If you’re in need of a guilt-free sweet treat, these chocolate-glazed Orange Muffins are the answer you’ve been looking for! Made without eggs and with whole wheat flour for an added boost of nutrition, these tender-crumbed snacks are perfect for serving with your afternoon cup of tea. As an added bonus, they’re super easy to make and vegan to boot!
Table of Contents
About These Orange Muffins
The orange muffins recipe is adapted from the Orange Cake Recipe that I had shared earlier. But I also decided to add a thin, orange-flavored chocolate glaze this time around. As a result, these tasty little treats are reminiscent of the chocolate oranges available around the winter holidays. They are utterly delightful!
Eggless cakes, muffins, and cookies are often made at our home, as we have a serious sweet tooth. In fact, I have already posted few muffin recipes like my Banana Muffins and Chocolate Chip Muffins because we are so fond of them.
These simple sweets are made with nutritious whole wheat flour, freshly squeezed orange juice, and a mere ½ cup of sugar, meaning they are perfectly acceptable to eat for breakfast or to pack into your or your kid’s tiffin as a treat.
Boasting a soft, light texture and a tender crumb, you’d never guess these simple orange muffins were vegan. They also take just 15 minutes (!!!) of preparation and will be ready for sharing in under an hour.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Despite being absolutely packed with flavor, this simple recipe for vegan orange muffins doesn’t require much to make. Here’s what you’ll need to gather:
- Whole Wheat Flour – I prefer to use whole wheat flour (atta) in my bakes to add an extra boost of nutrition. If you don’t have any on hand, you can easily swap in all-purpose flour (maida) or bread flour instead.
- Sugar – Feel free to use unrefined cane sugar, powdered jaggery, or regular sugar.
- Oranges – Fresh citrus not only tastes better, but it also has the added benefit of a secret ingredient: zest! Be sure to only remove the orange colored zest as the white pith is quite bitter. Also, word to the wise — zest before you cut and juice the oranges. For purchasing knowledge, I got 1 cup of orange juice from 3 medium oranges.
- Salt – Even sweet things need a bit of salt to balance them out!
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder – Yes, you need both. No, they cannot be used interchangeably. Also, please note that baking powder begins to react as soon as it is added to liquid, so you’ll want to make sure you preheat the oven before you make the batter lest you miss out on some of the rising power.
- Corn Starch – If corn isn’t part of your diet, you can use 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour (maida), rice flour, or tapioca flour instead. You can also swap in an equal amount of either chickpea flour or gram flour, arrowroot flour or potato starch.
- Neutral Oil – Any neutral oil will work well here. Try canola, corn, vegetable, avocado, or grapeseed oil.
- Cocoa Powder – I prefer to use Dutch-processed cocoa powder because it is less bitter, but whatever you have on hand will work just fine. Cacao powder is also perfectly acceptable.
How To Make Orange Muffins
Sift Dry Ingredients
1. First, sieve 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon corn starch, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl or pan.
2. Keep the sifted dry mixture aside.
3. Using either a zester or grater, grate the zest from one medium orange and keep aside.
4. Line a muffin tray or pan with muffin liners. Also preheat the oven at 180 degrees celsius/356 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 to 12 minutes. Use the same temperature for preheating in the convection mode of a microwave oven.
Make Orange Juice Mixture
5. In another bowl, take ½ cup raw sugar and ¼ cup oil. You can use regular sugar or your preferred sweetener instead.
6. Mix and keep aside.
7. Prepare the orange juice using a manual juicer, an electric juicer, or a blender.
Note: If using a blender, remove the seeds from the orange segments before blending, then strain the orange juice through a fine sieve.
8. Add 1 cup orange juice to the sugar + oil mixture.
9. Stir briskly and very well till the sugar dissolves and the mixture looks even.
Make Muffin Batter
10. Add this orange juice mixture to the sifted flour mixture.
11. Add the orange zest.
12. With a wired whisk, stir the mixture to a smooth batter. Don’t over mix.
13. Here’s the orange muffins batter ready to be poured in the muffin liners.
14. Spoon the batter in the muffin liners till it reaches ¾ of the way up the sides of the liners. Gently shake or tap the pan to release excess air bubbles.
Bake Orange Muffins
15. Place the muffin tray in the preheated oven. Bake the orange muffins at 180 degrees celsius/356 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
The recipe yields 8 regular-sized orange muffins. Temperatures in ovens differ, so do keep a check while baking.
Note: Your oven might bake the muffin in 15 minutes or even 30 minutes. The final check is that a toothpick should come out dry or with fine crumb particles. There should be no stickiness. Use the same temperature for baking in the convection mode of a microwave oven.
16. Place the muffin pan on a wired rack to let the muffins cool for about 10 minutes. Then remove the muffins from the pan.
You can serve orange muffins plain, dust them with icing sugar or cocoa powder, or prepare any chocolate icing.
How To Make Chocolate Glaze
1. To prepare the chocolate glaze, take 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons orange juice, 2 to 2.5 tablespoons raw sugar (or regular sugar), ½ tablespoon neutral flavored oil, and 2 to 2.5 tablespoons water in a small pan or sauce pan. Add more water if required.
2. Mix everything and keep the pan on a low heat on the stove top.
3. Stir till the mixture thickens a bit and the sugar completely dissolves.
4. When the glaze is still warm, spread it on the orange muffins, with a small spatula. To keep the mess to a minimum, place the muffins on a wired rack and keep a plate or tray underneath while spreading the icing.
You can also slice the muffins from the center and then spread the glaze on the base slice. Cover with the top slice and then spread the glaze on the top.
5. Allow the glaze to cool before serving orange muffins. Serve these orange muffins with a glass of milk or ginger tea or filter coffee or as an after meal dessert.
FAQs
Unfortunately, I haven’t tried this recipe using a gluten-free flour mix, so you’ll have to experiment. I’d imagine a cup-for-cup gluten-free all-purpose flour mixture *should* work. If you try it, please let me know how it goes in the comments below!
Yes!
I recommend using a neutral-flavored oil like sunflower oil or vegetable oil. If you don’t mind a bit of savory flavor coming through, you can also use olive oil if you wish.
Sure! I recommend using mini chocolate chips if possible to ensure they stay suspended during baking.
Allow your muffins to cool in the tin for just about 10 minutes or so before turning them out to finish cooling on a wire rack. If you leave them in the tin, they will have a tendency to attract condensation, which can cause them to stick.
Absolutely, though you’ll miss out on some of the orange flavor if you don’t use fresh zest.
If you keep the leftovers in the refrigerator, these vegan orange muffins should keep for 6 to 7 days, maybe more.
More Muffin Treats!
Dessert Recipes
Dessert Recipes
Dessert Recipes
Cake Recipes
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
Orange Muffins Recipe (With Chocolate Glaze)
Ingredients
For orange muffins
- 1 cup whole wheat flour – 120 grams
- ½ cup raw sugar – 100 grams, you can add regular sugar, coconut sugar, palm sugar or powdered jaggery
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- ¼ cup oil – any neutral flavored oil
For the chocolate glaze
- 2 teaspoons Orange Juice
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 to 2.5 tablespoons sugar or add as required
- ½ tablespoon oil – any neutral flavored oil
- 2 to 2.5 tablespoons water or add as required
Instructions
Making orange muffins batter
- First seive whole wheat flour, corn starch, baking soda, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl or pan.
- Keep the sieved dry mixture aside.
- For the orange zest, with a zester or grater, grate the zest from one medium orange and set aside.
- Line a muffin tray or pan with muffin liners. Also preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius/356 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 to 12 minutes.
- In another bowl, take sugar and oil. Simply mix and set aside.
- Prepare the orange juice in an electric juicer or a blender. If using a blender, then remove the seeds from the orange segments and then blend. Then strain the orange juice through a fine seive. From 3 oranges, I got 1 cup orange juice.
- Add 1 cup orange juice to the sugar + oil mixture.
- Stir briskly and very well till the sugar dissolves and the mixture looks even.
- Add this orange juice mixture to the sieved dry flour mixture. Also add the orange zest.
- With a wired whisk, stir the mixture to a smooth batter with light pressure from hands. Don't over mix.
Baking orange muffins
- Spoon the batter in the muffin liners till it reaches ¾ part of the liners. Gently shake the pan to release any extra air bubbles.
- Place the muffin tray in the preheated oven. Bake orange muffins at 180 degrees Celsius/356 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes or till a bamboo skewer inserted in the muffins comes out clean.
- Baking time varies with the type and size of oven, so keep this in mind.
- Place the muffin tray on a wired rack for about 10 minutes. Later remove the muffins from the pan.
- You can serve orange muffins plain or dusted with icing sugar, cocoa powder or prepare any chocolate glaze or icing. The recipe yields 8 regular sized muffins.
Making chocolate glaze
- Take cocoa powder in a small pan or sauce pan.
- Add orange juice, sugar, oil and water.
- Mix everything and keep the pan on a low heat on the stovetop.
- Stir till the mixture thickens a bit. The sugar should also dissolve completely.
- When the glaze is still warm, spread it on the muffins. You can also slice the orange muffins and then spread the glaze on the base slice. Cover with the top slice and then spread the glaze on the top. Allow the glaze to cool before serving.
- Serve eggless orange muffins as a sweet snack or as a dessert.
Notes
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Orange Muffins recipe post from the archives first published in Feb 2015 has been republished and updated on 30 April 2022.
This recipe is really good..!
I tried it but it came out to be very gooey and tasted more of atta..i dont know why..may be i baked in microwave ..Can i make it with maida completely..?
thanks ashima. did you bake in the convection mode of microwave? you can use maida also.
Hi dassana,
Tried these muffins today and for the very first time i fell in love with eggless bake of mine 😀
Spongy soft,melt in the mouth ones….mine got baked in 15 minutes 🙂 …and i used orange blossom water and almond essence in equal parts 🙂
thanks roopmuraya for sharing your positive feedback and experience. glad to know this.
Tried this out yesterday with half maida and half atta. Came out really well. But I used nearly 2-3 tsp of orange zest and felt it could take more for a real orange flavour. But everything else was perfect. And I used the orange juice with pulp (I see that some people have asked that question before). I just gave it a good beat with my bullet and the juice just was thick.
thanks jyothsna for the positive review. in fact you could add more than 3 tsp of zest too. i have made with 1 tbsp zest also. but i felt its too much of orange flavor which may not go well with some folks. juice with pulp is fine 🙂
Hi dassana .. your recipies are really nice …u give a very nice prrsentation of everything. I try many things at times. In this recipe can we use Tropicanas orange juice with pulp instead of freshly made orange juice . I work so would not have time to make fresh orange juice .. i really want to try this recipe . Please suggest… regards Mahak
thanks mahak. you can try using this juice. it should work.
Best recipe for muffins I have ever tried.
And its made from whole wheat..!!Thank you :))
welcome dr anubha. nice to know this.
Easy to make recipe….tasty, fruity and healthy. Thanks for sharing the eggless, maidaless and butterless recipe.
welcome srilakshmi. thanks for your positive feedback.
Can anything replace the muffin tray…?
nilaya, you can use small tart moulds and place the muffin liners inside them.
Hi dassana,
. Thanks for the wonderful simple recipe, tried this atta cup cake today, there was no orange at home replaced orange juice with water and added little pineapple essence, first time baked a cake using atta, it came out fantastic, so soft and yummy
welcome abirami. thats cool. thanks for sharing your variation.
Hi, instead of muffins can the same recipe be used to make one whole cake?
kirti, use this link to make eggless orange cake – https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/eggless-orange-cake/
Thanks for the awesome recipe turned out well…
But the top turned out hard the inside was normal and crummy… 🙂
welcome munazza. the top must have turned hard because of too much heat in the oven or long baking time. you have to check after some time interval that muffins are baked or not.
Awesome 🙂 uuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
thanks zainul
tried out your orange muffins and it has come out fab. thanx a ton. infact I like even the dal recipes of yours and try them out often.
welcome asha. thanks for sharing positive review on muffins and dal recipes.
Verry good.,………
Hi…thanks for the tasty recipe. Today I baked it. Itz so soft n yummy…even my son liked it with chocolate glazing.
welcome supreeta. thanks for sharing positive review on muffins. glad to know this.
Wanted to ask if u know how to make red velvet cake or cup cake! Would be great if u could share the recipe. Thanks
welcome nivedita. i know how to make but once i make i will add the recipe.
Hello,
I really like your blog from the very first day.It has simple recepies.I tried gajjar ka halwa and Paneer. They turned out really well.
I am quite good with Desi cooking but when it comes to baking,I’m not even a beginner. Anyhow have mustered up courage to try these Muffins.don’t want them to be a disaster that why wanted to know exactly which heating to use in electric back oven,I mean fan heating or both the upper and lower grill or just anyone from them?plus if I don’t have baking soda with what and in how much quantity I can substitute it?
Regards.
thanks for the feedback on the recipes. glad to know. use both the upper and lower heating rods and keep the muffin tray in the center rack. baking soda cannot be substituted. but i think you can make the recipe with just baking powder. just increase the baking powder to 2/3rd tsp. 1 tsp baking powder might taste the cake a bit bitter.
Thank you.one more question please. Can you let me know the proportions need to double the recepie? For approx. 20 muffins.
i have not tried doubling the recipe. but a few readers have tried. so you can double the ingredients to double the recipe.
Hi!!!! Yur muffins luk awesome!!!!will try it out soon!!!! I tried yur plain parata and paneer white gravy….. Turned out well…. Everyone luvd it….. I hve a doubt in muffin prprn….. Aftr filling d batter fr frst set of baking shld i place d remaining batter for next set in fridge or i can keep at room tmp???
thanks sowmiya for sharing positive review on recipes. as soon as you pour the batter in muffin liners then immediately put it in the oven for baking. don’t keep it out for even 1 minute.