These deliciously soft and moist homemade applesauce muffins will quickly become a staple recipe at your breakfast table. And the recipe can be completely oil free!
My new favorite muffin recipe
Five out of five stars
I could eat these every day
There’s no way these muffins are so healthy!!!
As some of the reader reviews above show, people seriously cannot get enough of the secretly healthy applesauce muffins!
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Above, watch the step-by-step applesauce muffin recipe video
Easy applesauce muffins
The wholesome muffins are great for packing into a lunch box, and they can be vegan, gluten free, egg free, dairy free, whole food plant based, and oil free.
It’s possibly one of the most delicious and healthiest muffin recipes you’ll ever make, and they pair well with savory recipes too.
Try the muffins for dinner alongside my favorite Lentil Soup or Mushroom Stroganoff, or this easily customizable vegetarian Coconut Curry.
You can also double the recipe if you want and freeze leftovers for a rainy day, to always have a nutritious snack or healthy breakfast on hand any time you’re in a rush or don’t feel like cooking.
Kids, toddlers, teens, and adults all love these clean eating muffins, because they taste like apple pie and are packed with nutrition at the same time.
Also be sure to try these healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Applesauce muffin ingredients
Soft and cinnamony, these classic muffins are made with just a few basic ingredients.
They have no butter or eggs, and you can customize the recipe by adding in a handful of raisins, chopped walnuts, flax seeds, or shredded coconut, or by pressing a few blueberries into the top of each muffin right before baking.
To turn them into oatmeal applesauce muffins, simply use oat flour as your flour of choice, or they can be whole grain with the benefit of extra fiber if you use spelt or whole wheat flour.
The muffins can be refined sugar free if you use date sugar or coconut sugar. Or to make them lower in carbs and completely sugar free, you can use xylitol or granulated erythritol.
For low fat or weight watchers muffins, the oil can be substituted with additional applesauce, pumpkin, mashed banana, or even peanut or almond butter.
The photos in this post are actually of the oil-free version made only with applesauce!
Leftover applesauce? Use it to make Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
How to make applesauce muffins
This healthy snack recipe is super quick to throw together.
Start by whisking all of the liquid ingredients together and greasing or lining a muffin pan with muffin or cupcake liners.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir all of the dry ingredients in a bowl, then combine with the liquid mixture to form a muffin batter.
To ensure everything is evenly mixed, I like to use different bowls for the liquid and dry ingredients. However, it can be a one bowl muffin recipe if you prefer.
Portion the muffin batter into the lined muffin pan. It should make about eight or nine regular size muffins. Only fill each tin about two thirds of the way up, because they will rise while baking.
Place on the oven’s center rack, and bake for twenty minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out mostly clean. Let cool.
If you want to make applesauce mini muffins, follow the instructions above and bake them for only ten minutes. I recommend this mini muffin pan.
Muffin storage tips
My favorite muffin trick is to cover them overnight on the counter or in the refrigerator. The liners peel off easily the next day, and their flavor and texture will be even better the next day.
After a day, store leftover muffins in an airtight covered container. Due to the perishable ingredients, I recommend refrigerating for optimum freshness.
You can also freeze the applesauce muffins for up to three months. Thaw before eating, and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop if desired.
They will make your entire house smell like cinnamon sugar!
Applesauce Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup applesauce
- 3 tbsp oil OR applesauce or mashed banana
- 2 tbsp milk of choice
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp white or cider vinegar
- 1 cup spelt, white, or oat flour (for flourless, try these Keto Muffins)
- 1/4 cup sugar or unrefined sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp each: baking soda and baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- optional handful raisins, crushed walnuts, shredded coconut, etc.
Instructions
- *If you want to make mini muffins, bake only 10 minutes. I recommend this mini muffin pan.Whisk all liquid ingredients together. Preheat oven to 350, and line a muffin tin. In a new bowl, stir remaining ingredients very well. Pour dry into wet, and stir until just evenly mixed. Fill each liner about 2/3 of the way, leaving a little room because they will rise. Bake on the center rack, 20 minutes or until muffins have domed and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out mostly clean. Let cool. (If you loosely cover overnight on the counter or refrigerated, the liners peel off easily the next day and flavor and texture are even better.) Leftovers can be frozen if desired. Be sure to rate the recipe below if you try it!View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Healthy Muffin Recipes
Or these healthy Bran Muffins
Easy Whole Wheat English Muffins
Recipe in the Hello Breakfast Cookbook
Hi! What did you spread the muffins with? By the way, I made these and they tasted amazing. Thanks!
Thank you so much for making them! This post is a few years old but Katie is pretty sure she used Smart Balance Light (which is accidentally vegan).
I made these with KAMUT FLOUR used abt 2 T less and added a little allspice. They ate wonderful nice and light!
Your version sounds amazing!
Hello Everyone out there in the great cooking escape getaway right in your own kitchen! How i love to get away from everyone & everything & be in my own domain of cooking! Anyway i made your applesauce muffins! WOW! Wonderful! I made mine with the olive oil, white ap flour & added finely chopped pecans because i made them mini & added 2 teaspoons of real maple syrup! Loved walnuts & real maple syrup mixed together over ice cream when i was little! Then those bananas on the counter said what about us we’re getting pretty ripe over here, SO what an idea i said so i get to looking around my staples & light bulb moment! I added 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, regular size is all i had & about a handful of each finely chopped pecans & walnuts because i made them mini But this time i left out the real maple syrup, bananas are sweet enough also i used only 1/4 cup of sugar because the bananas! i also doubled the recipe & just added these ingredients to the applesauce recipe without the applesauce & added 2 cups smooshed bananas, that is it i think! I cooked them for 12 minutes they are the size of a ping pong ball! They are kicking a home run all the way home! Both recipes! Thank you Miss. Chocolate covered Katie for these muffin recipes for they are Divine!
Wait! You left me wondering how to make that white frosting-stuff!
How?
These muffins are so moist. I have made these multiple times. This time I substituted crushed pineapple for the applesauce which I like even more.
Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Your pineapple version sounds wonderful!
1st time making these, the cooking time seem way off, not done at 20 , 25 or 30. I did use Spelt flour and added a few walnuts, but I don’t think that would change anything?
They were delicious if undercooked
Hi, you can definitely cook longer if you are in a super humid climate or if your oven isn’t calibrated, or some other factor means they need more time for you. In general, muffin recipes take around 15-20 minutes to bake in a standard oven and we can’t imagine how any muffin recipe wouldn’t be overcooked in 30, but the science of baking is strange sometimes!
Yes I found the cooking time needed an extra 5 or so minutes but they were very tasty.
I’m impressed! I’ve been baking for years, but never tried a recipe like this one. I thought it was going to be very dense, but it’s light and has a regular muffin texture. I used extra almond milk, white whole wheat flour, half the amount of sugar, and mostly applesauce with just a bit of oil. My kids loved them-and they don’t always like my healthier recipes. I have a triple batch baking now! Thank you for another winner!
Just made a double batch, I got 18 beautiful and delicious muffins! I used spelt flour, oatmilk, and all Applesauce, they came out super yummy and fluffy. To those who are having problems with sunken muffin tops, be careful not to overmix the batter. You only want to mix the wet and dry ingredients together until they are JUST combined, otherwise you will mix in too much air, and when the air escapes during the baking, it will result in sunken muffins. Also, use foil liners! I used both foil and paper, and the foil ones came right off while the paper liners took a lot of the muffin with them when peeled. Thanks for the great recipe, husby and kiddos are happy!
Thank you so much for trying it 🙂
My kids lovingly can these apple muffins with no chunks. They are perfect
Thank you (and your kids!) so much for trying them 🙂
Loveee this recipe! Made these for my one year old & excluded the sugar. They still turned out fantastic. Added blueberries to some of them. Yum!