This easy recipe makes the best apple cinnamon muffins, filled with warm spices and juicy chunks of fruit, and dripping with a sweet apple cider cinnamon glaze. They're so moist and tender that you'd never know they're gluten-free. If you start baking them now, they can be in your oven in under 30 minutes!
Allow me to introduce you to the coziest of fall breakfasts - gluten-free apple cinnamon muffins. With their soft, tender, apple-studded crumb and warm cinnamon-spiced glaze on top, they literally taste like autumn. Pair one with a steaming cup of coffee (or maybe a chai latte!) on a brisk fall morning, and I guarantee you'll feel an instant mood boost.
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Why this is the best apple muffin recipe - gluten-free or not!
There are a lot of apple muffin recipes out there; here's what sets these apart:
- Easy & simple: This is a fairly straightforward recipe with a simple ingredient list and no intricate steps. In fact, just like with my pear muffins, you won't even need a mixer to make these apple cinnamon muffins, and there's only about 35 minutes of hands-on time involved.
- (Very) flavorful: With juicy, sweet-tart apples in every bite, plus warm notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar, these muffins are bursting with fall flavor. They take inspiration from my cinnamon apple oatmeal bars, but where those are great for a healthy mid-day snack, these are perfect for those moments where you're craving a sweeter treat. There's even a spiced cider glaze situation happening on top for maximum impact!
- Tender & moist: Despite being gluten-free, the texture of these apple muffins is spot-on. They're just the right amount of dense, soft, and moist, and they stay that way for days. The secret? A combination of full-fat yogurt and coconut oil (plus those luscious apples, of course!).
Muffin ingredients and substitutions
If you bake often, your pantry is likely already stocked with most of the ingredients you'll need for this recipe. Here's a quick look at goes into these muffins:
A few things to note:
- This recipe calls for unsalted butter, but if all you have is salted, I would suggest dialing back the added salt in the muffins to ⅜ teaspoon instead of ½ teaspoon, and skipping the added salt in the glaze.
- Any type of brown sugar will work here. I especially love Sprouts' Dark Brown Sugar! It's heavy on the molasses and incredibly moist, which will in turn make your apple muffins more moist.
- I used Kanzi apples for these muffins - they're a mix between a Gala and a Braeburn, with a crisp bite and perfectly juicy, tangy-sweet flesh that works really well for baking. That being said, feel free to experiment with other varieties too (like the gorgeous Lucyglos I used for these caramel apple cupcakes). As a guideline, stick with an apple that has a crisp texture, and preferably a nice sweet-tart balance. A few others that I think would work well: Empire, Pink Lady, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Juici, Gala, or Braeburn.
- For muffins with a perfect texture, make sure that you use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum. My favorite brand available at Sprouts is Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. Regular all-purpose flour will also work in this recipe if you're not concerned about your muffins being gluten-free!
- These apple muffins use coconut oil, and I promise you can't taste it, especially if your coconut oil is refined. However, any neutral-flavored cooking oil will also work; avocado oil is another go-to of mine.
- You'll need Greek yogurt for this recipe. I used (and recommend) a whole milk variety, but any plain Greek yogurt or sour cream should also do the trick.
- Lastly, the glaze on these muffins is made with apple cider; apple juice will also work. Bonus points if you happen to have boiled cider on hand, which would really amplify the apple spice flavor in the muffins. If all else fails, you can even use milk and simply make a straightforward cinnamon glaze.
Step-by-step instructions
Get ready to fill your kitchen with the coziest aromas of cooked apples, sugar, and spice; let's make some muffins!
For the apple cinnamon muffins
Step one - Oven and pan prep: Start by preheating your oven to 375ºF and greasing a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Tip! Baking temperatures
As with many of my muffin recipes, we'll start out baking these apple cinnamon muffins at a slightly higher temperature of 375ºF before reducing it to your standard 350ºF. The initial blast of heat - combined with the right batter - will help the muffins rise quickly, creating perfectly domed muffin tops.
Step two - Cook the apples: Add butter to a large skillet and place it on the stove over medium heat to melt. Add 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, whisking those in and letting the mixture cook for about another 30 seconds, while stirring. Then, add your (finely chopped!) apples, and cook them until tender, stirring often. Turn off the heat and set this aside while you make your muffin batter.
Step three - Mix the dry ingredients: Grab a medium mixing bowl and whisk together all of your dry ingredients - gluten-free flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, allspice, and one more teaspoon of cinnamon.
Tip! Measuring flour
As with my lemon poppy seed muffins, it's crucial to measure your flour correctly for this recipe. Using a kitchen scale is always best, but otherwise, I recommend scooping your flour into your measuring cup and then leveling it off with a knife.
Step four - Mix the wet ingredients: In a second, medium to large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil and another ⅔ cup of brown sugar, until they're well-combined. Whisk in your eggs, one at a time, until they're fully emulsified into the mixture - it should look thick and smooth. Finally, whisk in the Greek yogurt and vanilla. Your mixture should look like so:
Step five - Combine: Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold it in with a spatula just until it's mostly incorporated - a few dry streaks are fine. Strain any extra juice from the apples (save it for later if there's more than a tablespoon or so!) and add the apples to the batter. Gently fold them in just until everything is incorporated and the apples are dispersed, being careful not to overmix. The batter will be thick.
Step six - Portion and bake: Scoop the batter into the greased cups of your muffin pan, making sure each one gets a fairly equal amount of batter. Don't be afraid to fill your muffin cups - they should be nearly full for this recipe!
Bake the muffins at 375ºF for 5 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350ºF and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of one should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs when they're done. Let them cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.
For the apple cinnamon glaze
The glaze for these apple muffins is (of course) optional, but it adds an irresistible layer of spiced cider flavor that compliments the muffins so well. If you do decide to glaze them, make sure they've cooled completely before doing so, and note that once glazed the muffins are best served the same day. (Glazed muffins can get a bit messy when stored.)
Step one - Make the glaze: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the glaze: (sifted) confectioner's sugar, apple cider/juice, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. The mixture should be smooth and just thick enough to drizzle over your muffins and gently run down the sides; if it looks too thin, add a little more confectioner's sugar.
Tip! Making the glaze
If you were left with more than 1 tablespoon of reserved juices after straining the cooked apples in step 5 above, you can use replace some or all of the apple cider in the muffin glaze with this instead.
Step two - Drizzle over muffins. Use a spoon to pour a small amount of glaze over each muffin, letting it cover the top and drip down the sides. Let the muffins sit until the glaze has set and is no longer wet to the touch.
Recipe FAQ
I recommend storing these muffins in an airtight, zip-top bag or container. They'll keep well (and stay moist) at cool room temperature for up to a few days, but should be refrigerated for longer storage (5-7 days) since they contain fresh fruit. If refrigerated, I suggest letting them come to room temperature - or microwaving briefly - before serving.
Although I haven't tested it with this recipe, I think these muffins would freeze will if unglazed. I'd recommend wrapping individual muffins in plastic wrap and then placing in a freezer-safe bag or container to freeze.
Yes! A 1:1 swap will work just fine.
More easy fall recipes you'll love
All of these recipes take about 30 minutes (or less!) of active time to make!
Have you made this recipe?
If so, I'd love to hear your feedback; you can leave a rating and review in the comments section below! It's also so helpful if you help spread the word by sharing this post on your favorite social media channel. If you happen to snap a photo of what you've baked, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me (@brighteyedbaker) so I can give you a shoutout!
Recipe Card
Apple Cinnamon Muffins (gluten-free option)
This easy recipe makes the best apple cinnamon muffins, filled with warm spices and juicy chunks of fruit, and dripping with a sweet apple cider cinnamon glaze. They're so moist and tender that you'd never know they're gluten-free. If you start baking them now, they can be in your oven in under 30 minutes!
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes (up to 20 minutes)
- Total Time: 50 minutes (up to 55 minutes)
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: muffins
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, sliced
- 6 ⅜ ounces (⅔ cup plus 3 tablespoons, packed) brown sugar, divided use
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided use
- 12 ⅝ ounces (2 ⅔ cups) peeled and finely chopped apples (about 2 medium-large)
- 10 ⅝ ounces (2 ½ cups, spoon and level) gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 4 ounces (½ cup) coconut oil, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 6 ounces (¾ cup) whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Apple Cinnamon Glaze
- 4 ½ ounces (1 ⅛ cups) confectioner's sugar, sifted
- 2 ¼ tablespoons apple cider or apple juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- heavy pinch of salt
- dash of ground nutmeg
- dash of ground allspice
Instructions
Spiced Apple Muffins
- Oven and pan prep: Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray.
- Cook the apples: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and cook for another 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add sliced apples, stirring to coat. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients: Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, allspice, and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a separate, large bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil and brown sugar until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time, until thick and smoothly emulsified. Whisk in the yogurt and vanilla until fully incorporated.
- Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold in just until mostly incorporated - batter will be thick. Strain any extra juice from the cooked apples, reserving for glaze if possible (see notes). Add the apples to the batter and fold in everything is evenly incorporated and the apples are dispersed.
- Portion and bake: Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups (they will be nearly full), using your fingertips to lightly smooth out the tops of the muffins as needed. Bake at 375ºF for 5 minutes, and then reduce heat to 350º and bake about another 10-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
Apple Cinnamon Glaze
- Make the glaze: In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the glaze: sifted confectioner's sugar, apple cider/juice, melted butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. Whisk together until smooth. The glaze should be just thick enough to drizzle over the muffins in a thin layer; you can add more confectioner's sugar if needed.
- Drizzle over muffins: Spoon glaze over each muffin, allowing to drizzle down sides and set.
Notes
Ingredient notes and substitutions:
- To use salted butter, I would suggest dialing back the added salt in the muffins to ⅜ teaspoon and skipping the salt in the glaze.
- I used Kanzi apples for these muffins, but any variety with a crisp texture, and preferably a nice sweet-tart balance, will work well. A few suggestions: Empire, Pink Lady, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Juici, Gala, or Braeburn.
- Regular all-purpose flour can also be used in place of gluten-free flour.
- In place of the coconut oil, you can use any neutral-flavored cooking oil.
- While I recommend a whole milk Greek yogurt, any plain Greek yogurt - or even sour cream - should do the trick.
- If you have enough reserved juices from cooking the apples, you can use this in place of the cider/juice in the glaze. Boiled cider would also be ideal, but you can even use milk in a pinch.
Storage and shelf life:
- I recommend storing these muffins in an airtight, zip-top bag or container. They'll keep well (and stay moist) at cool room temperature for up to a few days, but should be refrigerated for longer storage (5-7 days) since they contain fresh fruit. If refrigerated, I suggest letting them come to room temperature or microwaving briefly before serving. They would likely freeze well if unglazed; wrap individual muffins in plastic wrap and store in an freezer-safe bag or container.
Jeff Thomas
Thanks for the recipe, I made these and they turned out amazing! If you're on the fence whether to make this one, don't be. Just do it, its easy and you'll be rewarded with apples cinnamon goodness. Me and the family ate these for desert and also breakfast - haha. 3 days later they're almost gone, guess I'll be making them again soon! Side note: I happened to use regular flour, since I didn't have gluten-free on-hand and it still turned out great
alexandra
Glad they turned out so well! Thanks for the review. :)
Sandra
I love all the combined spices with these muffins. They taste so good and were so easy to make!
Carol Miranda
Whilst reading through your recipes, I would love to try them out, but always the restricting factor is converting to metric. We are now in a digital age, even the scales won't give you 3/8th tsp and 2/3 cup of an ingredient, so for the rest of the world, can you give us the metric equivalent. It would help a great deal.. Thanks. This looks like a great recipe and I will try it without the gluten free flour, since no one in our family is gluten intolerant.
alexandra
Hi Carol,
The tool I use to type up my recipes does have a conversion feature I can enable, but unfortunately it doesn't convert tablespoons or teaspoons at the moment. I went ahead and enabled it for this recipe anyway - you should now see an "M" button at the top of the recipe card, just above the ingredient list. Hopefully that helps a bit - you can use Google's calculator to get the metric equivalents for the teaspoons/tablespoons. I did ask the developers of the tool if they'll consider making the tool work for those smaller measurements in the future though!
Greg Garrison
These really are delicious. Apple/cinnamon is ALWAYS a great combo. The only thing downfall is that muffins tend to be so small, I always feel guilty about eating 3 or 4 in one sitting. 10/10 would recommend.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Love apple muffins and the spices in these are perfect for Fall. And of course, glaze is always good :)