Gluten Free Blood Orange Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

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These gluten free blood orange cinnamon streusel muffins are perfect for a delicious snack. Topped with a cinnamon streusel, you will want to not miss a single crumb of these orange muffins.

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.

If you love muffins as much as we do, you will want to try all of my delicious gluten free muffin recipes.

Click for Table of Contents:

• Can this recipe be made dairy-free?
• Instructions:
• Optional ingredients:
• Can I make these muffins ahead of time?
• Can I replace the almond milk?
• How can I tell when the muffins are done baking?
• 📋 Recipe

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. 

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!

Can this recipe be made dairy-free?

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.

Instructions:

I cut up the blood oranges into small bite-sized pieces. Don't forget to remove any seeds!

Gently mix wet and dry ingredients together and toss in the blood orange pieces. 

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.

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.

Pour the gluten free muffin batter into lined muffin cups. I fill the muffin cups to be 3/4 filled. These muffins will rise so you want to make sure they have room to expand.

Top each muffin with a tablespoon of streusel topping. Bake at 350F degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack. 

Here is that streusel topping made with coconut sugar instead of brown sugar.

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.

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.

Can I make these muffins ahead of time?

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.

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!)

Can I replace the almond milk?

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. 

How can I tell when the muffins are done baking?

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.

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 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.

As always, if you ever have other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. There is a lot to learn when it comes to gluten free dining and I am happy to help.

Looking for more? You have to see these other incredible pastries & baked good recipes:

• Easy Dairy Free Gluten Free Strawberry Scones
• Gluten Free Quick and Easy French Toast Muffins
• Gluten Free Banana Donuts With Chocolate Coconut Walnuts
• Light and Fluffy Gluten Free Blackberry Muffins

(** This recipe was updated from an older February 2016 post.)

Note the new photos I took for this recipe re-do have the refined sugar free option, but I am keeping one of the older photos so you can see the brown sugar option :-).

If you love muffins, give these paleo pears and cinnamon muffins a try!

I would be grateful if you shared this post :-)