These Healthy Apple Muffins are made with whole wheat flour, applesauce, grated apples and warm fall spices. Better yet, they are easy, moist and fluffy!
We also love apple cinnamon muffins and healthy apple bread.
With fall in full swing, I can’t wait to harvest the apples from our apple tree. Then make tons of Instant Pot applesauce and bake multiple batches of these healthy apple muffins.
This recipe dates back to 2014. I have made it easier to make sweetened with maple syrup and switched chopped apples to grated apples.
The result is more moist healthy muffin with a prominent apple flavor. And no blender or mixer needed like before!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: You only need one bowl and 35 minutes of your time.
- Simple ingredients: If you have on hand even 2 apples, you probably can make these muffins today.
- Delicious: Moist and moderately sweet muffins full of warm spices and apple flavor.
- Freezer friendly: Make a few batches and freeze for busy back-to-school healthy breakfast.
Ingredients for Healthy Apple Muffins
- Flour: You can use whole wheat flour, spelt flour, whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour. We have not tested this recipe with all-purpose flour or gluten free flour.
- Applesauce: Use unsweetened applesauce. Often I use Instant Pot applesauce.
- Apples: You can use any sweet apple variety like Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady or Gala. You can also use one sweet apple and one tart apple like Granny Smith. Grated is better than chopped, and it’s up to you if you want to peel it or not.
- Oil: I recommend to use avocado oil or coconut oil for the healthiest results. However, any neutral oil like light olive oil or grapeseed oil would work.
- Eggs: Use two large eggs. I have not tested but possibly you could make muffins vegan with flax eggs or chia eggs.
- Maple syrup: I like the taste, texture and moisture maple syrup adds to the muffins. Dark maple syrup, honey or agave nectar will work as well. Note that sweetener has to be liquid and not dry.
How to Make Healthy Apple Muffins
- Grate apples: Grate the apples on large holes of a box grater.
- Combine wet ingredients: Grab a large mixing bowl. Add eggs, applesauce, maple syrup, oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well to combine, making sure baking powder and soda are dissolved. No white lumps are visible.
- Add flour: Stir gently and do not over mix. The best way is to give a few stirs and when a few white patches of flour are left, leave the batter sit for a minute or two. Flour will absorb the moisture of liquid ingredients.
- Add apples and walnuts: Stir them in just until combined.
- Bake the muffins: Divide the batter between the muffin tray. Cups will be very full but should not spread as batter is quite thick. Bake for 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. With a few crumbs is fine but not wet.
- Allow to cool: Then, remove muffins from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Or enjoy warm!
What Are The Best Apples to Use?
The truth is you can use any apples in baking.
For this healthy apple muffin recipe, I recommend to use any sweet variety like Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady or Gala apples. Apple varieties differ by geographic regions as well. So if you have some sweet apples not listed here go ahead and use them.
You can also combine one tart and one sweet apple, that’s what I did. To peel or not to peel is a personal choice. Apple skin bakes and becomes soft.
Tips for Best Results
- Make sure to use the spoon and level method: When measuring the flour rather than scooping the cup directly into the flour bag, spoon the flour into the cup, then level with a knife.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter: Otherwise, the gluten in the flour can become overworked, and you’ll end up with tough muffins.
- Muffin tin will be quite full: It might look like too much batter in each opening but muffins should not spread.
- For mini muffins: I recommend checking on the mini muffins at 12-14 minutes.
- Optional sugar topping: You can sprinkle muffins before or after baking with coarse white sugar.
How to Store
Store: Transfer cooled muffins to an airtight container and store them in a cool dry place for up to 3 – 4 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze: Place the cooled muffins in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers of muffins and freeze for up to 3 months. When you want one, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight or heat from frozen.
Storage Tip
For more tips and tricks on storing muffins, check out my guides how to store muffins and how to freeze muffins.
FAQs
If you followed the recipe it shouldn’t happen. The best way to test if the muffins are ready is to insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out with a few crumbs, it’s fine. But it shouldn’t be wet at all. If it is, continue baking for a further few minutes.
No. Without any fat muffins will come out rubbery.
I have not tested this recipe with gluten free flour. You can try my almond flour blueberry muffins and replace blueberries with grated apples.
More Healthy Apple Recipes
More Healthy Muffins Recipes
- Healthy blueberry muffins
- Healthy oatmeal muffins
- Banana applesauce muffins
- Healthy carrot muffins
- Browse healthy muffin recipes
You can also browse through a complete list of my muffins recipes!
Healthy Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup applesauce unsweetened
- 2/3 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup mild tasting oil I used avocado oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or spelt flour
- 2 cups (2 large) Honeycrisp, Fuji or Gala apples coarsely grated
- 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans coarsely chopped
- Coarse white sugar for topping (optional)
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin tin with parchment paper liners and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, applesauce, maple syrup, oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well to combine, making sure baking powder and soda are dissolved. Add flour and stir gently to mix. Do not over mix.
- Add grated apples and walnuts, give a few stirs just until combined.
- Using large ice cream scoop, fill 12 tin openings with batter. They will be very full. Bake for 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven, let muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool more, or enjoy warm.
Notes
- Store: Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 3 – 4 days or in a fridge for up to a week.
- Freeze: Bake and cool muffins completely. Arrange in a single layer in resealable plastic bag or any container with a lid. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Apples: Bets apples to use are any sweet variety like Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady or Gala apples work. You can also use one sweet apple and one tart apple like Granny Smith. Grated is better than chopped, and it’s up to you if you want to peel it or not.
- Other flours: You may also use whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour. I have not tested it with gluten free flour, so can’t tell. You can try my almond flour blueberry muffins and replace blueberries with grated apple.
- Other add-ins: Up to a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, dried cranberries or raisins.
We love all these recipes! Recently made the morning glory muffins. They turned out moist and delicious! Moving onto apple muffins this weekend. Love that these are such an easy, healthy breakfast option for the work week. Cooking instructions are clear and easy to follow. Can’t wait to try them all!
So happy to hear of the muffin breakfast prep success!
My kids and husband loved these muffins!
I substituted half of the whole wheat flour with spelt, and they were wonderful. Subtly sweet, wholesome and she just loves them (I also think they’re delicious!) Thank you so much for this recipe–it will definitely remain in our repertoire!
Just made these last night with a few minor adjustments and LOVED them! We veganized them by using flax eggs rather than the real eggs, the earthy elements in the base recipe worked very well with the flax eggs.
Glad you enjoyed them, Lalla.
Hi Olena,
Your delicious recipe has been nominated as one of the “Top 100 Best Apple Recipes of 2014 for National Apple Month”.
Happy National Apple Month! 🙂
I made these and they were soo delicious! My whole family loved them. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe, I will definitely make these again!!
These muffins look so yummy. There are so many temptations out there it is hard to stay good and stick to my diet!
Such a simple recipe and I can’t wait to try it. I’m pretty curious to try these all wheat flour muffins (until now I’ve always mixed whole wheat with white,because I’ve seen suggestions to do so in many other recipes). They look amazing!
These muffins look comforting. I can smell them through the screen! I have applesauce on the stove today- love the smell! Reminds me of being a kid- my mom always made homemade applesauce.
Mmm those look delicious! I love apple muffins, this healthy variation sounds splendid! Pinned 🙂