These super moist gluten-free apple muffins have the most amazing texture and are super simple to make! Grain-free and gluten-free.
If you’ve ever tried grain-free recipes before, you’ve probably run into some funky textured baked goods. But these?! These apple muffins are nice and moist but not at all getting into soggy territory. They’re just perfect. They’re like little grain-free miracles.
At first I tried baking these as donuts. The instructions for the apple muffins say to bake at a high temperature first and then lower it. I wasn’t sure if I should do that when making the donuts, but I went with it anyway. That did not work. So if you feel adventurous and want to make these as apple donuts, make sure to bake them at 350°F the entire time! Even though they stuck, they were the best grain-free donuts I’ve ever had.
I found this recipe while browsing FoodGawker. This apple muffin recipe comes from Cooking ala Mel. Mel used almond meal in her muffins, which you can find at Trader Joe’s and is a lot cheaper than almond flour. Almond flour and almond meal are the same price over here (only about $4 / pound!) so I used almond flour, which is made up of blanched almonds (unlike almond meal) and is finer ground than almond meal.
I got 14 muffins out of this recipe but Mel got 12. I guess I didn’t fill mine as full as I could have, but I was happy with the result! Also, if you prefer a mostly Stevia sweetened version, check out the original recipe.
I’m not a big fan of grain-free streusel in general and I think I would have preferred these without the topping but the recipe is there, just in case you want to try. The muffin batter and streusel just seemed to blend together, so it didn’t seem worth the effort. Next time, I’ll just toss some nuts on top.
If you ever bake grain-free, you have to try these muffins! And by the way, they don’t taste their best on the first day. They taste good, but not nearly as good as on the second day. It’s kind of odd but I often find this is often true of grain-free goodies!
Apple Muffins (grain-free, gluten-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 14 muffins
Ingredients
- 200 grams (~2 cups) almond flour or almond meal
- 1/4 cup (28 grams) coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (make sure to use grain-free baking powder, if necessary)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups (170 grams) peeled and diced apples
- 1/4 cup (25 grams) almond flour
- 1 teaspoon coconut flour
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) coconut oil, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup (36 grams) chopped pecans or walnuts (about ¼" in size)
Muffins:
Streusel:
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C). Line 14 muffin cups with muffin liners.
- First, prepare the streusel topping by mixing everything together, except for the pecans, in a small bowl. Add the pecans and stir until well combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the dry muffins ingredients (almond flour through nutmeg).
- In a large bowl, mix together the wet muffins ingredients (eggs through Greek yogurt).
- Add the dry mix to the wet and stir just until combined! Do not over mix. Fold in the apples.
- Pour 1/3 cup of batter into each muffin cup. Sprinkle the streusel on top.
- Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and for another 8 - 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. My smaller muffins only needed 8 minutes but larger muffins may need up to 15.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
- These are super moist and need to be kept refrigerated in an airtight container after the first 24 hours.
Adapted from Apple Streusel Mufffins (Gluten-free) – Cooking ala Mel
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164 comments on “Grain-free Apple Muffins” — Add one!
14 comments are awaiting moderation!
Question, could an egg substitute be used in this recipe?
I’ve tried it with chia eggs and wasn’t successful. It was soggy. :( Sorry about that!
The BEST gluten free muffin I have ever baked!!! Saving this recipe. The whole family loved it!!!! Thank you so much!!!
Wow, awesome! I’m thrilled to hear that! Thanks so much for your feedback. :)
They are SO GOOD
Happy to hear that! Thanks. :)
I use parchment paper cupcake liners and have no issues with the muffins sticking to them. There is no need to spray the liners.
Thanks for the tip! I’ve been meaning to try that kind.
Could I use Monk fruit “sugar” instead of the maple syrup?
I’m sorry but I haven’t tried it (I don’t react well to monk fruit sugar) so I’m not sure. I would generally recommend you use a liquid sweetener in place of maple syrup.
These were very good and so moist. I substituted sour cream for yogurt and unsweetened applesauce for chopped apples. Even with these substitutions I was very happy with these gluten-free muffins! I will definitely be making these again and again!
So happy that you’ll be making them again! And it’s great to know that sour cream works well. :) Thanks for your comment!
I am looking for a good apple cake recipe that is gluten free. Is this recipe okay to cook in cake pans and does it make enough batter to do two 9” round pans? Thanks.
I’ve never tried it so I really can’t say. Grain-free recipes are much trickier when it comes to converting muffin recipes to cake pans. Sorry about that! I think it’d yield two thin 9″ round layers but since I haven’t tried it, it’s just a guess.
I am also dairy free. Is there anything I can substitute for the yogurt.
Some of the commenters have used coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut milk yogurt.
These came out great! I used a gluten free baking mix instead of the coconut flour since that’s what I had on hand and noticed another commenter did that. Worked well! I was happy to be able to share these with a gluten intolerant coworker who is usually left out when it comes to sweets around the office. Looking forward to making more of these and freezing them for easy breakfasts/snacks.
That’s so nice that you made something your coworker could enjoy, too! I hope they enjoyed the muffins, too. :) And great that the GF baking mix worked! Thanks for your comment.
Good recipe with perfect texture. I successfully replaced the yogurt with some homemade applesauce for my dairy intolerant daughter and they came out great. I also cut the honey down substantially, used more like 3 – 3 1/2 tablespoons.
Wow! That’s great that you were able to reduce the honey so much and replace the yogurt. Thanks for the tip!
These are amazing muffins. Tastes like a coffee cake, just minister. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
You’re welcome! And thanks for your comment. :)
These are Phenomenal! I rarely leave comments, but I am very excited about finding this recipe. I have been baking gluten free and dairy free for several years now and always testing new recipes. These are my new favorites, thank you! Instead of the half cup plain greek yogurt I used a 5.3oz cup of plain almondmilk yogurt. Also, used about 2 cups apples and 2t cinnamon instead of 4. Streusel brought me back to my childhood. (I might double the streusel next time :) Thank you!!
I’m so happy to hear that you have a new favorite! It’s great to know that almond milk yogurt works well. :) Thanks for the tip and your comment!
These are seriously delicious!!! My 4 and 2 year olds love them too!!!
Yay! So happy that your kids loved them! Thanks for letting me know. :)
Really yum but I used 1/3 cup honey and was really sweet enough, 2/3 would have been much too much! Any idea of carb level? Great was recipe and they’re really filling….perfect snack!
I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :) And I’m happy 1/3 cup was enough honey for you! For me, 2/3 cup is just right. Guess I have a sweet tooth. ;) Thanks for your comment!
Can I freeze the muffins?
I don’t think I’ve tried it but I believe that’d be fine.
I made them for breakfast this morning. They were so yummy!! I added 2 tbs coconut oil in the wet mix, used 1&1/2 almond flour and 1/2 gluten free mix flour. Also added 2 tbs coconut flakes and 1 tbs raw sugar in the streusel for extra texture. Thank you for sharing your recipe. It is going to be our regular weekend breakfast menu! 💜
You were adventurous with your changes. ;) I’m so happy that they worked out well! Thanks a bunch for the tips and for your comment. :)
So yummy!! I sub coconut milk for the yogurt and it works great!
That’s great to know that coconut milk works well! Thanks for the tip and your comment. :)
I’ve had my eye on making these for a few weeks now, but was waiting for the right motivation, which came today! I subbed Xylitol for the honey (I prefer to keep blood glucose levels low) and they turned out great! My whole family loved them! Thanks so much for sharing; I’ll definitely make these again!
It’s great to know that they come out well with Xylitol! How much did you use? Thanks a bunch for your comment! I’m happy to hear you’ll be making them again. :)
I know honey is sweeter than sugar, and since Xylitol has a 1:1 ratio for sugar, I used the 2/3 called for plus a partial fill up of the same 1/3 measuring cup. I know this isn’t precise and I really am not certain how much I used. Less than an entire cup, but a little more than 2/3. I’d say it was at least 2/3c plus 2 TB.
That helps! I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks for your reply. :)
Do you happen to have the nutritional breakdown of the recipe? I could always calculate it myself but thought I’d ask in case you already had. These really were perfect!! I did half honey, half maple syrup and they were still 10/10! I chopped up almonds for the struesel instead and they were a great alternative!
Hi there! I don’t already have it. I’m happy you enjoyed them and that they worked out well with half honey and half maple. :) Great idea to use chopped almonds instead of the streusel! Thanks for your comment.
I love the taste but they didn’t grow at all. Is it then necessary to add backing powder and soda?
Only the last batch grew. Is it because the baking powder and soda needed time to react with the dough before being in the oven?
No, that shouldn’t be it. Could it be that the oven wasn’t heated to the right temperature before you put in the first batch? None of the other reviewers have mentioned them not rising so I’m not sure what the problem could be! I don’t recommend adding in more baking powder and soda. Just check the oven temperature is correct with an oven thermometer. :)
Baking powder may have been old. I have had that happen and had to get new BP.
Good thinking! Thanks for your comment. :)
Love this recipe!
So happy that you like them! :) Thanks for your comment.
Can u use GF flour mixture with this recipie?
You can only use GF all-purpose or 1 to 1 mixes in place of wheat-based recipes. I have a great whole wheat cinnamon apple muffin recipe where you can likely use your mix without issue. :)
I want to make these today, but don’t have any coconut flour and not sure they carry it in the stores here. What can be substituted? It doesn’t need to be gluten-free. Thanks.
There’s no sub for coconut flour but if you don’t need them to be gluten-free, my whole grain cinnamon apple muffins are just as delicious and don’t require any unusual ingredients. :)
Thanks so much for your quick reply and the link to your whole grain version. They sound fantastic and I will definitely be making them very soon.
No problem! Hope you’ll like them. They’re one of my favorites. :)
Would goat Milk yogurt work? 😉
I don’t see why not! Enjoy. :)
Just made this puppies tonight after going apple picking this past weekend. YUM! SO good. I followed the recipe exactly, except I changed the nuts in the streusel to dried cranberries so that my kiddos can take them to school. I baked them in paper cupcake liners and they don’t come out very clean, but who cares! I’ll be making these again, for sure :)
I love your dried cranberry sub! Sounds delicious. :) That is kind of annoying about the wrappers. You can see in my pictures that they stuck to mine, too. I suppose one could brush some melted coconut oil on the liners, but I’m too lazy for that. ;) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Regan, just curious…. You said you changed the nuts to cranberries so that your kids could take them to school…. Is this because the school has a nut free policy? Since the recipe uses almond flour, clearly these muffins aren’t nut free! Your comment just drew my attention because I have two kids with life-threatening nut allergies.
Our school only bans peanuts at this time :)
Nuts allergies can be improved if you tried nathuropatic medicine. Because nuts are so good for kids better than milk or flour that produce more diseases.
I just wanted to add what I did for all the dairy free folks :). I took 1/2 cup of Trader Joe’s coconut cream (or you can use the separated cream from a can of full fat coconut milk), and mixed it with about 1/2 t of apple cider vinegar and let it sit a few minutes- it curdled up really quickly and gave that “yogurt tang”. Using the cream didn’t seem to throw off the liquid ratios at all (vs using yogurt). Also – WTTW, use cupcake liners! I sprayed my pan with coconut oil cooking spray (a new purchase for me, normally I use Pam lol) and these babies stuck really badly! They’re still delicious, just messy :) Overall, GREAT recipe! Now to de-egg and de-corn it for my littlest one ;)
Wow! Thanks so much for your comment. I’ve been wondering how I could make these dairy-free! That’s such an awesome tip. And I gave up on baking sprays long ago. Pam was the only one that worked for me and it’s just something I don’t really want to use. ;) Good luck with de-egging it! Thanks again for your great comment.
Thank you so much!! I made these today using your suggestion, and rave reviews were given all around.
That’s great! I’m happy they came out well. :) Thanks for your comment!
You can try to de-egg this with chia seeds. You’ll have to look up the ratio but you soak them in water to get the correct consistency. Did this is cupcakes for my dad with an extreme egg allergy and my daughter LOVED them. Hope this helps!
Awesome! Thanks so much for the tip. :)
Have not yet tried the Apple Muffins, but as a single person household looking for something I can freeze. It looks by the comments that they go really fast in most household, but i need to limit what I eat
I think that they’ll freeze well (though I haven’t tried it myself). I hope you’ll enjoy them! :)
Made these today, and turned out great! I was really surprised how moist they are. Thank you so much for sharing!
So was I when I first tried them! I’m happy they came out well for you. Thanks for your feedback and for your comment on Pinterest, too. :)
Could I replace the greek yogurt with applesauce?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure, but because the texture and fat content is different, I’m assuming not. Let me know if you try anyway. It does sound like a good idea. :)
I replaced the greek yogurt with coconut milk yogurt and they came out wonderfully!
Yay! I’m happy to hear that. Thanks for the tip. :)
Hi, would you suggest any other gluten free flour to substitute for the almond flour. We use to love it but found that almonds are treated with a lot if pesticides. Thanks so much
So sorry for the slow reply, Alyssa! You could use any other type of nut flour / meal. Hazelnut meal, cashew meal, or whatever else you can find. As I haven’t tried it, I can’t say what the taste would be like but I think there’s enough spice in these to cover up any cashew / hazelnut taste (though I’m not positive!) Good luck! :)
Absolutely delicious! My husband is now on a grain-free diet, and it’s been a real lifestyle change. He is so picky…I made these muffins yesterday and he grabbed 2 for his morning break today…came home tonight raving about those muffins I made!!! Thank you for this recipe…it will be used often!
That’s great! I’m so happy to hear that your husband liked them! Thanks for the feedback and the rating. :) Good luck with the grain-free diet!
these are fantastic! great texture and taste. thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’m so happy that you liked them, Carmen! And I agree. Great texture for a grain-free muffin. :) Thanks a ton for the feedback!
Love these! The whole family does too. Took a double batch on our Disneyland trip. Perfect GF healthy snack. Thank you!
So happy that you and your family likes these! Thanks a bunch for the feedback. :)
These are delicious, thank you for sharing. I had just finished putting the streusel on top when I realized I forgot to add the apples. I sliced them real thin and pushed in with toothpick. Tasted fine.
I do that all the time! Almost always. So happy that pushing the apples in with a toothpick worked well for you. :) Thanks so much for the feedback and I’m glad that it worked out for you!
Would homemade oat flour be a good substitute for the almond flour? I went to buy some almond flour recently and was shocked at the cost. Where I live in Canada, I seem to have few options.
Oh no. I’m sorry that it’s so expensive. :( I’m afraid that oat flour won’t work as a substitute. Do you have almond meal? Or cheap almonds so that you could make your own almond meal? Almond meal would work with these and from what I’ve heard, is much cheaper over there! Or there are always these whole grain apple muffins, which you’ve already made. ;)
I buy my almonds from Costco so perhaps I’ll try making it myself. If it doesn’t work out, I really do love your whole grain apple muffins.
Good luck, Heather! :)
I love coconut flour. It’s become one of my new favourite things! These muffins look gorgeous… I adore the look of that streusel topping, mmm! Definitely trying these. I have quite a few gluten/grain-free friends so they’d love them.
These muffins look so appetizing but my recipe of such muffins is quite easier. Your recipe has so many ingredients! But I think that adding apples is a nice idea. They give a very pleasant taste and odor to these cakes.
These muffins look so delicious! I love anything with a streusel topping, and it’s great how you’ve made it healthier. Bookmarked the recipe–thanks for sharing!
So look so light and fluffy and delicious – can’t wait to give these a go!
I love the healthy streusal topping on these muffins! Thanks for sharing the recipe for these amazingly healthy apple muffins!
I am loving that crumbly topping! YUMMM
I just so happen to have a ton of almond meal in my freezer I need to use up so these apple muffins are perfect! I just need to get my hands on coconut flour first. They look awesome!
I adore apple muffins, I love the streusel topping!
I’m in lurve with these muffins. I can’t wait to give them a try for a grab-and-go breakfast option.
The texture looks great on these grain free muffins! I need to go apple picking to get more apples!
Yay – I’m so glad you loved them!! Boo to the donuts not working out.. donuts almost always stick to the pan when I make them! I love grain free streusel – I’ll always take any excuse for some extra buttery crumbs. :)
These sounds fantastic! Erin is there a substitute in place of the greek yogurt for all my dairy free peeps? I will definitely be sharing this one!
XO SHERRIE
I read that this almond milk Greek yogurt is good! http://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com/products/cultured-almond-milk/plain-greek-cultured-almond-milk I haven’t tried it myself, though. And draining any kind of dairy-free yogurt with a cheesecloth or thin kitchen towel until it’s a little thicker like Greek yogurt would work, too. Or heck. Maybe just plain soy yogurt would work. :) Thanks for sharing!
Yum!!! I love to use almond flour from Honeyville. I am very fond of the coconut flour though. Glad it only has a small amount. I have had very good luck with almond flour recipes. Had some real flops with the coconut. I have had good luck using the recipes from Tropical Traditions with coconut flour where I bought the flour.
Love this recipe!!! Also love your muffin liners!
These sound amazing! I pinned them and can’t wait to give them a try!