Small batch Cranberry Orange Muffins make a great keto breakfast or snack. Delicious and easy, and you can bake them in your air fryer or your oven!
Air fryer muffins! Who knew that was even possible? Well, maybe you did but it took me a while to catch on, apparently.
I use my air fryer frequently, but I lean more toward the savory recipes. When it’s too cold and rainy to use my grill, you will often find me making air fryer pork chops for dinner.
And maybe whipping up some air fryer brussels sprouts for an easy side dish.
But baking in my air fryer was not really on my radar. Until now, with these delicious keto cranberry orange muffins. Quick and easy, and bursting with flavor!
Baking in Air Fryer
You really can bake up some tastiness in an air fryer. Since it’s really a kind of convection oven, it’s easier than you might think.
First, let me say that not all air fryers are created equal when it comes to baking. I have a larger Cuisinart oven that’s also an air fryer and it does a terrible job. It tends to brown things much too quickly on the outside while they aren’t cooked through in the middle.
But I recently got the air fryer lid for Instant Pot, and I am astonished at how well it works. It’s a great space saving device if you only have room for one countertop appliance.
For baking in an air fryer, you do need to turn the heat down to around 310F. That seems to be a good temperature for air fryer muffins and cupcakes.
Keto Cranberry Orange Muffins in the oven
No air fryer? No problem!
These keto cranberry orange muffins are easy to bake in the oven too. They are actually a scaled down variation of some of my keto muffin recipes.
To bake, simply preheat the oven to 325F and line a regular muffin tin with 4 silicone or parchment liners. Prepare the batter as directed, and divide among the muffins cups. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch.
And if you want a regular sized batch of 12 muffins, that’s easy too! Just multiply all of the ingredients by 3.
Tips for Keto Cranberry Orange Muffins
These are so easy and delicious, and just like the cranberry orange muffins you used to love! Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- Silicone muffin liners are a must for baking in an air fryer. Parchment paper is just too flimsy to hold its shape when filled with batter. There are some silicone air fryer muffin pans you can purchase as well.
- Greek yogurt gives these muffins a delicious moistness and makes them lighter than muffins made with butter. Be sure to use full fat yogurt. You can also use sour cream if you prefer.
- Whisk all the wet ingredients together first, then add in the dry ingredients. If you find your batter is too thick, simply add another tablespoon of water.
- Yes, the protein powder is necessary, as it helps keto baked goods to rise and hold their shape. You can use egg white protein powder or another plant-based protein powder. Just don’t use collagen, as it makes them gummy.
- For a dairy-free version, try coconut cream instead of the yogurt, and replace the whey protein with egg white protein powder.
- I recommend chopping the cranberries in half to get more even distribution in the muffins.
- Keep the temperature of your air fryer low – 300F to 310F is all you need when baking in an air fryer. It’s very intense heat that circulates quickly in the machine so baked goods can get overly brown if you go any higher.
That’s it, friends! That’s all there is to making keto muffins in your air fryer. Feel free to play with the flavors and additions, and come up with some wonderful air fryer muffins of your own.
More delicious keto air fryer recipes
- Easy Keto Crab Cakes
- Keto Lamb Kofta
- Crispy Keto Fish Sticks
- Keto Air Fryer Pretzel Bites
- Air Fryer Sausage Balls
- Air Fryer Brats
Keto Air Fryer Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp orange extract
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 2 tbsp unflavoured whey protein powder (or egg white powder)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup fresh cranberries, chopped in half
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, egg, water, sweetener, orange zest, vanilla extract, and orange extracts until well combined.
- Add the almond flour, coconut flour, whey protein, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the chopped cranberries.
- Divide the mixture among 4 silicone muffin cups. Place the cups in the bottom of an air fryer.
- Set the air fryer to 310F and bake 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch. Remove and let cool in the cups before serving.
