-free blueberry muffins as well as my gluten-free apple spice muffins.
One of my favorite things in the morning is a strong cup of coffee and these fluffy orange muffins. This is the perfect recipe when you are looking for bakery-style muffins in a gluten-free package. Made with healthy simple ingredients these fluffy muffins are perfect to start the day or to enjoy as an afternoon snack.
You'll Love this Recipe
Gluten-Free baking at its best – These muffins are so moist and fluffy that no one is going to miss the gluten. Amazingly, they bake up so perfectly that if you are like me and love breaking off the muffin tops this recipe delivers. A combination of oat flour and gluten-free all-purpose flour creates perfect tender muffins with a moist crumb while the layers of citrus make this orange muffin recipe worthy of any holiday season and delicious enough for any day of the week.
Bright citrus flavor – As muffin recipes go, this one is filled with fresh citrus flavors making it taste like the baked version of a glass of fresh orange juice. Balanced with just the right balance of sweetness and citrus flavor, these are soon to be your favorite part of the morning.
Let's Get Cooking!
Ingredients You'll Need
I modeled this recipe after my favorite orange olive oil cake recipe, except gluten-free 🙂 Detailed measurements and ingredients can be found within the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Oat flour – Combined with the all-purpose gluten-free flour to create a flour mixture that has a dimension of flavor. The whole grains of oat flour helps create a complex muffin batter that the all-purpose gluten-free flour alone cannot achieve. The combination of flours is key to this muffin method.
- Gluten-free flour – A gluten-free all-purpose flour to combine with the oat flour to keep the batter from becoming too gummy.
- Baking soda and baking powder – Standard baking ingredients
- Salt – I like a little bit in just about every sweet baked recipe. It adds a necessary dimension and elevates all other flavors.
- Coconut sugar -this is my preferred choice for unrefined sugar. You can easily substitute maple sugar, brown sugar, or white sugar.
- Almond milk – I like how almond milk tastes in this but any milk would work.
- Orange juice and fresh orange zest – to build layers of complex orange flavor
- Olive oil – I like the richness of olive oil in this recipe. Whenever I am baking with orange flavors, I am reminded of my favorite olive oil cake with a lovely orange flavor running through it.
- Eggs – Large organic eggs
- Orange extract – adding a touch of orange extract deepens the orange flavor. It's all about creating layers of flavor for bakery-style muffins.
- Applesauce – For sweetness and moisture
Step by Step Instructions and Helpful Tips!
- Start by combining coconut palm sugar and orange zest. Using your fingers combine the zest with the sugar to release the oils in the orange zest. Add remaining dry ingredients to bowl and whisk to combine.
- Combine wet ingredients in a new bowl, whisk well to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine.
TIP: Be careful to not over mix oat flour. It can very easily become gummy, stir until just combined.
- Fill muffin liners ¾ of the way full with batter, bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool.
- (optional) Make glaze by whisking together powdered sugar and orange juice. Drizzle on top of muffins and grate additional orange zest on top.
More Recipe Tips
- You can use all oat flour but I find that it creates a gummy texture. Mixing flours delivers the best results. Alternatively using only 1:1 gluten-free flour I think produces a grainy texture. Combination flours always produce the best result.
- I used Bobs Red Mill 1:1 gluten-free flour, but you could also use 1 cup of almond flour or cassava flour
Substitutions and Variations
- Poppy Seeds. or Chia Seeds – Add poppy or chia seeds for a bit of a crunch and the added benefit of healthy fat.
- Gluten Full! You can easily make these muffins with traditional all-purpose flour if you are not gluten-free
- Simple Orange Glaze – Add a simple sweet glaze by combining made with just powdered sugar and orange juice combined to the perfect consistency.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
- STORAGE – I wouldn't be surprised if you eat these muffins within a day! They will keep well on the countertop for a few days. In fact, these muffins are so moist they can become soggy when stored in an airtight container.
- For longer storage, 2-4 days, line the bottom of an airtight tupperware container or bakery dome with paper towels. Place the muffins in a single layer in the container then cover the muffins with any additional layer of paper towels. The paper towels help to absorb them moisture the muffins release
- FREEZING – May be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months without glaze.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Think of what happens when you cook oatmeal, it turns into a porridge! Oat flour can have the same result. A few tips, make sure you don't use quick cooking oats to make oat flour, these oats have already been steamed cooked. You also want to make sure you have the right liquid to dry ingredient ratio. Ideally, oat flour should be mixed with another gluten free flour for best results.
Because of their finer starches, gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid. To correct this, gluten-free baking recipes usually call for more liquid, producing a looser batter. Gluten-free recipes may also call for more leavening to help add volume and improve the lightness of texture.
Dietary Modifications
These muffins are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, and not easily modifiable in other ways.
More Muffin Recipes
I can’t wait for you to try this! When you make it, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @abrapappa or use the hashtag #abraskitchen so I can feature your photo!
If you’ve tried this recipe, don’t forget to rate it and leave a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
Bakery Style Gluten-Free Orange Muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 cup gluten-free flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/4 tsp orange extract
Orange Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven temperature to 350 and line a muffin tin with paper liners
- Add coconut sugar to a medium mixing bowl. Add orange zest and using your fingertips rub the orange zest into sugar. Add remaining dry ingredients. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate large bowl whisk together almond milk, orange juice, olive oil, egg, orange extract, and applesauce.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to just combine.
- Fill muffin liners ¾ of the way full with batter and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow muffins to cool.
- While cooling prepare glaze by combining orange juice and powdered sugar adding more or less liquid to achieve the desired consistency. It should drip easily from a spoon but not be too runny.
- Pour glaze over muffins and add additional orange zest on top. Enjoy.
Video
Notes
Substitutions and Variations
-
- Poppy Seeds. or Chia Seeds – Add poppy or chia seeds for a bit of a crunch and the added benefit of healthy fat.
-
- Gluten Full! You can easily make these muffins with traditional all-purpose flour if you are not gluten-free
-
- Simple Orange Glaze – Add a simple sweet glaze by combining made with just powdered sugar and orange juice combined to the perfect consistency.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
-
- STORAGE – I wouldn't be surprised if you eat these muffins within a day! They will keep well on the countertop for a few days. In fact, these muffins are so moist they can become soggy when stored in an airtight container.
-
- For longer storage, 2-4 days, line the bottom of an airtight tupperware container or bakery dome with paper towels. Place the muffins in a single layer in the container then cover the muffins with any additional layer of paper towels. The paper towels help to absorb them moisture the muffins release
-
- FREEZING – May be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months without glaze.
Sam R says
So delicious. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Sandy Reece says
Perfect. I can’t even tell they are GF. Amazing texture. Thanks for these fantastic recipes.
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Love hearing that!
judy says
So yummy and a burst of yum! I followed your tip not to overmix the oat flour and they turned out deliciously tender and light for an alt flour. Thanks, will make again for sure!
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Yay! So glad Judy!
Riah says
These gluten-free orange muffins are perfect with my morning coffee. The muffin is so moist and fluffy, and the glaze adds a little sweetness. My kids loved this recipe too and they’re already asking for another batch.
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Kids and pups love this recipe 🙂 haha!
Glenda says
No one knew these muffins were gluten free. I had fiori di sicilia on hand rather than orange extract and it worked beautifully! Orangey, tender and mist. Delish!
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Oh fiori di sicilia is genius!
Elsie says
Nothing better than a cup of coffee and a muffin in the morning. These muffins came out perfect, and your technique of adding oat flour to the gluten-free flour mix is new to me. I will be using both flours from now on.
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Agreed! Muffin and coffee for the win!
Gina says
These orange muffins were fantastic and so easy to make. We are not a gluten-free household, but I was hosting a baby shower and I knew some of the guests were, so I went in search of a great muffin recipe. This one was right on the money! Everyone loved them. Thanks for the great recipe.
Abra Pappa, MS, CNS, LDN says
Perfect for a baby shower!