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, ranging 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 primarily available in the winter when citrus is in season. I haven’t had much chance to use blood oranges in baking because they usually disappear quickly in our house.
This recipe has 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.
I promised my family muffins this week, so I used 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.
Allergen Information:
These homemade streusel muffins are gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and oat-free. Make them dairy-free by using plant-based butter.
These gluten free coffee cake muffins are very quick to make. I highly recommend making a double batch because your family will 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 easy to grab and eat.
- Baby Shower – These muffins are not only flavorful but also elegant.
- Road Trips – Toss a batch 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.
Flour Blends Tested:
- King Arthur Measure for Measure—This blend works really well in my recipes. I don’t have to let the flour blend rest in the batter.
- Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Blend—This blend also works well, but this flour blend does benefit from resting the batter for 15 minutes before baking. The rest allows the rice flour in this blend to soften, so you don’t have gritty baked goods.
Ingredients Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten free flour blend – I tested this recipe using the two blends above. 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.
Try these optional ingredients:
If you are like me, sometimes you 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.
Step-By-Step Photos and 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: Add the wet ingredients and mix in a smaller bowl. Mix wet and dry ingredients together and toss in the blood orange pieces.
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Step 4: Mix up a simple streusel topping. I use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the batter. (*Note: This picture has 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 3/4 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.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Muffin Baking Tip: Do not over-mix your gluten free muffin batter. The secret to light and fluffy muffins is mixing the batter until it is 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 also work.
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 at 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 cow’s, soy, coconut, 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, they aren’t done and need to cook longer. The toothpick should come out clean.
If you wrap them individually in plastic, they can also be placed in the freezer or refrigerator. (Just be careful with the streusel topping!)
More gluten free muffins recipes to try:
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Blood Orange Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup oranges peeled and chopped. I used blood oranges.
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ¼ cup melted unsalted butter * see note
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup non-dairy or regular milk * see note
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Streusel Topping:
- 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons gluten free flour blend (for topping)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F for regular muffin tops or 425º F for dome-top muffins.
- Line cups in a muffin pan with paper muffin cups.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend, 3/4 cup coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Whisk to blend.
- In a small bowl, add 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 3/4 cup non-dairy or regular milk, and 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter. Mix well.
- Add 3/4 cup oranges to the wet ingredients.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold together to blend into a soft batter.
- Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full with batter.
Struesel Topping
- Add the 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cane sugar, 2 tablespoons gluten free flour blend, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Use a spoon to mix the ingredients. Use a fork to fluff the ingredients after mixing.
- Add 1 tablespoon of streusel topping on top of the muffin batter.
- Regular tops: Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes. Dome Tops: Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425º F, then turn the oven temperature down to 350º F for the remaining 15-18 minutes.
- 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.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Let the muffins sit in the pan for 5 minutes, then gently remove them and transfer them to a 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. Other blends should work. My rule of thumb is if your batter or dough is too runny, add more flour; if it is too thick, add more liquids.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 3/4 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. However, 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.
- These muffins will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container or for up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
(** This recipe was updated from an older February 2016 post.)
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).
That glaze sounds absolutely amazing Lee Ann. I bet it would be delicious over these muffins.
I imagine these would work with most citrus fruits? I am very eager to taste one of these muffins!!
Hi Julia. These should work with any fruit, not just citrus. Let me know what you decide to use 🙂