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When you have apples on hand and want to bake, try these healthy apple muffins. They’re made with whole-grain oat flour and natural sweeteners, but they don’t taste “healthy” at all.
In fact, I think they taste like they came from a bakery!
If you’re not familiar with gluten-free baking, it can sometimes result in a slightly dense or dry texture when you substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free alternative. That’s why I spent weeks testing this muffin base, so it would turn out perfectly fluffy on your first try.
The combination of applesauce and fresh apples creates the perfect Fall flavor, so I can’t wait for you to taste them!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“Oh my gosh! These are absolutely HEAVENLY!!” – Terese
Apple Muffin Ingredients
- Oat Flour. I love using oat flour because it’s naturally gluten-free, and most people keep rolled oats on hand. Just blend them briefly and you’ll have homemade oat flour!
- Coconut Sugar. If you don’t keep coconut sugar on hand, you can use another granulated sugar (like brown sugar) or try replacing it with a 1/2 cup of maple syrup or honey instead.
- Eggs. These are essential in gluten-free baking. They add structure and make these muffins fluffy in texture, so I don’t recommend using an egg substitute in this recipe.
- Applesauce. This addition adds apple flavor and reduces the amount of oil required.
- Apple. You can use any variety of apple, but varieties like Pink Lady, Honey Crisp, and Fuji will taste sweeter than a variety like Granny Smith, which is more tart.
- Baking Powder. This helps muffins rise a little better than baking soda does.
- Spices. Cinnamon adds a hint of Fall flavor and salt boosts the overall taste, balancing out the sweetness.
How to Make Healthy Apple Muffins
Step 1:
Add the oat flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt to a large bowl. Whisk well, to help break up any clumps.
Step 2:
Next, add in the eggs, olive oil, and vanilla extract, and stir until the batter looks smooth. Then fold in the chopped apple.
Step 3:
Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners and use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to divide the batter among the cups.
Sprinkle the tops with chopped walnuts, if desired, then bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 25 minutes, or until the muffins feel firm to the touch in the center. (You can also test the center with a toothpick to make sure it comes out relatively dry.)
Serving Tips
Let the healthy apple cinnamon muffins cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes, then they are ready to serve. Split them in half and spread them with butter or peanut butter for a more filling treat.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen muffins in the refrigerator overnight before serving them again.
Note: If you let these muffins sit at room temperature for too long (2 hours or more), the tops can start to develop a slightly sticky texture. The middles are still perfectly fine, but for the best results, I recommend storing them in the fridge.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups oat flour (certified gluten-free, if needed)
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup diced apple
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners. In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Whisk well to help break up any clumps.
- Add in the eggs, olive oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Whisk well until the batter is smooth, then fold in the chopped apple.
- Use a ¼ cup measure to scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Top with chopped walnuts or pecans, if you like, then bake at 350ºF until the muffins rise, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes, then they are ready to serve. Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
More Apple Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot Applesauce
- Apple Walnut Salad
- Paleo Apple Crisp
- Cinnamon Baked Apples
- Apple Smoothie
- Slow Cooker Apple Butter
- Apple “Donuts”
If you try this healthy apple muffin recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!
Oh my gosh! These are absolutely HEAVENLY!! Fresh picked apples (and your IP Sugar Free Applesauce) are a winning combination! I shredded my apples for the recipe, and subbed brown sugar for coconut as I didn’t have coconut. My only complaint is that they are so good, I now have to make another batch to have the dozen I need to take to church Sunday!
Another winning recipe, Megan!
Made these today with my son! They were simple and delicious! Perfect little Fall snack. Thank you for another great recipe!
Great recipe to use up extra apples and not too sweet. Next time I’ll add nuts to the batter and sprinkle on top.
So yummy! I actually didn’t have any eggs at the time I made this recipe, so I did all 3 eggs as a combination of half ground flax and half ground chia seeds for my eggs. It still turned out amazing! I cooked them about one minute longer knowing I needed to “dry” out the muffin a little more because of the egg substitute. Turned out to not be really too soggy in the middle but still moist. Maybe doing butter next time with chia eggs may also make a difference from using an egg substitute if someone was worried about that. These muffins still rose up just fine to the top as if I did have real eggs in them.
Thanks Megan!
Can the batter be made one day and baked the next?
I haven’t tried that! I imagine the oat flour would keep absorbing the moisture overnight, so the batter might be slightly different the next day. But maybe? I usually bake these same day and store them in the fridge or freezer.
Delicious and so easy to make, my fave! These are light and moist and taste like fall! Make them. You won’t be sorry!
My ten year old made these and they are amazing! Like a yummy bite of fall!
Hello how much of a caloric/sugar difference will brown sugar make if we replace coconut sugar with it
These muffins are unbelievably good. I’m super picky about my baked goods and the first time I made these they just didn’t rise (although delicious) I wanted them to look nicely domed. The 2nd go around I decided to weight my oat flour (150grams) equals 1 1/4 cups bobs red mill oat flour. I also bought new baking powder. They were much better! The texture is moist and has lots of pockets. The flavor is perfect with all the apple chunks and cinnamon. This muffin gets me excited for fall (my favorite season). Thank you for this wonderful recipe it has a permanent place in my box.
Very tasty but I followed the recipe and the muffin didn’t grow.
I love these oat flour recipes! Do you think I could do a loaf tin version of the muffins like you have done with your oat flour banana bread which I believe is the same version of your healthy banana muffins? Always up for as many healthy loaf tin recipes as you want to post – they are so quick and easy! 🙏💜
So forgot to add eggs. Expecting a disaster but still have lovely moist muffins. Thank you for a great recipe. Will compare them next time by remembering to add in the eggs!