Healthy Apple Muffins

Soft, tall apple muffins packed with finely chopped fresh apple and warm cinnamon, sweetened with maple syrup or honey instead of granulated sugar. They smell like fall the minute they hit the oven.

The Apple Cinnamon Muffins Our Bakers Keep Coming Back To

Every recipe on Everything Muffins starts in our kitchen and finishes in yours. Our team of bakers developed these healthy apple muffins batch by batch, working out the right size apple dice so it softens without sinking and the right amount of maple syrup so the apples still taste like apples. Then we shared the recipe with our community of home test bakers, who made it in their own kitchens with their own ovens, pans and ingredients.

What they told us went straight into the recipe below. In Test #1, the cinnamon and apple smell while these baked filled the whole house, and everyone hovered near the oven waiting for them.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Naturally sweet: Maple syrup or honey, applesauce and the apples do all the sweetening. No granulated sugar.
• Real apple in every bite: Finely chopped apple stays juicy and spreads through the whole muffin.
• Community tested: Our bakers built it, then home bakers tested it in their own kitchens before it went live.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Full amounts are in the recipe card below. Here’s what each ingredient does and what you can swap.

• Flour: all-purpose makes a sturdier muffin and pastry flour makes a softer one. The recipe card lists cups and grams for both, and weighing gives the most consistent batter.
• Baking powder and baking soda: baking powder does most of the lifting. The soda reacts with the applesauce and yogurt and helps the tops brown.
• Cinnamon and nutmeg: warm spice makes the apples taste sweeter without adding sugar. Tossing the chopped apple with another 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon before folding it in gives you even more cinnamon flavor.
• Eggs: two room temperature eggs give rise and structure.
• Maple syrup or honey: the only added sweetener. Maple tastes a little more like fall, and honey browns faster.
• Applesauce and Greek yogurt: moisture and a tender crumb. Sour cream works in place of the yogurt. If you run out of applesauce, half an apple blended smooth worked as a swap in Test #1.
• Olive oil: use a light tasting one so it does not compete with the apple. Melted coconut oil or avocado oil also work.
• Apples: Honeycrisp, Gala and Fuji stay sweet and hold their shape. Use Granny Smith if you like them tart. Peel them and chop them fine.

How to Make Healthy Apple Muffins

Step 1: Make the batter

Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Toss the finely chopped apple with a spoonful of the flour mixture, plus another 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon if you want extra cinnamon flavor, then fold everything together just until no dry flour is left.

Baker’s Tip: Chop the apple fine, about 1/8 inch. Bigger chunks sink to the bottom and leave wet pockets.

Step 2: Rest and fill

Let the batter rest for 15 minutes while the oven finishes heating. Then use a large cookie scoop or 1/3 cup measure to fill all 12 liners to the top. The batter fills them very full but does not spill over.

Tester Tip: These muffins stuck to the paper liners, so lightly spray the liners with oil before filling, or use parchment liners.

Step 3: Bake

Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then lower the oven to 350°F without opening the door and bake 15 to 18 minutes more, until the centers read 200 to 205°F.

They’re done when the tops spring back, a toothpick comes out clean and the centers read 200 to 205°F.

What Our Test Bakers Learned

Before a recipe goes live, our community bakes it and reports back. Here’s what they found and what we changed because of it.

• What testers changed or asked about: In Test #1, one batch used applesauce and one used half a blended apple because the applesauce ran out, and both turned out well. The texture and fluffiness were great, and an 8 year old gave them a thumbs up with his mouth full. One kid wanted them sweeter and a drizzle of honey fixed it, while another said they were sweet enough as written. Another kid wanted more cinnamon and suggested tossing the chopped apple with an extra 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon before folding it in. The muffins stuck to the liners, so we now recommend lightly spraying them.

Tips for Perfect Muffins Every Time

• Weigh your flour, or spoon it into the cup and level it. Extra flour makes thick batter and dense muffins.
• Use room temperature eggs and dairy. Set eggs in warm water for 5 minutes if you forget.
• Do not open the oven when you lower the temperature. That first blast of heat is what gives you tall tops.
• Check your oven with an oven thermometer. Many ovens run hot or cold.
• Dark pans bake faster, so start checking 2 to 3 minutes early.
• Honey and maple syrup brown faster than sugar. If the tops darken early, tent with foil for the last few minutes.
• Want them a little sweeter? Drizzle a bit of honey over the warm muffins.
• Making a gluten free batch? Swap in a 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend and rest the batter at least 20 minutes so the flour hydrates and the crumb is not grainy.
• Let the muffins cool completely before peeling the wrappers. Warm muffins steam against the paper and cling to it, but once fully cooled the wrappers release cleanly.

Storing and Freezing

Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap them individually and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight or warm in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins

No granulated sugar here. Maple syrup or honey and applesauce make these apple cinnamon muffins sweet, and finely chopped fresh apple keeps every bite juicy. A hot oven start gives you tall, domed tops.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 22 minutes mins

Total Time 37 minutes mins

Servings: 12 muffins

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Calories: 199

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (280g) or 2 2/3 cups pastry flour (280g), see note
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt whole milk or 2%
• 1/4 cup light tasting olive oil
• 2 Tbsp milk of your choice plus more if the batter is stiff
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups peeled and finely chopped apple about 2 medium apples, chopped to about 1/8 inch, toss with an extra 1/2 tsp cinnamon if you like
• 2 Tbsp rolled oats optional, for topping
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon optional, for topping

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with parchment liners, or lightly spray paper liners with oil so the muffins release cleanly.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Toss the finely chopped apple with 1 Tbsp of this flour mixture, plus an extra 1/2 tsp cinnamon if you want more cinnamon flavor and set both aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, maple syrup, applesauce, yogurt, olive oil, milk and vanilla until smooth.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold just until no dry flour remains. The batter should be thick but scoopable. If it feels stiff, fold in 1 to 2 Tbsp more milk. Do not overmix. Fold in the apples. For the tallest tops, let the batter rest for 15 minutes before scooping.
5. Use a large cookie scoop or 1/3 cup measure to divide the batter evenly among the 12 liners, filling them to the top. The batter fills the liners very full but does not spill over. Mix the oats and cinnamon and sprinkle over the tops, if using.
6. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the door, lower the oven to 350°F and bake 15 to 18 minutes more, until the tops spring back, a toothpick in the center comes out clean and the center reads 200 to 205°F.
7. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then move the muffins to a wire rack. Let them cool completely before peeling off the liners.

Notes

Flour: Use 280g of either flour. That is 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour or 2 2/3 cups of pastry flour. All-purpose makes a sturdier muffin, and pastry flour makes a softer, more tender one. Pastry flour soaks up less liquid, so skip the extra milk unless the batter looks stiff.

Measuring flour: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife, or weigh it. Scooping straight from the bag packs in extra flour and makes the batter too thick.

Apples: Chop finely, about 1/8 inch, so the apple softens as it bakes and does not sink. For more cinnamon flavor, toss the chopped apple with an extra 1/2 tsp cinnamon before folding it in.

Applesauce swap: If you run out of applesauce, half an apple blended smooth worked as a replacement in Test #1.

Sweeter muffins: For a little more sweetness, drizzle honey over the warm muffins.

Gluten free: Swap in a 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend and rest the batter at least 20 minutes so it is not grainy.

Liners: Muffins made without granulated sugar like to stick to paper liners while warm. Parchment liners or a light spray of oil help, and so does letting them cool completely.

For perfect muffins every time: Use room temperature eggs and dairy so the batter mixes smooth. Bake on the middle rack, and check your oven with an oven thermometer, since many ovens run hot or cold. Dark muffin pans bake faster, so start checking 2 to 3 minutes early.

Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Extra tall tops: Divide the batter among 9 or 10 cups instead of 12 and add 2 to 3 minutes to the bake.

Jumbo muffins: Use a 6 cup jumbo pan. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then 350°F for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the centers read 200 to 205°F.

Mini muffins: Makes about 24 to 30. Bake at 375°F the whole time for about 10 to 13 minutes.

More Muffins You’ll Love

• Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
• Zucchini Muffins
• Morning Glory Muffins
• Healthy Banana Muffins