These tender Keto Cranberry Muffins 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 1/4 to 1/2 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
- 1/2 cup (115 g) sour cream
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups (336 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (91 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup (100 g) fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup (54.5 g) 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 1/4 to 1/2 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
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Hello, I love your site.
I plan to make this muffins today. A question: how long are they still OK to eat after made? Should I store them in the refrigerator? T
I store them on the counter for up to 3 days, and in the fridge after that.
Perfect. Thank you very much for your quick response. Keep up the good work ?
Do I need to do anything to the cranberries, like cook them or slice them? Won’t they be hard inside muffin?
No, they get cooked as the muffins cook.
These are great! I used unbleached almond flour so they came out darker than yours, but they still look (and taste) lovely. Had my boyfriend try a piece sans cranberry and he thought I’d made regular muffins. I love how light and fluffy they are compared to most keto baked goods – definitely going to be making these all holiday season for family events so I have something tasty on hand, too! (Well, these and crustless pumpkin pies, ha!)
These are the best low carb baked goods I have ever made! The texture was like a traditional muffin. I have a very inexpensive blender, so I did have to add quite a bit of almond milk to keep my blender from overheating. But they are wonderful! I can’t wait to try them with different flavors. Thank you so much for sharing!
Does anyone have any brand recommendations for a new blender?
Glad you like them. I love my Blendtec!
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?
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.
Best low-carb muffin recipe I’ve tried!
Used greek yoghurt instead of sour cream and dark chocolate the batter was kust perfect!
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!
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?
No, you can’t replace with heavy cream as it’s too liquidy. Greek yogurt works, though.
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!
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?
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.
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!!!
Could I substitute Stevia for swerve? Same amount?
What kind of stevia? Extract or the baking blend kind that measure like sugar?
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
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!
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.
Can you use the cream part from the can of coconut milk? I think that would work too.
Can this be made in a loaf pan or 8×8 baking dish?
Probably! I don’t know the baking time, though.
I’ll give it a whirl and let you know my results and specifics (oven temp, time baked, etc.)!
Hi! I don’t have cupcake tins — did you ever figure this out?
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.
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?
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…