These gluten free cinnamon streusel muffins are perfect for a delicious snack. Topped with a thick cinnamon streusel, you will want to not miss a single crumb of these orange muffins.
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This week is all about blood oranges. Have you seen these oranges? They have a purplish orange mottled skin color on the outside, and they range in color from dark orange to hot pink and purple. Their flavor is distinct, with an almost honey-like tart raspberry taste blended with the orange.
Blood oranges are mostly available in the winter when citrus is in season. I haven't had much of a chance to use blood oranges in my baking because they usually disappear pretty quickly in our house.
This recipe comes with a refined sugar-free option, I remade the recipe and photos with coconut sugar. Coconut sugar doesn't make streusel quite like brown sugar, so I give you the option of using either one.
I promised my family muffins this week so I decided to use the one lonely blood orange instead of our usual blueberries. If you are looking for a delicious blueberry muffin recipe, try these gluten free blueberry muffins.
These gluten free coffee cake muffins are very quick to make. I highly recommend making a double batch because your family is going to gobble these up in record time!
One thing I love about these gluten free streusel muffins is that they are fantastic at pleasing a crowd. Whenever we have a party or get-together I make a batch and they get devoured. Here are a few ideas:
- Breakfast - If you have busy mornings and need a quick meal, these are so easy to grab and eat.
- Baby Shower - These muffins are not only flavorful, but they are elegant too.
- Road Trips - Make a batch and toss them in your travel bag for an easy snack.
If you love muffins as much as we do, you will want to try all of my delicious gluten free muffin recipes.
Ingredients notes:
- Gluten free flour blend - I tested this recipe using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- Xanthan gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Coconut sugar - You can also use brown sugar.
- Butter - Use vegan butter to make this recipe dairy-free/
Optional ingredients:
If you are like me, sometimes you just want to add some extra ingredients to your recipes. These muffins are fabulous on their own, but here are a few ideas to change them a little:
- Raisins - The raisins go beautifully with the cinnamon and blood orange!
- Walnuts - Adding nuts is a great way to get extra crunch to the recipe.
- Craisins - They add an extra sweetness to the muffins that take them to a whole new level of yummy!
- Lemon Glaze - The glaze in my Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins recipe is delicious and pairs nicely with the blood oranges.
- Chocolate Chips - Seriously, chocolate goes with almost everything. Dark chocolate or white chocolate chips would both be fantastic in these muffins.
- Add some fruit like in my Gluten Free Peach Muffins recipe.
Recipe step by step directions:
Step 1: I cut up the blood oranges into small bite-sized pieces. Don't forget to remove any seeds!
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend.
Step 3: In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and mix. Gently mix wet and dry ingredients together and toss in the blood orange pieces.
Step 4: Mix up a simple streusel topping. I use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the batter. (*Note, this picture is with brown sugar, not coconut sugar. You can use either!)
Step 5: Pour the gluten free muffin batter into lined muffin cups. I fill the muffin cups to be ¾ filled. These muffins will rise so you want to make sure they have room to expand.
Step 6: Top each muffin with a tablespoon of streusel topping. Bake at 350º F for 22-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
Here are my kids' favorite gluten free muffin recipes of all time, most of these recipes are freezable if you want to make extras. Muffins make a fabulous grab and go breakfast on those busy school mornings.
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
Muffin Baking Tip: Do not over-mix your gluten free muffin batter. The secret to light and fluffy muffins is to mix the batter until it is just barely mixed. This keeps your batter full of air for fluffy muffins.
The muffins can be easily made dairy-free by substituting coconut oil or a vegan butter stick for the butter. I will be honest, I haven't tested a vegan butter stick to make streusel...but in theory, it should work as well.
Yes, these muffins are perfect for making ahead of time. Bake them as directed and make sure they are completely cooled. After the muffins are room temperature, you can store them in an airtight container.
Yes, you can replace the almond milk in these delicious gluten free muffins. You can use regular cows milk, soy milk, coconut milk or anything else that fits your needs.
The easiest way to tell if muffins are cooked is by using a toothpick to test. Simply stick a toothpick in the center of the muffin and pull it out. If you notice it comes out with batter on it, then they aren’t done and need to cook a little longer. The toothpick should come out clean.
If you wrap them individually in plastic wrap, they can also be placed in the freezer or refrigerator. (Just be careful with the streusel topping!)
If you are just getting the hang of eating gluten free at home, you may find yourself having many questions when it comes to dining out. Take a look at this guide How To Eat Gluten Free Anywhere & Gluten Free Diet Tips to answer some of your questions.
More gluten free muffins recipes to try:
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📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Blood Orange Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup blood oranges peeled and chopped
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ¼ cup melted butter * see note
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup almond milk * see note
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Streusel Topping:
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons gluten free flour blend (for topping)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Line cups in a muffin pan with paper muffin cups.
- In a large bowl, add dry ingredients
- In a small bowl, add wet ingredients and whisk.
- Add blood oranges to wet ingredients.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold together to blend.
- Using a soup scoop, fill muffin cups ¾ full.
- Add 1 tablespoon streusel topping on top of the muffin batter.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until cooked.
- Remove from muffin pan onto cooling rack.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- I used almond milk but other dairy-free kinds of milk will work but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- Muffins are easy to make and my biggest tip to keep them light and fluffy is to mix the batter until it is just barely mixed. Muffin batter is very easy to overmix.
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the muffins. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the muffins need to bake longer.
- These muffins will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
- If you want your muffins to have a domed style top, bake at 425º F for the first 5 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350.
Nutrition
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(** This recipe was updated from an older February 2016 post.)
Lee Ann
I have a blood orange tree so I’m excited to try this recipe when they ripen. One surprise I had was to use the blood orange juice mixed with powdered sugar to make a glaze for a muffin; the color turned a lovely shade of lavender (which was perfect because it was a lavender flavored muffin).
Sandi Gaertner
That glaze sounds absolutely amazing Lee Ann. I bet it would be delicious over these muffins.