These tender Keto Cranberry have a light fluffy crumb that is bursting with fresh cranberries. They’re easy to make and perfect for quick breakfasts or snacks.
I am not much of a hoarder, but I do have a tendency to hoard fresh cranberries in the fall. Once I start seeing them in the stores, I find myself buying a bag or two on every shopping trip. And although I already have a few bags stashed in my freezer, I can’t resist the call of these tart red berries.
All the better to make recipes like these Keto Cranberry Muffins, right? I also like to have them on hand for Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce and Keto Cranberry Orange Bread. Really, there is a never-ending supply of delicious low carb cranberry recipes!
Grab a bag (or five!) the next time you’re at the store, because there is so much keto baking to be done!
Why readers love this recipe
I created this recipe in 2016 and it was the first time I ever used my blender to make keto muffins. And I was utterly thrilled with the results. They came out so fluffy and with a delightfully fine crumb.
For anyone who thinks that almond flour can’t rival wheat flour for texture, this is the recipe you need to try! They are easy to whip up in your blender and the sour cream gives them an incomparable texture.
And they are bursting with fresh cranberries. I love how cranberries hold their shape but also release their juices while baking. All that tart flavor comes through perfectly.
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.
Reader Reviews
“I am so glad these are low carb, because they are so good!! Super soft & chewy from the cranberries. I did add nuts, because I love the crunch!” — Natalie
“I love these muffins, made them several times!! Very easy!! I put most in the freezer and when I want a little treat I have with a cup of tea and put a little cream cheese on the muffin!! Delicious! Sometimes I have for breakfast with coffee! Love your recipes. Thank you!!” — Charlotte
“I just made the recipe today, followed everything to the letter! AMAZING!!! I just loved eating that muffin, it’s my new recipe from now on. Many thanks for being so generous and sharing. This recipe is a 5***** one!” — Claire
Ingredient Notes
- Sour cream: I love using sour cream in baked goods like muffins and keto cakes. It makes them extra tender. You can also use Greek yogurt, but I recommend full fat for the best flavor.
- Almond flour: As with any almond flour recipe, the finer your flour, the finer the consistency. I always have good results with Bob’s Red Mill.
- Sweetener: I use an erythritol based sweetener but others may also work. Please see the Tips for Success for more information.
- Eggs: Be sure you bring them to room temperature first for smoother blending.
- Cranberries: Fresh cranberries will work best. You can also use frozen but make sure to thaw them first.
- Pecans: Other nut options include walnuts or almonds.
- Pantry staples: Vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
Step by Step Directions
1. Blend the wet ingredients: Combine the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large blender jar. Blend about 30 seconds.
2. Add the dry ingredients: 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).
3. Add the cranberries: By hand, stir in cranberries, keeping a few for the top of the muffins, and chopped pecans if using.
4. Bake the muffins: Divide the mixture in a muffin tin lined with parchment or silicone liners. Bake at 325ºF for 25 to 30 minutes, until just golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely.
Tips for Success
I like using a high-powered blender for this recipe, to really combine the batter and fluff it up a little. I am a huge fan of my BlendTec and it’s been going strong for over 12 years! You can blend it in a food processor as well. Mixing in a bowl is fine but you don’t get quite the fluffiness.
When baking keto muffin recipes, always use silicone or parchment paper liners. Regular paper liners stick badly and you lose too much of the muffin when trying to peel it off.
You aren’t limited 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 keto muffin recipe and add in whatever you want.
These muffins should work with any kind of sweetener. Do keep in mind that if you use one that contains a lot of allulose, they will darken quickly in the oven. Keep your eye on them as you may need to take them out earlier. I also recommend using silicone muffin liners when baking with allulose.
Are cranberries good for you?
- Fresh cranberries are very low in carbs and high in fiber
- 1 cup of cranberries has only 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fresh cranberries are very tart on their own so I don’t recommend eating them raw. But they don’t need to be cooked in advance when adding them to baked goods. They soften and release their juice so as long as the recipe is sweet, they will add a delightful tartness.
These muffins freeze very well so go ahead and make a big batch. Let the muffins cool completely and then place in an airtight container or freezer bag. They will last up to 3 months.
This keto cranberry muffin recipe has 8.4g of carbs and 3.9g of fiber per serving. That comes to 4.5g net carbs per muffin.
Keto Cranberry Muffin Recipe
Equipment
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 fresh cranberries
- ½ cup chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a muffin tin with parchment or silicone liners.
- Combine the 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
Notes
Kathy Swigart says
Perfect sweet tart for breakfast or late night snack. Easy recipe especially for the leftover cranberries at Thanksgiving. I used my new silicone muffin pan without liners.
Jen says
I plan on making these this week but my muffin tin has the smaller muffins. Have you made the smaller size and if so how do you adjust the cooking time? Thank you!
Carolyn says
Do you mean mini muffins? I am not sure how long that would take to bake so you would need to keep your eye on them.
Patty Marks says
I like that you can’t tell that it’s made with almond flour which usually makes baked items heavy. The vanilla doesn’t do much flavor wise; I think a combination of almond and vanilla extract would have been nice. So I’m going to try that the next time.
Dawn H says
This recipe looks amazing! I want to give it a try for Thanksgiving. One of my guests experiences that cooling feeling with Swerve products. Do you think I could substitute honey, and if so, how much would I use? thanks!
Carolyn says
Honey will add a lot of moisture so I recommend maybe adding a few tablespoons of coconut flour (2?) to offset that. I would use 1/3 cup.
Jaime says
Haha…I hoard cranberries, too. I freeze some of them so I can enjoy cranberries ALL. YEAR. LONG. Yum!
Ruth Johnson says
IT IS CRANBERRY SEASON
Just came home from the peninsula with my fresh crans. I love watching the cranberry harvest in Longbeach. And I am on my 5 and 6 th pan of drying them in the oven ( you recipe, the best). So I have plenty through out the year. On to your cranberry muffins and then a few loaves of bread. Love your recipes and the versatility. Thank you again🙃
Brenda says
I’ve made these several times and love them! I also hoard cranberries. I get panicky if I think they may not lasBt the year!!
Carolyn says
Wonderful!
Audrey says
I love all your recipes and have made quite a few. Unfortnately my Doctor told me to stay away from the sugar substitutes and go with regular sugar. Can I sub regular sugar for subdtitutes? I have a intestinal problem and substitues do not agree with me.
Thank you for your response!
Carolyn says
Should be fine!
Linda says
Delish! I have used other berries also. Today I am trying this with walnut flour. Seems to require more sweetener. 9/23/24
Debbie says
I did not have sour cream so I used vanilla Greek yogurt. Also had to bake 45 minutes so the insides were no longer wet. They are delicious!
Carolyn says
That was likely because of the substitution, since sour cream is a little thicker than yogurt.
Kathy says
2 questions. can I use monkfruit instead and should it be the same amount? Can I use a hand mixer? I don’t have a blender.
thank you!!!
Carolyn says
Do you mean a monkfruit blend sweetener or monk fruit extract.
Harley says
Hi! Can you make this with regular sugar – and if so do I use the same amount, 1/2 cup? Thanks!
Carolyn says
No idea, I don’t use sugar. You will need to experiment!
Merilyn says
Hi Carolyn
You’ve mentioned the blender you have and highly recommend in the past. I just can’t find it. Mine has bot the dust! Can you post that you are using.
Thanks
Kirsten Byrne says
Hi! Could you sub the sour cream for Greek yogurt in this recipe? Thanks!
Carolyn says
sure!
Yvette says
These are the best cranberry keto muffins. I add orange zest and a little juice (obviously increasing the carbs) and it makes them even better. I’m more concerned with it being a delicious gluten free muffin than being keto. Other recipes that call for coconut flour just aren’t as good as this one.
Lisa Martin Inglis says
These were delicious and tender.❤️I had a brain fart and put all the ingredients in my ninja instead of stirring in the nuts and berries but they still rose and tasted great.😂
Kathy says
This is the easiest almond-flour muffin recipe I’ve ever made. And, they taste delicious! They work with either fresh or dried cranberries (which I used). The sour cream really makes a difference; they were not crumbling everywhere and had just the right amount of “give” in every bite (if that makes sense).
They even remain semi-moist after a day or two (I do recommend storing them in the fridge after they cool).
Give these a try – you will NOT be disappointed!
Lb says
After seeing your post about cherry choc cookies, I was wondering if I could do it with this muffin recipe? I have a few cherries off my tree and I love this muffin recipe. Would I need to do coconut flour to combat the cherry juiciness?
Carolyn says
I can’t see why not! In this case, I think you could just add them in. Muffins are moister than cookies anyway!