Busy mornings have never tasted sweeter than with the warm spices and tender bite of this Apple Vanilla Muffins Recipe. These muffins pack a ton of warm and cozy flavor while not only being grain-free but also refined sugar-free. Your family will love them and you’ll love how nourishing they are.
As magical as this time of year is, it's also a busy time. It’s nice being able to have grab-and-go items packed full of nutrients without compromising flavor. These apple muffins are special enough to serve up for a holiday morning while also being easy enough to make and have on hand during the week. Serve it up with a strawberry mango protein smoothie or raspberry chia seed yogurt for an extra boost of protein.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy Process - Making homemade apple muffins from scratch has never been easier. You don’t even need to pull out the mixer. This is a great recipe to get the kids into the kitchen and get them involved in baking.
- Texture - These are tender and moist, yet pack crave-worthy crunch from nuts. You aren’t sacrificing any texture with this grain-free muffin recipe.
- Make Ahead - Looking for something that you can use for morning meal prep or even an afternoon treat to serve with tea? These apple muffins are it. They store well and can be enjoyed for several days.
Ingredients
- Avocado oil
- Eggs
- Maple syrup - In addition to adding natural sweetness to these muffins, maple sugar also adds moisture.
- Vanilla extract - Use a high-quality vanilla such as Singing Dog Vanilla for the most pronounced flavor.
- Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour - In addition to being naturally gluten-free, this flour is also low in carbs. Bob’s Red Mill almond flour is made from blanched California almonds and ground to a fine mill. It gives these muffins a nutty flavor and incredible texture.
- Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour - In addition to being gluten-free coconut flour is also keto and paleo-friendly. Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour is also organic.
- Baking powder/baking soda
- Coconut sugar - In addition to making these refined sugar-free, coconut sugar is also lower on the glycemic index than traditional white sugar.
- Apple cinnamon seasoning - This adds warmth to every bite of the muffins with a single spice.
- Gala apple - In addition to adding natural sweetness, gala apples also hold up well to baking and keep their texture. Don’t forget a few slices to top off each muffin!
- Crushed nuts - Both crushed walnuts and crushed pecans work well in this recipe. Use what you like and what you have on hand. They add crunch and also a little additional protein.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with nine cupcake liners and set aside.
- Next add all of your dry ingredients to a medium sized bowl. Give them a whisk to combine and set aside.
- Add all of the wet ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to completely combine.
- Carefully pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Next use a spatula to gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Once combined fold the apples into the muffin batter.
- Using a 2” scoop, portion out the batter into the prepared muffin pan.
- Next top each much with three apple shreds and crushed nuts.
- Bake the muffins for 20-24 minutes until the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool for ten minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups/spoons
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Muffin pan
- Cupcake liners
- 2” scoop
- Mandoline
- Cooling rack
Storage
- Once the muffins have cooled, keep these grain-free apple muffins stored in an airtight container. They will last up to five days.
- If you keep these stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator they will last up to a week.
Top Tips
- Make sure that all of your ingredients including the eggs are at room temperature before mixing together the batter. This will allow everything to mix smoothly without over-mixing.
- Use a mandoline to shave your apples. This will give uniform pieces. Just be careful and use the guard or a slicing glove.
- Using a cookie scoop makes it easy to portion out equal amounts of batter. This will ensure the muffins bake evenly.
- Because almond flour is made from nuts, it’s best to keep it stored in the refrigerator or freezer so it doesn’t go rancid.
- Coconut flour is a great addition to gluten-free baking. When using coconut flour you’ll notice that the recipes will call for more eggs than usual. This is because coconut flour absorbs much more liquid than wheat-based flour and other gluten-free flour.
FAQ
Can Grain Free Apple Muffins be made in a loaf pan?
Yes. This same recipe can be made in a loaf pan, or in a mini muffin tin. You will just have to adjust the baking time.
What does refined sugar-free mean?
Refined sugar-free means an item was sweetened with natural sweeteners and sugars that were minimally processed.
More Christmas Desserts you can enjoy
- Gluten-Free American Brownie Cheesecake
- White Chocolate Dream Cake Recipe
- Christmas Celebration Cookies
- Christmas White Chocolate Oreos
- Christmas Spice Pumpkin Cake
- Gluten-Free Spiced Cake
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📖 Recipe
Apple Vanilla Muffins Recipe
Equipment
- 2" scoop
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon avocado oil
- 3 eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups Almond Flour Bob’s Red Mill
- 1 teaspoon coconut flour Bob’s Red Mill
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 tablespoon coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon apple cinnamon seasoning
- 1 gala apple thin (I like to use a mandolin)
- Additional apple shavings for the top
- Crushed walnuts or pecans for the top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ℉.
- Line a muffin pan with 9 cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, add all dry ingredients and whisk together. Set aside.
- In large bowl, add all wet ingredients.
- Using a whisk, mix these ingredients until fully combined.
- Gently pour your dry ingredients into the wet.
- Using a rubber spatula mix until fully combined.
- Fold in apple shreds. Using a 2 inch cookie scoop, scoop the batter into liners.
- Top each muffin with 3 apple shreds and crushed pecans or crushed walnuts for added flavor and texture.
- Bake muffins in the oven for 20-24 minutes until the tops are slightly brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow muffins to cool for 10 minutes, then place the 9 muffins onto a baking rack to finish cooking.
Notes
- Make sure that all of your ingredients including the eggs are at room temperature before mixing together the batter. This will allow everything to mix smoothly without over-mixing.
- Use a mandoline to shave your apples. This will give uniform pieces. Just be careful and use the guard or a slicing glove.
- Using a cookie scoop makes it easy to portion out equal amounts of batter. This will ensure the muffins bake evenly.
- Because almond flour is made from nuts, it’s best to keep it stored in the refrigerator or freezer so it doesn’t go rancid.
- Coconut flour is a great addition to gluten-free baking. When using coconut flour you’ll notice that the recipes will call for more eggs than usual. This is because coconut flour absorbs much more liquid than wheat-based flour and other gluten-free flour.
Marina Shalneva says
This recipe is delicious, and I love the crunch added by the walnuts. Thank you for sharing!
NKendrick says
Thank you, so happy you enjoyed it!
Lay Boynton says
Regarding the apple nut muffins. I didn’t see the nutritional information listed. My concern is fiber grams and sugar, as I have gastrointestinal issues. Thank you
NKendrick says
Hi, the nutrition info is located at the bottom of the site underneath the directions. Please keep in mind that Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation. The owner of the site is not responsible for nutrition fact and is to be used as an estimation. The best way to get accurate nutrition facts is to plug your particular brands into a nutrition calculator that you trust.
Krystle says
Apple and vanilla is such a yummy combo. This recipe is perfect for grab on go during the school year.
Liz says
These apple muffins are fantastic!!! I've been eating them for breakfast, then having another in the afternoon for a snack. They're addictive.
Anonymous says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Emily says
These muffins were so good with a cup of tea! The spice complements the apple perfectly!
Juyali says
I brought these to a brunch I was invited to. Everyone loved them. They were soft and so comforting! Delish. Thanks for the great recipe. 🙂
Swathi says
Apple vanilla muffins is delicous and juicy love it, I tried those with my favorite cardamom tea. Great recipe.