Blood Orange Coconut Muffins combine fresh blood orange juice and zest with mashed banana and sweetened coconut for a bright, tropical breakfast muffin. The unique flavor of blood oranges—notes of raspberry and grapefruit—pairs beautifully with banana and coconut. This recipe yields six large muffins or twelve standard ones, finished with shredded coconut and a simple vanilla-blood orange glaze.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Blood Oranges: Give the batter and glaze a fragrant citrus flavor and a pretty pink tint. If unavailable, substitute navel oranges or grapefruit.
- Sweetened Shredded Coconut: Use shredded pieces or pulse them briefly in a food processor for a finer texture that incorporates easily into the batter.
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk: Adds richness and enhances the coconut flavor.
- Overripe Banana: Provides moisture and adds a gentle tropical sweetness.
How to Make Blood Orange Coconut Muffins
This recipe is straightforward: combine wet ingredients in one bowl and dry ingredients in another, then fold them together into a thick batter. Add the shredded coconut at the end so it stays evenly distributed. The batter fills six large muffin cups or twelve standard cups. For large muffins, fill each well a bit more than three-quarters full but not to the brim to avoid overflow. See the recipe notes for baking time adjustments.
After baking, let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. While warm muffins are delicious straight from the oven, wait until they are fully cooled before applying the vanilla-orange glaze to prevent it from melting and running off the tops.
Tips for Orange Coconut Muffins
- Substitute other citrus juices and zest—such as navel orange, lemon, grapefruit, or lime—if blood oranges aren’t available.
- For a crunchy finish, sprinkle coarse sugar and additional shredded coconut on top before baking.
- Use an ice cream scoop or large cookie scoop to portion batter evenly into muffin cups.
- Allow the glaze to set completely before storing the muffins.
Vanilla Orange Glaze
A simple vanilla-orange glaze brightens the muffins and takes just three ingredients. Whisk together powdered sugar, fresh blood orange juice, and vanilla until smooth. Adjust thickness by adding more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time for a thicker glaze or another tablespoon of orange juice to thin it. Drizzle or pipe the glaze over cooled muffins.
How to Store Muffins
To keep muffins from becoming soggy, store them in an airtight container lined with paper towels. The paper towels will absorb excess moisture and help preserve texture. Stored at room temperature, the muffins will stay fresh for up to three days.
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Blood Orange Coconut Muffins
Ingredients
Coconut Muffins
- 2/3 cup (133 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons blood orange zest, zest of two oranges
- 2 1/4 cups (282 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 3/4 Cup (180 grams) full fat coconut milk or coconut cream
- 1/3 cup (75 grams) fresh blood orange juice
- 1/2 cup (110 grams) mashed over ripened banana, about 1 large banana
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 Cup (57 grams) salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, blitzed into smaller pieces by food processor
Topping
- coarse sugar
- shredded coconut
- sliced blood oranges
Blood Orange Glaze
- 1 cup (110 grams) powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a 6-cavity muffin pan with paper liners or lightly grease the wells.
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Place the granulated sugar in a large bowl and rub in the orange zest with a fork. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so the sugar absorbs the zest oils.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
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Add the coconut milk, mashed banana, eggs, blood orange juice, vanilla, and melted butter to the orange-scented sugar. Whisk until smooth.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three additions, mixing gently until just combined.
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Fold in the shredded coconut with a spatula until evenly distributed.
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Divide the batter evenly among the six muffin cavities (or into twelve for smaller muffins).
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Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar and additional shredded coconut, if desired.
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Bake on the middle rack for 20–22 minutes for large muffins, until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Let the muffins cool in the pan on a rack for about 5 minutes, then gently remove them to cool completely on the rack.
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For the glaze, whisk powdered sugar, blood orange juice, and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Adjust thickness by adding more powdered sugar or a little more juice. Drizzle over cooled muffins.
Notes
Baking 12 muffins
To make 12 smaller muffins, reduce the baking time to 15–18 minutes. Muffins should be golden and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.