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These Gluten Apple Muffins are perfect for fall! We use fresh apples, cinnamon, oats, and almond flour to make them super yummy! Plus, these muffins are low-sugar, dairy-free, and gluten free. They make an amazing breakfast treat!
Don’t you just love apple season and making all of the amazing apple recipes like this apple crisp and these insane baked apples.
And, I know you are going to love these apple muffins! First and foremost, they’re one of my favorites. Why? Well, they’re super easy to make. Plus, they have delicious warm fall spices and sweet apples in them, which makes them taste amazing!
On the other hand, they are super easy to whip up! Plus, they store great too!
Why you’ll love these apple muffins
- Gluten-Free – This is a wonderful fluffy, tender muffin recipe that is loaded with fall flavors and also happens to be gluten-free.
- Low in sugar and calories – each muffin only contains 164 calories and 10 grams of sugar, which is not bad for a fluffy bakery-style muffin.
- Simple ingredients – These muffins are made with pantry ingredients as well as fresh, flavorful apples
What apples are best for baking?
While many apple varieties are suitable for baking, each also has its unique flavor profile that might subtly change the taste of your recipe. Here are a few varieties to consider using:
- Sweet apples: Fuji, Honeycrisp, Gala, Golden Delicious.
- Tart apples: Granny Smith, Braeburn, McIntosh, Empire
Clearly, any variety of apples will do the job, given their consistent sweetness, similar taste, and texture, all boasting a robust apple flavor. Furthermore, Here is a great article that goes more in-depth about the best apples for baking.
*Be sure to check out the recipe card located at the bottom of this post for the complete list of recipe ingredients, instructions, and nutrition.
Ingredients for Gluten Free Apple Muffins
- Almond Flour: Use fine-blanched for best results.
- Oats: Gluten-free rolled oats are recommended. Avoid steel-cut oats for this recipe.
- Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar is preferred, though dark brown is acceptable. Coconut sugar is also a suitable alternative.
- Baking Powder – used to help make the muffins fluffy.
- Ground Cinnamon: For that classic apple-cinnamon fall essence.
- Salt: A pinch to enhance all the flavors.
- Applesauce: Choose between unsweetened or sweetened, based on your sweetness preference.
- Eggs: You will need two large eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract is recommended for optimal flavor.
- Butter: Opt for unsalted butter.
- Apples: Varieties like Gala, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith apples offer a delightful sweetness mixed with tart flavors. You can shred the apples like I did, or use chopped apples.
Recipe Substitutions
- Applesauce – mashed banana or Greek yogurt can be used in place of the applesauce.
- Eggs – Flax eggs can be used in place of the eggs, although I have not tested this it should work!
- Butter– melted coconut oil or olive oil can be used in place of the butter.
- Flour – oat flour can be used in place of the almond flour. Since it is more dense you will only need 1 cup of oat flour.
How To Make Healthy Apple Muffins
Step one: Mix up the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Step two: In a separate mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients.
Step three: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well to combine into a smooth, yet slightly chunky batter. Then fold in the shredded apple.
Step four: Divide the batter between 12 greased muffin cups. Top with oats and sugar if desired.
Step five: Bake at 375° F for 25-29 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Step six: Last but not least, remove them from the oven and top them with more oats and raw sugar, let them cool, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Mix Gently: When combining wet and dry ingredients, mix just until combined to keep the muffins tender. Overmixing can make them dense.
- Apple Prep: When grating apples, squeeze out some of the excess juice to prevent overly moist muffins. If dicing, make sure the pieces are small and uniform to ensure even baking.
- Use Liners: Without a doubt, gluten-free muffins sometimes stick to the pan more than regular muffins. Using cupcake liners or greasing the muffin tin can prevent this.
- Taste and Adjust: Gluten-free flours can sometimes have strong flavors. Before baking, taste the batter and adjust sweetness or add more vanilla if needed.
- Test Doneness: Gluten-free muffins might look done when they aren’t. Use a toothpick or skewer to check the center of the muffin. It should come out with a few crumbs, but not wet batter.
- Cooling: Let the muffins cool in the tin for about 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack. This prevents them from becoming too moist or soggy at the bottom.
Do I need to peel the apples first?
No, it is not necessary to peel the apples.
Why are my muffins dry?
To make moist gluten-free muffins, it’s essential to get the ingredients just right. In our recipe, we use applesauce, shredded apples, butter, and sugar. This mix of ingredients gives the apple muffins a soft and moist feel, with amazing flavor.
How to store gluten-free apple cinnamon muffins?
- Storing: These leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
- Freezing instructions: Freeze cooled gluten-free apple muffins in airtight containers or resealable freezer bags for up to 3 months; to reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight
- Reheating: Warm the muffins in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 10-15 minutes, or microwave until heated through.
More Delicious Apple Recipes
Other Healthy Muffin Recipes
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Healthy Zucchini Muffins
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Did you make these healthy apple muffins? I would love to hear how they turned out! Please leave a rating and comment below. After you’ve made your creation, don’t forget to share it on Instagram @pinchmegoodfood or pin this for later on Pinterest.
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Healthy Gluten Free Apple Muffins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Gluten Free Apple Muffins are perfect for fall! We use fresh apples, oats and almond flour to make them super yummy. Plus, these muffins are low in sugar, gluten free, and dairy free. They make the best breakfast treat!
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups blanched almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand)
- ¾ cup rolled oats (I used Quaker Oats brand) plus more for topping
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup applesauce – (I used Mott’s low-sugar)
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup shredded apple (I used Honey Crisp)
- Turbinado sugar for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray or grease well with butter to prevent sticking.
- Mix up the dry ingredients (flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt) in a medium size mixing bowl.
- In a separate mixing bowl, mix up the wet ingredients (eggs, applesauce, melted butter, vanilla).
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and mix well to form a nice smooth but slightly chunky batter. Add in the shredded apple and fold it in to incorporate it into the batter.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Top with more oats and a sprinkle of turbinado sugar if desired.
- Bake in the middle rack of the preheated oven for 25-29 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Once done, remove from the oven, place the muffins in the pan on a cooling rack and let them cool for 10-15 minutes. Then run a butter knife around the edge of each to easily release them from the pan. Serve warm with a pat of butter or almond butter and enjoy.
Notes
- The best apples to use in this recipe are gala or honey crisp apples. Use about 1 cup of shredded apple for this recipe. Shredding the apple really gives you all of that extra sweetness from the juice of the apple.
- For the almond flour I used fine-blanched almond flour (Bob’s Red Mill brand).
- To reduce the sugar even more, you can swap the brown sugar with coconut sugar + 1 tablespoon of maple syrup.
- You can use 4 tablespoons of coconut oil melted and slightly cooled in place of the melted butter.
- It is important that you let these muffins cool after baking since they will continue to bake after you take them out of the oven. Place them onto a cooling rack while still in the muffin pan for 10-15 minutes after baking. Then dig in.
- Storing: These muffins can be stored in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To freeze these muffins: let them cool completely and then transfer them to a freezer-friendly container and keep them in the freezer for up to 30 days. Reheat them right from the freezer in the microwave until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: breakfast
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: american
Keywords: Healthy apple muffins, apple muffins recipe, apple muffins, muffins, healthy apple muffins recipe
Hi Amy,
Do you think I would be able to swap out the 1/3 cup of sugar for 1/3 cup of maple syrup?
Thanks!
Hi Kelly, I believe that should work although I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it turns out.
Love this recipe! My 14 month old loves it too. Can you swap out the shredded apples for other fruit like say blueberries? And is it possible to make these in jumbo form with the same recipe, baking time, and oven temperature?
★★★★★
These are delicious!!!
★★★★★
Thank you!
Making these now, but it is so dry. Hopeful they turn out! Thankful the recipe calls for pretty common ingredients. Fingers crossed
★★★★★
Hi Becca, I hope they turned out well. I make them all the time and I have never had them come out dry.