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
Julie Tutemlan says
Hello! So grateful to have stumbled upon your site! I’m a new Diabetic and have embraced a low carb lifestyle. I cannot do Keto as I have pre existing Cholesterol issues.
In this recipe, the nutritional info says 20 grams of fat. Is there some way to lower that? Is the fat totally from the sour cream? Could I use a lower fat sour cream? Or a 0% plain greek yoghurt? Or do the muffins require full fat?
Thank you so much!
Carolyn says
The fat comes from the sour cream and the almond flour. You can try a lower fat dairy and it will help but the almond flour itself is pretty high fat. I also recommend reading up on cholesterol and the new research that suggests that a keto diet is actually GOOD for your cholesterol. I know it’s very scary to go against the standard medical advice but it’s at least worth reading up on. Many keto dieters find that their cholesterol actually goes down…
Baker Judy says
Hi Carolyn,
I, too, have cholesterol issues. My cholesterol really went up in the year I have been low carb. Even though my “good cholesterol “ was off the charts, my cardiologist was very concerned that my total cholesterol was over 300. After months of trying to hoping my cholesterol would go down, I started taking statins. Statins can make A1C go up, so it’s a balancing act.
Can we try liquid egg whites? I’ve heard liquid egg whites to equal 2 TBSP per egg I noticed Sweeve says can use egg whites in their cake mixes, and also use coconut flour to thicken. Is the recipe, with whole eggs, supposed to be a thick batter? Or regular muffin batter? Thank you.
Carolyn says
I’m sorry, Judy, but you will have to play with this yourself because I don’t test my recipes this way. But the carton of egg whites will tell you how much to use per egg. It’s usually 3 to 4 tbsp, not 2.
Burghanite says
Wow! These are delicious. Followed the recipe exactly and the muffins are perfect. The muffin base has an almost custard-y richness that pairs beautifully with the tart cranberries. Thanks for another culinary success.
Janean Woods says
HI !I just found this recipe on pinterest and can’t wait to try it. Do you know if it could be made as a 9X 13 cake pan for a potluck? My daughter broke my stonewear muffin pan recently and I haven’t had a chance to replace it…
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Yes, it should be fine that way. Not sure of the baking time, though! Watch it carefully.
Brenda C says
I mixed the egg whites separately from the yolks and folded them in at the end. It made the batter nice and light. I used orange and vanilla extract and added the pecans. I used my hand mixer instead of the blender. They are beautiful and delicious! Thanks for a wonderful recipe! Will definitely make again!
Carolyn says
Glad you like them!
Christopher del Rosario says
Made them again without the coconut flour mistake I made last time. They were perfect. I did double the cranberries and nuts. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m going to make it for our Thanksgiving potluck this year.
Carolyn says
Ah good so glad to hear it! Yes, as I think you learned, coconut and almond flour are not at all interchangeable. Enjoy your holidays!
Christopher del Rosario says
I thought the taste was great although not sweet but I prefer it that way. I love tart cranberries, I think I will double the cranberries next time. I thought it was dry, my three-year-old and I were choking on it. I used 2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill almond flour and 1 cup of Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour and ended up adding 3/4 water because the batter was so thick. And it was still so thick that it was moldable. Do you think the coconut dried it out? Everything else I followed exactly.
Carolyn says
Hi Christopher. Heck yeah the coconut flour dried it out. You cannot sub 1 cup of coconut flour for 1 cup of almond. You should have used only 1/3 cup coconut flour at the most. It’s a HUGE issue. Please read my primers on baking with coconut flour and almond flour. They are not interchangeable at all and coconut flour is highly absorbent and needs tons of eggs and liquid. So it was a huge error for you to make this substitution in the recipe.
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-basics-baking-with-almond-flour/
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-basics-baking-with-coconut-flour/
Christopher says
Thank you.
Nursesheri says
Amazing! I’ve made MANY of your recipes, but just found this one, and they are wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing this and all others. I’ve been day dreaming about other things to make with this recipe, and using the blender for other baked goods. My vita mix did fine. My batter was pretty thick, so I added a quarter cup of water as you suggested, and it turned out great! Thanks again Carolyn!
Chloe says
So i put all the ingredients into My Fitness Pal but its coming up as only 120 cal per serving (i entered 12 servings). But your recipe says 240 calories per serving? Is it 1 or 2 muffins per serving?
Carolyn says
Myfitnesspal is notoriously inaccurate. With these ingredients, believe me it’s many more calories than 120. It’s a single muffin per serving.
vicki price says
My husband eats these EVERY morning and has for a year now. They are delicious! I add cream cheese frosting and they freeze beautifully. I switched it up last week adding 1 finely grated apple (about 1 1/2 cups, squeezed liquid out) and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. No cranberries. I used the cream cheese frosting and he thinks it tastes just like banana bread. They are also delicious! Thanks so much!
Jen says
Can coconut cream be used instead of sour cream? I’m dairy free.
Carolyn says
Yes, I think so.
Karen Johansen says
My all time favorite and so simple! Blueberry works also!
Filmibuff says
Didn’t have cranberries so I used finely chopped strawberries and these came out divine. Last week I tried your double chocolate blender muffins and they were a huge hit.
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Julie says
Happy Mother’s Day, Carolyn. I made these as a treat for myself this morning. I used finely ground King Arthur’s almond meal, which I weighed out to 10.5 ox., 1/2 cup of 4% whole milk yogurt instead of sour cream and fresh blueberries since that is what I had on hand. All other ingredients were used as in the recipe. The batter was super thick and my Vitamix had a hard time handling it until I added about 2 Tbl. of almond milk. The muffins turned out great. The recipe made 10 muffins.
sarah says
Made these this morning,yumm! I only had dried cranberries and used 1/4 cup of raw honey . They came out great .
Cassandra says
I made this for the third time today and made it in a cake pan. Followed the recipe as printed except used greek 5% fat yogurt instead of sour cream – and added some cardamom & lemon extract, yum. Greased a 9×9 cake pan A LOT with coconut oil (and it’s still sticking a little). Baked at 350F for 35 minutes and it was perfect. I started checking it after 30 min with a tooth pick. Turned out just as good as the muffin versions before.
Grace says
These are amazing!!! I didn’t have cranberries so I added blueberries and strawberries instead. I also increased the swerve amount to 3/4 cup, some of which I sprinkled on the berries first to macerate the fruit . These muffins tasted like the real deal! Thanks so much!!
Bri says
These were great! I tweaked it a bit, doing 3 eggs and 1 flax egg to up the fiber, adding some heavy cream and using 1/3 cup pyure. This is a great base for any muffin and it’ll be my go to from now on. Thanks!
Anjie says
My son has a nut allergy.
Do you think it would work with coconut flour and if so how much would you use?
Thank you!
Carolyn says
No, coconut flour does not work in this recipe. But you can sub sunflower seed flour.
Lidia says
How is the best way to store these muffins? Can you freeze them?
Carolyn says
Yes, these freeze very well.
Lidia Ponce says
I just made these muffins and they were delicious, thanks