The day after Thanksgiving, your fridge is basically a game of Tetris—turkey, stuffing, pie… and that half-full bowl of cranberry sauce no one wants to touch. Instead of letting it die a slow, sugary death, give it new life in these Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins.
Why You’ll Love Them
I love everything cranberry this time of year- these leftover cranberry sauce muffins included! Here’s why you’ll love them too.
- Bakery finish: With tall tops and a turbinado crunch, these muffins taste just like your bakery favorite.
- Zero waste: Those Thanksgiving leftovers won’t go to waste when you use leftover cranberry sauce to make these muffins.
- Moist + tender: With oil and real fruit from the cranberry sauce, it makes for the perfect moist texture.
Recipe Essentials
You only need a handful of pantry ingredients plus leftover cranberry sauce to make these muffins. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Cranberry sauce – You want to make sure you’re using the whole berry, homemade cranberry sauce for these muffins, not the canned jellied version.
- Flour
- Light brown sugar
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Fine sea salt
- Whole milk
- Turbinado sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Orange juice
- Orange zest
- Egg
Test Kitchen Notes
I’ve tested this leftover cranberry sauce muffins recipe several times so that you don’t have to! Here are some tips and tricks.
- Too tart? Cranberry sauce recipes can vary—add a little sugar to batter, or finish with a light orange glaze.
- Don’t overmix: Overmixing the batter makes for a tougher texture and makes tunnels of dry spots in the muffins.
- Sugar-crust timing: Sprinkle with sugar when the tops are set but still tacky (about 18 min) so crystals adhere without dissolving.
Why The Tulip Liners?
These fun parchment liners make bakery-style muffins that look like they belong in a glass case, but they also help the batter bake up, instead of out (the dreaded muffin top!).
So if you do choose to use regular liners, make 18 smaller muffins because the batter won’t be contained and just bake over and make a mess. Most grocery stores sell them, but I grab mine off Amazon.
Topping Options
While I love the simple crunch of turbinado sugar, there are a few other options for these easy cranberry muffins.
- Streusel – Make a simple streusel topping by combining combine ½ cup of all-purpose flour, ½ cup of light brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Using a fork or your fingertips, cut in 4 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter, then crumble on top of the muffins before baking.
- Go Nuts! – Fold chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter, sprinkle them on top or even add to the streusel topping.
- Icing Drizzle– Make a simple powdered sugar icing, add some orange zest or use cranberry juice or orange juice for half of the milk, and drizzle on top.
- White Chocolate Drizzle– Melt 2 ounces of white chocolate and drizzle on top.
- Oats– Top them with rolled oats (quick cooking oats). These can also be added to the streusel or combined with a drizzle or nuts.
Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole berry cranberry sauce
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 orange , juice and zest
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 tulip liners. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the 1 1/2 cups whole berry cranberry sauce, 1/2 cup whole milk , 1/4 cup vegetable oil, juice and zest from 1 orange, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until no streaks remain.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold until no dry spots remain. Do not overmix, it can cause them to be dry.
- Using a cookie dough scoop, evenly divide the batter between the 12 muffin tins.
- Bake the muffins for 24-26 minutes, removing them from the oven and sprinkle generously with the 1/4 cup turbinado sugar at around 18 minutes, while the batter is still tacky, but set up enough that it won't dissolve.
- Remove and allow to cool slightly before eating.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Storage:
Store in an airtight plastic bag or covered container for up to 5 days. I like to reheat mine for a few seconds in the microwave to reawaken the butter.Freezing:
Allow the muffins to cool fully, then place in an airtight plastic bag, removing as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature.Nutrition
More Homemade Muffins
When you need a quick grab and go breakfast, these muffins are perfect for making on a Monday and enjoying all week long!
