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
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 13 mins
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
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.
If you love this recipe: You will also love my zucchini muffins, carrot muffins and banana muffins! Here are more apple recipes for you, too.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Lorena
I just wanted to double check the baking temp. It is in fact 425? I have never made muffins on this high of a temperature before.
Thanks!
Kate
Hi Lorena, the temperature is correct.
Maddy Cote
Hi Kathryne,
I never leave comments but your recipe has made me!
We thought our homemade muffin recipe was the best until I came across your Healthy Apple Muffins Recipe. Best Muffins ever!
I did make 2 changes: replaced the Greek yogurt and doubled the apple sauce. Then I caramelized several old apples with maple syrup, butter and about 5 tablespoons of cinnamon. Wowsa big flavour! Cheers
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you finally did, Maddy! I appreciate you sharing your feedback.
Jacquelyn
Lovely, delicious apple muffin recipe! Also, a very forgiving recipe as I made a blunder by adding melted coconut oil to the dry ingredients instead of mixing it separately with the wet. Yikes! But, in the end, they were as delicious as the first time I made them (without the blunder)!
★★★★★
Lori Raphael
Another great recipe, thank you. I used vanilla yogurt since that was what I had, omitted vanilla. Next time I think I will add walnuts and chia seeds and call them breakfast.
★★★★★
Roop
These are delicious! I just had 2 fresh out of the oven…loll only changes I made were lessening the maple syrup to 1/3c since I was using gala apples. Also used unsweetened/no sugar added applesauce.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great, Roop! Thank you for sharing.
Kurt Gundersen
I only have one apple so may add a little more apple sauce? Am also going to make bread so I think I’ll try your banana bread instructions in terms of baking. Will let you know how it goes!
Kate
Hi! Changing the ingredient list will impact your results. More applesauce won’t likely get you the same result.
Becca Woodward
Has anyone made these in cake form? They are my favorite muffins ever and I am interested in making them in a loaf pan instead. Looking for help with cook temperature and time…
★★★★★
Kay
Hi Becca,
I made them in cake form – I just baked at the same temperature for ~30 minutes, checked for done-ness (with a fork in the middle), and kept baking in 5 min increments.
Cara
I love your recipes so very much. Thank you for sharing them all!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Cara! Thank you for your review.
Anya Dimaculangan
Your muffin recipes are the ABSOLUTE BEST. I follow them to a T. The pumpkin one is my family’s favourite and I bring it to all my friends houses and they love it. Thank you!!
★★★★★
JIseman
Just made these for my little one, added shredded carrots to the batter and omg. Amazing!! So moist and flavorful! I ended up eating a few right from the oven. Yum!
★★★★★
Samantha Villota
Im planning on trying these for my littles! May I ask how many shredded carrots you added in???
Debbie
I would like to make these muffins tomorrow. Do I need to use Granny Smith apples, or a sweeter one?
Kate
Hi! You can use the apple you prefer. That will work just fine.
Soah Franklin
Even with all of my probably ill-advised modifications, this came out so so good. Thank you for another amazing recipe!
★★★★★
Kinga
I would like to use monk fruit as the sweetener instead of honey/maple syrup, do I need to add more liquid in another format to do so?
Kate
Hi Kinga, I’m not familiar with it. I believe its a dry sugar and you need a wet one here. Sorry!
christine
I think 425 degrees was too hot. The bottoms of my muffins were very dark, almost too dark to enjoy after just 12.5 minutes
★★★
Kate
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. Does your oven seem to run hot? How did you have your oven racks placed?
Christine Waanders
I just made them today at 425 and they came out perfect. I have an electric oven–if that makes a difference.
★★★★★
Julia Campana
Wondering if anyone has made these without applesauce? I know it will change my results but wonder if they still taste good! Thanks
Kate
Hi Julia! To guarantee these results, you really need the applesauce. They may not turnout since baking is so precise.
Rose Wise
These muffins are really delicious! Best apple muffins I ever made! I used 1/3 cup of maple syrup and unsweetened applesauce. We loved them!
If I want to use organic all purpose white flour – do I still use the same amount of flour?
Thank you!
Rose
Kate
Hi! It should work with the same ratio.
Rose
These muffins are delicious! Best apple muffins I ever made!
If I want to use organic all purpose white flour, do I use the same amount as the recipe says?
Thank you
Rose
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love them! Typically AP flour amounts are the same, but types can vary. Let me know how it turns out!
Tati
Deliiiciooous!
★★★★★
Danielle
Hi Kate,
Just discovered your muffin recipes recently. Thanks, they are delicious!
I am American now living in London for years. When I first moved here I was frustrated by how many recipes called for things in weight (mostly metric which was even more confusing). Also, the British cup is slightly more than an American cup by 10ml which is not a huge amount but for baking can make a difference. I now, however, have a small kitchen scale (grams, ounces, kg, lbs) and I’m a complete convert ESPECIALLY with baking. You don’t have to worry about stirring flour or doing anything special to get the correct amount if you know the weight as volume has no effect. If you do happen to try it out, it would be great to have weights of ingredients in your recipes. If not, I’m still happy that you share your recipes as I can convert myself. :)
★★★★★
Ruth
Hi. Yay! liquid sugar:) I’d love to make these but can’t do the buttermilk or yogurt. Would apple cider or oat milk work? Thanks!!!
Also I’m adding in protein powder. I’m assuming it’s ok to do a straight switch with the flour?
Kate
Hi! See the vegan recommendations for milk. I haven’t tried protein powder myself so I’m not sure.
Anil Agarwal
Used this recipe with slight modifications with excellent results: added half a cup of oats, no honey or maple syrup was used , used only 1 tablespoon of olive oil, used one and a half cups of homemade applesauce and added one cup of walnuts and raisins. Healthy and no sugar. Thanks.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Anil! I appreciate your review.
Ambika
Hi! Is the nutritional value based on coconut oil? Do you know what it would be if I used olive oil instead?
Kate
Hi! It’s based on the first ingredient listed if there is an or in the ingredient. I don’t have the other value. Sorry! You can always input your specific ingredients into a nutrition calculator if you like.
Whitney Morrison
Amaaazzziing!!! New to the site and what a great first recipe to land on! Shredded 2 gala apples and squeezed lots of juice out! Didn’t have plain Greek yogurt so added a dollop of sour cream. So tasty!! Can’t wait to make again and try more! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Kate
Welcome, Whitney! I do love muffins, so this one is a great one to start with. Thanks for your revewi!
Lav
Hi!
I’ve made this recipe before (followed it exactly) and these muffins were great! Just a quick question, would using 2 or 3% regular yoghurt work out ok? The Greek yoghurt is the only ingredient I don’t usually have on hand.
Thanks!
Kate
Hi Lav, I didn’t have great results as it tends to react differently. What did you decide to do?
Lav
I ended up just getting the Greek yoghurt – turns out my family will eat it if it’s in the fridge!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Lav! Thank you for your review.
Lyndz
These muffins are ridiculously delicious! They are our new favourite!
★★★★★
Christy
Hi Kate,
Can I use Almond flour? If I can is the measurement the same?
Thank you
Kate
Hi Christy, Almond flour doesn’t make a good sub as too much would need to be adjusted if it does work. Oat flour would work well!
Lakshmi
These came out delicious. I might add some nuts next time for some extra texture. It’s definitely loaded with apples and the turbinado sugar on top provides a nice crunch sweetness. Love it!
★★★★★
Esther A
Made these today – they just came out of the oven! Looks and smells amazing :-)
★★★★★
María
I tried this recipe today. They were a hit, moist and delicious. I substituted apple sauce for mashed ripped banana and used bourbon maple syrup. The baking time was a bit longer around 22 minutes. Thank you for sharing, I will make them again.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad they worked with just a little more baking time. Thank you for your review, María!
Carol Mason
Made these with whole wheat spelt. They were amazing. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad they worked with spelt, Carol. I appreciate your review!
Dorene
Great apple muffin recipe .. using 1/2 amount of honey since I used Greek yogurt with honey, used 2 cups of apples diced in small pieces only, and tossed in some chopped up walnuts and a few raisins baking at 425 — turned out beautifully! Tasted even better the next day after warming lightly in the microwave oven. Will be making another batch!
Rachel
I LOVE THESE MUFFINS! My inconsistently picky toddler loves them, too! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing.
I have two questions:
1. Can I freeze the batter in muffin cups ahead of time, to bake at a later date?
2. What is the measurement of flour in grams? (I always spoon the flour into the measuring cup, like you say, but I don’t always get the same result, so I think I’m bad at it LOL)
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad your toddler loves them, Rachel! Yes, these freeze well. I don’t have metric conversions, sorry! I know others have used an online converter
Sophia Ahmed
Hello!
Can I use plain low-fat (non-Greek) yogurt? Trying to use what’s in my fridge! :)
Kate
Greek yogurt works best, sorry!
Kathy
We absolutely love this recipe – thank you for making it!
★★★★★
MM
Do you think these would work in a mini muffin form? If so, should I adjust the time and temperature? Thank you!
Kate
Hi! Yes, just reduce the time to half and keep an eye on them. Enjoy!
Ana Garza
Overall a good recipe, but I have comments on possible improvements that worked for me. I always lower the temperature to 400 or 375 and cook for 20+ minutes, sometimes 30. These muffins are wet and the batter is heavy, so the edges brown too much before the center is done if cooked at 425 (I never bake muffins that high). I have a convection/fan oven though so the lower temperature makes sense for me. I also make 18 muffins instead of 12 muffins – the batter is too wet/moist to make big muffins. The recipe’s flavor is good by itself but adding 1 Tbs. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg makes a huge improvement to the flavor. I have the same issue with wet/dense batter for the author’s whole wheat carrot muffins, as did other commenters. My toddler loves them and my husband likes them, but prefers the carrot muffins.
★★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t find this recipe worked well for you as written. Unfortunately, there can be variability in oven temperatures. I’m glad you have found something that works for you.
Marina
Hello! Your muffins are amazing! My daughter made this ones with but of help and also Spelt wholegrain flour and… just delicious! Thanks
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Marina! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Annie
Hi! I want to try these as mini muffins. Any recommendations for temp and time?
Kate
Hi Annie! No need to change the temperature. Just reduce the time to half and keep an eye on them.
barb
please put the recipie at the top i would choose to go some where that does put it at the top as i know how to cook and bake i do not need 3 pages of instructions to make these i just need the recipe and i am on satellite internet witch is very costly i sure do not want to waste my data with full instructions (that i do not need) nor do i wish to scroll through and have to wait and wait and wait for my slow internet to download (no offence) all the bla bla bla that i do not need great recipe when i finally got to see it
★★★★
Kate
Hi Barb, thank you for your feedback. Based on feedback over the years, the layout has been the most ideal. However, you can use the jump to recipe at the top of the page to get there quicker than scrolling to the bottom. I hope this helps!
Emma Jarvie
Had a load of red apples hone too far to eat so found this recipe great. Used all the apples as made the apple sauce for it. I accidentally used a cup of apple sauce so left out higher and they worked really well. Will now be our go to fruit muffin! Baked on 210C for about 20 to 25 mins rather than higher temp.
★★★★★
Mel
Yum! These are absolutely delicious! I made these with 1c almond flour and 3/4c of oats! So so so good! And they smelt amazing while baking! All the muffins I have made from you have been a huge hit in our house! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you liked them, Mel! Thank you for your review.
Dani
These muffins are DELICIOUS but beware that they’re more calories than the nutrition facts state. I input all the ingredients into my macro/recipe calculator and it ends up being 318 calories per muffin not 192. (I used Honey rather than Maple syrup but that shouldn’t be too big of a difference…)
The calorie difference is a big deal when you’re counting macros and you scarfed down 3 muffins in 2 minutes – half of my calories for the day without much to show for it, ack! (But they are so good!)
★★★★★
Lissa
I made these today and they are SO good! I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup of oat flour and they turned out so moist and delicious. The oat flour was a great substitute as you can really taste the oatmeal flavour. What a great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Lissa!
Cara
I love these muffins and make them all the time. Now I have an abundance of rhubarb and wondering if I could use this same recipe but substitute the apples for rhubarb?
Kate
Hi Cara, sorry I don’t know if a 1:1 replacement will work here as moisture level can vary.
Liza
Hi Kate, do you think i could use a vegan yogurt, like almond and cashew based yogurt in this recipe?
Thanks in advance!
Kate
See my vegan notes in the section below the recipe!