Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins

This is a recipe for Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins which make the perfect, simple breakfast for fall. They are made with wholesome ingredients like maple syrup, whole wheat flour, and coconut oil.

Delicious and easy healthy apple cinnamon muffins

Muffins are one of my favorites, though they're a breakfast food that often gets a bad rep! Many deem them as unhealthy as donuts, despite the fact that they don't come with icing or sprinkles (I suppose in that case they'd be cupcakes!). However, muffins don't have to be unhealthy. In fact, you can easily sneak nutrient-rich ingredients into any batter.

This easy healthy apple cinnamon muffin recipe is a lighter, more nutritious version of classic variations. They're filling and taste extra delicious when enjoyed warm and fresh out of the oven! Add a slab of nut butter, crumble them into your favorite yogurt, or enjoy as-is.

These healthy apple cinnamon muffins make for an easy on-the-go breakfast but could also work as a healthy choice for an afternoon or night snack.

Ingredients in this apple cinnamon muffin recipe

Personally, I think many of the grain-free or gluten-free muffins recipes that I've made can feel really heavy and dense. They also seem to really get almost "wet" if you don't eat them within the first day. I don't know why this happens but it's weird and it is not how I want to enjoy my muffins.

Here's everything you'll need to get started:

• Flour: The base of the muffin batter begins with 1 ¾ cups gluten-free flour or white whole wheat flour.
• Cinnamon: Start creating that delicious apple cinnamon flavor by using 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.
• Nutmeg: Add a slightly nutty taste with ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg.
• Ginger: Follow the nutmeg with ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger.
• Baking soda: Then, help the muffins bake properly by including ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
• Salt: Be sure to add ½ teaspoon of salt — it makes all of the difference!
• Eggs: 2 room temperature eggs will help bind the dry ingredients together.
• Maple syrup: Sweeten things up by including ½ cup of maple syrup. If preferred, you can use honey!
• Vanilla: Don't forget the vanilla! Use 1 tsp.
• Coconut oil: Contribute to the texture of the muffins by including ½ cup of melted coconut oil.
• Applesauce: Last but not least, finish off the batter with ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce.

Kitchen tools required to make healthy apple muffins

When it comes to kitchen tools, you will need various mixing bowls as well as a muffin tin and liner. Below is a full list of everything you can expect to use:

• Muffin tin
• Muffin liners or nonstick spray
• Large mixing bowl
• Stirring utensil
• Small mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Baking spatula
• Measuring cups: ¼ tsp, ½ tsp, ½ cup, ¾ cup, and 1 cup

How to make healthy apple cinnamon muffins

This muffin recipe comes together in no time. We'll prepare it similarly to other baked goods, starting with the wet ingredients, followed by the dry. Then, we'll simply combine and bake!

To begin, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine all of the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, and salt) in a large mixing bowl.

Then, whisk the eggs together in a separate small mixing bowl.

To the bowl with the eggs, add your sweetener of choice (maple syrup or honey), followed by the vanilla and coconut oil.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine.

Gently fold in the applesauce, but do not overmix! Doing so will cause the muffins to have a puffy dome.

Once mixed, fill the prepared muffin tray with the batter. The muffin tray should have muffin liners or be sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the muffins become golden and/or a toothpick comes out clean.

I recently picked up the gluten-free all-purpose flour from Trader Joe's and after some recipe testing, I developed a recipe that yielded the lightest, most fluffy muffins (gluten-free or not) I've had in a while. I also tested these with whole wheat flour and they turned out delicious!

That being said, there are a handful of ingredient swaps just like that one that you can use in this recipe.

Flour
Feel free to use gluten-free all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour. Your preference!

Baking Soda
Did you know that baking soda can be substituted with baking powder? It's true! For this recipe, you can use 1.5 teaspoon of baking powder if you find yourself low or out of baking soda.

Eggs
If you want to skip the eggs for a vegan muffin, simply up the amount applesauce. Add an extra ½ cup, amounting to 1 cup total.

Coconut oil
Don't fret if you're out of coconut oil. Though I prefer this in my baked goods, vegetable or canola oil will also work.

I love making large batches of muffins to freeze for later. It makes future breakfast so easy, especially when we have a particularly busy week!

If freezing muffins, simply add the baked and cooled muffins to a freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months.

When ready to enjoy, just thaw, keep at room temperature, and grab-and-go.

If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these!

If you liked this recipe, you'll want to try these!

Muffin recipes are some of my favorites to whip together. Apart from being easy to prepare, they make such convenient snacks! Here are some more delicious flavors that you can try!

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Blueberry Crumble Yogurt Muffins
• Banana Chocolate Chip Oat Muffins
• Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins