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
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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.
These look amazing! Do you think using red apples would make it too sweet? x
No, I don’t think so!
I used a gala and pink lady apple
Today and they were absolutely delicious!
Nothing like a good muffin recipe to try in the middle of winter. Especially after the record snowstorm we just had in NYC. Am looking forward to joining your muffin club and trying your new Apple muffin recipe!
I’m going to try this over the weekend with a chia egg (1tbsp chia seeds to 3tbsp water) and coconut milk yogurt. Looks fantastic!!
I just noticed the whole wheat flour, I’m also going to try this with oat flour to keep it GF.
I was thinking about making similar substitutions, please let me know how it goes for you!
Did it turn out well?:)
how did the chia seed egg work in this recipe?
thanks :)
I made this in a coffee ring mold and baked at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Wow, this recipe is foolproof! The apple chunks were delicious inside and it has just the right amount of sweetness. Thank you for giving the world this recipe!
What is the best apple to use for this recipe?
Hi Diane, I think any apple will do well in these muffins. I thought my Granny Smith muffins turned out great. Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious would be my next best guesses.
I used 1 granny smith and 1 gala apple. The mix can be nice because they have different tartness.
I am going to make these tonight! I have some Greek yogurt I want to finish off and this recipe looks delicious.
Hope you loved them!
Oh, an apple muffin split and spread with peanut butter sounds like the perfect snack during these winter days. Bravo.
What beautiful photography and my oh my do these look amazing! Nothing like a muffin to cheer you up from January blues…especially if eaten hot from the oven!
Love love love. Thanks for sharing, girl.
xx lacoconoire.com
These look delicious! I love making muffins with whole wheat flour.
This is a fun way to use apples!
Can you recommend a replacement for Greek Yogurt so as to make the recipe non-dairy?
Never mind! I kept reading and saw your recommendation!!!!!
coconut milk yogurt.
Oh these muffins look really good. I love baked apple so much.
Oh my goodness I love everything apples! I’m a honey crisp fan- so I’m going to try! Thanks!! :)
Kate, this is fabulous! I think I’ve made most of your muffins at this point, but this may be my fave. So, I had the itch to make this, but only one apple in the house… so we subbed in firm bartlett pears! And I think I spilled in a little to much applesauce, but I just baked it for 15-18 mins and all was well! Thanks.
Thank you, Mik! Glad yours turned out well!
Kate, these look delightful! I just made another batch of my lemon poppyseed muffins, but after those are gone I’m making this recipe! :D
Yay, hope you love these even more!
Chopped and shredded apples?
You are NOT playing around. That’s really smart!
My favorite muffin recipe yet! My batch was a little on the moist side so I ended up baking about 18 minutes but they were well worth the extra wait. The kids loved them too! Thanks ❤️
Thank you, Dani! Glad yours turned out well!
LOVE how much apple is actually in these babies!
I love apples and this looks so moist and delicious. I like that you used grated and diced apples in the recipe.
Thanks
Oooh these sound and look so tasty!
This recipe sound wonderful! Is the coconut oil 1/3 cup solid that you melt or does it measure 1/3 cup after it’s melted?
I made it with 1/3 cup solid, and they turned out divine!
Hi Char! It’s melted and then measured.
Thanks a bunch!
Mmm.. love apple muffins! These sound delicious, and I love that they’re healthy but don’t look gummy or dry! Awesome.
These look delicious. I’m eight months pregnant and looking for snacks to bake and freeze for my maternity leave — this is yet another recipe from your blog that I will bookmark!
Congrats, Lauren! Hope you enjoy these muffins over the next few months.
I just discovered your blog and love it. Awesome pictures and great recipes. I’ve scrolled through some pages and would like to try every single recipe I just read. Can’t wait to read (and try) all other recipes.
Thank you for saying hi, Ingrid! I’m so glad you found my blog. Hope you enjoy the recipes at home!
Hi Kate!
These look delicious, and I can’t wait to try! Do you think the consistency would change too much if I use all shredded apples (instead of diced)?
Thanks so much!
Hey Caroline! I don’t think the texture would change too much, although I haven’t tried. I like the diced apples because they lend some extra texture to the muffins.
I need to grab some Greek yogurt, because I have a muffin-loving toddler and a couple of apples that are maybe just a little too old to eat out of hand. Looks great!
Apple muffins are the best–and a healthy one is always the way to go!
Hi Kate,
Those muffins looks yummy, can i replace the whole wheat flour with spelt flour?
Hi Maya, I think so! I just haven’t tried myself to confirm. Please let me know if you try it.
I made the muffins today , replacing the whole wheat flour with whole spelt flour and they came out delicious
Oh my do these look good! Apple and cinnamon in a winner! Every. Single. Time. Just so, so yum! :D
I just made these and they were a big hit! I can’t leave well enough alone so I added a few dried cranberries and pecans to the mix. Thanks Kate!
Thank you, April! Your version sounds awesome.
These are fabulous!!! Thank you for the recipe and inspiration to make muffins. I used two pink ladies and didn’t have the energy to grate them, so they are diced. I intended to post a pic on Instagram, but my husband ate them all and now there’s just a plate with no muffins on it…perhaps that’s encouragement enough to make them?
Thank you, Wendy! So glad you enjoyed the muffins. I hope you’ll make them again soon! :)
These are to die for! I love all your muffins, and I have to say that these are my favorite!! Even my husband, who isn’t typically a big fan of baked goods, really enjoyed them.
Thank you, Emily! Delighted to hear it!
We loved these muffins! Used red delicious apples. I think this is my favorite muffin recipe from you, thanks!
Hooray! Thank you, Rose. Glad to hear they turned out well with red apples.
Kate, as usual your recipes come through on a snowy day. I did not have any greek yogurt on hand, but I did have a single serving strawberry soy yogurt. I used it and it came out great! I think it added a little tart sweetness to it! Thank you for the variations to your muffins!
Thank you, Kecia! I’m glad that strawberry yogurt did the trick!
Yes! Everything about this recipe was perfect. These muffins completed my weekend. :) Delicious with sunflower butter as a mid-morning or afternoon snack.
Hooray! Thank you, Jen. :)
These are fabulous! I used one Pink Lady and one Gala as that is what I had and they turned out great.
Hats off to you, Kate. These looks Amazingly rich and delicious! T M
Hello Kate….love love your recipes! Do you happen to have anywhere on your site the nutritional value for your recipes? Or maybe I can’t see it in the recipe area. Thanks!
Made these today. SO good! My kids loved them too, I probably should have made a double batch. FYI I used honey and baked for ~30 minutes.
Kate, all your recipes are great. I just wish you could include Nutrition information in every recipe, like calories, fat, sugars, etc.
Made these on Sunday…they were great…super moist and eaten up almost instantly! I used unbleached whole wheat flour and maple syrup (you really couldn’t tell the difference between these and a less-healthy muffin). We ended up putting the apples (one granny smith and one fuji) in our salsa master device to save time (like a manual food processor), so all of the apple bits were the same size, but they were still delish.
My toddler and I made these yesterday and we are IN LOVE with them. Not only were they super fun and easy to put together, but they turned out delicious. My little one is a huge fruit fan, so getting protein down her can be a challenge and she loves these. I’m looking forward to making the carrot and zucchini versions!
Our batch was gone in less than 24 hours! Really good, moist texture and I loved the diced apple bits in there!
I usually fold in dark chocolate into the mixture because my kids love apple muffins with chocolate.
I made these as an after school/work snack for both the girls and me. They even worked as a morning bribe to get them out of bed on a cold morning for school! I ended up using a maple regular yogurt since I forgot I was out of Greek. It ended up the max time on the lower temp for using honey for me, but I’m blaming my old oven for that. I’m planning on trying it with the apple and pear next like another commenter mentioned earlier.
One silly question though: should you wring out the shredded apples before or not? I noticed that my shredded apples leaked with the juice in a bowl below before I added them to the flour blend and didn’t add the liquid when I made them. They came out very moist without it, but am still curious.
I’ve made these twice now, and they’re great! I froze a few the first time, and they didn’t last long in the freezer – too yummy. Maybe I will have more self-control with today’s batch. :)
Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Kate,
I made these GF with a blend of brown and white rice flour, oat flour and Teff flour. I let them sit for 30 minutes before I scopped them into the muffin tins. They were super moist and a great fluffy texture. I just love that great cinnamon flavor, these are really good! Thanks for another great recipe!
Maggie
Hi, what camera and lens are you using? And what settings?
This recipe looks amazing ! I love anything baked with bananas or apples in it ! Can’t wait to try this and I love the pictures.
themisslubna.blogspot.ca
I made these tonight. It’s a cool night in Florida and these are perfect! Great texture! Awesome recipe! We also loved your oatmeal pumpkin waffles! Keep cranking out recipes…you have a new fan in Florida!
I made these muffins tonight. They are delicious! The kids are going to be happy to find these in their lunch bag. I love all the apple and they are so moist.