Apple Pie Muffins

These sweet and moist apple pie muffins are essentially apple pie filling that you can eat with your hand. They’re sweet and soft, easy to make with a handful of familiar ingredients, plus vegan and low in fat for the ultimate guilt-free treat.

Once the days start to grow shorter and the nights get colder, apple and cinnamon treats are a must. These apple muffins take a classic flavour combo and serve it with a healthy twist. They are:

• Under 150 calories per muffins
• 100% vegan
• Low fat
• Quick and easy to make
• Sweet and delicious

Are These Apple Pie Muffins Really Healthy?

These apple muffins are way lower in calories, sugar and fat than your typical muffin. However, they’re still a dessert, and as such they should be enjoyed in moderation. Because they’re low in calories and sugar, I love to have one (or two) with my morning cup of coffee or as an afternoon snack.

Are These Apple Muffins Vegan?

Yes, but you can choose to make them either vegan or non vegan. Same as my other muffins, these apple pie muffins are dairy free and also egg free, which gives the recipe more flexibility in terms of dietary preferences. I made them with almond milk, but you can easily use regular milk if you prefer.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Apple Pie Muffins

Flour - all-purpose flour works well here. If you’re measuring in cups, make sure to use the “spoon and level” method: using a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup, then use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.

Baking powder and baking soda - they both act as leavening agents in this recipe. It’s important to measure them precisely, and don’t substitute one for the other. These muffins rise perfectly and a major reason for that is just the right amount of leavening agents.

Salt - adding salt to sweet recipes helps to bring out the flavours, and it really does make a difference. Use finely ground sea salt, and measure it precisely.

Plant-based milk - I used unsweetened almond milk in this recipe, but you can substitute it with any kind of dairy or non-dairy milk you prefer.

Coconut oil - use melted refined coconut oil. Non-refined coconut oil has a strong coconut flavour, which can be delicious in some recipes, but for these apple muffins it’s best to keep the flavour of the fat neutral.

Dark brown sugar - don’t substitute it with light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar has a higher molasses content, which gives the muffins a rich, sweet flavour that goes perfectly with apples and cinnamon. 

Agave syrup - sweetens the muffins. You can try using maple syrup as well, but the flavour will be slightly different.

Vanilla extract - adds that specific sweet aroma to the muffins.

Cinnamon - powdered cinnamon is the essential flavour in these apple pie muffins. Don’t omit it or reduce the amount.

Bramley cooking apples - it’s best to use Bramley cooking apples, but if you don’t have any at hand, Granny Smith will work too. I used approximately 1 ½ pounds of apples (weighed before coring and cutting), so if you’re using smaller apples, make sure to adjust the number of apples accordingly. Chop them to approximately ½-inch cubes and make sure they’re all about the same size. This will make sure they all cook evenly.

How to Make the Best Apple Muffins

This is such a quick and simple recipe that anyone can make. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to do:

1. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl.
2. Mix all wet ingredients in a different bowl.
3. Toss apple chunks to the wet ingredients.
4. Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups.
6. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Important Information Regarding This Recipe

• It will look like there’s too much apples. I used three Bramley cooking apples, which weighed approximately 1.5 pounds (25oz) before coring and cutting. When you’re mixing the batter it definitely looks like there’s way too much apples in there. Trust the process. These muffins are amazing because they’re so packed with apples it almost seems like you’re eating apple pie filling that you can eat with your hand.
• It will seem like there’s way too much batter for 12 muffin cups. Just keep piling on until you’ve used up all of it. The muffins will grow slightly when baking, and then deflate once they cool down.
• Which brings me to my third point - let the muffins cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before you transfer them to a cooling rack. They might fall apart if you try to remove them from the tin when hot, but once they cool down a bit, they’ll be easier to handle.
• Let the muffins cool completely on the cooling rack before serving. They need to be cooled to fully develop their flavour and texture.

Which Apples Should I Use?

It’s best to use tart apples. I used three Bramley apples, and their tartness perfectly balances the sweetness of dark brown sugar and agave syrup. Granny Smith apples will work just as well, but they tend to be smaller, so you’ll probably need four. The recipe calls for approximately 1.5 pounds (25oz) of apples.

How Long Do They Keep?

You can store these muffins in two ways.

• At room temperature: will last for up to 2 days when properly stored in an airtight container.
• Frozen: will last for up to 3 months when stored properly in ziplock bags or an airtight container.

You can learn more about how to store and save muffins from this very useful post on how to store muffins.

More Apple Recipes

If you're a fan of apple recipes, make sure to check out these baked apples with walnuts, this crustless apple pie, or these apple pie pancakes.

Looking for a Different Muffin Recipe?

Take a look at these vegan muffins:

• Vegan Strawberry Muffins
• Healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffins
• Low-Fat Banana Bread Muffins

Click here for a complete list of vegan muffin recipes.