Deliciously fruity and sweet strawberry orange ricotta muffins. These gluten free muffins are perfectly tender and moist thanks to ricotta cheese, are filled with fresh chopped strawberries, and topped with a strawberry orange glaze.
It snowed three days last week. Actually, at one point we also had freezing rain and a thunderstorm all at the same time. If you don’t think that’s crazy, even for Minnesota, let me politely remind you it’s April and it’s been a long winter. I’m ready for some sunshine.
So, let me tell you all about these Gluten Free Strawberry Orange Ricotta Muffins.
These strawberry orange muffins are literally sunshine in a bite. They are SO GOOD. The batter even looks and smells like sunshine in a bowl. Maybe it’s just been a long winter, but these muffins remind me of all things spring.
The strawberry and orange flavors pair perfectly together in these gluten free muffins. The burst of citrus form the orange zest and juice tastes delightful with the soft chopped strawberries that almost melt in your mouth.
That being said. I think these strawberry orange ricotta muffins are my new favorite muffin recipe. I’ve made a lot of muffins on the blog so far, and they all have a special place in my heart…or stomach. Lemon poppy seed muffins are a step back to my childhood, pumpkin muffins are always delicious choice, and chocolate espresso muffins are literally drool worthy. But these muffins just have something extra special that keep me coming back for more.
That’s why my freezer is currently stocked with two batches.
So why ricotta in muffins? Because ricotta cheese is amazing. It’s high in protein, making me feel like it’s totally acceptable to have these for breakfast, snacks, dessert, or all of the above. It’s also the key ingredient in this muffin recipe that makes them wonderfully tender and moist.
Before you start making these strawberry orange ricotta muffins, let me tell you something really important. These muffins are actually even BETTER when refrigerated. The orange flavor really comes out, and they even taste significantly sweeter. I also find gluten free baked goods tend to stay fresher when refrigerated. So do me a favor and please store them in the fridge, K?
Lastly, this recipe is pretty delicate when it comes to the amount of flour used. I prefer to weigh, since I sometimes get different measurements depending on how I scoop or measure my flour that day. To measure correctly, you should lightly scoop and spoon your flour into a measuring cup, and level off before weighing or adding to your mixing bowl. No scooping out of the flour bin, please! Or you may end up with way too much flour…AKA muffins that are too dense and not moist.
I so hope you enjoy these gluten free muffins. Make them for breakfast, holiday brunch like Easter or Mother’s Day coming up, or for summer snacks. Happy baking!
Gluten Free Strawberry Orange Ricotta Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1 ¾ cup (~253g) Bob’s Red Mill gluten free baking flour, spooned and leveled!
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- Zest of two large oranges
- ⅓ cup oil
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp gluten free vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and finely diced
Optional Strawberry Orange Glaze
- ½ confectioners sugar
- 2 strawberries, hulled
- 1 Tbsp orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉ and line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with liners. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. I like to whisk fast several times to really release the oils in the zest and scent the flour mixture. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, ricotta, orange juice, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together just until everything is totally combined. Fold in the strawberries.
- Fill each of the muffin liners about ¾ the way full, and bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, blend the strawberries and orange juice in a small food processor or blender (a magic bullet or Nutribullet works really well). Add just 1 Tbsp of the strawberry purée to a bowl with the confectioners sugar and stir to combine. Add an additional 1 Tbsp purée if needed to thin out the glaze or until it reaches your desired consistency. Top the cooled muffins with the glaze and serve.
Notes
- These muffins store really well for future use. Just store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 3-4 days. These muffins actually taste better when refrigerated! To freeze for later use, store in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for up to 3 months (I like to wrap them individually in plastic wrap first). If freezing, I recommend storing them un-glazed so it doesn’t run or melt when you re-heat in the microwave.
- I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free baking flour for this recipe, which already contains xanthan gum, so I cannot guarantee that your muffins will turn out the same if using a different flour mixture. Not all gluten free flour mixes absorb moisture the same way, and they all have different proportions of ingredients used. If using a gluten free all purpose flour mix, I recommend using a 1:1 mix that contains xanthan gum and measure by weight.
- You do not have to drain your ricotta cheese for this recipe, as long as there isn't too much excess liquid. I used Bel Goioso part skim ricotta.
- Always spoon and level your flour into your measuring cups! Scooping out your flour with the measuring cup can lead to using too much.
- Author: Zest and Lemons
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