Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins
These soft, sweet, and spicy gluten-free apple cinnamon muffins are a recipe that is requested on repeat. Made with rich almond flour and naturally sweetened, these delicious muffins can do double duty as breakfast or, with a quick icing, turn into a fabulous dessert.
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These apple cinnamon gluten free muffins are a true family favorite. My picky eater (aka Joe) LOVES these and devoured all of my test batches with a smile. Other gluten free faves are these almond flour peanut butter cookies and this super good gluten free apple cake. Check out all of our gluten free recipes for more inspiration.
Why you will love this recipe
This gluten free apple muffins recipe features little chunks of fresh apple, giving you a sweetness to every bite.
Almond flour mixed with the homemade crumble gives the muffins a lovely, crispy top.
Cinnamon and apple are just one of those classic combos that EVERYONE loves. You seriously can’t go wrong.
Ingredients
Find the complete ingredient list, with measurements, in the recipe card below.
- Almond Flour – We’ve extensively tested this recipe using blanched almond flour. Do not use almond meal, as the results will not be as light and soft.
- Coconut Sugar – This adds a warm and caramelly sweetness to the muffins.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder – Using both gives your muffins a nice lift.
- Salt – A pinch of fine sea salt brings out the best flavors in your ingredients.
- Large Eggs – We recommend using room temperature eggs, if possible.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract adds that classic, freshly baked sweetness we all love.
- Coconut Oil and Butter – The coconut oil adds moisture. The melted butter is for the crumble to help it clump together.
- Greek Yogurt – We use plain yogurt to add moisture to the cake and also contribute to its softness.
- Apple – Our personal fave is Honeycrisp apples, but Granny Smith apples are also delish.
Expert Tip!
Room temperature eggs blend more easily with the other ingredients, creating a smooth batter. This gives your muffins moisture and a tender crumb.
Equipment
Mixing Bowls – Yes, you will need three mixing bowls. This is the recipe your mixing bowl set has been waiting for. 😉 From large bowl to small bowl.
Whisk and Spatula – These tools are used to beat the eggs and mix the batter.
Cookie Scoop – We like to use a large cookie scoop for portioning the batter into the muffin tin. It makes it way easier to be precise.
Muffin Tin – Our fave is a ceramic or stainless steel 12-cup muffin tin, even though we only use 8 wells of it. Leaving the open wells helps heat circulate and provides more room for airflow. After extensive testing, we found that this helps your muffins to rise and bake evenly.
Muffin Liners – We recommend parchment paper liners for easy cleanup and no sticking to the pan.
- Free of PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, lead, cadmium, and other toxic materials that can leach into your food.
- Can withstand oven temperatures up to 550ºF.
Instructions
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the FULL recipe details.
Step 1
First, start by preheating the oven and lining 8 cups of a muffin tin with liners.
Step 2
Then, in a small bowl, using a fork, stir together the crumble ingredients until they clump together. Set this aside.
Step 3
Next, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt), then set aside.
Step 4
Then, in another mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Once they are frothy, stir in the Greek yogurt and vanilla. Set his bowl aside.
Step 5
Next, stir the peeled and diced apples into the dry mixture.
Step 6
Finally, add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the apple mixture and stir to JUST combine. Be careful not to overmix.
Step 7
Then, fill each of the eight lined muffin cups halfway with muffin batter, and then sprinkle a layer of the crumble on top of the muffins.
Then spoon the remaining batter and top, and finish with the rest of the crumble.
Step 8
Next, bake for 5 minutes at 400° then lower the heat to 350° and bake for 16-20 more minutes. The tops should spring back when pressed, and a toothpick should come out clean.
Step 9
Then, remove the tray from the oven and cool for five minutes in the tin, then carefully transfer the gluten-free muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tip!
Take care when transferring the muffins from the tin to the rack. Almond flour baked goods take a while to firm up, so they will be a tad fragile out of the oven.
Substitutions and recipe variations
Switch up the fruit and use a diced pear instead of the apple for another delicious fall-inspired flavor.
Make them even more decadent by swapping in sour cream instead of the Greek yogurt.
Sprinkle in a pinch or two of ground ginger and nutmeg to spice these up a bit.
If you don’t have coconut sugar among your pantry staples, you can substitute light brown sugar instead.
Serving suggestions
Have these muffins ready to go for a sweet, on the go breakfast.
Pack it in your lunch for a gluten-free snack.
We love to serve these gluten free apple and cinnamon muffins as a dessert using a quick homemade icing. Simply stir 1/4 cup of powdered sugar with one teaspoon of water and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla.
FAQS
Make sure not to overmix the batter, and use room-temperature eggs to help with the rise.
It is optional. You can leave them on and add a bit of fiber and texture, or peel them if you have picky eaters who don’t like peels.
Storage tips
To Store: Keep these apple and cinnamon gluten free muffins wrapped in foil or in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or in the fridge for 3 days.
To Freeze: Wrap the cooled muffins tightly in foil, then transfer them to a freezer-safe airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
More gluten free recipes
If you’ve tried these gluten free apple muffins, please give me a rating and let me know how it turned out by leaving me a comment below. I’m always interested in feedback!
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Gluten Free Apple Muffins
Ingredients
Muffin Batter
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 3 eggs *room temp if possible
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 tbsp coconut oil *melted but not hot
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup peeled and diced apple
Crumble Ingredients
- ¼ cup blanched almond flour
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° and line 8 cups of a muffin tin with liners.
- In a small bowl, using a fork, stir together the crumble ingredients until they clump together. Set this aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry muffin batter ingredients (almond flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt), then set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Once they are frothy, stir in the Greek yogurt and vanilla. Set his bowl aside.
- Stir the peeled and diced apples into the dry mixture.
- Add the egg mixture to the bowl with the apple mixture and stir to JUST combine. Be careful not to overmix.
- Fill each muffin well halfway with batter, then sprinkle a layer of the crumble on top. Then spoon the remaining batter and top, and finish with the rest of the crumble.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 400° then lower the heat to 350° and bake for 16-20 more minutes. The tops should spring back when pressed, and a toothpick should come out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool for five minutes in the tin, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Take care because almond flour baked goods take a while to firm up, and these will be a tad fragile out of the oven.