It’s apple muffin time! You all really seem to love my banana muffins, pumpkin muffins and carrot muffins and the blueberry muffins in my cookbook. Today, apple muffins are joining the club.
Like the others in the bunch, these muffins are made with 100 percent whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with maple syrup or honey. They are nice and fluffy, with just enough sweetness to be irresistible.
Granted, I already have an apple oatmeal muffin recipe on the blog from four years ago, but I have significantly upped my muffin game since then. These muffins are the better of the two, by a long shot.
I based these healthy apple muffins off my carrot muffins, replacing grated carrots with fresh apple, and replacing half of the Greek yogurt with applesauce.
These muffins contain apple, three ways: freshly grated and chopped apple for the perfect texture, and applesauce for infused apple flavor. They’re the best apple muffins I’ve ever had.
Healthy Apple Muffin Notes
- These apple muffins taste even better after resting for a few hours, if they last that long.
- I particularly enjoy them with a spread of peanut butter.
- Check my recipe notes for how to use honey instead of maple syrup, and some ideas for how to make the muffins vegan.
I think it’s time for another! Please let me know how you like these muffins in the comments. I love hearing from you.
Baking Tips for Success
How to Measure Flour
How you measure your flour is important. Why? If you measure incorrectly, you could end up with up to 50 percent extra flour, which will make your muffins dense, dry and flavorless. Use the spoon and swoop method:
- Gently stir your flour to loosen any clumps.
- Spoon your flour into the measuring cup with a big spoon or a flour scoop. Do not scoop up the flour directly into the measuring cup.
- Level off the top of the cup with a knife. Repeat as necessary.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda Are Not the Same Thing
…and they are not interchangeable. Both are leaveners that help your baked goods rise (baking powder contains some baking soda, but that’s a long story).
This recipe relies on a combination of baking powder and baking soda to produce light and fluffy muffins. For ideal results, always follow the recipe and measure carefully.
How to Stir Your Batter
This muffin batter is super simple to stir together by hand, and that’s how I recommend making these muffins. Why? Whipping your batter will make the flour’s gluten protein too strong, yielding tough muffins.
I know it can be tempting to use a stand mixer or hand mixer when it’s within reach. Please don’t! Follow the instructions below and you’ll end up with light, fluffy muffins.
Watch How to Make Apple Muffins
Healthy Apple Muffins
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 13 mins
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Amazing, healthy apple muffins made with maple syrup and whole wheat flour! No one will guess that this simple cinnamon apple muffin recipe is good for you, too. Recipe yields 12 muffins.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup grated apple
- 1 cup apple diced into ¼” cubes
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey*
- 2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (I used full-fat but any variety should do)
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (also called raw sugar), for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, grease all 12 cups on your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and doesn’t require any grease).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Blend well with a whisk. Add the grated apple (if it is dripping wet, gently squeeze it over the sink to release some extra moisture) and chopped apple. Stir to combine.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oil and maple syrup and beat together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then add the yogurt, applesauce and vanilla and mix well. (If the coconut oil solidifies in contact with cold ingredients, gently warm the mixture in the microwave in 30 second bursts.)
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). The batter will be thick, but don’t worry! Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with turbinado sugar. Bake muffins for 13 to 16 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. If you have leftover muffins, store them, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze leftover muffins for up to 3 months.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my healthy carrot muffins.
*If you are baking with honey: Honey tends to brown quickly, so to avoid overdone muffins, bake muffins at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 23 to 25 minutes.
Make it vegan: Replace the eggs with flax eggs and replace the yogurt with vegan buttermilk—try mixing 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar with a scant ½ cup non-dairy milk. Let it rest for 5 minutes before adding it to the other liquid ingredients. (You could also try using more applesauce in place of the yogurt but I’m not sure it’s acidic enough to counteract the bitter taste of the baking soda.)
Make it dairy free: See “buttermilk” option above.
Make it egg free: Use flax eggs instead of regular eggs.
Make it gluten free: Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Flour make gluten-free all-purpose blends that work well.
If you love this recipe: You will also love my zucchini muffins, carrot muffins and banana muffins! Here are more apple recipes for you, too.
Lorena
I just wanted to double check the baking temp. It is in fact 425? I have never made muffins on this high of a temperature before.
Thanks!
Kate
Hi Lorena, the temperature is correct.
Maddy Cote
Hi Kathryne,
I never leave comments but your recipe has made me!
We thought our homemade muffin recipe was the best until I came across your Healthy Apple Muffins Recipe. Best Muffins ever!
I did make 2 changes: replaced the Greek yogurt and doubled the apple sauce. Then I caramelized several old apples with maple syrup, butter and about 5 tablespoons of cinnamon. Wowsa big flavour! Cheers
Kate
I’m happy you finally did, Maddy! I appreciate you sharing your feedback.
Jacquelyn
Lovely, delicious apple muffin recipe! Also, a very forgiving recipe as I made a blunder by adding melted coconut oil to the dry ingredients instead of mixing it separately with the wet. Yikes! But, in the end, they were as delicious as the first time I made them (without the blunder)!
Lori Raphael
Another great recipe, thank you. I used vanilla yogurt since that was what I had, omitted vanilla. Next time I think I will add walnuts and chia seeds and call them breakfast.
Roop
These are delicious! I just had 2 fresh out of the oven…loll only changes I made were lessening the maple syrup to 1/3c since I was using gala apples. Also used unsweetened/no sugar added applesauce.
Kate
That’s great, Roop! Thank you for sharing.
Kurt Gundersen
I only have one apple so may add a little more apple sauce? Am also going to make bread so I think I’ll try your banana bread instructions in terms of baking. Will let you know how it goes!
Kate
Hi! Changing the ingredient list will impact your results. More applesauce won’t likely get you the same result.
Becca Woodward
Has anyone made these in cake form? They are my favorite muffins ever and I am interested in making them in a loaf pan instead. Looking for help with cook temperature and time…
Kay
Hi Becca,
I made them in cake form – I just baked at the same temperature for ~30 minutes, checked for done-ness (with a fork in the middle), and kept baking in 5 min increments.
Rachel Rosenblum
What kind of cake pan did you use? Do you think I can use an upside down cake pan? Or?
Thanks!
Rachel
Cara
I love your recipes so very much. Thank you for sharing them all!
Kate
You’re welcome, Cara! Thank you for your review.
Anya Dimaculangan
Your muffin recipes are the ABSOLUTE BEST. I follow them to a T. The pumpkin one is my family’s favourite and I bring it to all my friends houses and they love it. Thank you!!
JIseman
Just made these for my little one, added shredded carrots to the batter and omg. Amazing!! So moist and flavorful! I ended up eating a few right from the oven. Yum!
Samantha Villota
Im planning on trying these for my littles! May I ask how many shredded carrots you added in???
Debbie
I would like to make these muffins tomorrow. Do I need to use Granny Smith apples, or a sweeter one?
Kate
Hi! You can use the apple you prefer. That will work just fine.
Soah Franklin
Even with all of my probably ill-advised modifications, this came out so so good. Thank you for another amazing recipe!
Kinga
I would like to use monk fruit as the sweetener instead of honey/maple syrup, do I need to add more liquid in another format to do so?
Kate
Hi Kinga, I’m not familiar with it. I believe its a dry sugar and you need a wet one here. Sorry!
Laura
Monkfruit makes a maple syrup as well. I use it all the time in baking recipes. It tastes the same just no added sugar.
christine
I think 425 degrees was too hot. The bottoms of my muffins were very dark, almost too dark to enjoy after just 12.5 minutes
Kate
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. Does your oven seem to run hot? How did you have your oven racks placed?
Christine Waanders
I just made them today at 425 and they came out perfect. I have an electric oven–if that makes a difference.
Julia Campana
Wondering if anyone has made these without applesauce? I know it will change my results but wonder if they still taste good! Thanks
Kate
Hi Julia! To guarantee these results, you really need the applesauce. They may not turnout since baking is so precise.
Skye
I just made these without applesauce, as I didn’t have any. I subbed mashed banana and they are delicious!!
Aniko
How much mushed banana did you use?
Rose Wise
These muffins are really delicious! Best apple muffins I ever made! I used 1/3 cup of maple syrup and unsweetened applesauce. We loved them!
If I want to use organic all purpose white flour – do I still use the same amount of flour?
Thank you!
Rose
Kate
Hi! It should work with the same ratio.
Rose
These muffins are delicious! Best apple muffins I ever made!
If I want to use organic all purpose white flour, do I use the same amount as the recipe says?
Thank you
Rose
Kate
I’m glad you love them! Typically AP flour amounts are the same, but types can vary. Let me know how it turns out!
Tati
Deliiiciooous!
Danielle
Hi Kate,
Just discovered your muffin recipes recently. Thanks, they are delicious!
I am American now living in London for years. When I first moved here I was frustrated by how many recipes called for things in weight (mostly metric which was even more confusing). Also, the British cup is slightly more than an American cup by 10ml which is not a huge amount but for baking can make a difference. I now, however, have a small kitchen scale (grams, ounces, kg, lbs) and I’m a complete convert ESPECIALLY with baking. You don’t have to worry about stirring flour or doing anything special to get the correct amount if you know the weight as volume has no effect. If you do happen to try it out, it would be great to have weights of ingredients in your recipes. If not, I’m still happy that you share your recipes as I can convert myself. :)
Ruth
Hi. Yay! liquid sugar:) I’d love to make these but can’t do the buttermilk or yogurt. Would apple cider or oat milk work? Thanks!!!
Also I’m adding in protein powder. I’m assuming it’s ok to do a straight switch with the flour?
Kate
Hi! See the vegan recommendations for milk. I haven’t tried protein powder myself so I’m not sure.
Nadia
I know it’s been 9 months, but for anyone still wondering, I have made this recipe with oat milk yogourt and almond base yogourt. I was amazing!!! You can also add lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to a plant based (non-dairy) milk if you don’t have yogourt.
Anil Agarwal
Used this recipe with slight modifications with excellent results: added half a cup of oats, no honey or maple syrup was used , used only 1 tablespoon of olive oil, used one and a half cups of homemade applesauce and added one cup of walnuts and raisins. Healthy and no sugar. Thanks.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Anil! I appreciate your review.
Ambika
Hi! Is the nutritional value based on coconut oil? Do you know what it would be if I used olive oil instead?
Kate
Hi! It’s based on the first ingredient listed if there is an or in the ingredient. I don’t have the other value. Sorry! You can always input your specific ingredients into a nutrition calculator if you like.
Whitney Morrison
Amaaazzziing!!! New to the site and what a great first recipe to land on! Shredded 2 gala apples and squeezed lots of juice out! Didn’t have plain Greek yogurt so added a dollop of sour cream. So tasty!! Can’t wait to make again and try more! Thank you!!
Kate
Welcome, Whitney! I do love muffins, so this one is a great one to start with. Thanks for your revewi!
Lav
Hi!
I’ve made this recipe before (followed it exactly) and these muffins were great! Just a quick question, would using 2 or 3% regular yoghurt work out ok? The Greek yoghurt is the only ingredient I don’t usually have on hand.
Thanks!
Kate
Hi Lav, I didn’t have great results as it tends to react differently. What did you decide to do?
Lav
I ended up just getting the Greek yoghurt – turns out my family will eat it if it’s in the fridge!
Kate
That’s great to hear, Lav! Thank you for your review.
Lyndz
These muffins are ridiculously delicious! They are our new favourite!
Christy
Hi Kate,
Can I use Almond flour? If I can is the measurement the same?
Thank you
Kate
Hi Christy, Almond flour doesn’t make a good sub as too much would need to be adjusted if it does work. Oat flour would work well!
Lakshmi
These came out delicious. I might add some nuts next time for some extra texture. It’s definitely loaded with apples and the turbinado sugar on top provides a nice crunch sweetness. Love it!
Esther A
Made these today – they just came out of the oven! Looks and smells amazing :-)
María
I tried this recipe today. They were a hit, moist and delicious. I substituted apple sauce for mashed ripped banana and used bourbon maple syrup. The baking time was a bit longer around 22 minutes. Thank you for sharing, I will make them again.
Kate
I’m glad they worked with just a little more baking time. Thank you for your review, María!
Carol Mason
Made these with whole wheat spelt. They were amazing. Thanks for the recipe.
Kate
I’m glad they worked with spelt, Carol. I appreciate your review!
Dorene
Great apple muffin recipe .. using 1/2 amount of honey since I used Greek yogurt with honey, used 2 cups of apples diced in small pieces only, and tossed in some chopped up walnuts and a few raisins baking at 425 — turned out beautifully! Tasted even better the next day after warming lightly in the microwave oven. Will be making another batch!
Rachel
I LOVE THESE MUFFINS! My inconsistently picky toddler loves them, too! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing.
I have two questions:
1. Can I freeze the batter in muffin cups ahead of time, to bake at a later date?
2. What is the measurement of flour in grams? (I always spoon the flour into the measuring cup, like you say, but I don’t always get the same result, so I think I’m bad at it LOL)
Kate
I’m glad your toddler loves them, Rachel! Yes, these freeze well. I don’t have metric conversions, sorry! I know others have used an online converter
Rachel
Sorry if I wasn’t clear; I was actually wondering about freezing the raw batter in muffin liners and about measuring the flour by weight instead of volume. For the second question, I discovered that the flour I use has it right on the bag (face palm!), so I can use my kitchen scale instead of measuring cups. It’s 113 grams per 1 cup, if anyone’s interested :)
Kate
I would freeze baked, freezing the batter won’t likely get you the same result. Thanks for sharing your measurements!
Sophia Ahmed
Hello!
Can I use plain low-fat (non-Greek) yogurt? Trying to use what’s in my fridge! :)
Kate
Greek yogurt works best, sorry!
Kathy
We absolutely love this recipe – thank you for making it!
MM
Do you think these would work in a mini muffin form? If so, should I adjust the time and temperature? Thank you!
Kate
Hi! Yes, just reduce the time to half and keep an eye on them. Enjoy!
Ana Garza
Overall a good recipe, but I have comments on possible improvements that worked for me. I always lower the temperature to 400 or 375 and cook for 20+ minutes, sometimes 30. These muffins are wet and the batter is heavy, so the edges brown too much before the center is done if cooked at 425 (I never bake muffins that high). I have a convection/fan oven though so the lower temperature makes sense for me. I also make 18 muffins instead of 12 muffins – the batter is too wet/moist to make big muffins. The recipe’s flavor is good by itself but adding 1 Tbs. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg makes a huge improvement to the flavor. I have the same issue with wet/dense batter for the author’s whole wheat carrot muffins, as did other commenters. My toddler loves them and my husband likes them, but prefers the carrot muffins.
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t find this recipe worked well for you as written. Unfortunately, there can be variability in oven temperatures. I’m glad you have found something that works for you.
Marina
Hello! Your muffins are amazing! My daughter made this ones with but of help and also Spelt wholegrain flour and… just delicious! Thanks
Kate
You’re welcome, Marina! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Annie
Hi! I want to try these as mini muffins. Any recommendations for temp and time?
Kate
Hi Annie! No need to change the temperature. Just reduce the time to half and keep an eye on them.
barb
please put the recipie at the top i would choose to go some where that does put it at the top as i know how to cook and bake i do not need 3 pages of instructions to make these i just need the recipe and i am on satellite internet witch is very costly i sure do not want to waste my data with full instructions (that i do not need) nor do i wish to scroll through and have to wait and wait and wait for my slow internet to download (no offence) all the bla bla bla that i do not need great recipe when i finally got to see it
Kate
Hi Barb, thank you for your feedback. Based on feedback over the years, the layout has been the most ideal. However, you can use the jump to recipe at the top of the page to get there quicker than scrolling to the bottom. I hope this helps!
Emma Jarvie
Had a load of red apples hone too far to eat so found this recipe great. Used all the apples as made the apple sauce for it. I accidentally used a cup of apple sauce so left out higher and they worked really well. Will now be our go to fruit muffin! Baked on 210C for about 20 to 25 mins rather than higher temp.
Mel
Yum! These are absolutely delicious! I made these with 1c almond flour and 3/4c of oats! So so so good! And they smelt amazing while baking! All the muffins I have made from you have been a huge hit in our house! Thank you!
Kate
I’m happy you liked them, Mel! Thank you for your review.
Dani
These muffins are DELICIOUS but beware that they’re more calories than the nutrition facts state. I input all the ingredients into my macro/recipe calculator and it ends up being 318 calories per muffin not 192. (I used Honey rather than Maple syrup but that shouldn’t be too big of a difference…)
The calorie difference is a big deal when you’re counting macros and you scarfed down 3 muffins in 2 minutes – half of my calories for the day without much to show for it, ack! (But they are so good!)
Lissa
I made these today and they are SO good! I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup of oat flour and they turned out so moist and delicious. The oat flour was a great substitute as you can really taste the oatmeal flavour. What a great recipe!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Lissa!
Cara
I love these muffins and make them all the time. Now I have an abundance of rhubarb and wondering if I could use this same recipe but substitute the apples for rhubarb?
Kate
Hi Cara, sorry I don’t know if a 1:1 replacement will work here as moisture level can vary.
Liza
Hi Kate, do you think i could use a vegan yogurt, like almond and cashew based yogurt in this recipe?
Thanks in advance!
Kate
See my vegan notes in the section below the recipe!
Heather
These muffins are excellent! I used maple syrup in mine and they turned out great! don’t leave recipe reviews but this one deserves 5 stars!!
Isabel
Why is there no nutritional information or have I missed something?
Kate
Hi Isabel, the nutritional information is located below the notes. You need to click to expand.
Heidi
I’ve made these and your banana muffins in the past week. The first time, I thought I had whole wheat flour, only to discover that I didnt. I improvised and used 3/4 cup dark rye and 1 cup all purpose white and they came out moist, a nice texture and delicious. I used olive oil both times and once honey and once maple syrup. Thank you for the recipe.
Kate
I’m happy they turned out with your changes, Heidi! I appreciate your review.
Irene
Made these muffins this afternoon with my four year old granddaughter. Have made these and your other muffins and they are always a big hit with young land old. Only things I do differently is adding nuts, using avocado oil and using two grated apples and omitting the applesauce and they are still delicious and moist.
Lynn
Hi! Can I do half maple syrup and half honey, or will this not work for the texture?
Kate
Hi, you need to full amount of liquid for this to turn out. I hope you try it and like it!
Erica Dove
I just baked these – I haven’t tried one yet (they’re still cooling) but my apartment smells amazing, and they baked exactly like the directions! :)
Kate
I hope you loved them, Erica!
Nicholafaith
Lovely muffins, well worth making! Firm favourite with my daughter!
I only used ¼ cup of maple syrup & no apple sauce & they were perfectly sweet enough. Thank-you
(My next batch I’m going to use oat flour)
Lana
AMAZING!!! So soft, so fluffy, with just the right amount of sweetness.
I read some of the comments beforehand, so I made the following adjustments.
All the apples I shredded and cooked up with a little butter and cinnamon until all the water was absorbed. (son doesn’t like texture, so I wanted the apples soft)
I subbed the applesauce for 1 medium banana, since I didn’t have any.
And I added a little shredded carrot, just for fun.
I left them in the oven a little longer, till the tops we just golden.
A HIT!
Lauren Vickers
I religiously make these at least once a month and they just walk out of the kitchen before I even have a chance to put them away!
Love this recipe, thanks so much for sharing it.
Kate
You’re welcome, Lauren!
Sharon
Hi
Where is the buttermilk option? I can’t find it anywhere!!
Thanks
Kate
How to Make Buttermilk I hope you love them!
Saskia
Kate, you have turned me into a confident Baker. I really enjoy your recipes, they never fail. I made these w cubed apples and 1 c dried cranberries and used some buttermilk I had. I crossed my fingers, as I had no applesauce.
As I was already baking your banana bread, the oven was on 325F, and I decided to add the muffins, 35 minutes worked out perfectly. Yummy! And thanks again.
Kate
That’s wonderful, Saskia! Thank you for your review.
Meg R
Hello! Would I be able to use oat flour for these muffins? I’ve always found that gluten free flour has a weird texture. I love your banana muffins, banana bread, and coconut banana pancakes, all with oat flour! I am making my way through your cookbook :)
Kate
Hi! Oat flour should work for this. Just be sure to follow my How to Make Oat Flour for proper measurements. I love that you are cooking through my cookbook!
Meg R
Thank you for the response! I followed your oat flour substitution guide and they turned out great!! I thought I would freeze some for back to school but nope, all gone :)
Kate
Wonderful to hear! Thank you for your review, Meg.
Kathryn Takats
OMG your muffins are amazing. I now have a huge choice of which muffin I would like to bake on a weekend afternoon. I first started with your banana muffin, then blueberry. Last weekend it was your carrot and walnut and today was your apple. Tomorrow I will try your lemon and raspberry. I like to have at least 2 varieties in the freezer at any one time.
Eliza
The texture of these muffins is everything – So light and fluffy! I may have squeezed too much liquid out of the grated apples as I didn’t find the flavors super bold so I’m going to try again along with and mixing up the types of apples I used for more flavor. Can’t wait to make these again with autumn on the horizon!
Kate
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for sharing, Eliza.
Laura Stevens
Hi!
Would you please provide the nutritional information for the apple muffins?
Thanks so much and GO CHEIFS!!
Kate
Hi Laura, the nutritional is below the recipe notes. You need to click to expand. Let me know if you have questions!
Tracy
Have made this recipe exactly as is and we absolutely love it but this time I wanted to add some flax seed to the recipe and not sure how to as I’ve never baked with it before. Any suggestions??
Carol Koons
Delicious! I love baking with my 3 yo grandson and these were fun. Used non fat yogurt. I mixed some struesel (flour, brn sugar and butter) and put a scant teaspoon on top of each muffin before baking – slightly less healthy but so so good!
Jeni Murphy
These are incredible! My family likes lots of spices so I used 1 T cinnamon and added 1/2-1 tsp each of nutmeg, cloves and allspice. I made a double batch but I seriously doubt any will last long enough to cool.
Kate
I love it! Thank you for sharing, Jeni.
Janine Wilkin
Really nice and moist. Another winner!
Kate
Thank you, Janine!
Lisa Wills
My son’s Geography teacher inspired him to try more meatless meals in our home and directed him to your website. We have liked a good number of your recipes – but this is by far my favourite/most valued one. A batch of these muffins are gone within a day in our home – so moist and flavourful. And so much apple in one muffin!
Karen Dhanraj
I just made these and they are amazing! I used granny smith apples, regular whole wheat flour, melted butter, maple syrup and unsweetened apple sauce. They are as light and fluffy as promised.
:)
Kate
I’m excited you loved them, Karen! Thank you for sharing.
Hannah DeMoss
Best apple muffins ever! My 3 year old daughter and I went apple picking today and then made muffin tops. Love that there’s so little sugar and they actually taste heathy! Yum!!
Kate
I’m glad she loves them! Thank you for your review, Hannah.
Hannah
The SMELL these muffins filled my kitchen with… absolutely divine! I followed the directions as is, only I let my 4 year old sprinkle some rolled oats on top. The whole family devoured them up! Bookmarking and sharing with all my mom friends!
Neeti
Mine doesn’t taste good :( I was so excited for this recipe. I did made a mistake – added 1/3 cup honey instead of 1/2 cup. But the taste of muffin is bittery. I have to trash all. . I will try again to see why it’s not tasting good.
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that! Please let me know when you try again, Neeti.
Kendra
I also never comment on blogs but I am so excited I found my new go-to apple muffin recipe. These came out fantastic appearance-wise with a nice muffin top, nice texture and flavor. I know that with Cookie and Kate recipes, you cannot go wrong if you follow the recipe. We have their black bean enchiladas and homemade enchilada sauce in our dinner rotation often!
The only thing with this recipe that I did differently was use whole wheat pastry flour. They are soft and fluffy! I used a Granny Smith for the chopped apple part and a ginormous honey crisp for the grated apple part. I really had to wring out the fluid in that apple. I may try apple pie spice next time to experiment.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Kendra!
Erin
Any guess as to the bake time for muffin tops only? My 2-year-old has requested apple cookie muffins and my best guess as to what that would be is muffin tops. :)
Kate
I’m not sure Erin, sorry!
Maria Paglialungo
I have deeply enjopyed so many of my tries. The last one being the bean bowl woth such goodness I have nt had much succes with the breakfast breads but made the apple muffin into a 9by 11 no muffin tins.it came out quite good. Theothers were of myown making. Wishing you a healthy way forward carrying that precious little soul daring to come to earth at this time. Smiles and love
Erin
My batter was not thick like in the pictures but everything still tasted amazing, it was hard to stop eating them. I used the non-dairy option so I am wondering if that could have affected the consistency? I am hoping to figure out how to make the batter thicker so I can bake on a cookie sheet to fulfill a request from my two year old for “apple cookie muffins.” If anyone has any tips aside from squeezing the apples more I would appreciate suggestions.
Kate
I’m glad you were still able to enjoy them, Erin! I appreciate your review.
Sandra
I have 3 apple trees and I am always looking for apple recipes. Made these muffins as per the recipe and “They’re Great” (said with Tony the Tiger voice). Now you have a good idea of my age!
Thanks.
Anastasia Gurney
I tried the recipe and muffins came out moist and delicious. The only substitution I’ve made was swapping out apple sauce for same amount of finely grated carrots. Highly recommend! Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Kate
You’re welcome, Anastasia! I appreciate your review.
Sal
Delicious muffins. They were nice and light and baked in no time.
A forgiving recipe, too lazy to make applesauce, much easier to mash a ripe banana as well added some chopped walnuts and half a cup of almond flour. Will definitely make again
Stacey
We have tons of apples from out apple tree so this was a great, guilty free sweet treat for my daughter’s 2nd grade class. I didn’t have what flour, so I substituted Pamala’a Glutin free pancake mix. I left out the baking powder, baking soda and salt since they were in the baking mix, praying that the proportions were correct. They came out perfect. We will be baking these again and with the Pamala’s. Highly recommended.
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Stacey! Thank you for your review.
Billie Jo Jones
Are the apples peeled?
Kate
Hi Billie, For reference, check the process photos. No need to peel the apples.
June A Wilson
Hello Kate,
Congrats from June in Toronto. How is Cookie feeling ?
June
Kate
Thank you, June! Cookie is settling into her new role :)
Judy Sandeen
I have 20 cups (!) of sliced apples in the freezer, and don’t think I will be able to grate them. Would it work to use all diced apples? Thanks!
Kate
Hi Judy, I found it worked best with both variations. But, you could try it. Let me know!
Frances
Your baby is beautiful! Congratulations! The muffins look delicious and I can’t wait to try them.
Kate
Thank you, Frances!
Maria Cullen
Hi Kate,
I can’t wait to make these, I love apple muffins! I have peanut oil, I assume that is okay to use instead of the coconut or olive oils? Thanks!
Congratulations on the birth of your daughter, she’s beautiful!
Kate
Hi Maria, I can’t say for sure without trying it. Oils can vary some on how they react in baking. Thank you for the congratulations!
Yvette Bowen
I have been a vegetarian for 40 years, but only started really cooking five years ago. I love your recipes and this one is fabulous, AGAIN! Just one request, please…can you display the ingredients in grams?
Thanks for your help and keep bringing these marvelous recipes to us.
Liz Coughlin
I followed this recipe as directed. I used Gala apples which diced and grated perfectly. Similar to one comment, I reduced the maple syrup to just-under 1/2 cup. (If I used green apples, I would have used the full 1/2 cup). I used King Arthur GF flour. This recipe is outstanding in every way – texture, flavor and ease of making!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Liz! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Olivia
OMG!!!!
This recipe is incredibly amazing! I am making these delicious muffins for the second time right now; the muffins are in the oven and they smell SOOOOOOO good. I decided to comment to pass the time until they finish LOL- they are that good!
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Olivia! Thank you for your review.
Daniel Beck
Hi,
I enjoy your recipe tremendously. When measuring flour, wouldn’t it be better to just use a scale? There wouldn’t be any question then that too much or too little flour was being used, which might affect the quality of the end product. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes.
Linda
These muffins are great. Not to sweet (which I really appreciate). I followed the recipe to a tee, but it seemed to cook too fast so the apples didn’t get soft enough. I also live at altitude so I’m not sure if that impacted it. I may try lower the temperature next time.
Eimear
Hi there!
I had been excited to try these, but they didnt work out too well for me. I’m from Belfast, so I had googled each ingredient for the metric conversion, and obviously something wasnt quite right, as they didnt cook through and my batter was a bit runnier than yours (judging by the pictures)
Any chance you could post a metric version for us people in the UK? Maybe its just me, but I find it so hard not working in metric!
Thanks a mill :)
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that! I don’t provide metric measurements at the moment, sorry!
Cierra Paetz
These are perfect! I’ve made them countless times and my family loves them. I freeze half the batch after they cool as they spoil after a few days. They freeze great.
TIP: definitely use coconut oil over olive oil. I could taste the bitterness of the olive oil the first time I made them. Refined coconut oil leaves out the coconut taste as well.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Cierra! I think it can depend on your brand of olive oil. But coconut oil is delicious too!
Allison B. Langer
I just made these delicious muffins. I made them gf and vegan and cut the maple sugar in half. The muffins turned out perfectly moist and tasty. On one, I drizzled almond butter over the top once out of the oven and on the other, I slathered with apple butter. SOOOOO good. Thank you!!! And welcome to the world baby Grace!!!
Krishna
Texture is great. Baked in 13 minutes. Could be that the apples I used weren’t sweet enough, but I found that the muffins could have used another half cup of sweetener.
Ann Mitzelfelt
Hello. On the October 8, 2021 entry, what is the recipe at the top of the page? It looks like a bowl of some kind. Looks yummy. Also…congratulations on your new little one! Thanks in advance!
Kate
Hi Ann, I’m not sure what you are referring to. Is it Mediterranean Roasted Sweet Potato & Farro Salad?
Rachael
Yummm!! I made these this morning and it was really simple. We had red apples from a friends tree, and they’re err so sweet that we didn’t need to add the turbinado sugar. Thanks again for another AWESOME recipe!
Olivia
I made these yesterday and they came out beautifully, so delicious, fluffy and moist! (I had no applesauce so used 2% Greek yoghurt instead; also, I used a combination of maple syrup and honey and baked at 190C for about 20 mins).
Thank you so much for all your amazing recipes, Kate – they always come out perfect and are so healthy and easy to make!!
Kate
You’re welcome, Olivia!
Minda
So delicious! I didn’t have applesauce, so I substituted with some leftover canned pumpkin purée. I couldn’t taste the pumpkin at all. I will definitely make this muffin recipe again. It was also a hit with my 1 yo & 3 yo. Thank you for a great recipe.
Tami
Can I add peanut butter directly into the muffin mix? If so, how much should I add, and how else should I adjust the recipe? Thank you!
Kate
Hi Tami, I recommend to top them with peanut butter once baked.
Jim
Hi Kate. Should the grated and chopped apples be peeled first?
Kate
Hi Jim, see the process photos. No need to peel first. I hope you love them!
Jody Zerunyan
Hi, I don’t see where the buttermilk option is. Can you tell me what it is. Thanks!
Kate
Hi Jody! See the notes for the vegan option.
Terry Lefebvre
We don’t like apples, now we do!
Kate
Hooray!
Roger Cary
While not being a fan of “healthy” muffins, the recipe is great. Easy to follow instructions and some variations can be made, but I only changed the applesauce to mashed banana I needed to use …. still good. Thanks.
martine rastorfer
The best muffins I ever had or made!
Thank you!
Kate
Hooray! That’s great to hear you loved them, Martine.