These low carb blender muffins are so easy to make. Light and fluffy and you can put anything you want in them. A versatile low carb muffin recipe for grab and go breakfasts or snacks. Instructional video included!
You’re going to love these basic low carb muffins, because they are infinitely adaptable. We love them with cranberries but they are great as blueberry muffins, raspberry muffins, or even chocolate chips muffins.
First cranberry recipe of the season and of course I had to make low carb cranberry muffins. I am well-armed for cranberry season now, as I actually have about 5 bags in my freezer from LAST season.
I am not normally this much of a hoarder but a slight cranberry shortage last year sent me into a panic and I started socking them away. I trolled a number of grocery chains in late October/early November and was shocked that they weren’t yet carrying cranberries. Didn’t they know I had Thanksgiving recipes to write? Didn’t they know how damaging it was not to have large displays of cranberries just inside the entryway?
I had many many cranberry plans last year that were not realized by the late arrival of those tart little berry gems.
They did finally arrive and I grabbed numerous bags when I saw them. Then my husband, bless his heart, saw a big bag at Costco, and knowing my fears of a cranberry apocalypse, brought two of them home to me.
Of course I ended up with far too many cranberries. Wait, what am I talking about? You can never have too many cranberries. Because those firm sturdy low carb berries freeze amazingly well and thaw to be almost as perfect as they are when fresh.
So you can divvy them up into quart-sized freezer bags and ride out any sort of local cranberry shortage. Mine seem perfectly fine after 12 months in the deep freeze and now I can make my favorite low carb muffins any old time. That makes me happier than you know.
How To Make Low Carb Muffins
Use your blender!
Whipping up your keto muffin batter in a blender makes it more cohesive, lighter and fluffier. You can still do this recipe in a bowl, whisking your ingredients together, if you prefer.
Add sour cream for tenderness
I can’t recommend sour cream enough as an ingredient in keto cakes and muffins. It gives them a wonderful texture, with no need for any butter or other oil. Greek yogurt also works well.
Blend the wet ingredients first
Get the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract well blended first, before adding the dry ingredients. Then you can add the dry all at once and blend again until smooth.
Let cool completely after baking
This is a tough one for people who love baked goods hot out of the oven. But all keto baked goods hold together better after they cool properly.
Customize these muffins!
You aren’t restricted to cranberries and pecans in this recipe. Let your imagination run wild! Lemon blueberry, cranberry orange, chocolate chip, you name it. You can use this as a basic low carb muffin recipe and add in whatever you want.
Low carb muffins store well too
Muffins like these are great for stocking your freezer. Simply place them into a ziplock freezer bag and freeze. They can last for several months. They can also be refrigerated for up to a week for easy keto breakfasts.
Cranberries are great for low carb and keto diets
- Fresh cranberries are very low in carbs and high in fiber
- 1 cup of cranberries has 12 grams of carbs
- They are full of phytonutrients and antioxidants
- They are anti-inflammatory
- Cranberries are high in vitamin C
- Beware of dried cranberries, as they are usually full of added sugars.
I have a great recipe for sugar-free dried cranberries that you can make at home.
These low carb blender muffins are a perfect way to showcase those tart little crimson orbs. They are easy to whip up in your blender and the sour cream gives them an incomparable texture. Light and fluffy and they rise astonishingly well.
I put chopped pecans in half of them for extra deliciousness, but kept some pecan-free for the kiddos. These are now ranking up there as some of my favourite muffins to date! And this easy recipe is totally customizable.
Craving low carb blueberry muffins? Swap out the cranberries! Or make chocolate chip muffins if you’d prefer. Or stay with the cranberries and add a little orange extract. The possibilities are truly endless.
Easy Low Carb Cranberry Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups almond flour
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cranberries
- ½ cup chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F and line a muffin tin with parchment or silicone liners.
- Combine sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large blender jar. Blend about 30 seconds.
- Add the almond flour, sweetener, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Blend again until smooth, about 30 seconds to a minute. If your batter is overly thick, add ¼ to ½ cup of water to thin it out (different brands of almond flour can vary).
- By hand, stir in cranberries, keeping a few for the top of the muffins, and chopped pecans if using. Divide the mixture among the prepared muffin cups and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until just golden brown and firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool completely.
Video
Amy says
According to the diabetes website these muffins have 18 g of carbs versus eight. I’m pretty sure I compared the ingredients exactly. What do you think is correct?
Carolyn says
What diabetes website? This recipe is mine and shouldn’t be on any other website. However, chances are they are counting the erythritol, which has little to no impact on blood glucose.
Doortje says
Best low-carb muffin recipe I’ve tried!
Used greek yoghurt instead of sour cream and dark chocolate the batter was kust perfect!
Anita says
Just made these with homemade sour cream and frozen blueberries. OMG, they are delish- fluffy and moist! My hubby ate 2 right after they were done. I used a food processor instead of a blender, and otherwise followed the recipe. Thanks for sharing. Love your website!
Anita says
Hi Carol,
Thanks for this recipe. This looks amazing. Can’t wait to try them this weekend. I do not have sour cream in hand. Do you think I can replace the sour cream with heavy cream?
Carolyn says
No, you can’t replace with heavy cream as it’s too liquidy. Greek yogurt works, though.
Guinan says
Oops… I had my head in another place and used Blueberries instead of Cranberries, but O.M.G. are these ever sensational! “I found my thri-hill, on Blueberry Hi-hill” 😀
I read a lot here about them being dense but mine were a bit too wet, they came apart when I took them out of the mould. So… I used a spoon to get every last wonderful morsel out of the mould and into my mouth!! Waste not, want not LOL.
Perhaps I should use smaller eggs or should have dried the blueberries after washing them, or maybe I could just add a tablespoon of Coconut Flour to “mop up” the liquid next time, what do you think?
I’m sooo happy with my brand new Blendtec, it really whips up a storm with this mixture!
Cindy says
I live in Guatemala where we can’t get cranberries. Do you think frozen strawberries could be substituted? What other fruit could be substituted? If blueberries are used, how many would you use to keep from having a crossover? Also, could a baking blend be substituted for the almond flour?
Carolyn says
Any berry will be fine but just FYI that strawberries have a high liquid content and kind of get mushy. I don’t remember the constraints for a crossover recipe but 1/2 cup here of blueberries would probably be fine. Baking blend is drier to you will need less…about 2/3 of the almond flour.
laquetta says
Carolyn,
I just wanted to tell you that these are amazing, I made them last nite, I read comments and made a few minor adjustments, added 1/3 c almond milk and 1/3 c coconut oil to debunk the thickness issues, and I didn’t add pecan but I did half cranberries half strawberries and I tell you that they are so light and fluffy that you cant tell the diff from those made with white flour, this is my go to now for muffins I will try different flavors of course, and even for pancakes or waffles. thanks so much for all your hard work you keep me able to survive this lifestyle!!!
Judy says
Could I substitute Stevia for swerve? Same amount?
Carolyn says
What kind of stevia? Extract or the baking blend kind that measure like sugar?
Mika says
I Just made these and they are DELICIOUS!
Next time I will more than likely us a hand mixer. It took a bit longer than it should have trying to mix the thick batter in my blender.
10/10 Would recommend
Grace says
Just made these, and have to say – wonderful! Everyone’s comments were very helpful. Thank you, adventurous bakers-all! The thing I liked best about these was how perfectly they popped out of my muffin cups, besides how lovely they look. No liner necessary! I just hate all the waste when a good portion of the muffin is left behind on paper liners.
I would really like to try tampering with the amount of almond flour, and might try replacing a cup or so with some coconut flour and an added egg, although it does seem foolish to tamper with such a good outcome.
Lastly, it is really nice to have your input, Carolyn, on changing the recipe up to afford flexibility for different fruit additions or to adjust for dietary limitations. Adventure on!
patricia says
Hi Carolyn, just love your recipes. I have to be dairy free. So would coconut milk work for the sour cream, maybe just a little less? Dairy free products are really hard to find in my area. I also cannot have soy. Thanks.
Carolyn says
Can you use the cream part from the can of coconut milk? I think that would work too.
Deana says
Can this be made in a loaf pan or 8×8 baking dish?
Carolyn says
Probably! I don’t know the baking time, though.
Deana says
I’ll give it a whirl and let you know my results and specifics (oven temp, time baked, etc.)!
Jessica says
Hi! I don’t have cupcake tins — did you ever figure this out?
MOMOF8 says
I just tried these and they taste great! We added mini chocolate chips to them. Super yummy! I used my Blendtec and it couldn’t handle the batter. It was WAY too thick. I ended up pouring in at least a 1/2 cup of almond milk and it still didn’t move the batter. Took it out and hand mixed it. Definitely needs more liquid in the recipe.
Carolyn says
It really doesn’t need more liquid. I have made this recipe so many times. It may be a difference in things like almond flour. What brand did you use?
Carolyn says
Actually, come to think of it, I am going to amend the recipe and mention more liquid if the batter is too thick. Most people don’t have issue but just in case…
Roxana says
Made these tonight, did not have cranberrys but used frozen blueberrys and sweet leaf orange drops (1 tsp) They rocked, also used silicon muffin pan, no stick, GREAT RECIPE
leanne says
Do you think this would work with full fat yogurt instead of the sour cream?
Carolyn says
Yes, it certainly should.
Elizabeth Keyes says
I made these with sugar-free chocolate chips and a bit of splenda brown sugar. YUM!
This is totally my go-to muffin recipe. Next up: blueberry muffins!! Yay!
Carolyn says
It’s my go to recipe as well. Love with chocolate chips!
Mary says
These were so good!
Zavier says
I can’t have eggs or anything stevia related, so I was wondering two things:
1) will flax egg work here?
2) what purpose does the sugar serve, if any, outside of sweetening? Should I be fine cutting the sugar down to 1/4 c, or will I need to add some more flour or another dry ingredient to make up for the lost bulk?
Thank you!
Carolyn says
I have no idea if flax eggs will work, sorry. If you want to use sugar, 1/4 should be okay. Not as sweet but okay.
Zavier says
Thank you for the info!
Sherry Annand says
I’m very new to baking low-carb. Despite not using a blender, and being uncertain about the sweetener I had, I really enjoyed this recipe. It was dense as expected, but not unpleasant. Next time I’ll make a full batch, because I suspect this half batch will not last long. Thank you! 🙂
Carolyn says
If it was dense, I promise that a blender will make it much lighter!
Sherry Annand says
lol, I know. I just didn’t want to clean it!! I don’t mind dense. I do have a question, if you don’t mind. I really miss banana muffins and would like to add a small banana to this recipe. In your baking opinion, would I have to adjust any of the other ingredients? This was my very first foray into baking with almond flour, and I’m really excited by it. I love this recipe as is, will def make it again, but I’m wondering how adaptable it might be.
Carolyn says
I think it would be fine with 1 banana. If you really want some banana flavour, see if you can find some banana extract.
Christy Scott says
Thank you so much for this recipe – the best low carb bread/dessert I’v ever tasted! I had to use erythritol and 30 drops of stevia because I had no Swerve. Could you tell me what kind of blender you use? My Waring wouldn’t blend these well, and I had to scrape a ton of times. Messy, but the results were so good, it makes the mess totally worth it!
Carolyn says
I have a Blendtec so it’s pretty powerful. If your batter is super thick like that, try adding a few tbsp of water.
Kay says
Would this work with monk fruit?
Carolyn says
I imagine so!
Deb Turner says
Love this recipe as a base for more flavours! Just used frozen chopped rhubarb and pecans for a truly yummy, moist muffin! To make, go generous with both the rhubarb and chopped pecans as well, be sure to top with a full pecan piece for extra eye-appeal! Makes big, yummy, nutty, fruity muffins!