Easy Gluten Free Apple Muffins are perfectly spiced and simple to make! They are fluffy, soft and are super moist.
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Simple Gluten Free Apple Muffins
These SUPER EASY Gluten Free Apple Muffins may be a familiar recipe for you if you’ve purchased my cookbook, The Gluten-Free Quick Breads Cookbook. If you love gluten free baking, you’ll enjoy this cookbook! The ingredients are all the same but I’ve scaled the recipe down to make one dozen muffins.
That recipe is one of my favorites because it’s one of my grandmother’s recipes. Family recipes are always the best kind of recipes ❤️
This gluten free muffin recipe is one that you’re going to want in your regular breakfast rotation. You can make them quickly and they’re great for meal prep. They freeze especially great too!
My oldest loves these muffins with a capital L-O-V-E. She eats them for breakfast, she wants them in her lunchbox, and she wants them for snack too. I swear, she’s going to turn into an apple muffin before Halloween! No costume needed 🤣
I promise, you’ll be just as obsessed with them too!
Why You Will Absolutely Love Gluten Free Apple Muffins
- Believe it or not, they are surprisingly easy to make!
- The apple flavor really shines, especially when using the right apples (more on that later)
- They are unbelievably super moist and fluffy. When you take a bite, it’s a bite of apple-heaven!
- They make a quick and easy breakfast or tasty snack when you need a little pick-me-up during the day.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and let me know in the comments! You can also leave a photo/comment on this pin for others to see.
Ingredients for GF Apple Muffins
- Apple Cider – I love the extra apple flavor that apple cider brings to this recipe. It’s a more intense flavor than regular apple juice. Bonus, using apple cider in place of milk makes these muffins naturally dairy free!
- Fresh Apple – Use a good baking apple in this recipe so the apple holds its shape and texture. See my recommendations for baking apples here.
- Spices – These muffins are loaded with flavor thanks to cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. I probably should have called these Apple Cinnamon Muffins!
- Oil – I always bake with avocado oil when I’m baking muffins or quick breads. You can sub it with canola oil, vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil.
- Gluten free flour blend. I recommend my nightshade free mix but you can also use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
- xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend contains it)
- granulated sugar
- baking soda (note: NOT baking powder)
- fine sea salt
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground allspice
- light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup apple cider room temperature
- 1/4 cup avocado oil see notes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 medium apple peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup or 140g)
Equipment Needed to Make Gluten Free Muffins
- USA Pan Cupcake and Muffin Pan – just one standard muffin pan/tin for this recipe.
- Unbleached Large Baking Cups or non-stick spray to keep the muffins from sticking to the pan.
- Vegetable Peeler to peel your apples.
- Basic Kitchen Equipment: Mixing Bowls, a whisk, a mixing spoon, and a good sturdy silicone spatula. Muffins are one of those easy recipes that require very little kitchen tools and equipment!
- Silicone Baking Utensils
- Pyrex Smart Essentials Mixing Bowl Set
- OXO Good Grips Large Scoop
- Cooling Rack
- All-Clad Measuring Cups
- All Clad Measuring Spoons
How to Make Gluten Free Apple Muffins
Step 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper liners or spray with non-stick spray.
Step 2. Then, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Then set aside.
Step 3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, apple cider, oil, and vanilla extract.
Step 4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Mix in the apples.
Step 5. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups and then bake for 16-18 minutes (it took a full 18 minutes in my oven).
Step 6. Finally, cool the muffins on a wire rack. Serve warm or room temperature.
Measuring your GF Flour Blend tips
I HIGHLY recommend you follow and sign up for this free guide on how to properly measure your GF flour blends. This is a step that is often overlooked but is extremely important! By following this guide I provide you, it will increase the quality of the recipes that you bake. You won’t be disappointed!
Pro Tips for Making this Gluten Free Apple Muffin Recipe
- If your gluten free flour blend contains xanthan gum, omit the amount I call for in the recipe.
- For best results in this recipe, make sure your eggs and apple cider are room temperature.
- Use an apple that’s suitable for baking. (See “Ingredients” above!)
How to store, freeze, and unthaw instructions
To Store:
After the muffins are completely cooled, store them in an air-tight container for 3-4 days on your kitchen table or counter. Make sure they are cooled because if not, the steam will create condensations which will make for soggy muffins and they may spoil quicker.
To Freeze:
Once again, make sure they cool thoroughly on a wire rack. You can then store them in gallon-sized freezer bags or air-tight containers for 3-4 months in your freezer.
To thaw:
Take the muffins out of the freezer the night before and allow them to thaw. Then, enjoy the next morning at room temperature or warm them in your oven for a few minutes.
What do I do with extra apples?
- Apple Sauce: Make a simple apple sauce!
- Apple Crisp or Crumble: You can whip up a quick apple crisp or crumble. Bake until golden brown and tender. Yummy!
- Apple Pie: If you have enough apples, you can make a mouth-watering gluten free apple pie.
- Apple Chips: Slice a few apples thin, sprinkle with cinnamon or other spices, and bake them at a low temperature until they’re crispy. This would be a nice healthy snack!
- Salads: Add sliced or diced apples to your salads for a bit of sweet and crunchy.
- Smoothies: Blend apples into your morning smoothie for added fiber.
- Apple Pancakes or Waffles: Mix small apple chunks into your GF pancake or waffle batter for a little bit breakfast fun!
- Apple Jam or Chutney: Use those leftover apples and turn them into a delicious jam or chutney.
- Apple Slaw: Create a quick slaw by shredding apples and mixing them with cabbage, carrots, and a light dressing for a nice snack or light lunch.
- Apple and Cheese Pairings: Here’s a fun party idea. Serve apple slices with various cheeses for a delicious appetizer or snack.
- Apple Salsa: Dice apples and combine them with ingredients like onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice to make a fun tasting salsa.
- Apple Ice Cream Topping: Sauté sliced apples in butter and brown sugar until they’re nice and soft and caramelized. Then, serve them warm over vanilla ice cream.
Other Gluten Free Muffins To Try:
- Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Ricotta Muffins
- Gluten Free Banana Muffins
- Bakery Style Double Chocolate Muffins
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Gluten Free Corn Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
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Easy Gluten Free Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups 250 g gluten free flour blend (see notes)
- 3/4 teaspoon 2 g xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend contains it)
- 1/2 cup 102 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon 6 g baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon 3 g fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons 4 g ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 cup 115 g light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup apple cider room temperature
- 1/4 cup avocado oil see notes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 medium apple peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup or 140g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper liners or spray with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Then set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, apple cider, oil, and vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Mix in the apples.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups and then bake for 16-18 minutes (it took a full 18 minutes in my oven).
- Cool the muffins on a wire rack. Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
- For this recipe, I used my Nightshade-Free Gluten Free Flour Mix. If the flour blend you use contains xanthan gum, omit the amount called for in the recipe.
- Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil can be subbed for the Avocado Oil.
- Leftover muffins keep in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days. These muffins can also be frozen.
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information
Disclaimers
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren't always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.
Did you make this gluten free muffin recipe? Leave a star rating and let me know in the comments! You can also leave a photo/comment on this pin for others to see.
My daughter has just recently been switched over to a gluten free diet. I love this recipe! I think she will go crazy over these apple muffins. Look so good. I also signed up for your newsletter too! Have a weekend.
Thank you Meagan!
I just made these for breakfast. We just got a bunch of apples from the neighbor. The muffins came out tasting like apple cider vinegar.
Now, this could be my fault. I switched out white sugar and added honey and I doubled the recipe. I’m fairly certain I only put 1.5 cups of apple vinegar in the recipe and I was really surprised at how much it fizzed when I added the wet ingredients.
I would love to make these again. We still have a lot of apples. Do I just need to switch out the honey back to white sugar? Any suggestions?
@Shay,
Ya the apple cider vinegar was why it tasted like vinegar had nothing to do with the honey. hahaha. I read it right but translated it as apple cider vinegar. I tried it again with apple juice instead of apple cider vinegar. SO much better. thanks!
Hi Rosemary! I’m so glad you tried my recipe! I’m so sorry they came out tasting like vinegar. This recipe doesn’t call for vinegar, just regular Apple Cider so that would be why your muffins came out tasting like vinegar.
Next time just use Apple Cider or Apple Juice and you’ll be amazed at how much better they taste 🙂
Would this recipe work baked in a loaf pan? How long would it be baked approximately?
It will work but it won’t be a full-sized loaf. The quick bread version is in my cookbook, The Gluten-Free Quick Breads Cookbook.
How did I miss this? I voted for apple muffins and missed it. I need to make these for our great granddaughter. They look yummy. Thanks!!
These are so AMAZINGLY DELISH there were no muffins to take a photo of left! Quick, easy… perfect! Thank you so much!!
(Note: I used coconut sugar in mine to replace sugars. You would never know.)
Thanks so much Julie!