Apple Muffins

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Apple Muffins are soft and moist, perfectly spiced, and topped with an easy crumb topping.

These muffins are made with better-for-you ingredients — apples, Greek yogurt, coconut oil, and an egg. We leave out the butter and excessive amounts of sugar found in typical bakery-style muffins and you won’t miss either!

Freshly baked apple muffins, warm and delicious, with chunks of fresh apples and the complimentary taste of cinnamon.

The Best Apple Muffins

We often go apple picking in the fall and end up with so many apples that I’m always asking myself what to do with them all. My first move is making a couple batches of these apple muffins of course! 

Apple Muffins are made to imitate a bakery-style muffin, but in a healthier way. They’ve got the taste, moisture, and texture of your typical bakery muffin but with superior ingredients. Below I break down all the ingredients in these muffins.

Mixing wet and dry ingredients to create the perfect batter for the recipe.

Ingredients For Apple Muffins

  • White whole wheat flour or plain white flour: Use plain white for regular muffins, or white whole wheat for added nutrition. Avoid whole wheat flour; it makes the muffins dense. 
  • Cornstarch: This gives the muffins a soft texture, mimicking cake flour.
  • Baking powder: Essential for making the batter rise.
  • Spices: These muffins contain subtle amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Adjust to taste or add apple pie spice.
  • Salt: Use fine sea salt for flavor balance.
  • Large egg
  • Vanilla Greek yogurt: Opt for full-fat, flavorful Greek yogurt. I prefer Greek God’s® Honey Vanilla for Apple Muffins.
  • Coconut oil: A healthier oil with a faint flavor.
  • Vanilla extract: Enhances flavor.
  • Apple and lemon juice: Use finely diced, peeled Granny Smith apples. Lemon juice adds zest and prevents apple browning.
  • Brown sugar: Use in moderation for flavor. Opt for light brown sugar; dark makes the muffins overly moist.

QUICK TIP

Which apples are best for baking? For baking, choose apples that retain structure to avoid mushiness. Granny Smith is ideal for its sweet-tart balance. Other good options include Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Braeburn, and Pink Lady.

How To Make Apple Muffins

  1. Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease/flour 8 muffin cavities. No liners.
  2. Dry Mix: Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
  3. Wet Mix: Whisk egg, yogurt, coconut oil, vanilla, and brown sugar.
  4. Apple: Mix diced apple with lemon juice; add to dry ingredients.
  5. Combine & Fill: Mix wet into dry. Fill muffin cavities 3/4 full. Add water to empty spots.
  6. Topping: Mix topping ingredients; sprinkle on apple muffins.
  7. Bake: 20-25 mins or until clean toothpick. Cool 5 mins, then on rack.
  8. Store: Refrigerate up to 3 days. Warm as preferred.

Creating the delicious crisp topping for breakfast using oats and brown sugar.

Tips For Success

  • Spoon and level the flour to ensure moist, soft muffins.
  • Measure ingredients accurately; a food scale is ideal. Here’s the one I use.
  • Avoid over-mixing the batter to prevent muffins from sinking in the center.
  • Use finely chopped apples, not grated, to prevent excess moisture.

The finished apple cinnamon muffins, warm and aromatic, a perfect sweet and healthy breakfast.

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Apple Muffins

4.90 from 28 votes
Apple Muffins are soft and moist, perfectly spiced, and topped with an easy crumb topping.
Freshly baked apple muffins, warm and delicious, with chunks of fresh apples and the complimentary taste of cinnamon.
Print Recipe

Apple Muffins

Freshly baked apple muffins, warm and delicious, with chunks of fresh apples and the complimentary taste of cinnamon.
4.90 from 28 votes
Apple Muffins are soft and moist, perfectly spiced, and topped with an easy crumb topping.
Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword Apple Muffins
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 10 muffins
Chelsea Lords
Calories 262kcal
Cost $6.27

Ingredients

Muffins

  • 1 cup white, all-purpose flour (can use white whole wheat)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon EACH: ground nutmeg & ground allspice Note 1
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup honey vanilla full fat Greek yogurt (I recommend Greek Gods!)
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil Note 2
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 cup peeled & finely diced apple (I use Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Crisp cinnamon sugar topping

  • 3 tablespoons white, all-purpose flour (can use white whole wheat)
  • 2 tablespoons quick oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar not packed
  • 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil Note 2

Instructions

  • PREP: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously coat a Muffin Tin with cooking spray. Measure and set out your egg and yogurt to reach room temperature. Melt coconut oil, measure and set aside to get to room temperature.
  • FLOUR AND DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, add the flour (use a food scale if you have it -- 135g). Add in 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1-1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon allspice. Mix until combined.
  • WET INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 large egg, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup melted coconut oil (See Note 2), 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Whisk together until smooth.
  • APPLE: Peel and very finely chop the apple. Toss with the lemon juice. Add into the dry ingredients and stir until the apple pieces are coated in the flour (this helps to evenly disperse the apple).
  • COMBINE: Add dry ingredients on top of wet. Mix with a spatula until ingredients are just combined and no dry streaks of flour remain.
  • FILL MUFFIN CAVITIES: Spoon batter into a 1/4 cup measuring cup to perfectly fill it to the top. Then scoop that batter out into each muffin cavity. This should yield ~10 muffins.
  • TOPPING: In another bowl, toss together the flour, quick oats, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Pour in the coconut oil (measure when melted) and mix to combine (crumble with your fingertips if needed). Add a bit more coconut oil if too dry or a bit more flour if too wet. Sprinkle this topping evenly on top of each muffin. Don't press the topping into the muffin; just sprinkle on top.
  • BAKE: Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the tin. Use a spoon or butterknife to trace around the edges and coax the muffins out. Allow muffins to finish cooling on a cooling rack so the bottoms don't get soggy as they cool. Enjoy warm!
  • STORE: Store completely cooled muffins in an airtight container in the fridge. Warm in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before serving, if desired. Muffins are best enjoyed within 2-3 days.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Feel free to increase the spices if desired. As written, the spices yield a very subtle flavor.
Note 2: Measure the coconut oil in its melted form. Do not add hot or warm coconut oil to the wet ingredients; wait until it's a room temperature so it doesn't clump.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 262kcal

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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75 Comments

  1. I love fall but I’m not so sure I’m ready for summer to be over. I’ll compromise by enjoy the last week of my daughter’s summer vacation while eating these dreamy muffins. 🙂

  2. I’m so ready for fall too, but I’m not ready for what comes after that! 🙂 These muffins look fantastic, Chelsea! I love that there is no butter in the topping and that they’re made with Greek yogurt. Yum!

  3. 5 stars
    These muffins look incredible, and I love that you used cornstarch, it’s definitely a great secret ingredient for softness, I feel like I use it in everything now! 🙂

  4. As much as I will miss all the summer berries, fall is my favorite baking season too 🙂 I love these apple muffins, Chelsea! They’re gorgeous and I’m swooning over the cinnamon sugar topping!

  5. oh my gosh! apple muffins sound good enough but that crumbly topping I mean drooling over it! toppings alwaysss get me! 😉 this looks delicious Chelsea!

  6. I am SO READY for fall! I’ve already been baking all the apple and pumpkin things… I AM SO PUMPED.
    These muffins look majorly delish, and I LOVE that you used Greek yogurt! Pinned!

  7. I am so ready for fall! I can’t wait for all things pumpkin, cinnamon, and such. These muffins look amazing, pinning right away! Thanks for sharing.

  8. I am so amazed at how well this recipe turned out! I’ve tried so many different types of healthier muffins in the past and they were never quite right, but these were perfect! My kids just started school this week and breakfast is always a struggle. They don’t like cereal (especially when I won’t buy the high sugar kinds) they don’t like toast, eggos, granola bars, eggs, or most typical quick breakfast options….so we made muffins. These were fluffy, delicious, the topping adds just a little sweetness without going overboard. Now, I just need to go find this “white wheat flour” I keep reading about so my next batch will have more fiber.

    P.S. I’m trying to rate your recipe 5 stars, but for some reason, it’s not working for me.

    1. I would not recommend leaving out the coconut oil, but you could try a different oil in place of coconut such as canola or vegetable oil. I haven’t tried either one so I can’t say for sure if the taste or texture will be different but better than leaving out that ingredient entirely!

  9. 5 stars
    These muffins are awesome! If I could give these more than 5 stars I would! I made them last night and put them in the freezer. Pop them in the microwave for 45 seconds and they are perfect. I just ate two of them and could probably eat the whole rest of the batch. The batter was very thick, so I was not expecting them to be so light and fluffy with a lovely crispy top and edges. I used AP flour, 1/3c brown sugar, and one 5.3oz nonfat apple pie greek yogurt in the muffin part; for topping used 1 1/2T butter, 2T quick oats, 1/2t cinn, about 1 1/2T brown/dk brn sugar, about 2T flour (started w/1T and added until right consistency). Thanks for another awesome muffin recipe and for the healthy swaps, keep ’em comin’!

    1. You are so sweet Robin!! I so appreciate your kind comments and trying so many recipes!! So glad you enjoyed these muffins 🙂 And your crisp topping sounds amazing!!

  10. 5 stars
    I made these and I loved them. I used plain Greek yogurt because it’s what I had on hand. However, as awesome as they are that way, I am sure using apple pie Greek yogurt will be even better…if that’s even possible

  11. 5 stars
    These muffins turned out great! Really nice and soft. Not dense like many of the other healthier muffins I have tried! Good flavor but I would probably increase the amount of cinnamon….but thats just my taste. I will definitely be making these again. Thanks for the great recipe!

  12. 5 stars
    Found this recipe on pinterest and made ’em, can’t describe how delicious they are. Possibly one of the best recipes I’ve found in a while!

  13. happy, this comes out very nice… i don’t have coconut oil so used corn oil instead… the crust part is a bit different, maybe too wet… and the sugar become “rocky” rather than like a crispy crumb… maybe i should get myself some right ingredients 🙂 thanks for the recipe.

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed these! And yes I think the crust part will come out much better when you try the coconut oil 🙂 Thanks for the comment!

  14. Hey! I’m not a big fan of using sugars and like to use honey instead. Do you think that would work? How much do you think?

    1. I’m not sure how you would replace the sugars with honey since I haven’t tried that in this recipe. I’m guessing it would be a bit more dense and not have the rise that these do. And I’m sorry, I couldn’t suggest an amount to use without further recipe testing since I don’t want to say something that might not have stellar results.

  15. Hi, I found your recipe on Pinterest. Subbed in whole wheat pastry flour, 1/4 cup maple syrup for the brown sugar, and used 1-1/2 cups of apples (because I misread the directions, oops!). I omitted the topping also. Despite the substitutions my husband said the muffins were great! Thanks for posting the recipe 🙂

    1. I’m so happy they worked out well and the maple syrup in these sounds delicious! You are welcome for the recipe! Thanks for the comment Alison 🙂

  16. 5 stars
    Just made these and they are UNREAL! So light and fluffy. Thank you for being so detailed in your instructions. It helped me so much. I used avocado oil instead of coconut oil and used plain Greek yogurt. I used a half cup of brown sugar but I will probably use a bit less next time to try to make them even healthier. Do you know the calorie/muffin on the recipe approximately?

    1. Awe thank you so much Mandy! I’m thrilled to hear your results 🙂 And your substitutions sound delicious as well! I don’t have the calorie counts unfortunately on this recipe, but I believe My Fitness Pal would give you the most accurate count 🙂

  17. I try a lot of random recipes online and this is first I’m printing out because I don’t want to lose it! Used gluten free flour, only 1/4 cup sugar, plain yogurt, and no topping and they are perfectly soft and tasty!

  18. What a great recipe! I decided to see if this would work as a quick bread rather than muffins. No change to the ingredients, but baked it in a loaf pan at 325 for 40 minutes and tented the top with tinfoil for the first 20 minutes so the topping wouldn’t overcook – perfect! Your cornstarch substitution is genius.

  19. 5 stars
    Thanks Chelsea for the recipe. The muffins tasted so yummy and moist. I substituted the yogurt with milk kefir .

  20. 5 stars
    So delicious! I made them this morning and doubled the recipe. I did one cup apples and one cup shredded carrots! I also skipped the topping. Some of the bottoms were a bit soggy- but that is my fault for adding too much water lol!!! I ate three!

  21. 5 stars
    Delicious thank you Chelsea! I used spelt flour and a combo of coconut oil and ghee and put it together in the Thermomix. All of us, inc my 6 and 5 yr old really enjoyed them.

  22. 5 stars
    Omg this is insane! I still can’t believe the muffins are 100% healthy.. amazingly delicious!!!! Thank you ❤

  23. 5 stars
    These muffins were amazing. I initially was concerned they would taste only like coconut. The apple flavor was wonderful, used a little more than the one-cup. Recipe is a keeper ? Thank you

  24. 5 stars
    I just made a batch and OhMyGosh delicious!!! I substituted the brown sugar for dextrose powder and a bit of rice malt syrup to make it a sugar free muffin. I think the cornstarch and greek yoghurt make this a very special recipe. Even with the adjustments this is so moist and fluffy and still sweet. Great recipe thank you!

  25. 5 stars
    These muffins are delicious! I shredded my apples because I was too lazy to dice them. They turned out perfectly moist, and the crunchy topping makes them even better! Thanks for the recipe!

  26. 5 stars
    Hi Chelsea, thanks for the recipe! It looks so good. I was wondering: any ideas on how to adapt the recipe to mini muffins? Thanks again!

  27. 4 stars
    I used white whole wheat flour, vanilla Greek yogurt and canola oil. I cut the apples up very small. They muffins are a little drier than I would like. Maybe I’ll put in some shredded apple next time in addition the the chopped apple. It made 13 muffins with the yellow scoop. Took 17 min to bake at 350F.

  28. We made these today as baked donuts–it took 13 minutes at 350. We followed the recipe but used granola in place of oatmeal for the topping because we were out. Still delicious, though! Thanks for the great recipe!

  29. 5 stars
    These muffins turned out way better than expected.

    Not that I doubted the recipe but they are truly better than apple muffins purchased from a proper Muffin cafe or bakery.

    I used 4 large muffin moulds so I could get 4 large muffins and sat the moulds in a oven tray with about 1cm of water to keep moisture in the oven as my oven is fairly old.

    The topping turned out great with just a nice crunchiness in every bite.

    The only thing I may do next time is scale back the sugar I put in but that’s all optional.

    Thank you Chelsea for posting a brilliant recipe you should enter these muffins in to a show as I’m sure they’d do pretty well..

    Cheers

    Adrian from Australia,Melbourne

  30. 5 stars
    Made these tonight and turned out great! Quick to whip up, and packed with apples! I doubled the recipe and substituted 1/2cup white flour for whole wheat, and used a mix of applesauce and canola oil, in place of the coconut oil. Thanks for sharing!

  31. 4 stars
    Step # 1 – I used parchment paper liners. Muffins slid out of the liners.
    Step #4 – I added some chopped walnuts too.
    Step #6 – Filled 6 muffin cups, the full capacity of my muffin tray. I skipped the water bath
    Step # 7 completely skipped.
    Step # 8 – No coaxing required

    And alas Step # 9 not required. They were delicious.

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