Healthy Apple Muffins
Amazing, healthy apple muffins made with maple syrup and whole wheat flour! No one will guess that this simple cinnamon apple muffin recipe is healthy, too.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
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
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.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Wow. What a great recipe! Thanks so much for creating a great tasting and beautiful muffin. They are light and fluffy and packed with apple flavor.
I made these today on a very cold and snowy day. They made us very happy.
How could I add oatmeal to these to make even healthier?
You can use ground oats instead of wheat with a 1:1 substitution. It turns out great! I grind my own (in a coffee/spice grinder). Or sometimes I buy oat flour already ground from the supermarket)
These are really good!
My hubby and I are trying to cut out refined sugars so it was nice to find a recipe using maple syrup and the natural sweetness of apples ! Definitely would make again
Delicious! I love them so much amd my husband too. I can’t wait to make them for my friends and family. I made them gluten free and dairy free. I used mixed berry yogurt because that is all I had.
These muffins are delicious! I was searching for a healthier recipe with whole wheat flour and found it here. I’ve made many muffin recipes and weren’t really pleased with the taste. It looks like granny smith apples in the picture – I only had Evercrisp and they turned out great! I added a homemade-crumble topping too. Thanks for this recipe :-)
Hi Kate
If making apple muffins and I don’t have applesauce, what can I substitute?
Cheers
Tania
I also wanted to know so googled it; In baking, applesauce can be substituted with a variety of ingredients, including mashed bananas, pureed fruits like peaches or prunes, and even yogurt or sour cream. Mashed bananas are a popular choice due to their similar texture and moisture content, while fruit purees offer a range of flavors. In some cases, you can also substitute oil or butter with applesauce in a 1:1 ratio. Hope it helps.
This recipe calls for grated apples. Just use the smaller holes on the grater and you get applesauce :)
Thank you!
So good!
I followed this exact recipe to a tee and also made the homemade apple sauce you mentioned in a comment. I had an abundance of apples that I needed to utilise and wow I absolutely love it. Contemplating whether I want to share or just keep to myself haha. Thank you!
Going to look at the other recipes you have to offer on your site the next time I want to tap into my cooking/baking mood.
Hi Rina, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! If you like these muffins, the banana and blueberry muffins are also favorites.
Thank you for sharing your recipe. It looks delicious. I want to make it today, but I only have applesauce. I don’t have apples at home right now.
Is it possible that I can still make it!?
Thank you
Dima – New Zealand
Hi Dima, I recommend it as written.
Husband is looking for a cinnamon muffin recipe (no apples/fruit). How can I modify this recipe?
Hi Nicole, I’d suggest finding a different recipe developed as a cinnamon muffin. The two cups of apples add flavor, moisture, and texture to this recipe.
Honestly so delicious I had to stop myself at 2 plus kids leftover. I added crumb topping on half but it tasted better without it. I had regular cae sugar for the top and that was really good.i also used whole oatmeal 1 cup and whole wheat flour 1 cup.
It’s not uncommon for me to end up eating three of a baked good the day I bake it and then regretting it the next day. My regret this time was not because I felt bad physically after three goodies — three of these wholesome muffins left no such sugar hangover. Instead, it was because they taste even better the next day, so I wish I’d saved more.
I am glad that I made a double batch. These will be great in lunchboxes. The kids love them, and I feel good about feeding them to them.
What’s the difference in taste if I use canola oil instead of extra virgin olive
Oil?
Hi Mary Anne, canola oil has a more neutral flavor than olive oil, which can have different flavor profiles that are fruity and robust or even peppery, depending on factors such as variety of olives it is made from or the region of origin.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! The muffins turned out moist and not too sweet. The only thing I modified was I did a combo of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour (1C whole wheat, 3/4C all purpose). My hubby isn’t big on everything I make being “whole wheat” ( you know how guys can get) so I osometimes do a combo of flours when I bake. Tasted like a bakery muffin!
I made these muffins which were a little time consuming but well worth it. Love the healthy ingredients to the mix.
Has anyone made this as a cake (maybe in a Bundt pan) rather than muffins?