Chia seeds, fresh Mandarin zest & juice in every muffin, finished with Mandarin glaze. These Mandarin muffins are delightfully bright & tangy
Before the Mandarin season ends
We’ve been enjoying Mandarin season for the last few months here as they’re ultra cheap, tasty and make a healthy snack. Whenever we see bags of Mandarin displayed in front of our greengrocer, we always grab a few.
Mandarins disappear fast because our household loves snacking on them, including our 3-year-old, Kai. However, our true ‘Mandarin monster muncher’ is my husband, Tomi. He could easily gobble 1 to 2 kgs of Mandarin in a day! Tomi sometimes forgets his manners and leaves us none. He always apologises with sincerity, but then he can’t resist making this repetitive joke, ‘The protective male lion ALWAYS eats before his lioness and cubs’ 🙄
Sadly, we’re waving goodbye to this year’s Mandarin season. So, there’s no better time to whip up these scrumptious Mandarin Muffins with Chia Seed.
Do you want to guess what disappeared faster than Mandarins? We smashed a dozen of these Mandarin Muffins between the 4 of us in a day. They’re simply hard to resist! These muffins have fresh mandarin juice and zest with chia seeds mixed into the batter. It’s then topped with a simple mandarin glaze. So YUM!
Mandarin Muffins with Chia Seeds
There are many orange and lemon recipes in sweets, but I hardly see Mandarins so I thought, let’s give them a go!
What can I do with excess mandarins?
You’re probably here because you have plenty of mandarins to use up, so whilst you’re here, let me help a little. You could juice them, make them into jam, pop them into salads or bake with them. But, before doing any of that, make these Mandarin Muffins 🥰😊
What do Mandarins Muffins taste like?
Mandarin muffins are comparable to orange muffins, slightly sweet and tangy. Also, the mandarin you’ve used will affect how intense the flavour of it is.
What type of mandarins to use
Choose medium to large mandarins that are on the tart side with firm peel. These mandarins are harder to peel by hand but are easier to zest. Use a mircoplane (fine grater) and only grate the colour part of the peel because the pith (white part) is bitter. You could easily swap mandarin juice and zest for equal amounts using orange or lemon for these muffins.
Why use chia seeds instead of poppy seeds?
Poppy seeds are very popular in orange or lemon cakes. However, I went with chia seeds as they’re nutrient-rich. They also have a similar appearance and texture to poppy seeds when baking with them.
Many have labelled chia seeds a ‘superfood’ for many good reasons. It’s rich in fibre, antioxidants and protein. Chia seeds also provide a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. However, in saying this, you could swap chia seeds with equal amounts of poppy seeds if preferred for this recipe.
More scrumptious muffin recipes to try:
Ingredients for Mandarin Muffins with Chia Seeds
Mandarin and juice – Choose medium to large mandarins that are on the tart side with firm peel. These mandarins are harder to peel by hand but are easier to zest. Use a mircoplane (fine grater) and only grate the colour part of the peel because the pith (white part) is bitter. You could easily swap mandarin juice and zest for equal amounts using orange or lemon for these muffins.
Plain flour (All-purpose flour) has no salt or leavening (raising agents) such as baking powder mixed in.
Chia seeds – White or black chia seeds would work. You could swap chia seeds for equal amounts of poppy seeds if preferred.
Icing sugar (powdered sugar, confectionary sugar) – Icing sugar usually comes in two forms: icing sugar mixture and pure icing sugar. Icing sugar mixture is softer than pure icing sugar because there’s starch or flour added to it. For this recipe, you could use either.
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Watch how to make Mandarin Muffins with Chia Seeds
Step-by-step guide with photos
Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and spray the inside of the cases with oil to help prevent the muffins from sticking.
In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together until well combined. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then whisk in the remaining wet ingredients together until well combined.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients. Fold to combine just until there are no dry bits of flour showing. Don’t over-mix the batter as this will make tough muffins. Divide the batter evenly in each muffin case, then bake for 16 to 18 minutes. The muffins are done when a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Leave muffins in tin for 5 minutes, then remove them and place on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool to room temperature before topping them with the glaze.
For the glaze – Place the icing sugar in a bowl, then add the vanilla extract and a tablespoon of Mandarin juice. Mix until it turns into a thick paste, then add a little more juice at a time whilst stirring. The finished glaze should slowly drizzle down from a whisk. You may need more or less juice and icing sugar to get the glaze to the right consistency. If it’s too runny, add more sugar, or if it’s too thick, add more juice. Drizzle the icing over each muffin.
Leftovers – Transfer muffins into a sealed container and store them in a cool place at room temperature for up to 3 days. If it’s humid, store the muffins in the fridge.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Mandarin Muffins with Chia Seeds
Ingredients
FOR THE DRY INGREDIENTS
- 2¼ cup plain flour (all purpose flour) (NOTE 1)
- 1¼ cup caster sugar (superfine sugar or regular white sugar) (NOTE 2)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds (black or white) (NOTE3)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
FOR THE WET INGREDIENTS
- 2 large eggs
- 100 ml light olive oil (¼ cup + 2 tbsp)
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (not skim, or low-fat)
- ⅓ cup milk (full cream/ whole milk)
- ¼ cup Mandarin juice (NOTE 4)
- 2 tbsp Mandarin zest (NOTE 4)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE MANDARIN GLAZE
- 1 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar) (NOTE 5)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp Mandarin juice (may need more or less)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases and spray the inside of the cases with oil to help prevent the muffins from sticking.In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together until well combined. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then whisk in the remaining wet ingredients together until well combined.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients. Fold to combine just until there are no dry bits of flour showing. Don't over-mix the batter as this will make tough muffins. Divide the batter evenly in each muffin case, then bake for 16 to 18 minutes. The muffins are done when a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.Leave muffins in tin for 5 minutes, then remove them and place on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool to room temperature before topping them with the glaze.
- For the glaze – Place the icing sugar in a bowl, then add the vanilla extract and a tablespoon of Mandarin juice. Mix until it turns into a thick paste, then add a little more juice at a time whilst stirring. The finished glaze should slowly drizzle down from a whisk. You may need more or less juice and icing sugar to get the glaze to the right consistency. If it's too runny, add more sugar, or if it's too thick, add more juice. Drizzle the icing over each muffin.
