These easy homemade cinnamon apple muffins recipe are delicious, soft and flavorful. They are lightly spiced and made with fresh grated apple, making them incredibly moist. See below for variations with zucchini, carrot and oatmeal!
Our favorite way to eat them is with some cut up fruit and scrambled eggs, but sometimes we just have muffins for breakfast. We also love to wash it down with an energizing caffeine free Beetroot Latte. If I feel like making them more nutritious, I'll add grated carrot and oats, which also tastes amazing (see below for directions on Variations) Check out our fabulous blueberry muffins here and our lemon summer squash muffins here!
Be sure to pair it with our protein-packed egg puff. Or you'll love these Protein Pancakes.
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Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients needed for this recipe. Follow our tips on each ingredient for best results.
- all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, milk, eggs, butter - We tested this recipe over and over to get the perfect amount of each ingredient to prevent the most tender, fluffy and soft muffins.
- baking powder - The perfect amount to help get the best rise and texture in each muffin.
- cinnamon - Lightly flavored with cinnamon, it accents the pumpkin and adds the perfect highlight.
- salt - We used regular table salt and just enough to accentuate the flavors without being overwhelming.
- grated granny smith apple - You can use any grated apple, but we do recommend using a tart variety for the best flavor in the muffins.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Apple Muffins
These are pretty straightforward and simple to make. Preheat the oven to 375*F. Start by peeling and grating granny smith apples. 1 large apple or 2 small should be enough. Next, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking powder together in a medium sized bowl. Whisk and set to the side. In a different bowl add the milk, eggs and melted butter and whisk until eggs are well mixed. Stir in the grated apple to the liquid mixture.
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and mix by folding. Fold using a fork. Start from the bottom and fold up and over the top. Be very careful not to over mix. Over mixing will cause tough, pointy muffins. Folding slowly and carefully will prevent over mixing.
Pour into a lined muffin tin. Bake at 375* F for 18-25 minutes. The muffins will be just starting to turn golden. A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean. Enjoy!
How To Video
Substitutions and Variations
We love switching things up when we're in the kitchen. Try any of these variations for something a little different.
- Oil- switch vegetable oil for butter. Muffins will be a little lighter.
- Apples- We like granny smith because we love that strong tart flavor, but any apple will do. Honeycrisps also provide a great flavor, but you can really use any.
- almond milk- this recipe can be made with almond milk instead of cow's milk. Use the same amount.
- Carrot Apple Muffins- Make as directed, adding 1 cup grated carrot. It's delicious!
- Spiced- Add ½ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon cloves
- Zucchini Apple Muffns- Make as directed, adding 1 cup of grated zucchini- wring out the extra liquid in the zucchini before adding in!
- Oatmeal Apple Muffins- Decrease the flour to 1 ⅓ cups, then add 1 cup rolled oats.
- Streusel/ Crumb Topping- Mix 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons flour and ¾ teaspoon cinnamon together in a bowl then cut in 1 Tablespoon cold butter. Sprinkle over muffin tops, pressing in very gently.
Top Tip
It's so important not to over mix these muffins when adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients! Use a folding motion. It takes a little longer, but is well worth the moist, fluffy little pieces of heaven it creates. It's okay if there are tiny bits of flour left that didn't get perfectly mixed. It's much better than over mixing.
Do not over bake! They are done as soon as an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
How to Store Apple Muffins
Store these in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 8 seconds.
Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Allow to thaw completely then pop in the microwave for a few seconds to renew the texture.
Recipe
Recipe
Easy Cinnamon Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 cup grated granny smith apple
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375* F.
- Peel and grate granny smith apples. 2 small or 1 large should be enough. Err on the side of more 😉
- Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking powder together in a medium sized bowl. Whisk and set to the side.
- In a different bowl add the milk, eggs and melted butter and whisk. Stir in the grated apple to the liquid mixture.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and mix by folding. Fold using a fork. Start from the bottom and fold up and over the top. Be very careful not to over mix. Over mixing will cause tough, pointy muffins. Folding slowly and carefully will prevent over mixing.
- Pour batter into a lined muffin tin. Bake at 375* F for 18-25 minutes. The muffins will be just starting to turn golden. A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean. Scroll up for a tutorial video on how to make these muffins!
- Enjoy!
Notes
- These store great in an airtight container in the freezer up to 2 months, or on the counter for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for 8-12 seconds.
- These muffins have a low fat content, so tend to stick to the liners more than other recipes. To prevent this, lightly spritz a little cooking spray into the liners before adding the batter.
- Mix the wet ingredients well, make sure the eggs are whisked thoroughly. It's important to do this since they don't get mixed very much once the dry ingredients are added.
- Be super careful not to over mix once you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. It is better for there to be a few specks of flour remaining than for it to be over mixed. If you over mix they will be tough instead of tender.
- Do not over bake. The muffins are done as soon as a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cami says
The texture of these muffins is absolutely perfect
JC says
We love muffins, and wow, these are great! Perfect texture, great flavor. Will be making more soon!
Nathan says
I love anything with apple, so these muffins really hit the right spot. Great when I want something sweet but not too too sweet for breakfast!
Lisa Jo says
Can you use applesauce instead of apples and how much? Thank you
Nicole says
Hi Lisa,
Yes, you can use applesauce instead of grated apples! It will change the texture a bit (more moist but also more dense), but should still be delicious. Add I cup of unsweetened applesauce to the wet ingredients, and use 1/2 cup milk instead of 3/4 cup and reduce the butter to 2 Tablespoons. You may need to add a little bit more flour (but hopefully not)- try to match the texture in the instruction video, but be very careful not to over mix!
andrea says
Wow, these really are super easy to make. Great fall flavors for muffins and they are perfect for an on-the-go breakfast or snack. Love that they're made with grated apple instead of applesauce so they aren't too dense. Will make again.
Holley says
These apple muffins are so moist and delicious! Great texture and taste! Tried the carrot version and we LOVED them. Started making them for snacks for the kids to take to school.
Kerri says
These were apple muffins were a quick, delicious, and easy recipe. My family loved them!
Z says
Soft, delicious, SO easy, and not overly sweet. I love having an easy breakfast that I can grab and go, but muffins always feel like I'm just eating dessert. Not these, though! They're just right for when you're in a hurry in the morning (I made them at night so that they'd be ready in the morning).
Mo says
I tried but omitted the sugar and added a ripened banana. It was ok, but not sweet enough. I’ll try again with more apple and more banana. Overall, good recipe. 👍🏾
Nicole says
Hi Mo, we are so glad you tried our recipe. Sorry it didn't turn out the way your were hoping with the banana.
Sheila Jacklin says
This worked really well. I just made a 3x batch and they're delicious. I changed it a bit by using veg oils, coconut treacle + sugar. I added some flaked almonds on top. Thank you for posting.
Nicole says
Sheila, we're so glad you enjoyed the muffins! Your substitutions sound delicious, we may have to give them a try 🙂
Jeff says
I made these muffins yesterday morning. They came out great. The only issue I had is that the muffin stuck to the bottom of the muffin liner. Any suggestions on how to prevent this? I will be making these muffins again in a couple of weeks.
Nicole says
Hi Jeff! We're so glad you enjoyed these muffins 🙂 This recipe doesn't use much butter/oil, so they do tend to stick to the liners a little bit. If you give the liners a light little spritz of cooking spray before adding the batter, it should prevent any sticking. Thanks for commenting, I'll add the note to the recipe so that others can benefit too.